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Participant
November 4, 2022
Answered

Installing PS CS2 on windows 11

  • November 4, 2022
  • 2 replies
  • 12783 views

I want to buy a second hand copy of CS2 to install on my windows 11 laptop.  Will this work?

This topic has been closed for replies.
Correct answer Jeff Arola

While yes it would work, it won't work longer than 30 days because Adobe shut down the activation

servers for cs-cs3.

https://helpx.adobe.com/creative-suite.html

 

Better to do the Creative Cloud Photography Plan wihich includes Photoshop and Lighroom for

around $9.99 a month or photoshop elements 2023 for around $100.

2 replies

Participant
November 5, 2022

Thanks.  Shame, I love CS2 and don't want anything more, certainly not having to rent it.  Is there a similar program that I can buy outright for a reasonable cost?

Cheryl Ann280461870d15
Participant
January 21, 2023

Hey, phil26969237es4f:  Good news, my friend:  an insider cool-guru programer friend told me about a completely FREE graphics program that even has GUIs and options "like" Photoshop in its behavior. Of course, you'll probably have to pore over a bunch of help and how-to files like you had to when learning our beloved CS2, but *Gimp* is a totally free download with, from what I can tell, about as many working options as Photoshop.  [Link removed by moderator as per forum guidelines.] I've dived into it a couple of times thus far and even the interface and GUIs look extremely CS2-esque.  But I just got so emotional and upset 1), about not knowing *automatically* where to go next, and 2) about not having CS2 on my new 11 machine that I've just had to stop.  Good thing I've been overloaded with work lately & not had time to devote to my fun/artistic stuff ... or learning to use Gimp. I still want that 'immediate gratification' I get every time I open CS2 on my 10 machine, quickly, neatly and perfectly do what I need to do, and I'm out.  It's so hard when you've gotten used to the software you've depended on for years, then they either yank it out from under you or decide that - suddenly - you  need to pay for it with your life.  OR, first-born graphic, *including* all royalties from it for .. ever!  Best Wishes, my friend ...    

 

Participant
January 23, 2023

GIMP is indeed CS2, albeit arranged a bit weirdly.  I have been playing with it for a couple of weeks and getting more confidence.  The downsides are not being able to preview changes as you try them out (like Transform/ Scale), which is frustrating.  But at least I can use it, whereas until discovering this I felt very angry with Adobe, not having access to this kind of programme.  Now I just have to find an alternative to QuarkXpress 8.1, for book layout and typesetting.  Anyone know of a clone of this?

Jeff Arola
Community Expert
Jeff ArolaCommunity ExpertCorrect answer
Community Expert
November 4, 2022

While yes it would work, it won't work longer than 30 days because Adobe shut down the activation

servers for cs-cs3.

https://helpx.adobe.com/creative-suite.html

 

Better to do the Creative Cloud Photography Plan wihich includes Photoshop and Lighroom for

around $9.99 a month or photoshop elements 2023 for around $100.

Tom Winkelmann
Inspiring
November 5, 2022

Adobe has released a version for registered Users with a universal key for CS2 that does not require an activation server.

AxelMatt
Community Expert
Community Expert
November 5, 2022

That is only partly true. Such versions were available for download in the past.

Since a couple of years they aren't available anymore. 

 

My System: Intel i7-8700K - 64GB RAM - NVidia Geforce RTX 3060 - Windows 11 Pro 25H2 -- LR-Classic 15 - Photoshop 27 - Nik Collection 8 - PureRAW 5 - Topaz Photo