CS2 vs. CS3

[Zirngibism]

I'm thinking of buying Photoshop. (I already have Painter, but know Photoshop has a lot of other things to offer.)

Someone was telling me that for digital painting and such, he recommended Photoshop CS2. That's a little counterintuitive, being that usually later versions only seem to add features.

So is CS2 recommended because it has an easier-to-use interface? Did CS3 do very little for digital painting and only added features for graphic designers?

Or is there no reason to prefer CS2 that anyone here can see? I googled cs2 vs cs3 but didn't come up with much.

On a related note, is there a way to get a student discount on CS3? I didn't see it on the adobe site, just that they offered a 30-day trial version.

Thanks.

[Elwell]

If you're on a mac, you'll want CS3 because it's Intel native, otherwise there aren't any major changes that effect digital painting. On the other hand, there's no real reason not to use the latest version if you can afford it and have a system that can handle it. And yes, Adobe offers substantial academic discounts.

[Brendan N]

I found CS3 to be slightly faster and more stable, plus some minor changes to the interface makes it easier to work with - for me at least. As said, if you can afford it there's no reason not to go for it :).

[angelo cordon]

im also looking for opinions as well. i put cs1 on my laptop because it doesnt have the 1 gig ram requirement as cs3. however, i dont think cs 1 is as stable as cs 3. also i dont like how cs 1 doesnt keep customized workspaces as well as brush presets every time you open the program.

i dont know. anyways, i would love to hear others opinions on this as well.

best,
spade

[bumskee]

I don't like cs3.. i think i said it before I recently upgraded but they removed two of the features I was using often from cs2...

[Brendan N]

Min, which features did they remove? curious because I haven't been missing anything and I'm intent on discovering your magic bullet :P

[bumskee]

oh yeah forgot to say what was missing....
the shift click.. will always pressure sensitive it... used to depend on how hard to press from start to end.. but it's just all thickest to thinnest in cs3.. also in smudge tool mode if u press hold alt it will change into a brush tool but now it does jack all... :(

[GriNGo]

CS2 had those? I find the last feature you described intriguing... well to bad I'm on CS3 now.

[xcmiller]

I enjoy CS3 better because I also feel it is better organized and quicker to work with. That and the previously said customizable workspaces. You can find it discounted at Journeyed.com, you just have to be a college student or educator to receive the discount. I bought Adobe CS3 Web Premium that was normally like 1400 and got it for $500. Also commercial version of Maya which is 7000$ you can get for $350 O.o

[Joeslucher]

WARNING! Academic discount has consequences! I bought Adobe Creative Suite my senior year of college with an academic discount. So just a year later I went to upgrade Photoshop to CS2 and it was going to cost $500 so it counts little towards upgrading to the professional version. So if I followed the rules and bought the pro version after entering the work force, it would have cost me $500 for a program that I could only use for one year. If you're only going to be in school for a year or so more, I'd just stick to doing your work there and then purchase Photoshop normally once you graduate.

[aaro_n]

why does it say you can in this site http://graphicssoft.about.com/cs/photoshop/a/upgradetips_2.htm

'Can I upgrade my academic or educational version of Photoshop?
Yes, you can upgrade an academic version. The process is no different than upgrading from any other version.'

[Eryn]

You can find it discounted at Journeyed.com, you just have to be a college student or educator to receive the discount. I bought Adobe CS3 Web Premium that was normally like 1400 and got it for $500. Also commercial version of Maya which is 7000$ you can get for $350 O.o

Maya for $350? You don't seriously mean the COMMERCIAL version do you? like the one you can use to make money from? You mean PERPETUAL license with all features but non-profit right??