Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2009/05/19

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Subject: [Leica] Photoshop CS 3 to CS 4 Upgrade Worth It?
From: hopsternew at gmail.com (Geoff Hopkinson)
Date: Wed, 20 May 2009 13:11:46 +1000
References: <30db39f20905191219t20d39644h24a28d08b7137bef@mail.gmail.com> <36172e5a0905191613u14fb312en7d2d775d1c44c3ed@mail.gmail.com> <30db39f20905191629s5c3b290ayf6c28d6db97b48ad@mail.gmail.com> <36172e5a0905191645n7ecb268fg3092929a0129d0d4@mail.gmail.com> <3cad89990905191853s4ff4069fnb33fdc13cbe2ccda@mail.gmail.com>

We shall have to agree to disagree again then Jayanand.
Which parts are you most unhappy about?
Adobe inventing an alternative  Raw standard usable for basically all Raw
files that is optional but offers advantages?
Adobe providing DNG convertor free to convert proprietary formats to that
standard if you choose? There certainly are benefits  but if they are
unimportant for you, of course you won't bother.
Adobe  providing free Raw upgrades to allow access to all of those other
formats as the new cameras emerge? Certainly you need to periodically
upgrade your Ps to use the latest set of features. Not every version by any
means.
Adobe's pricing and qualification policies on software upgrades where you
are living? I don't know the details on how they differ world wide.
  But if you already have the CS3 suite you've purchased quite a lot of
expensive software. It will keep working just as it does now. The ACR that
you have recognises all of your NEF files does it not?
I think only the D3X is missing from support if you have the latest ACR
upgrades for your CS3

If you want the new features you can choose to pay to upgrade or ignore the
new versions if you don't think they are worth the money.
A lot like whether you have to buy the latest dSLR model surely?
While I have various versions of the suite upgrades from over the last few
years, like you I now mainly use Photoshop.
My several years old copy of PsCS (put aside when I got the Suite later)
qualified me and worked perfectly for new Ps standalone upgrades.

I don't understand your evil empire world domination remarks but never
mind.  Of course we all have different perspectives and priorities.
I really don't understand your sympathy for Nikon, as you know. Surely if
you have say, several thousand Nikon Raw files then the data in those files
including the encrypted white balance information is YOURS not Nikons.
That has nothing to do with Adobe providing access to Nikon's proprietary
formats (and all of the others).
In fact Nikon and Adobe have released joint statements on their positions on
this.
http://www.adobe.com/products/photoshop/nikonraw.html

I agree, Nikon is not obliged to allow Adobe access to their code to
unencrypt the NEF file info. Why would Adobe be obliged to make their
software open source?

But if you want to develop your NEF files in Adobe's software then you can
get almost all of your data (data that YOU own) out of the files.
The DNG standard is an option. You can obviously ignore it and indeed all of
the Adobe software if you want.

I certainly don't understand why you would disparage Leica and Hasselblad
and Pentax and others for electing to go with the DNG standard.
What advantage would we get if they following the market giants and
introduced their own new proprietary Raw formats?

I have never used the Nikon Raw software. In what ways do you consider it
superior to Adobe Camera Raw or Lightroom for Raw processing?

In any event everyone will make their own assessment of the importance of
every factor when they make purchase decisions on cameras and software.
I was providing an answer for Bob based on my experience and opinion. In
fact even saying he needs to decide for himself if he thinks the upgrade is
worth it.

2009/5/20 Jayanand Govindaraj <jayanand at gmail.com>

> Geoff,
> I will take the reverse view - the evil empire trying for world
> domination in graphics is Adobe, and I have no idea how they have not
> had the antitrust book thrown at them yet. I have the CS3 suite,
> bought for me by my son's friend who used to work for Adobe here in
> India - I had asked for the standalone Photoshop, but he landed up
> with this. To upgrade it to the CS4 suite here they want only the
> equivalent of US$1200. I use mainly Photoshop, but they refuse to
> upgrade the one program, and insist that I have to upgrade the whole
> suite (90% useless to me)! No other company in the world can get away
> with this sort of pricing and gouging. I have decided to skip one
> generation.
>
> I have total sympathy with Nikon and Canon, and am firmly on their
> side that their proprietary data is their own. Ask Adobe to make the
> code for Photoshop open source - will they do it?
>
> Leica, Pentax and Hasselblad use DNG because they have no money to
> support any thing else.
>
> Cheers
> Jayanand
>
>
>
> On Wed, May 20, 2009 at 5:15 AM, Geoff Hopkinson <hopsternew at gmail.com>
> wrote:
> > Bob if the camera manufacturers weren't so fond of inventing new
> proprietary
> > Raw formats, Adobe wouldn't have to keep reverse engineering and decoding
> > their new formats to provide the upgrades free for owners of Ps. I think
> > they currently support more than 170 Raw formats. Madness!
> > That's why we have a DNG format. Thank you Leica and Hasselblad and
> Pentax
> > for using it.
> > Don't blame Adobe for Nikon and Canon's policies!
> > On hardware any computer that you were happy with for CS3 will work the
> same
> > for CS4. They have just added openGL support for the smooth new
> scrolling,
> > zooming, flick panning teatures. Any modest half way modern video card
> will
> > work. You can see a list of tested ones in Ps support. In fact you don't
> > want a card with the most on board memory (unless you play games) because
> > you'll have less RAM available to Ps when the video memory is mapped to
> RAM.
> > Remember that if you use LR2 rather than ACR you will have the same Raw
> > upgrades available.
> > 2009/5/20 Robert D. Baron <rbaron at concentric.net>
> >
> >> Thanks, all, it sounds like the upgrade may turn out to be worth it.
> >> It does disturb me that I need to spend $200 on this upgrade so I can
> >> work on the latest raw files (Canon G10 and so forth) and then I'll
> >> probably need to upgrade my computer as well.
> >>
> >> Does it ever stop?  No, of course not.
> >>
> >> In the meantime I'll look for the best price.  Chris, I'm not a member
> >> of PPA....I was a member of NAPP but I let it expire.  I know they
> >> offer a discount but I can't remember how much.  I'll give them a call
> >> tomorrow and maybe they'll tell me as an enticement to re-up.
> >>
> >> --Bob
> >>
> >> _______________________________________________
> >> Leica Users Group.
> >> See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information
> >>
> >
> >
> >
> > --
> > Cheers
> > Geoff
> > 'Life's not B&W, except at both ends'
> > http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/gh/
> > http://www.pbase.com/hoppyman
> >
> > _______________________________________________
> > Leica Users Group.
> > See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information
> >
>
> _______________________________________________
> Leica Users Group.
> See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information
>



-- 
Cheers
Geoff
'Life's not B&W, except at both ends'
http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/gh/
http://www.pbase.com/hoppyman


Replies: Reply from jayanand at gmail.com (Jayanand Govindaraj) ([Leica] Photoshop CS 3 to CS 4 Upgrade Worth It?)
Reply from mark at rabinergroup.com (Mark Rabiner) ([Leica] Photoshop CS 3 to CS 4 Upgrade Worth It?)
In reply to: Message from rbaron at concentric.net (Robert D. Baron) ([Leica] Photoshop CS 3 to CS 4 Upgrade Worth It?)
Message from hopsternew at gmail.com (Geoff Hopkinson) ([Leica] Photoshop CS 3 to CS 4 Upgrade Worth It?)
Message from rbaron at concentric.net (Robert D. Baron) ([Leica] Photoshop CS 3 to CS 4 Upgrade Worth It?)
Message from hopsternew at gmail.com (Geoff Hopkinson) ([Leica] Photoshop CS 3 to CS 4 Upgrade Worth It?)
Message from jayanand at gmail.com (Jayanand Govindaraj) ([Leica] Photoshop CS 3 to CS 4 Upgrade Worth It?)