Adobe’s new Creative Suite 5 (CS5), is it for me?
April 15, 2010 8:48 pm art techniquesYou may have heard that Adobe have launched its new Creative Suite 5 (CS5) software (and is available for pre-order with free shipping before the end of April; scroll down for details on where to buy). But what is Adobe CS5 exactly, you may ask? And do I need to buy the full suite, or should I just buy Photoshop or Illustrator on an individual basis?
What is Adobe CS5?
Adobe CS5 is essentially a collection of several, individual, software programs packaged together, and can include versions of Photoshop, Illustrator, Acrobat, and Indesign. There are five editions of Adobe CS5: Design Premium, Web Premium, Production Premium, and Master Collection. Each edition is tailored depending on your needs. Realising that this is too much choice perhaps, Adobe have even created a suite selector tool to help you decide.
What is the difference between Photoshop and Illustrator and who uses them?
Artists, photographers, and designers are most likely just to use Photoshop and Illustrator. I am most familiar with Photoshop and have become one of its number one fans. Although Photoshop is harder to learn, it is in my opinion far superior to any other image editing software that I’ve tried.
In very basic layman terms, Photoshop allows you to edit and manipulate photographs and Illustrator allows you to create, paint and draw digital images, although there is an overlap between the two. What you can achieve with Photoshop and Illustrator is very sophisticated indeed, and it is well worth learning how to use them.
As part of the Photoshop family, you can get the following versions:
- Photoshop Elements 8: a simplified version of the full Photoshop CS5 that offers editing, compositing, and painting capabilities and is also Adobe’s most popular photo-editing program.
- Photoshop Premiere Elements 8: provides a simplified video-editing option for movie creators.
- Photoshop CS5: a full version that offers many more features than Photoshop Elements 8 and is a much more sophisticated option.
- Photoshop CS5 extended: a full version, plus tools that let you create and enhance 3D images and motion-based content.
- Photoshop Lightroom2: a version that acts like a digital darkroom, allowing you to manage, edit and showcase your photos.
I recommend Photoshop Elements 8 for those who are new to image editing software and Photoshop CS5 for those who are confident using computers and learning new software. Both are suitable, if not a must, for photographers and artists alike. Photoshop Lightroom2 is for serious amateurs and professional photographers needing to edit and showcase a larger volume of photographs. (You will need to scroll down for details on where to buy Adobe products.)
What are the various pricing options?
Adobe has a bewildering array of price options for their software too. In brief, there are student and teacher editions (which are considerably cheaper); upgrades (which allow you to upgrade from an older version and are a lot less pricey); and the full editions.
There are also pricing options in terms of licensing. The type of licensing you will need depends on how many computers are going to run the software. (You may have several computers on a network, for example, and each will need a license to use the software). If you are only going to use the software on your own computer, then you will only need a single license (which unsurprisingly is a lot cheaper).
Which version do I need for my computer?
And finally don’t forget, you must buy software that is compatible with your hardware. Check the requirements for running the software, before you buy it, and make sure it is suitable to run on your Mac or PC.
Where can I buy Adobe software?
You can buy or pre-order genuine Adobe software by clicking on the links listed below:
If you live in the US you can buy from the following links:
Adobe Special Offers for the US
Adobe Photoshop Elements 8 for Windows – US
Adobe Photoshop Elements 8 for Mac – US
Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 2 – US
Adobe Photoshop CS5 Extended – US
If you live in the UK you can buy from the following links:
Adobe UK Special Offers Page
Adobe Creative Suite 5 Design Premium – UK
Adobe Photoshop Elements 8 for Windows – UK
Adobe Photoshop Elements 8 for Mac – UK
Adobe Premiere Elements 8 for Windows – UK
Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 2 – UK
Anonymous :
Date: June 27, 2011 @ 12:56 am
Great info and concur completely..Photoshop Elements 8 for those who are new to image editing software and Photoshop CS5 for those who are confident using computers and learning new software. Great info. Thanks