Apple Reviews

Affordable and complete solution. Is there a solution like that? Answer is yes. Adobe has a solution for print/electronic publishing, distrubution. This affordable and powerful solution is a collection of Adobe's top quality print/electronic publishing software titles called Adobe Publishing Collection. Adobe Publishing Collection is offering a great value for its price. If your business depends on both electronic and print document distribution there is nothing more affordable and useful than Adobe's Publishing Collection. I can confidently say that you would never regret the money you invest in this collection.

InDesign comes of age. I switched from Publisher 2002 to
InDesign but bought the entire Design Collection. Very wise
move it turned out despite the price. I was not impressed
with InDesign 1.5 when I demo-ed it but 2.0 is terrific. The
disjointed tools in 1.5 were upgraded to fit together both
logically and seamlessly. Photoshop 7? The healing tool is a
dream for photo repair and the principal upgrade from 6 to 7.
BASICALLY you can make a document... make the graphics EXACTLY
the way you want them... layout everything with precision and
put it into a PDF and go out across the internet or on a disk
to the printers with it. Quark I also demo-ed, but this Adobe
collection has the functionality of that package AND much more.
Also the advent of Adobe's Open Type fonts are huge in the way
of controlling the typefaces... The product is supported by
Adobe and there are a slew of third party plug-ins and
tutorials. Photoshop is something I resisted trying for two

years. My mistake .... the layers make editing graphics
possible in ways I never dreamed of. IT'S ACTUALLY WORTH THE
MONEY. THE SLOW LEARNING CURVE IS DUE TO THE ARRAY OF TOOLS AND
OPTIONS YOU ARE GIVEN. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

This is a very nice, relatively smooth upgrade, I haven't had any major issues. The new filters pallette is very nice to work with - it saves a good amount of time allowing you to apply mulitple transformations within one window.

The isues that I have had:

- it does crash in XP when using the right mouse click to "open file with"...it works much better if the program is opened first and then the file is opened ...I haven't upgraded my Mac yet, so I'm not sure if the situation with be the same on the OSX platform.

- this is very minor but the pixel aspect ratio is set for video when I open a Bitmap-TIFF ...it's a file type that the computer somehow sees as a preview for video, but it's a simple fix - just change the pixel aspect ration view back to square ...I must admit the first time it happened and my image loaded looking all squished, I got that curious dog look on my face, cocked my head to the side wondering "what the heck is this?"

- Some of my files which are 250MB working in 7.0 seem to be exploding to 400MB in CS... this is something which I haven't been able to trace or figure out just yet, but it does cause significant problems for working speed ...I only have 1.3GB of RAM which is fine for a 250MB drawing but not sufficient for a 400MB drawing. I'll have to delve deeper into the software to see if I can figure this one out.

Overall, it seems like a fine upgrade, but as with most upgrades there are some issues/surprises when you make the switch.

Adobe's newest release of Photoshop, is great news for digital photographers amongst others. This version now brings 16-bit suport to Photoshop. That means that we can now work with RAW camera files with full support of most Photoshop tools. The changes are more behind the scenes than they are cosmetic. Being able to customize your own keyboard shortcuts is a big timesafer. You can't go wrong with this upgrade!

It's all about control. Now you have the photo editing control power in your hands with Adobe Photoshop CS.

Raw format allows photographers greater latitude in how they want their pictures to appear. Open the camera raw image files. Next, quickly apply adjustments such as exposure compensation or tonal adjustments without compressing the image or losing any of the original image data.

Shoot photos in your digital camera's raw format when image quality is the most important factor. Raw format saves all related image data with no in-camera processing.

Photoshop CS allows photographers to:

Control their raw camera images

View live histograms as they work

Create lens blur effects

Simulate photo filter effects

Easily correct exposure problems

Quickly replace color

Automatically crop and straighten photos and Create Adobe Photoshop CS panoramas

The 'Inner Core' of Adobe Photoshop CS

Most of my Photoshop CS work is done in the Browser. I single-click the photos that I need for my Photoshop CS project. Now I have a group of highlighted photos that can be used in the Browser's Automated menu.

The inner core of the Photoshop CS 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. Running these automated menu tasks from the File Browser saves me a lot of time. I can avoid opening each photo file separately in Photoshop CS.

The Photoshop CS Browser has Sort capabilities that contains the Filename, Flag, Rank, Width and Height. Also, Sort capabilities that contains File Size, Resolution, File Type and Color Profile. Finally, the Photoshop Browser's Sort contains Date Created, Date Modified, Copyright and Custom. You can sort them in ascending or descending order.

Photoshop CS Photomerge and PDF Presentations

In Photomerge, I can make a collage of photos and move them in any order. Also, I can take several sections photos of a large bridge using a tripod. I then take the section photos and join them together with Photoshop CS' Photomerge. I still have to edit the new Photomerge photo for length, size and contrast.

In PDF Presentation, I can turn my photos into Acrobat PDFs and stitch them together. The fun is turning my new creation into a slideshow with various transitions. The PDF Presentation is cross-platform that can be used on a Mac and Windows computers.

The 'Outer Core' of Adobe Photoshop CS

The epiphany moment for me was using Adobe Photoshop Toolbar's one-key letter shortcuts. During an SIG (Special Interest Group) meeting on how to use Adobe Photoshop, the SIG teacher showed the club members the basic one-key letter shortcuts.

Keyboard Commands

The one-key letter shortcuts that I use quite often is 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.

Change Keyboard Commands in Photoshop CS

This means that missing Photoshop CS Menu keyboard commands can now be added. For example, I am constantly making changes to my images by changing the photos' contrast and brightness.

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 CS.

Pro Reaction

Photoshop CS offers flexibility and nondestructive editing. Photoshop's Welcome screen and improved Help ease the learning curve for new users. The Help menu is changeable. I find Photoshop CS' Help menu an excellent way to learn the various functions of Photoshop program. Photoshop CS comes with a paper, hardcopy paper manual.

Con Reaction

You have to read and work with hardcopy paper manual. Photoshop CS is not compatible with older Mac OS. Photoshop CS requires Mac OS X 10.2.4 or greater.

Final Words

Photoshop is the industry standard for professional photo editing, graphic design, and digital imaging. Adobe Photoshop is considered the industry standard. Photoshop skills are required for employment in the graphic design field. 

Digital photographers will benefit from Adobe Photoshop with its strong digital-camera raw workflow. Adobe Photoshop is made for Jaguar (Mac OS 10.2) and Panther (Mac OS 10.3).

I never had access to many Adobe products, with exception for Pagemaker, because of the high price. But at my high school we have what we they called an Academy of Graphic Arts and Design. There, with the financial help of a well known college, the academy was given a full copy of Adobe Photoshop 7.0!

I really enjoyed learning how to use Adobe Photoshop 7.0. I'm not one to read manuals or help menus and just like to play around. Learning how to use everything is fairly easy.

One feature I LOVED is what is called "layers". You can have a photo in the background and then open other files and drag and drop onto the first picture. Then you can choose to erase part of the pictures you placed on top. But not everything is erased...each layer underneath the one you are erasing is still visible! There are various erasers (shape-wise) too, so it can look blended or have neat edges.

I also liked the variety of "filters". These filters help change the picture. You can add texture to the picture, distort it, add light to a certain area, make the picture look like it on a stamp (as in rubber stamp)...the list goes on.

The one bad thing about this is you can't do "Undo except for the change you just did (meaning if you made a mistake and decided to try something to "cover it up", if you didn't like the outcome of the "fix" you can't go back and change the mistake) EXCEPT if you are layering, you go to the box where it shows each layer and go to the history where you can delete (or "undo") up until the mistake you had made is gone.

My point is, this program is Top Class. The best I have used (and I have tried a few) Although I'd like to try the Windows version, for those who have a Mac (this is the version I used and have experience with) GET THIS if you love photoediting. The possiblities are endless.

Now if only I could save up enough money...

Photoshop 7.0 is incredible. The new paint enhancement are mindblowing. Everyone should learn how to use this program. I have been able to do so many things, Edit and enhance my own artwork and comics, make custom t-shirts, make beutiful portaits and photo collages, just let my artistic mind run wild. This program has opened a world of opportunity, and it should for you to. BUY IT, worth every penny.

Adobe did it again. Not only did they make a product that runs great in OS X but they inhanced it and made it better with new features like the heal tool. If you have been waiting to upgrade to OS X because of Photoshop order both right now.

I *just* got my upgrade a few days ago. I was a little worried about installing the upgrade, because sometimes they aren't real stable right away. But this one installed like a breeze, and seems to be very stable.

I am on a 500 MHz G3 iMac, with 768 megs of RAM, OS 9.2.1. (I have OS X, but don't use it much yet.) Photoshop 7 installed GREAT. No problems at all. And none of that irritating "CD-swapping" nonsense that was present in the upgrade for Photoshop 6. A very easy upgrade process.

As far as Photoshop 7 goes - what's there not to like? The "heal" brush is very cool, and I LOVE (love love love) the "browse" function. I have WAY too many graphic files, digital camera files, etc., and it's always been time-consuming to wade through them all to find the picture I want. The browse function makes this so much easier. This, (to me) was a major reason to upgrade. I know there are a lot of other additions that I haven't noticed yet (I've only had it a few days) but so far, I am most pleased.

I like the enhanced filter window. Now, FINALLY, we can see how the filter is going to affect the picture, because the preview window is big enough! There are a lot of other additions and tweaks that I really like.

One that elates me is the ability to re-name a layer without having to deal with a window that pops up. Now, you just double-click on the title text that you want to change on the layer palette, change the layer name RIGHT THERE, and then press "return" to set the changes! FINALLY a decent way to change layer names!

The new "brush engine" is very fabulous too. I haven't worked with it much, but so far, I like!

There are a lot of great tweaks, enhancements and adjustments that I am noticing. Very nice. Very happy. Works well with my little iMac. It does need a lot of RAM, though - but so did version 6. Throw as much RAM as you can at it.

If you're a Photoshop user and want to upgrade to OS X--let this piece of software convince you. It's stabler and more elegant than the previous version in OS 9. I simply *love* Photoshop 7.0. I've been a Photoshop user on the Mac since Photoshop 4.0, and this is by far the best version yet. If you're a graphics professional and have been waiting to switch to OS X for software like Photoshop to be ready for OS X, then the time has come--switch away. As always, I think Adobe's pricing is a bit too high, but this is a rare example of an upgrade whose price I felt was worth it.

If you are a Mac user and have an older version of Photoshop ... well I would seriously recommend that you upgrade to version 7.0

While v7 doesn't add a whole lot of new features ... it does improve on a number of existing ones ... and most importantly it is the first Adobe application to feature their new common user-interface design ... that will be shared with imageready and illustrator.

Since it is highly probable that one will be using one of these applications ... you may as well drop down the coin and purchase this upgrade now ... before they start restricting the versions the upgrade supports.

Photoshop, over the years, has become the standard for image manipulation. With the upgrade to version 6.0, Adobe has made this program even better. The controls are easier to use and find. But the real highlight here, is the programs ability to use and manipulate text. The text interface is very much improved. There is no more palette. You can now directly manipulate text size and color within the frame. This alone, for many, will make this a must upgrade. In general, the tools are more intuitive than previous versions. And overall the work out of v6.0 seems 'cleaner' than from v5.5.

I am a relative "newbie" to Photoshop (about a year) and I put off upgrading. I guess I figured I hadn't gotten my "money's worth" out of Photoshp 5.5 yet. But, when I finally upgraded, I was so glad I did! I love this upgrade!

Improved Layer Styles, improved Gradients, improved cropping. I know there's much more, but I still am kind of a newbie, I can't remember them all. And the most dramatic and fabulous improvement - the TEXT function! Oh my gosh! No more annoying pop-up window to type text into! You just start typing on your image. Editing and changing fonts and sizes is so much easier now. Also, I like the taskbar thingie at the top of the screen. Very convenient, I don't know how I lived without it. ImageReady is also improved. I find myself using it more and more.

Also, I want to warn everyone - make SURE you have your CD of Photoshop 4 or above on hand. During the installation process, Photoshop 6 will want you to put in a previous version of Photoshop in your CD drive, to confirm you are qualified for an upgrade. They seem to only accept versions 4 or above. If you don't have a CD of at least version 4 of Photoshop, you need to contact Adobe support, and they will help you "unlock" the Photoshop upgrade, so that you can install it on your computer. Obviously, you must be a registered owner of Photoshop (any previous version) to qualify for this upgrade.

I read on Adobe's support site that sometimes it's better to drag the upgrade installation file from the PS 6 CD to your HD. Have your previous version of PS in your CD drive, ready and waiting. Then, start the PS 6 upgrade installation from the install file on your your HD. When you come to the part where PS 6 asks for a previous version of PS, it's right in your CD drive. (This way, you avoid the annoying and tricky "CD-swapping" right in the middle of the upgrade. Trust me on this one!) Anyway, MAKE SURE you have a CD of a previous version of Photoshop on hand. Just having the program installed on your HD isn't enough. Contact Adobe about getting a replacement if you lost your original CD to the previous version of PS.

Even though I am still a beginner/intermediate Photoshop user, I am finding MUCH to be excited about with this upgrade. I can imagine that most serious pro Photoshop users are elated. There's certainly a lot to be excited about. I cannot recommend this upgrade enough.

I have been using Photoshop 6.0 for about a year now and I cannot imagine using any other graphics design program. If you own a digital camera, or design webpages with graphics, you need this industry standard program.

I am not a progessional graphics designer, but using photoshop 6.0 makes me look like I am. Every graphic and photo that goes on my companies webpage was created or touched up in photoshop. The "Save for Webpage" option is great. I can see how many seconds my graphic or photo is going to take to download on someones home computer. I try to keep every graphic under 5 seconds on a 28.8 modem. Photoshop lets me do this quickly and easily!

When I first opened up the program I didnt have a clue on how to do anything, but I got the Adobe Photoshop Classroom in a Book, and now I can do almost anything.

Most of you reading this have heard of, or are using a version of Photoshop. That alone attests to its popularity. And you know the basics. The single most powerful raster graphics program around, made more powerful and flexible by the number of plug-ins available.

What's new:
"Vector shapes" - a little misleading in its meaning. Indeed they are vector shapes, but when saved, they are rasterized. Maybe future versions will integrate the fundamentals of Illustrator (or Freehand - both the best vector graphics programs available) a little better. But the shapes feature is quite useful for logos, and small icons.

Editable text effects - Not quite "text on a path," but a very welcome feature. After skewing the text with this feature, you are still able to alter font styles/sizes/colors with no problem.

Dockable Palettes - a great feature, if you have a large enough monitor (17" w/high-resolution setting, 19" w/mid-res setting), in order to see the dock. Allows you to place heavily used palettes in the upper right hand section, without having to move them around.

It has quite a few more feature, but those I've mentioned are my favorites. Coming from 5.0 to 5.5 was fairly unimpressive, but the jump to 6.0 has made it a worthwhile upgrade.

"Adobe Photoshop 6.0" is the way to go for photo editing. There are other options, but all are fundamentally inferior in consistency, comprehensive tools, cross-platform transfer ease.

I'm a writer by training... I'm not a designer, but design frequently in the course of creating websites and brochures for my clients. I was concerned the learning curve would be too much. It wasn't hard to learn Photoshop at all. Sure, there are more features that I've utilized, but I've come through unscathed.

Things I've been able to do:

* Lots of layers. Very handy for multi-element images, especially ones with different effects or text per layer. And I can hide these layers at will, revealling them with any opacity I want.

* Color adjustment. Got a buddy who looks a little green, or has that New Year's ruddy face? No problem. Tweak a few variables and your friend will look as sober as could be.

* Contrast. Useful for those pics you took that somehow seem a bit dark. You know it is all in the picture, and a little contrasting can reveal all.

* Great typographical tools. You can fine tune leading, letterspacing, and a multitude of other details which make an image shine.

If you design, you already know that knowing Photoshop well is the key to your success. Sure, you need Quark and Illustrator as well, but without Photoshop, you'll live among the unemployed.

If you don't design, and feel a bit intimidated by Photoshop professional-level reputation, realize that you might not need the power in this application. If getting the red out of your snapshots is your goal, or you simply want the ability to crop photos for some fun newsletters, this might be overkill. However, if you've already been down that route, using the software which came with your scanner or digital camera, but want to step up... step all the way up to "Adobe Photoshop 6.0."

I fully recommend "Adobe Photoshop 6.0."

Anthony Trendl

Photoshop 6 is it!
After getting it from my neighbor, new worlds have opened!!

Please. If you have Mac OS9 beware! My Mac freezes every time I try to use this software and I have spent hours trying to resolve the problem. Be sure to review the user group entries on Adobe's website before buying this software! You will find many frustrated OS9 users and no solutions. GOTO ...(their website). Enter search and enter "PhotoDeluxe OS9."

I just wanted to add that a lot of the reviews in this section are for different software! Versions of photodeluxe 2.0 are different for PC's and Mac's!! The Mac's version 2.0 is comparable to photodeluxe 4.0 for PC, which is known to have a lot of "bugs" in it. Version 2.0 for PC is a much better version than 4.0...don't fix what is not broken!! So, please if you are a PC user thinking about purchasing version 2.0, ignore the comments about the Mac version as they do not apply to you. :o)

Adobe has been perfecting their software for way over a decade, so no wonder they're so high quality and easy to use.

Like their high end [...] software, this title uses a very easy and functional layering system.

I use it, not only for photos, but for illustration and graphics purposes, too. Just scan your line drawing in and, like a coloring book, fill in the white areas with color or textures. It comes with a bunch of cool effects buttons, so you can then add those as well.

It crashes sometimes, but usually only when using the "advanced" buttons and bogging your RAM down with a ton of effects and commands. Just be sure to get in the universally good habit of saving often, and there won't be much of a problem.

I actually prefer version 2 to version 4 because of a more user friendly interface, but don't try to run version 2 on WinXP.