Adobe Photoshop CS3 [OLD VERSION] Reviews

• The biggest and best... as long as that's what you need

  
  By A3OH101U0CPUC7 on 2007-05-01
  If you're looking at the full version of Photoshop, I assume that you have not yet taken the plunge into the big leagues of editing programs. Maybe you've tried Elements or a program frpm a competitor of Adobe but either the price or the sheer overwhelming complexity of Photoshop (or both) have kept you from pulling the trigger. In my enthusiasm for this program, I could tell you to buy without reservation, but that isn't necessarily good advice.
  
  The question, then, is whether Photoshop CS3 makes more sense than competing products. Ironically, Adobe itself makes what is probably the biggest competition in Adobe Photoshop Elements 5.0. Elements is quite a competent photo editor for roughly one fourth the price of Photoshop. If editing photos is an occasional venture for you then you may well be better served to stick to Elements. It isn't the best but it is good and the tools available can give you outstanding results. For the majority of photos, I doubt anyone could tell the difference which program produced the results assuming a competent user was at the controls. The two main drawbacks to Elements are that it lacks some of the more powerful tools unique to CS3 and that some methods of achieving the same results will take more time. That's a key point, so I'll repeat it. For most of your photos, you can achieve virtually identical results in Elements... but it will take more time to do it.
  
  Beyond the cost of your time, let's consider the problem photos that you may not be able to fix properly in Elements. Most of the time, if a shot didn't turn out well I just ignore it and move on. I'm not a big fan of spending hours on every photo and a well-shot image requires very little editing. But some of those duds represent something that I particularly wanted or needed a print of. Perhaps a key landmark from my last vacation, or a visiting relative who you photographed and promised you'd send a copy to. Whatever it is, when these shots come out poorly, you have to do whatever possible to salvage it and this is where Photoshop CS3 starts to earn its pay. For example, you open the file in Camera Raw and take advantage of a new feature that allows you to reclaim blown highlights even while increasing the exposure meter to bring in shadowed highlights. Right out of the gate, you're starting with an easy and powerful tool to fix one of the most common (and most destructive) image problems. And there is a whole laundry list of features after that... just read the lengthy product description that Amazon has posted from Adobe. Compare this feature set to Elements or any other program and you'll realize that the others simply can't compete.
  
  Quite simply, if you are serious about editing and printing top-notch photos, then you need to use Photoshop CS3. If you don't, you're spending more time than you should be and leaving unfulfilled potential in your images. If you are a casual or occasional shooter, than you should probably stick with the less extensive products like Elements. It's cheaper, at least somewhat easier to use, and capable of generating quality work. Just remember that the photos that you most need to improve are the very ones where Elements may fail you. When you're really desperate to save a photo that you failed to capture well in-camera, that's when you need all the tricks and tools that only Photoshop has to offer.
  
  Finally, for those who can't get past the hefty price, here is a little tip. If you buy an older version of Photoshop, it can often be had for a fraction of the current version. In turn, this will allow you to buy the upgrade version of Photoshop for one-third the price of the full version. This is legal and does not violate the Adobe license agreement in any way. All you need is a valid license for a full version of Photoshop 7.0, CS, or CS2 and you can purchase the upgrade with a combined cost well under the full version of CS3. If you attempt this, I would strongly recommend buying from a reputable dealer to make sure you get a valid license. For example, if you buy at a certain well-known auction site, make sure the seller has a high feedback rating.
  
  

• Wait for CS4

  
  By A1SS59LF7C4OWX on 2007-05-30
  I guess the folks at Adobe paid their staff to write some Amazon reviews....
  
  I've been using Photoshop since version 2 and have been teaching Photoshop classes for over 10 years, and this is the worst upgrade ever (two stars since, well, it IS Photoshop afterall).
  
  Photoshop's most touted new feature--non-destructive filters--is implemented very poorly. Rather than working like adjustment layers currently work, SmartFilters, as they are known, convert the underlying Photoshop layer into a SmartObject and places the SmartFilter on top. You CS2 users know that you can't edit a SmartObject in Photoshop--you have to go to the object's native application. So to edit the image under a SmartFilter, Photoshop opens it in a new document window (meaning you can't see its interaction with layers underneath as you edit it, and can't see how the various SmartFilters make the changed composition look until you save and return to the original document, and you can't see the effect of the SmartFilter as you edit the underlying art.
  
  Adobe quietly retired ImageReady, so there is now NO way to open an animated GIF and edit its multiple frames in Photoshop CS3!
  
  I've summarized the dissapointing bugs in a review of the whole Creative Suite (type "cs3" in the search field).
  
  

• PhotoShop CS3

  
  By AS25R96MQEHJW on 2007-05-18
  I am quite sure that the newly added features of Adobe PhotoShop CS3 deserve five stars; however, the legacy features that worked perfectly in earlier PhotoShop versions but no longer work (are now broken) in version CS3 reduce the number of stars to one. I have been forced to use an earlier version of PhotoShop in order to utilize features that worked perfectly in earlier versions of PhotoShop but are now broken in PhotoShop CS3.
  
  When Adobe corrects the quality defects (program bugs) that Adobe itself introduced into the features of PhotoShop CS3, features that worked perfectly in earlier versions but no longer work in CS3, I will increase my rating well above one star, possibly even to five stars. I will know when this has occurred as I will no longer have to use earlier versions of PhotoShop to utilize features that are now broken (no longer work) in PhotoShop CS3. Right now Adobe PhotoShop CS3 in its current state with defects deserves no more than one star.
  
  Right now, I only use PhotoShop CS3 for features that are not available in the earlier PhotoShop versions that I own. I will use CS3 then save my work and return to an earlier PhotoShop version for real production work, a version where legacy features still work properly. This procedure is totally unacceptable for production flow; however, it is what one must do to make things work. Hopefully I can continue to work with two versions of PhotoShop until the defects in CS3 are corrected by Adobe, but I am not holding my breath for Adobe to fix anything.
  
  

• Creative and fun

  
  By ADTYXZOTV0MG0 on 2007-07-07
  I was getting my moneys worth out of the elements 2.0. This is a whole different experience as far as options and ease of use. The camera RAW is a great way to start the day and I love the many filters, black and white options, zillion options for layers and the ease of learning (just kidding a bit there on the learning part, you could spend a year learning about this and just be getting a good start.)There are so many options that I imagine many people just get their fav little ways of solving things and stay there. Try the High Pass sharpening technique for print output as found on page 595 of Adobe Photoshop CS3 for Photgraphers by Martin Evening. I love this one!
  
  

• No Significant reasons to upgrade

  
  By AGZ8HQO485IL8 on 2008-03-31
  I am a professional Graphic Designer, with a degree in Fine Arts & Graphic Design. I am sure most people who would pay for Adobe Photoshop (or any of the Adobe Suite Programs) are designers/artists.
  
  I have been using Adobe CS3 (mostly Photoshop, Illustrator & InDesign) for the past 4 months or so. I have been using Photoshop itself, since version 4.
  
  In a sentence, Photoshop CS3 is good, but if you already are using CS2, there is no real reason to upgrade.
  
  The added features are OK, but not worth paying for really and I have had stability issues with this newer version of Photoshop that I have not had in CS2. The two most annoying problems are: If I have a non-postscript printer set as a default, Photoshop will ALWAYS crash when I open a 2nd document (blank or otherwise). The other issue (which is also shared with InDesign) is that if I have been using Photoshop for a few hours, and switching between programs, Photoshop will vanish. It will not show up in my taskbar (WinXP SP2) nor in the running apps list in Task Manager. I need to terminate the process from the Task Manager process window, and then restart of course losing all unsaved edits.
  
  I do not have these issues with Photoshop CS2.
  
  Also the installation process was a real pain in the neck. It was much longer (about 25 minutes) than previous versions of Photoshop. It took me 4 days (almost 30 hours altogether) to get the suite installed on my laptop due to the activation process freezing after I entered my software key. I also had to uninstall all of my CS2 programs before I could get CS3 installed. I also needed to download Adobe's CS3 "Cleaner" utility and run it several times. It was not worth the trouble, especially considering how much I paid for the software.
  
  Once I got it installed it worked fine (aside from the two bugs listed above). I was able to reinstall CS2 as well.
  
  Like I said earlier the new features are just OK, not worth the trouble I went through with installation. Also the new palette system is kind of annoying. When I work I am constantly going back and forth between palettes making adjustments. The new palette dock minimizes them to a button, but you cannot have 2 open at the same time using this system. When you open one palette, the one you were previously working on closes. You can float them, but then that doesn't take advantage of the improvements of CS3. In my case I just ended up using the "legacy" pallette set up, which made my palettes work the way they did in CS2.
  
  Adobe Photoshop is the "standard" for photo editing software, but the hard install, high price and lack of any really useful new features makes it hard to recommend this version of Photoshop over previous versions which installed easier and work faster with less resources.
  
  
• Review of CS3 software
  By A2WGRCVQ8HRWIV on 2007-05-17
  This product is great. Easy to use for the beginner and full featured enough for the professional. Comparing Bridge CS3 to MS Explorer is like comparing a bicycle to a BMW, there is no comparison. Other software companies should use this software as an example of how to create great software.
  
  
• WONDERFUL!! It would be perfect if it weren't so hard!
  By A3JVCAQ7Z1OWDN on 2007-07-16
  I absolutely LOVE this program. Only thing...I want to do soo many things, but it is so hard! I literally cannot find tutorials to do certain things ANYWHERE! Best bet would to ask how on Yahoo!Answers. I got some good answers there. OTher than that, I love it!
  
  
• Love it--and no bugs!
  By A38VVOTC7EG8YM on 2008-01-08
  Based on these reviews, it would seem that there were bugs in the versions sold in June and earlier. I just bought my upgrade (in December) and it works fine, as other later reviewers commented. (I don't think Adobe has to put fake reviews on Amazon to sell their product, as one reviewer suggested. They offer automatic free updates...use the service, eh?)
  
  I was using CS and heard that the "File Browser" had been replaced by a stand-alone application. I loved the file browser and used it heavily to organize and flag my photos so this is why I waited so long to upgrade. It turns out that once you learn how to configure Bridge, the SA app, it is far superior to File Browser. As for the rest of the program, I can't say enough about Adobe Camera Raw 4, another application that comes with CS3--it is fantastic, AND it works on jpg files as well as RAW! Sure, maybe not with as much finesse as it can apply to a RAW file, but it still works! And the main Photoshop program is of course superior to all others on the market.
  
  I heartily agree with the reviewer below who suggested buying an early legal version of Photoshop and then buying the upgrade to CS3. This will definitely save you some bucks! And then carefully read the reviews of instruction books to find one (or more...) that will teach you what you need to know for your particular style of photography.
  
  Yes, the upgrade from CS to CS3 is definitely worthwhile, and from what I gather from reading various books, even CS2 to CS3 is something to seriously consider.
  
  
• advanced but somewhat squirrely
  By A35FABJG19UEJX on 2007-06-07
  This is the premier photo editing program, but the advancement comes at the price of some instability, pariculary in the companion Bridge
  
  
• Adobe Photoshop CS3...Wow!
  By A27Q1ZB2YV6ERD on 2007-11-02
  Well, what would you expect from the industry standard in graphic manipulation? It is everything that you've come to expect and has become everything that you've ever wanted Photoshop to be! (Despite the price tag)
  It's perfect for professional graphic designers, professional Illustrators, professional Artists, professional Photographers, and Professional web Designers. The keyword is "professional", but don't let the word professional stop you. Afterall, it was probably Adobe Photoshop that gave those professionals the edge so they could become "Professionals"! So even if, (especially if,) you're a novice of any of those professions, let Adobe Photoshop give you the edge so that you can take your rightful place amongst the other pros in your field. Unleash your creative side!
  Want the best? Buy the best. It's that simple. Aside from a nice sized price tag and a few hiccups in Vista, Photoshop CS3 is the choice of Professionals.
  John F Willis Illustrator/ Artist
  
  
• Horrible Product - NEW meant USED, with BLANK software CDs enclosed.
  By A9DKBMDQMI3K5 on 2008-02-22
  Ordered Adobe Photoshop CS3 - received today, Friday 2/22/2008.
  
  The box was wrapped like new, but when I opened it, the discs were all SCRATCHED - Definitely not a NEW, UNOPENED SOFTWARE PACKAGE.
  
  When I inserted the discs, they wouldn't even READ. So I took them to be scanned for viruses, etc., and it turns out the discs were BLANK - nothing on them, with an Adobe label on it. Horrible. I will never buy from this seller again.
  
  The box did not even come with any SOFTWARE INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS. ODD.
  
  A FULL refund and coverage for all return shipping charges is necessary. Please contact me ASAP about this matter.
  
  
  
• Using with Windows XP--No Bugs
  By A1SU8V53G246O9 on 2007-10-22
  I've been using the product with Windows XP Pro and everything seems to work fine. It does take a bit getting used to the new location of palette and menu items. Is this upgrade worth it? If you need the specific features sure. We bought it to put it on 2 new machines.
  
  
• Great product, nightmarish activation system
  By A3IGGWZKR8LFDY on 2008-03-20
  It's pretty simple: if you're serious about photo editing, Photoshop is by far the best and most capable product out there. There are plenty of products that are good enough for casual use, but nothing matches Photoshop for raw power.
  
  Be aware, however, of the baggage that Adobe forces on you when you buy one of their products. They use an online activation system to prevent you from installing on too many computers at once, which is eminently reasonable. The activation system, however, is buggy and temperamental. For example, when I installed the SP1 upgrade to Vista (which every Vista user will need to do), the activation system thought I had moved Photoshop to a new computer, and locked up the software. I eventually ended up on the phone with customer support, who finally agreed to re-activate my software (but only after chastising me for not de-activating Photoshop before installing SP1 and re-activating it afterward).
  
  
• Builds web sites at a huge price, but what about photos?
  By A21BMX5GT45BG9 on 2008-04-25
  This new version of Photoshop can help build some amazing web sites! Adobe has taken the time to add some new features that make it easy to slice up your image and export the chunks. Photoshop will let you load photographs and use them as beautiful backgrounds on your web sites. Photoshop's layering system lets you add text and other elements. Adobe has upgraded quite a few of the program's features so you might be wondering why this is a 1 star review.
  
  If you are new to using computers to manipulate images, you might expect the industry standard Photoshop to be the best possible investment. It's practically a cultural phenomenon, taught in schools with countless books being written about it each year. My problem with the powerful Photoshop remains the very difficult and non-intuitive user interface.
  
  Version after version the folks at Adobe add features that most often are very helpful: text handling, browsing, filter previewing, and web-site creation just to name a few. While these offerings can help many computer users for various reasons I find it sad what is offered to the customer who wants to manipulate, manage, and print photographs. Photoshop is difficult to use, and remains sorely lacking in this area. Some very powerful features are absolutely hidden unless the end-user takes classes and buys extra books. Maybe "Photoshop" is simply the wrong word for it.
  
  The toolbar has a stale old feel that would be well served to be completely redesigned. Some tools are still hidden below other tools and are found after the end user holds down the left mouse button, or uses a hotkey. Powerful and completely elementary features, such as "crop", are still tucked away in the oddest places. A critical feature keeps its old but odd name "Stroke". In some areas Adobe has made features redundant, so new users can adapt to new ways, and old user can stick to their old methods. I can appreciate this, but I would prefer they just do it right, once. Stroke is still in the Edit menu. Crop is still in the Image menu. The fill-can still needs to be set to threshold 255 manually to make it simply fill. Wouldn't it be nice to not have to type the numbers 255 in the middle of your workflow?
  
  Recently Adobe has had great success with a new product called "Lightroom". The product shows potential and obviously must be catering the crowd of professional photographers who have been less than thrilled with what they get out of Photoshop. Perhaps Adobe just needs some fresh new energy when it comes to making user interfaces. With a dark room style workflow, Lightroom could turn into what Photoshop should have been.
  
  I feel there are a number of alternatives that should be looked at before buying Photoshop, studying Photoshop, or even caring about Photoshop. One new exciting tool for photographers is Nikon's Capture NX. Even non-Nikon users can now take advantage of this interesting and powerful photograph manipulation tool. At its price point photograph-software consumers should re-evaluate what they are buying and how much they are spending.
  
  What consumers need now are effective manipulation, management and printing tools for their newly found digital collections of tens of thousands of photographs. As I approach the 10,000 mark I find the need for software that makes my life easier. All I'm using Photoshop for anymore is web design, and it seems that's what Adobe wants. But let's be frank, is this kloogy program really worth $600+? Maybe, if you build web sites.
  
  
• Still waiting for a NEW copy of CS3!
  By A1DRPGMH6XJPC0 on 2008-02-06
  Just installed my second copy of CS3 after Amazon sent me the upgrade disc by mistake. Contacted support at Adobe after the first install to make sure it wasn't a software glitch and they assured me the serial number indicates Amazon sent the wrong software. I actually can't see anywhere on the box or DVD case any mention of whether it's a new or upgrade copy and only found out when I got to the registration dialogue box. To my GREAT DISMAY, my newly installed second CS3 copy from Amazon is ANOTHER upgrade disc. C'mon guys!! I love shopping here but you've forced me to do yet another return and this time I'm taking my $600+ elsewhere.
  
  
• I'd stick with CS or CS2
  By A15IH0ZQ87H51P on 2008-03-06
  I use PhotoShop for various types of image manipulation for purposes of biological image analysis. PhotoShop CS3 is great, almost perfect, for any user who is not going to composite images. If photo merging was not considered, I'd give CS3 5 stars. Other reviewers have listed the positive points about CS3, so I will only expand on my caveat. Previous versions of PhotoShop worked wonderfully at stitching images, compositing 50-60 images momentarily. I currently have a 75% failure rate when attempting to composite even 2 or 3 images with CS3. Adobe forums have revealed that I am not the only person with this issue and that Adobe is in no apparent rush to solve the problem. I am not your typical PhotoShop user; I do a lot of macro creation and some programming because I will often work on thousands of images for a single study. I, like many other CS3 users who rely on the photo merge feature, will be re-installing CS or CS2. For those of you who want the upgraded bells and whistles of CS3 but don't need to composite images, go ahead and buy CS3.
  
  
• Got the upgrade instead of full and it was used instead of new
  By AS7M3WM2G9LXP on 2008-04-29
  When I received my product it had obviously been opened and wasn't even the right product. I ordered, and paid for, a full version and got the upgrade version. Buyer beware!
  
  
• Never got it!!!
  By AIJSIMALV9D98 on 2008-07-13
  I never received the item, I tried to contact this seller about getting a refund and returning this item, but they never got back to me.
  
  
• Great product when you learn to use it
  By A3PVFVQ9HW4A4J on 2007-12-13
  This is a great product, but takes grat skill to use...I gave it to my 14 year odl who whizzes right through. he claims it is better than any other similar product in terms of what it can do.
  Millionaire in 365 Days: The Daily Plan to Get There
  
  
• Best version yet! But my cursor flickered because of a brush and plug-in issue!
  By A291XTI6NO7DEG on 2008-02-22
  I had the problem where the cursor would flicker while using Photoshop CS3. By accident I deleted one of my latest brushes that I added on and it went away! I reinstalled the brush and it came back. Tried this on another computer with a fresh install of CS3 and it did it there too. The brush was called "Worn Hi-res" A fantastic brush, but it clearly made my cursor wig out and become unusable.
  
  If you find that your cursor flickers or becomes unstable, try unloading any brushes you added, one at a time (start with your recent additions) and reload PS each time to see which one did the trick. I know it worked for me.
  
  If that doesn't work, try unloading your additional plug-ins (anything that didn't come with the disc.)
  
  Other than that, the program is ridiculously powerful and is only limited by your ability to learn how to use the tools.
  
  I highly recommend getting the Adobe Photoshop CS3 Classroom in a Book for this, especially if you are new to it. I have been using Photoshop for a long time, and found that the book actually taught me a thing or two. It would also be great for a beginner.
  
  
• For anyone wondering and not experianced.
  By A2DYZ53GVN5PH on 2008-02-29
  I bought this program and am finding it EXTREMELY difficult to use. It has helpful tutorials in the accompanying CD, if only you could follow step by step in the program itself... I am sure this is a great editing tool for those who know what they are doing or have large amounts of free time to spend teaching themselves. For me with three kids and little time it has been very difficult.
  
  
• Photoshop CS3
  By ASABKK12GK75K on 2008-04-22
  The product is great, but the official Adobe customer service is lacking. It is based in India. I like the new fiber filter and brushes.
  
  
• great program, but difficult to figure out at first
  By A1YGXVD859042R on 2008-05-29
  I do recommend this product, however if you do not already know how to work this program (like me) I definately recommend the book "Simplified tips and tricks for Adobe Photoshop CS3" by Lenette Kent It has helped me tremendously! I am trying to get a photography studio off the ground as a part-time business while holding a full- time job and raising two little kids. This program is a must for the business, and this book is a must for the busy hopeful. Thanks!
  
  
• The biggest, the best
  By A2SRFFBK9MPYCT on 2008-08-02
  Photoshop has been the leader in the field for many years now. The good thing is that they are not resting on their laurels, but continually striving to improve the product.
  Photoshop has advanced to a stage where one can do virtually anything with image files. The improvements in this version are mostly improvements to simplify the processes and I suppose to improve stability (which still needs a little work) and speed, which is spectacular.
  
  The user interface has been much improved over the years and I believe a novice should be able to teach himself the basics of this programme by just playing around. It is that good, even though CS3 has more features than ever. There are a multitude of books available, though, which I would recommend even professional users to consider, as there are so many features available. As one reviewer wrote about a famous PC Game: "Easy to learn, hard to master".
  
  The point is that Photoshop has been the leader for so long, it is the industry standard, and will be for a while, because no one else comes close. (I have always been a very loyal supporter of Corel products, especially of the WordPerfect series, but Photoshop puts Corel Photopaint to shame).
  
  If you are a professional photographer or designer, you will know that this is an essential purchase. If you are a serious amateur looking for the very best image editing software available (regardless of price), this is the one to get, although Photoshop Elements 6 is also a very worthwhile purchase, as it contains many of the features in this package (but not the ones the more professional users would need).
  
  For me, photo-editing has been transformed from the pain it once was to a very enjoyable part of my job, thanks to Photoshop.
  
  Yes, there are other products available, but all of them thrown together still cannot give you what Photoshop does. End of story.
  
  
  
• Adobe Photoshop CS3
  By A1UDCKOPFKR0G6 on 2008-04-24
  I used the free 30 day trial before purchasing, so I knew what I was getting ahead of time. I also have a friend who is an art director for a publishing company and he showed me what could be done. The only thing I would suggest is that the tutorials have some hands on parts in them like the quickbook tutorials. Other than that the turtorials are great, and the usability is realy outstanding. There is so much there that it takes a while to learn it, but if it didn't have all those features I wouldn't want it.
  
  

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