Skip to main content
gibbsyns3
gibbsyns3
Participant
September 29, 2017
Question

Convince me I'll love subscription CC over paid for CS3

  • September 29, 2017
  • 8 replies
  • 569 views

I have always been happy with Master Suite CS3, which I have on a full licence, no subscription.

I decided to give CC a look - and am now half way through a free 7 day trial.

I work in media, I tend to use photoshop about 10 hours a week, couple of hours on various other bits. 

Surprised how familiar the interface is, most of my frequently accessed tools don't seem to have changed too much.

So far I can't see anything that would justify 50€ per month, 100€ if i want to install it for convenience on the 3 pc's I currently use.

CS3 to current CC is such a huge version leap that the 'what's new' won't really work for me.

So i wondered if anyone out there could take a minute to convince me, in terms of creating advert designs for print media and online, photo retouching and batch processing, what will I love in CC that I wouldn't have in CS3?Particularly completely new aspects that i may not stumble accross in a normal 7 day work cycle.

Any thoughts appreciated.

This topic has been closed for replies.

8 replies

D Fosse
Community Expert
D FosseCommunity Expert
Community Expert
September 29, 2017

I actually agree about basic functionality and features. There isn't much since CS3 I couldn't live perfectly fine without.

Two things however. One, CS3 was still a 32-bit application. 2 gigs of RAM and that's it. Two, ACR. That's where the real revolution has happened.

And of course, with the next hardware or OS upgrade the thing will probably stop working.

JJMack
Community Expert
JJMackCommunity Expert
Community Expert
September 29, 2017

Yes CS3 is 32bit and can not be used on new Mac today.   I do not know if Windows will even stop supporting 32 bit applications and Microsoft will not go around and destroy your old hardware. How many years was Photoshop 32bit only.  Was Photoshop a bad program in those days? Not in my book.  Every one does not have the workload the will benefit a lot with 64bit support.

Apple also made IOS 11 64bit only old 32bit apps will not work on iPods and other mobile apple devices that run IOS 11 so Adobe mobile IOS apps must be 64 bit so what. My old iPod 4 can only run IOS 6  where my iPod 6 has IOS 11 installed.  Old hardware and old software work well together.

Often I choose to buy a case of wine rather than buying new hardware and software.

ACR was why I upgraded Photoshop versions.   Thankfully these days I can use the latest ACR version with CC 2014.  Adobe stopped crippling ACR between versions of Photoshop

JJMack
    JJMack
    Community Expert
    JJMackCommunity Expert
    Community Expert
    September 29, 2017

    Convince me I'll love subscription CC over paid for CS3

    Can not all versions of Photoshop have bugs so if you use a lot of Photoshop  it is  more a Love Hate affair.  Some version have problems others do not have.  Some users do not have any problems with what the do with Photoshop.  They can most likely do with any version of Photoshop perhaps even use Elements instead. A lot depends on you personal use of  Photoshop.   Photoshop is more the just a Image editor its a professional tool used by professional and armatures to do many different thing.  Myself I not a professional any more  I'm retired  but still now and then I like to record Actions a do some Photoshop Scripting.  I run into bugs because of this.  IMO Photoshop is the best all around tool in the market place however it has Bugs and Adobe only chooses to fix some reported bugs.  I can not Love that I Hate that.

    If you do not use a lot of Photoshop features and do want to pay monthly you work be better off trying to get a legal licence for CS6.  CS3 is quite old and OS are changing.  CS2 not longer runs well one my windows 10 preview machine CS6 does.   I have install CS3 but only use it to test other problems. It runs with Windows 10 but I can not say how well and its before GPU support was added to Photoshop.

    I used Photoshop for many years I can not say that the $10 subscription has increased Photosho's cost to me. It may have lowered it.  I paid for many  update for Photoshop  over the years. You have to examine your needs do you really need Photoshop could something else do what you want and not be changing and evolving all the time.

    JJMack
      jane-e
      Community Expert
      jane-eCommunity Expert
      Community Expert
      September 29, 2017

      If all you are using is PS, be sure to look at the Photographer's plan. In the U.S. it is $9.99 per month for the annual plan, paid monthly. It can be active on two computers, installed on all three (so you will have to activate/deactivate).

      Details here:
      Lightroom and Photoshop | Adobe Creative Cloud Photography plan

      John Waller
      Community Expert
      John WallerCommunity Expert
      Community Expert
      September 29, 2017

      Really depends on the projects you do, the hardware and operating systems you run and the workflows you've developed.

      It's possible that your current 10 hours a week in Photoshop could be halved - or not changed at all. All depends on the features you use.

      So far I can't see anything that would justify 50€ per month, 100€ if i want to install it for convenience on the 3 pc's I currently use.

      Do you currently run CS3 across 3 PC's? It's possible to do so.

      I assume you're aware that you can install Adobe software on as many computers as you like but only two of those installations can be activated for use at any one time? That said, you can toggle those activations between whichever computers you need to use at any given time. In other words, you can use the software across 3 PCs (toggling activations) for 50€ per month - you wouldn't necessarily have to pay 100€. Depends how you use the software.

        c.pfaffenbichler
        Community Expert
        c.pfaffenbichlerCommunity Expert
        Community Expert
        September 29, 2017

        Really depends on the projects you do, the hardware and operating systems you run and the workflows you've developed.

        And the hardware can become an issue at some later time.

        I recall threads in which holders of licenses for obsolete Photoshop versions complained about Photoshop stopping to work after they had upgraded their OS and/or hardware.

        The decision to stick with obsolete software is certainly not illegitimate but it necessitates a certain discipline in making sure that one is able to roll back any change to the set-up if it should prove to break the workability.

        John Waller
        Community Expert
        John WallerCommunity Expert
        Community Expert
        September 29, 2017

        Agreed.

        I suppose the point being made is that operating system upgrades and compatible hardware can drive software upgrades as much as any feature comparison between old and new versions of the software.

        But, if the OP is happy with CS3 on the current PC's, and sees no benefit in CC for his or her current workflow and projects, then there's no reason to subscribe to CC at this stage. That day will come (a computer upgrade is often the reason) but perhaps not yet.

          c.pfaffenbichler
          Community Expert
          c.pfaffenbichlerCommunity Expert
          Community Expert
          September 29, 2017

          As for Indesign and Illustrator you may want to ask on the respective Fora but Indesign’s Alternate Layout and Liquid Layout features might be worth checking out as you state you work for print and online.

          c.pfaffenbichler
          Community Expert
          c.pfaffenbichlerCommunity Expert
          Community Expert
          September 29, 2017

          Puppet Warp! Good one, davescm!

          Also: Liquify finally can be used as a Smart Filter by default.

          davescm
          Community Expert
          davescmCommunity Expert
          Community Expert
          September 29, 2017

          There have been many improvements and additions since CS3 in 2007

          To name but a few :

          Content Aware Scale
          Content Aware Fill

          Content Aware Patch & Move

          3D extrusions (including 3D text)

          Live shapes

          Linked Smart objects

          Camera Raw as a filter

          Libraries

          Typekit

          Select and Mask

          Perspective Warp

          Puppet Warp..........

          See here for an indication of version content through the interim years:

          Adobe Photoshop version history - Wikipedia

          Dave

            c.pfaffenbichler
            Community Expert
            c.pfaffenbichlerCommunity Expert
            Community Expert
            September 29, 2017

            First off: Unless you locked down your system (OS, hardware, drivers, …) and can be reasonably sure no part will break in your lifetime the day may come when you simply cannot run CS3 anymore because the processor, the OS, … conflict with that obsolete software.

            Then you should read the »What’s New«-section.

            New features summary for the 2017 release of Photoshop CC

            Apart from that you may for example want to look into

            • Linked Smart Objects

            • Blur Gallery

            • 3D feature

            • Content-Aware features for Fill, Spot Healing Brush Tool, …

            • conditional Actions

            …

            And did CS3 already feature data-driven graphics?

            (edited)

            Terms & ConditionsAccessibility statement
            Using the community Terms of use Privacy Cookie preferences Do not sell or share my personal information ad choicesAdChoices