Customer Reviews

Adobe Photoshop CS4 [Mac] [OLD VERSION]

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I am going to try something new here, which is that I am going to come back and revise this review to add new info as it becomes available to me. I am going to try this approach since there is no way I can comment on every aspect of the product so soon after buying it. Furthermore, my review will be in the form of a comparison against Photoshop CS3 since in my opinion it is really the most important question: Is it worth upgrading to CS4 from CS3? Yes, it is, in my opinion.

A. Have just started using the product. Right out of the gate I am loving the clone stamp improvement. Honestly--and this is why I came to write this review now--this improvement alone is worth the cost of upgrade. I am a regular clone stamp user and the improvements with the tool are massive and time-saving. There are three improvements to the clone stamp tool that I have found:

1. The biggest and best improvement is the "ghost" preview. Now, after you have sampled the spot you want to transfer to another part of the image, there is no more guessing about where exactly to drop it and whether the lines will match up. They now have a floating ghost preview inside the stamp as you move it across the image! This means that you can see exactly where and how it will be placed before you click the mouse. This saves countless hours in the long run by not having to undo and redo over and over until you get the placement just right.
2. Another big improvement is that they have decreased the tool's tendency to replicate itself again and again and make a smudgy mess. You can now go back over the same spot over and over and it will not start to duplicate itself. This is especially helpful when it comes to the smaller sized stamps which in CS3 had a tendency to self-replicate if painted back and forth too many times.
3. An improvement I don't really understand, but I can see it working: smart "edge-sensing" technology. In the past, when coming to an edge or break in the pattern of the pixels the stamp was indifferent. Now it somehow seems to know and seamlessly weaves the stamp to the existing edge or break in pattern. It's hard to describe but if you a regular clone stamp user you will know what I mean. They have changed something from CS3 to CS4 in this regard and it is making my work better and faster.

OK, so you can see that I had all that to say just about one tool! I can't wait to find more improvements and report them back--and I will do so, but like I said the close tool improvement alone has already paid for this product--at least in my eyes--since I am such a heavy user of the tool.

B. Updated 4/14/09: Photomerge is DRAMATICALLY improved over the already fine photomerge abilities of CS3. I mean it is dramatically improved, especially with blending skies together seamlessly which CS3 had a little trouble with.

Blessed Speed

The new Photoshop CS4, along with Bridge CS4, gives me the blessing of speed for my older iMac GS5 (non-Intel) computer. My new Photoshop CS4 takes advantage of OpenGL. The new Adobe OpenGL is a hardware and software engine for drawing graphics faster and more efficiently when my iMac is rendering my photo and graphic images.

Working with Adobe Photoshop CS4

* The Adobe Bridge: The next generation of the Photoshop File Browser. This allows you to organize, browse and locate photos, images and movies across shared Adobe Creative Suite applications.

* New Camera Raw gives you control over your digital negatives in Photoshop CS4. It is much easier to work on several images simultaneously. The Camera Raw has Auto checkbooks for Exposure, Shadows, Brightness and Contrast sliders.

* Smart Guides appear when you're moving text or objects around, making it easier to align them.

* Photoshop CS4's Smart Objects allow you to scale and transform images and vector illustrations without losing image quality.

* The Vanishing Point lets you clone, paint and transform images. With Image Warping, you can fold, stretch, pull, twist and wrap an image into shape. You can do this by selecting an on-demand preset or dragging custom control points.

Working within Adobe Photoshop CS4

Bridge CS4 application is the key for opening, sorting and keeping my camera images. Most of my Photoshop CS work is done in the Browser. I single-click the photos that I need for my Photoshop CS4 project. Now I have a group of highlighted photos that can be used in the Browser's Automated menu.


The Photoshop Browser's Sort contains Date Created, Date Modified, Copyright and Custom. You can sort them in ascending or descending order.

Working with the Inner Core of the Photoshop CS4

Photoshop's Browser's Automated menu contains Batch, PDF Presentation, Contact Sheet II and Online Services. Also, Automated menu contains Photomerge, Picture Package and Web Photo Gallery.

The Photoshop CS4 Browser has Sort capabilities that contain the Filename, Flag, Rank, Width and Height. Also, the CS4 Browser has Sort capabilities that contain File Size, Resolution, File Type and Color Profile.

Photomerge is improved in CS4. The new Photomerge Layouts has Auto, Perspective, Cylindrical, Reposition Only and Interactive Layout.

Working with the 'Outer Core' of Adobe Photoshop CS4

Keyboard Commands

I created one-key letter shortcuts that I use quite often: M for Marquee, V for Moving objects, T for Text, I for Eyedropper and C for Crop. There is a multitude of Toolbox one-key letter shortcuts that you can use or change.

Toolbox uses the Shift bar to get to related tools on the same pop-out menu. For example, to cycle through the Lasso, Polygonal Lasso, and Magnetic Lasso tools, hold down Shift bar and keep pressing "L" key.

Now, without using the computer mouse, I use the Command, Control, and C keys in unison. Like a piano chord, I can now change the contrast and brightness in my digital photographs.

I use Command, Control, and letter keys for adding keyboard commands. This works well within the menus and plugin filters that I use in Photoshop CS4.

Pro Reaction

Photoshop CS4 works well within Mac OS X 10.4 (Tiger) and with native Intel Macs ac OS X 10.5 (Leopard).

I find Photoshop CS4's Help menu an excellent way to learn the various functions of Photoshop's program.

The new Photoshop CS4 offers flexibility and nondestructive editing. Photoshop has a Welcome screen and improved Help that ease the learning curve for new users. The Help menu is changeable.

Con Reaction

The CS4 Bridge does not work in older Photoshop programs. The Photoshop CS4 supports 64-bit in a Windows only features. Mac users should wait for a future release for 64-bit power.


Final Words

Remember Photoshop remains the industry standard for professional photo editing, graphic design, and digital imaging. Digital photographers will benefit from Adobe Photoshop with its strong digital-camera raw workflow.

CS4 is everything that I heard it would be. I believe that every serious amateur photographer will eventually own a copy if they don't already have one. It is not the easiest software to learn but the best always requires some effort and the effort is well worth it. Each day I understand a little bit more about the features and power of the program and it never ceases to amaze me. It is pricey but, again, you get what you pay for. I am very happy with it and I would very much recommend it.

This product is the best editing tool on the market. However you need to be aware that it comes with NO instructions. I had to comb websites and bookstore and beg for help on line to narrow it down to what instructional book I should buy. It took me weeks and it wasn't cheap!

Adobe Photoshop CS4 is a good product, I have only minor complaints about a few thing, but overall, I am very satisfied. I was not satisfied with Amazon though. Just a few days after purchasing Adobe Photoshop CS4 from Amazon, they sent me an email saying I could buy it Adobe Photoshop CS4 at a price more than $100 cheaper than what I paid! I tried to get a price adjustment, but was told Amazon stopped doing that about a month earlier. I was quite disappointed in Amazon for this...

Adobe products are a must if you like photography and want to personalize you work. Aperture 2 is good, and NX2 is great, but Adobe is what it is all about. This product is absolutely gold-dust on a MacBook Pro.

I could have purchased the latest greatest, but it seems you lose some functionality according to the reviews I did before making this major software purchase. PS is not cheap by any stretch of the imagination, so I had to justify why I wanted it first and then find the best one to suit my purposes. This was the compromise between the price tag and the quality of product. I am really happy I mad this purchase because this product can do so much.

I've long ago lost the count of how many times this application crashed in the last few weeks (the few weeks of owning it). I've worked with Photoshop since "Photoshop 4" and this is officially the most unreliable version to date.

Adobe, when you charge people so much money for an application, make sure it works, first!

The Adobe Photoshop CS4 software that I purchased from one of the "trusted resellers" from Amazon had an illegal serial number. I found this out when I called Photoshop support. I think it's time to take a good look at your "trusted resellers." I will not be able to trust Amazon again for any software purchase.