Simply the best

Photoshop CS2, where do you start with a review of Photoshop? Obviously it is a legendary piece of software and is far more capable than the average user needs or even wants, but does it deserve its status as the market leader?

The CS2 version is second iteration of the Creative Suite product and while there are many other products out there for image editing, composition, etc, there are few, if any that come close to the capabilities of CS2. The difference become obvious after you have used the software for a couple of weeks, CS2 is designed to work WITH you, not for you to work with.

From its ability to remember your desktop layout, its capacity for macros and droplets and its automation features, everything about CS2 is targeting your workflow, making you more efficient, letting you move images through the editing process quicker and smoother than ever before and it is this capability that makes it number one in the graphics arts field.

The core features of Photoshop center around its customizability, its extendibility and its ability to work in layers. The customization I already mentioned covers you being able to lay out all the functions and sub function windows the way you like them, for instance you may not care to see the history window but always want to have layers and macros available from the desktop, to being able to build and add your own presets for print packages ( I use an Epson 4000 with 16” roll paper and have all my picture packages customized to print on 16” wide paper). The extendibility comes from being able to add your choice of hundred of third party filters for effects or pre print processing, also the ability to create things like your own custom brushes and building your own macros. Perhaps the most used of all is its ability to work in layers, this enables a whole creative process where images can be modified by adding objects or text on their own layer, letting you manipulate that individual part of the image without damaging the rest of the image.

So here you have the Rolls Royce of image editing (which also happens to be the Hummer and the Ferrari too) in purely terms of looking for an image editor for professional or semi-professional use, there is no contest. It can read and write, just about any graphic file format, it can accept Raw files from most digital cameras and it will import directly from any Twain scanner. It is an easy option if you are serious about images, get Photoshop.

However there is another whole group of people who already own Photoshop of an earlier version, what about them? Should they upgrade, I would have to say if you are running PS7 or earlier and are using it on a regular basis, then yes, without a doubt it will make a difference, the automation features alone are worth the upgrade.

If you are using CS then the upgrade question becomes more difficult, there are some new things added, and many of these are targeted at digital photographers, for example the ability to do raw file processing on multiple images I find very helpful. There is an advanced digital noise correction that lets you work with images shot at high-ISO speeds in better clarity by reducing noise and jpeg artifacts. The ‘Spot Healing brush’ is a veritable Godsend at senior picture time, I used it with a tablet to effortlessly remove acne and other blemishes from dozens of teenagers with far better results in a fraction f the time it used to take. So I would have to say if you are using CS and are a digital photographer the upgrade is definitely worth it – you certainly won’t regret it.