Photoshop CS2

Mark Johnson

Mark Johnson

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As a relative newcomer to photo editing, I have used Photoshop CS2 for a year or so, (also free)

Also recently down loaded Lightroom.

On first go, don't like the latter, don't seem to be able to just edit one photo without going through loads of libraries and catalogues.

Is CS2 a real low level editor?? Its free and certainly seems to do what I want.

Also the Windows 8 Photo works quite well for me, though is limited.... in certain ways (does not print)

Any advice would be welcome, though I don't like programmes taking over the computer, and organising things for me! Just like to be able to edit (!) one photo at a time.

Mj
 
Adobe Photoshop CS2 is full blown Photoshop.

It's a few versions old obviously though.

Released 2005 but still very capable. I still have it on one PC and use it often.
 
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If it works and does what you want, what's the problem?
I use it too, sometimes, and prefer it to other free programs like Gimp for example.
 
Thanks Ken,

It works as you say, but not really sure what to expect from 'processing'

and how much 'processing' enhances the original photo..

Reading this forum has enlarged and bewildered my concept of photography...............

Just asking if the CS2 is worthy of such intense processing..

Mj
 
Mark Johnson said:
Thanks Ken,

It works as you say, but not really sure what to expect from 'processing'

and how much 'processing' enhances the original photo..

Reading this forum has enlarged and bewildered my concept of photography...............

Just asking if the CS2 is worthy of such intense processing..

Mj
Click to expand...

What to expect & how much processing enhances the original photo ? - That's a hard one to answer. Sometimes the slightest amount of processing is all that's needed to enhance an image to its optimum. Sometimes too much processing can kill an image. There's no right or wrong answer.

Is CS2 worthy of such intense processing ? - I'm unsure what you're asking here. If your asking whether CS2 is up to the job or if the results are worth your time then the answer is yes.
 
Mark Johnson said:
As a relative newcomer to photo editing, I have used Photoshop CS2 for a year or so, (also free)

Also recently down loaded Lightroom.

On first go, don't like the latter, don't seem to be able to just edit one photo without going through loads of libraries and catalogues.

Is CS2 a real low level editor?? Its free and certainly seems to do what I want.

Also the Windows 8 Photo works quite well for me, though is limited.... in certain ways (does not print)

Any advice would be welcome, though I don't like programmes taking over the computer, and organising things for me! Just like to be able to edit (!) one photo at a time.

Mj
Click to expand...

Photoshop is the leading image processing software globally. As mentioned, the CS2 version is a few years old now, but still contains about 95% of the same stuff as the latest version. I guarantee it is capable of doing more than you will ever learn.

Lightroom is a different tool for a different job, though some capabilities do cross over with Photoshop. FYI you can organise it however you like. I have one library and one catalogue, with around about a quarter of a million images in it. There's nothing to stop me processing a single image in it though, and I don't have to go anywhere near any other images to do that.

It doesn't take over your computer or organise anything for you. You simply point it at the file structure you have on your machine and it references the files there. Lightroom doesn't touch or change anything on your computer, or in your file structure. (Unless you tell it to).

I think there have been several threads on here lately about introductions to Lightroom, maybe worth having a look at, as it is a handy way to keep tabs on things as your library of images gets larger. (y)
 
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Mark Johnson said:
As a relative newcomer to photo editing, I have used Photoshop CS2 for a year or so, (also free)
Click to expand...

I don't think it is free. It's certainly available but if you do a little research on CS2 you'll find that Adobe categorically state that it's only for customers who have bought the program and are having licensing issues. That being said, some considered that Adobe had made a clever move as it might encourage users of 'free' CS2 to upgrade eventually. It was certainly a capable image editor when it was released 10 years ago.
 
CS2 is a very powerful image editing tool that can be used to great effect, I found a good tutorial/reference book for it and used it for quite some time when I had a PC. When I changed over to a Mac a couple of years ago, I opted for Lightroom 5 and Elements 11.

I'm still learning, but find Lightroom great for cataloging images and for making adjustments including some editing, like spot removal, gradient filters, sharpening and so on. Elements when used in expert mode, seems to me to be very similar to CS2 although the editing functions aren't always on the same tabs. For anything where significant image editing is required, i.e. using layers, masks, brushes, etc... then Elements pretty much has it covered.

My default is to use Lightroom first and then if I want to edit an image, select the <photo-edit in Elements> tab.

In the end, it comes down to what you want to do with your images.
 
does photoshop have lens profiles in it?
also is there a free version for the mac?
 
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SsSsSsSsSnake said:
does photoshop have lens profiles in it?
also is there a free version for the mac?
Click to expand...

From what I've seen, there is no longer an official free CS2 download available. Elements is very powerful and not a huge cost.
 
SsSsSsSsSnake said:
Thanks Glenn,does elements have lens correction?
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It does have lens correction, but I'm not sure if it has lens profiles as I tend to let Lightroom look after that. Then if I want to edit more than process, I use Photo -> Edit In Photoshop Elements -> With Lightroom Adjustments option.
 
GeeJay57 said:
From what I've seen, there is no longer an official free CS2 download available. Elements is very powerful and not a huge cost.
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Nope it's still available from adobe, along with the whole cs2 suite.
On app so I'll post the link later.

Lightroom lens profiles came in in a later version than 2 didn't it?

Also don't confuse the two products they've are different. Photoshop is an image editing program, very powerful, lots of feature. Lightroom is a workflow program that includes some basic editing facilities.
 
Byker28i said:
Nope it's still available from adobe, along with the whole cs2 suite.
On app so I'll post the link later.

Lightroom lens profiles came in in a later version than 2 didn't it?

Also don't confuse the two products they've are different. Photoshop is an image editing program, very powerful, lots of feature. Lightroom is a workflow program that includes some basic editing facilities.
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Ah, Ok. I'm sure an official link would be welcome.

I'm using LR5, didn't use the earlier versions. Prior to changing to Mac, I was using CS3 for editing and Bridge for managing my images

Not sure if the last sentence is directed at me or not, but thanks for the heads up, though FWIW I'm not confused about LR vs PS.
 
Thanks Byker,could you confirm if Elements has similar lens correct settings to lightroom?
Re CS2 I've got a feeling i tried installing it a few weeks back but it needed a power mac to run and didn't seem comparable with an ordinary iMac,i may be wrong
 
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CS2 system requirements


  • Mac OS X v.10.2.8–v.10.3.8, PowerPC® G4 or G5 processor
  • Microsoft® Windows® 2000/Windows XP, Intel® Pentium® III or 4 processor
  • here are the requirements has anyone got it to work on a iMac
Im using Yosemite 10.10.4

from adobe
Read before you download a CS2 product
Adobe has disabled the activation server for CS2 products, including Acrobat 7, because of a technical issue. These products were released more than seven years ago and do not run on many modern operating systems; Adobe no longer supports them.

Adobe strongly advises against running unsupported and outdated software. Only customers who legitimately purchased CS2 or Acrobat 7 and need to maintain their current use of these products may use the serial numbers provided during the download.
 
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GeeJay57 said:
From what I've seen, there is no longer an official free CS2 download available. Elements is very powerful and not a huge cost.
Click to expand...
Elements does not support 16-bit layered images, which for me is a dealbreaker.

The exact terms and conditions for the use of Photoshop CS2 are here.
As far as I can see it's still possible to download CS2, but whether you choose to use it as a "free" product appears to be a matter of conscience.
 
I have bought and upgraded Lightroom since V1 and Photoshop since before CS. Currently running on two full copies of photoshop cs5 and lightroom 4 as the deal as a student for full copies was cheaper than upgrading mine.

Brian does have a valid point that these aren't free but provided for uses who have licences but mislaid the software

Majority of my workflow is done in lightroom. It's rare that I need to use photoshop, although I do prefer it for monochrome conversion
 
Im using the 'free' cs2 (i agree it's a conscience thing.. so im going to hell) - the subscription model they now have really bugs me as sometimes i dont use it for a few months or something and i dont like committing to constant use (like my aversion to gym memberships!) - that said, i suspect when i get a new computer sometime in the next year or so (mine is circa 2007), this 'free' version won't work on newer versions of windows so i'll have to rethink. I suspect I will probably switch to Elements - i doubt i'm using photoshop to it's full potential and as long as elements has the basic functions like cloning and levels and blah blah i would think it would be a fine alternative.

I did try and use GIMP when I was at uni but i never really got on with it. Ill never forget my tutors face when i told him what i'd used on my project - he obviously had not heard of GIMP....

I use Lightroom to PP my photos, with a bit of photoshop (if theres a big clone area or something) - I don't think i use the work flow elements of it very well, but the controls I find easier to work with than doing some of the same things in photoshop. I really hope lightroom will always be available as a stand alone program.
 
dan_yell said:
Im using the 'free' cs2 (i agree it's a conscience thing.. so im going to hell) - the subscription model they now have really bugs me as sometimes i dont use it for a few months or something and i dont like committing to constant use (like my aversion to gym memberships!) - that said, i suspect when i get a new computer sometime in the next year or so (mine is circa 2007), this 'free' version won't work on newer versions of windows so i'll have to rethink. I suspect I will probably switch to Elements - i doubt i'm using photoshop to it's full potential and as long as elements has the basic functions like cloning and levels and blah blah i would think it would be a fine alternative.
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I'll hold up my hand and also admit to using a "free" copy of CS2, but in mitigation, I've subsequently upgraded to the full, paid for, CS6.
I'm not sure about CS2 not working on later editions of Windows.
Reading the system requirements for CS2 Adobe say "Windows® 2000/Windows XP" and yet it runs fine on W7 64-bit.
Not sure about W8 since I don't have that, besides which, Microsoft have included an "Emulation" mode in recent releases of Windows, which is intended to allow running programs in an earlier operating system environment.

I'm sure the majority of people don't use PS to it's full extent, and I include myself in that group, but nevertheless, it's nice to have it's power there if you need it.
If there's a particular technique you want to try you can usually find a tutorial on how to do it.
As I said in an earlier post, I prefer to work with 16-bit images wherever possible, and Elements lack of 16-bit support makes it a non-starter for me.
For many years I was using PaintShop Pro, which has much better 16-bit image support, and IMHO is a far better program than PS Elements. It's just that Photoshop CS6 is even better.

dan_yell said:
I use Lightroom to PP my photos, with a bit of photoshop (if theres a big clone area or something) - I don't think i use the work flow elements of it very well, but the controls I find easier to work with than doing some of the same things in photoshop. I really hope lightroom will always be available as a stand alone program.
Click to expand...
Sounds pretty similar to myself.
The majority my of work is done in Lightroom, although I have NIK and Topaz plug-ins that I also use sometimes, but there are times when Photoshop is of great benefit.
Adobe seem to be making it increasingly difficult to find Lightroom as a stand-alone program, and if were ever to go CC only I would seriously consider changing to something else, which at the moment would probably be Capture One.
 
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