How many PCs can i install PS CS6 on?

[sumthin0rother]

I am considering purchasing the new Photoshop CS6, possibly the extended version.

Can i install it on both my laptop and PC?

And what happens in the horrifying event of a hard drive loss and backup failure? It is a huge amount of money to invest and i am worried about the potential risk of losing the software. If this happens will i be able to re-install it without re-purchasing?

Thanks in advance

[Noel Carboni]

First, let me say basing any decision on legal advice obtained from a forum is a bad idea - you should read the EULA carefully yourself; it can be found here:

http://www.adobe.com/products/eulas/

You can, by the rights granted in the EULA, with a perpetual license purchase install and activate Photoshop on two computers, provided you only use one at a time.  You might want to jump to section 2.1.3.

For license activation issues going forward, we can only go on past experience, and Adobe's telephone support people have been pretty decent at resolving problems.  For example, I've personally had a case where I've restored a backup onto replacement hardware and needed to call Adobe to get them to allow me to activate it on the new system.  The issue was resolved in minutes.

-Noel

[sumthin0rother]

Thanks for the reply

I'm not looking for legal advice, i'm looking for technical advice which i was hoping would be more readily available on the product spec.

Thank you for the link, i will have a good look at it now. I was mainly just after other people's experiences, surely it's not uncommon to have it on 2 computers? Or for the software to be lost?

Thank you for the link, i will have a good read.

[Noel Carboni]

Regarding loss of the software, provided you buy direct from Adobe online you can always download a fresh copy.

But the prudent thing to do is to write the software to your own media - e.g., a DVD-R - and keep it safe as you would any other valuable.

-Noel

[JJMack]

sumthin0rother wrote:

it's not uncommon to have it on 2 computers? Or for the software to be lost?

Thank you for the link, i will have a good read.

Adobe single licence allows you to install its software on two same type machines (Mac or PC) but only run it on one or the other machine at any given moment. In my interpretation that mans if  I have Win 7 and XP on  the other PC I can open Photoshop on both machines to see if there is a difference for I'm only in front or one or the other machine at  any given moment.  I'm not letting someone else use one machine while I use the other. I'm still one user.  Whether or not this as Adobe intented I'm not sure.  In my mind I'm not trying to abuse my licence it seems to my mind to be a single use.  I sleep easy at night and never fear that Adobe will be coming after me.  I think they have abused me more then I should have to put up with given all the bugs in CS6.

I always buy directly from Adobe and pay a few extra dollars and have them ship me media with Photoshop on it.  I'm old no cloud for me that I have to pay for.

Also if your hard disk crashes you are going to have a problem installing Photoshop even if you have backup.  For installing Photoshop on a new disk on a new OS install will look like a new Photoshop install and you will not be able to activate it till you contact Adobe Customer Support and work with them to activate your new Photoshop install. For you are not able to deactivate the Photoshop install you had activated which need to be deactivated. Its one of the reasons I buy directly from Adobe.  I have had disk crash on me and had to contact customer support to activate my new Photoshop install.  For things like this Adobe customer support actually works.

[sumthin0rother]

Thank you, that's what i was asking i guess, how willing are Adobe to help you out in those instances, in reinstating the software. It seems like they would do if it came to that, or have people found it overly difficult?

Interesting about the CS6 bugs problem, i was blown away by the videos of new features etc but the more i look into it, the more bad things i hear about it... something to think about.

Appreciate you taking the time to respond, thanks again.

[JJMack]

I only had one head crash where I needed to contact Adobe support. As I stated I buy directly from Adobe I'm known to them.  They had no problem helping me activate Photoshop.  They set their server to allow an activation from me and when I clicked Activate the activation went through. It was that simple.

[Noel Carboni]

JJ is particularly upset with the number and nature of bugs he's encountered, but it's honestly not all THAT bad.

You should run the free trial yourself.

-Noel

[JJMack]

Yes I am for Photoshop's quality is not as good as it use to be. Years ago Adobe maintained backwards compatibility with previous release of Photoshop.

All releases after CS3 are not even comparable with themselves. For Adobe added option that make compatibility impossible for Photoshop can now work one way or possibly an other way. And even the options added don't work properly all the time go figure.

[Noel Carboni]

Probably not worth debating too hard, but I've never had a perfect version of Photoshop.  Some were very good - as I recall Ps CS3 was pretty darned stable.  But there have always been glitches, crashes, etc.  And there has always been (and is currently) the ability to derive value from the package.

-Noel

[JJMack · Accepted solution]

Noel Carboni wrote:

Probably not worth debating too hard, but I've never had a perfect version of Photoshop.  Some were very good - as I recall Ps CS3 was pretty darned stable.  But there have always been glitches, crashes, etc. 

Noel sometimes your absolutely right and unfortunately I think this is one of those times.  I'll take your statement a bit further all release of Photoshop up to and including CS3 were very good and very backwards compatible. All that stop with CS4.

I thought there was a chance the this problem would be fixed particularly after I was contacted by one of Adobe better programmers Tom Ruark. He informed me that he was assign the task of fixing the problem.  I responded and detailed that the major problem was that Adobe had introduced two options in CS4. That if either or both were changed from Adobe default settings that it change the default way Photoshop has always worked.

If you change Photoshop default behavior many thing break. Some Action, Scripts and most likely Plug-ins will not work as designed.   He wanted to do a partial fix and that fix would definitely make CS6 incompatible with older version of Photoshop.  I wrote back what he wanted to do did not even address the real problem in the first place. At that point he stopped communicating with me.

If you don't change Adobe's two default settings Photoshop is compatible with past versions and you can get value out of CS6.  If you Change either CS6 is not even compatible with CS6.

CS6 has also introduce many other bugs. Most major bugs were address with the 56 core fixes made in CS6 first update. How does 56+ core problems get out the door in product code.

I still use Photoshop and. I would even go as far as stating I'm a Photoshop fan.  I'm just not a Fan Boy like you...

Thing still need fixing.......

[Noel Carboni]

It might be worth spelling out which two default settings you mean for others who might not understand the depth of what you're talking about.  I'm not sure but do you mean the tabbed view setting and the state of the "Clip to Layer" flag?

As far as bugs getting out the door, it's always a matter of someone trying to do too much with too few resources.  You could say it was bad management planning and not be too far wrong.

A sales/marketing person would say the release was a resounding success - money has been flowing in (reference how many folks are talking on the forum about Photoshop CS6).  The product was therefore good enough to sell.  No matter that some people have experienced bugs bad enough that they dislike the company; there's no competition.

By the way, many folks would take offense at being called a "Fan Boy", but I don't.  I am indeed a fan of Photoshop and last I looked I actually am male. 

-Noel

[JJMack]

Noel the two  bad options are.    What is particularly bad is Adobe tried to make these options global and not just be in effect when the adjustment panel is used to add an adjustment layer.

In the past adjustment layer always came with a Layer Mask it was never an option no action was required nothing needed to be coded to have a layer mask added and nothing was recorded into action steps or scripts that there was be or not to be a layer mask.  So any Action, Script and possibly Plug-in that added and adjustment layer and modified its layer mask will fail. If this option is not set to its default setting.  Even if you change the setting Photoshop does not always not add a layer mask. If there is an active selection a layer mask will still be added. So the option does not work always. 

The second option clip to previous layer has always been an option and if used the option was recorded in actions and coder in scripts and plug ins.  However nothing special was recoded or coded if you wanted the adjustment layer to apply  to all layer below the adjustment was added by default not clipped.   When this option is in its default state it does not, not clip adjustment layers that were recorded clipped or coded clipped these are still clipped.  However if you set it to Clip added adjustment recorded in actions that should be added by default not clipped are now clipped. This may also happen in Plug in and scripts that coded add adjustment layers letting it default to all these may be clipped.

Here are some simple silly actions I recorded with CS6 that adds adjustment layers which are played with in the actions.  Versions of Photoshop prior to CS4 will have no problems for these bad options were added in CS4.  CS4, CS5 and CS6 will play the action when these options are set to their default setting.  The Actions will have problems otherwise. http://www.mouseprints.net/old/dpr/AdjustmentLayers.atn  No document need be open just play the actions with options set  to their default setting. Then change an option and play again.

Message was edited by: JJMack

[Noel Carboni]

Thanks for the clarification.  You can't reiterate that enough; sooner or later someone will see it and fix Photoshop (we can hope).

Did they fix the problem where if you were using Windowed view actions that changed documents weren't coordinating properly?  I'm still using tabbed view so I don't know.

-Noel

[JJMack]

Noel Carboni wrote:

Did they fix the problem where if you were using Windowed view actions that changed documents weren't coordinating properly?  I'm still using tabbed view so I don't know.

Yes Adobe fixed it so actions and scripts are no longer given control before an active document switch is complete. When they now get control there document to work on.  Most likely closing the floating window delayed the completion of the document switch some and Photoshop's threading allowed the scripts and actions to continue. So any step that required an active document failed with a message like command not available.

[JJMack]

Noel Carboni wrote:

You can't reiterate that enough; sooner or later someone will see it and fix Photoshop (we can hope).

Yes we do hope.. and hope and

In this case it was seen over two years ago and pointed out to Adobe and Adobe acknowledged its a problem.  After two years one of Adobe's better programmers Tom Ruak was assigned to fix the problem.  I might be over simplifying the problem but to me it looks like its a simple fix. Leave the options set to their default settings and remove the menu items so the can not be use so once again they don't exists.  Tom did not seem open to that and has stopped communicating with me.

It getting harder to keep Hope alive Photoshop has seen better days. Hope is a game girl though more and more are hanging in there with older code. How long can she survive with new hardware and tomorrows  operating systems Hope she is a slowly dieing..  

I sure wish this web site didn't disable my normal spell checker the one it provides is so much poorer and it UI is the pits.

[Noel Carboni]

JJMack wrote:

Hope she is a slowly dieing..  

I sure wish this web site didn't disable my normal spell checker the one it provides is so much poorer and it UI is the pits.

Did the Jive spell checker actually pass "dieing" for you?

Notably here it (rightfully) does not, but doesn't actually suggest the right spelling ("dying").

-Noel

[JJMack]

Yes compared to the one that normally at works with Chrome its very poor. User interface needs to be toggled on and off you  does not suggest the appropriate words and even if you know its just a typo  one letter miss on the keyboard you can not correct the error till you toggle if off because it took over the left mouse button so you can not position the cursor into the word. That is why most spell checkers use the right mouse key for suggestions.  Here too the right mouse button is taker over and if the mouse is on a word up pops a menu to insert a link a message a table or do alignment. When you use to using the right button on red underscored words the at miss spelle this pop-up in very poor.  Most the time the right word is just not there and if it is the it not the default choice. The normal spell checker is much better.  The Ginger spell checker which is even context aware look like it was going to work because it automatically underlined miss spelled words in here did not work because this site takes over control of the right mouse keys so Ginger is prevented from helping me.   I wish one of the options in this sites spell checker's pull down menu was OFF rather the other language choices.

I just found a work around if enter text into the advance editor I can switch to the html editor and type a letter there the normal spell checker works. I just have to add the HTML mark up to its dictionary or ignore it. Its still a toggle between editors but at least I now have a working spell checker.

[Noel Carboni]

JJMack wrote:

The Ginger spell checker which is even context aware look like it was going to work because it automatically underlined miss spelled words in here did not work because this site takes over control of the right mouse keys so Ginger is prevented from helping me.

As I recall you can hold the shift key down when right-clicking on things in this Jive forum editor to get to the "native" right-click functionality of the browser.  Might be worth a try if you like Ginger.

I always thought MaryAnn was cuter myself. 

Young folks might not get that one.

-Noel

[bmad2012]

Hi Noel,

this is off topic, and I apologize all -but I see you are online and I am seizing the moment. Perhaps you could check this out - I do not have access to another Windows 7 machine.  I think I found a bug in ACR 7.2.  If interested see http://forums.adobe.com/thread/1083526?tstart=0 which includes my Windows 7 x64 machine specs. Did  not see the problem with ACR 7.0 after re-installing Photoshop. Problem reappeared after updating current version of PS, ACR etc. Do not see the problem on my Vista x64 machine, which still has ACR 7.1.  I found a work around - a way to work with ACR 7.2 adjustment brushes so the previews work as expected, which only makes think there is a bug. I could be wrong - would love to find out as  I much of last week  seeking answers online,  updating drivers, etc . I am asking you as I noticed from your past posts that you are do not dismiss Photoshop/ACR problems out of hand, and are willing to take Adobe to task.  (As did David Blatner and the late Bruce Fraser often did in their Real World Photoshop books.) If you do not respond, I understand.

my last post on the alleged problem -

Oct 19, 2012 4:45 PM

I think I found what causes the problem - seems like a bug to me - but maybe it is my system. The Adjustment brush previews work as expected so long the Show Mask option is checked AND one of the of the Adjustment Brush pins is selected; so one mask is always showing.

For example, when a previously edited image is first re- opened in ACR, no brush pins are selected (Show Mask can be checked). If I hover my cursor over one of the pins (for example I have 6 brush adjustments) the mask flashes on for the associated edit, as expected. When I move the cursor away, the edit preview disappears as if the edit never happened, but the pin remains. I then select one of the pins by clicking on it to make that edit live. Now when I move my cursor over a pin the mask for that pin flashes on, when I move the cursor away from that pin the preview of the edit is showing. Now the preview works for any brush edit.

[JJMack]

MaryAnn was the doll of my choice however time has marched on and this is a new young Ginger. Just reinstalled Ginger she still underlined miss spelled words however shift right click select from the clicked character till the end of the current entered text. Ginger also works with the HTML  editor so now I can see my typos in the advanced editor and correct them and correct my spelling errors in the html editor.  So Ginger is a winner what a GIRL.

[Chris Cox]

>> How does 56+ core problems get out the door in product code.

By having a very large, very complex product.

And the majority of the crashes in Photoshop are due to OS bugs, drivers, and third party plugins.

Many of our fixes are working around those issues (but we can't work around everything).