Photoshop CS4 is a disaster

[_ProArtist_]

I'm am just at a loss of words.

What a mess. It could not be any slower. What were you thinking Adobe?

You ripped apart the code just to add GPU support for what? To provide worse performance?

Make sure you DL the demo first... CS4 is a disaster.

The latest hardware cant even run it smoothly... Dont tell me its graphic drivers.

[_Matt_Prooi_]

Turning the theme in Vista from Windows Vista to Windows basic completely wakes up CS4. Everything is fast.

[_Russell_Proulx_]

> Turning the theme in Vista from Windows Vista to Windows basic completely wakes up CS4. Everything is fast.

Turning off 'bells and whistles' is always a good idea if you want a PC to perform to its full potential. FWIW I've got Vista 64 looking and behaving pretty well the same as XP. I even downloaded a pack of XP icons to replace the Vista ones. Vista performs VERY well (and very stable) once you get rid of the needless fluff.

[Guest]

just reporting that UNinstalling the cs4 trial (near time out) went smoothly and cs3 seems to be functioning properly with no ill effects. that's a good thing.

[digital gene]

Could it be that simple?

I took Matt's advice "Turning the theme in Vista from Windows Vista to Windows basic" and it helped a lot.

Thanks Matt

[Hudechrome-sd9sPI]

My CS3 reverted to some default settings, like the cropping mask set back to 75% and other indications that indeed, CS4 did appropriate certain CS3 settings, and set them to default.

[Guest]

Gene,
Strange: My PS CS4 runs better with the Vista theme on. Glad turning it off helped you though.

Dave,
Thanks for the uninstall info.

[_gmv_]

If you are interested in panoramic or HDR images, CS4 IS proving to be worthless for many.

I will not repeat my post here, but searching the forum for "photomerge" or "panoramic" will show several people running XP/XPP/Vista having problems -

- problems as in CS4 simply will NOT successfully merge files that CS3 has no problems with; even when using the 'manually align' tool copied over from CS3.

When done processing the images, CS4 either fails to save the resulting merged image, locks the app, or crashes the OS.

For this I paid $1000 !?!

[Guest]

I just did a 'Photomerge' with 7 14Mb files without a problem.

[Guest]

I had to try it and merged 3 files together with no issues.

[Jan_D_Curtis]

Installation problems here too. I upgraded from CS3 to CS4 and it installed with the entire top menu bar invisable (Desktop screen showing through in that space) and the entire top row of menus and commands non-functional. Adobe support said I needed an updated graphics board driver, so I got the latest one and installed it, reinstalled CS4 -- same problem. Adobe support also said that if the most current driver didn't solve the problem I would need a new graphics card, what I have isn't sufficient to run the program. I'm out several hundred dollars on the CS4 upgrade and on the full version of Lightroom2 that I had also planned on adding to my system. I can't afford to lay out more money to replace my graphics board and possibly set off a chain reaction of other hardware changes. CS4 has been uninstalled and lives in the filing cabinet, along with Lightroom2 and other assorted discarded software. Adobe support won't even answer the e-mail to re-open my support case. I wish Adobe had been a little more upfront about CS4 being so hungry for GPU and graphics RAM. Like so many of you, I have work to do, so CS3 is back on the system; solid, functional and reliable .... sure could have found some good uses for the wasted money though.

Jan D Curtis

[Guest]

Jan, I couldn't agree with you more. We are told to update our video drivers by the Adobe engineers. We do that, and CS4 still doesn't work. The vid card manufacturers don't care!

IMO, CS4 is way too dependent on video cards and drivers. To get the stuff I upgraded for, I had to spend more money and it still doesn't work right.

Yes, there are several people here who are having no problems, and I wish them well, but Adobe has dragged their dick in the dirt on this one.

I want my money back, but I'm beyond the 30-day limit.

[Guest]

Oh, I have issues and so do some others. Just living with them until something or another fixes the issues.

[_ProArtist_]

I hope this update improves brush stroke responsiveness a lot. compared to other pen input based applications such as Zbrush, or Alias Sketchbook... CS4's brush performance is just poor. Zbrush's brush strokes on a blank canvas... doesnt lag at all. You can sit there doing an endless circle as fast as your arm will move... and no lag.

Zbrush's default canvas compared to photoshop, is doing so much more. Its rendering your brush stroke in 3D, in realtime off the cpu and its still ridiculously faster.

[Guest]

But can Zbrush do image editing and processing better than Photoshop?

[Ramón G Castañeda]

What is all this nonsense about Stonehenge some forty posts back?

Anybody running any version of CS4 is running Stonehenge. Stonehenge was and is the code name for Photoshop 11, a.k.a. CS4. All versions, from alpha to beta to GM are Stonehenge.

If you don't believe it, look at the alternative CS4 Splash Screen. In Windows, use either Alt or Ctrl (can't remember which; it's the Option key on a Mac) as you select About Photoshop

Landed here by mistake, but Merry Christmas to all .

[BobLevine]

Usually it Option is Alt but in this case it's the ctrl key on Windows
that will reveal the Stonehenge splash screen.

About Photoshop is located under the Help Menu in Windows and the
Photoshop menu on the Mac.

Bob

[hhansard]

Ramon,

I am sorry, but I do not understand your post.

The distribution gold code and the binary made available several weeks ago are not identical. I personally do not know the differences. It may compiler / linker options or changes in the code base. Without input from Adobe, it would take a hex editor to tell.

H

[Guest]

Stonehenge is the codename for Photoshop builds, generally not released to the hoi polloi. It is obvious that Adobe is releasing patched versions of the program to selected users who are having problems with the GPU-enabled features as a means of testing the fixes. The build number is the key. OK?

Happy Christmas to all users and programmers.

[Hudechrome-sd9sPI]

Well, code names do become public in many instances. Intel's code names for cpus and mobos are bandied about in the press, even as we are, as employees or contractors, prohibited from using them in public. Yes, the build number is key in any case. Even there, you have to understand the build sequencing numbering

It would make for some colorful combinations.

[Ramón G Castañeda]

Hugh,

That's the point. The code is not the same, but the name is: Stonehenge. It was Stonehenge from the beginning, and it will remain Stonehenge through the last build that's generated for CS4.

If you want to differentiate different builds, you have to specify the version number. Just saying Stonehenge means diddly squat. All versions of CS4 are Stonehenge.

[Guest]

see the chart on this page and check out hte code name column:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adobe_Photoshop_release_history

[hhansard]

Reaon, you are correct. I was refering to the splash screen, not the build. I stand quite corrected. In furure posts I will refer to the particular build.

H

[PECourtejoie]

Didn't you have to sign a non-disclosure agreement? if yes, re-read it.

[_ProArtist_]

John Josh:

No Zbrush can not. I dont use Zbrush for photomanip. I sculpt film resolution 3d characters in it.

Zbrush uses a fancy software rendering system that runs off CPU alone and while pushing 16+ millions of polygons its still faster than CS4. I mean CS4 is quite slow at editing a 4 layer, 10 mp image. Especially if you toss an adjustment curve layer in there and try to manip the curve points (feed back is extremely slow compared to the old non layer "adjust curve".

Perhaps its just the texture bandwidth of my gpu but... I would expect better performance from 2D vs 3D.

[_Expert_Here_]

<<Didn't you have to sign a non-disclosure agreement? if yes, re-read it>>

I had my fingers crossed. There is also the thing about false advertising (much slower than previous versions), misleading consumers (it barely works and only part of the time), and outright fraud (they call themselves programmers - not), things for which Adobe needs to vigoursly defend itself. Open betas are required. Suck it Adobe. This is as the heading reads: A DISASTER, Irwin Allen style. I heard any patch for PS won't be until the 2Q or even the 2H of 2009.

Make that, suck it up Adobe.