Photoshop CS4 vs. CS4 Extended Student Edition

The only mention of Student in the EULA is that if the student buys a student version then that student can never transfer ownership. The student can only install the software on one computer period.

Ah...thanks for the clarification Bob. I so quickly jumped in my mind from Student Edition (which I've never heard of) to thinking of the education/academic version, that I missed the difference.

I just found a different upgrade eligibility table (http://www.adobe.com/products/photoshop/photoshop/upgrade/?view=available) from what I first saw, and it does show one can upgrade from CS3 Extended to CS4 Standard, but it does point out Adobe must be contacted for that particular upgrade path.

Daryl

In reviewing the EULA for PS CS4, and particularly in searching for all contextual use of "education" or "commercial", I see nothing whatsoever that bars the commercial use of Photoshop by someone who has purchased under the Educational discount program. In fact, even ignoring the educational purchase limitations (such as license transfer), I see nothing stating anything with regard to commercial use of the software except in regards to fonts.

The closest restriction I see to falling into this area of concern is 2.5 Restrictions on Secondary Use by Volume Licensees, yet that paragraph specifically excludes educational licensees from being affected.

I suspect that so long as one meets the requirements as a qualified educational end user, then they are entitled to use Photoshop in whatever manner they see fit. This only makes sense, given that one does not need the latest and greatest version of any software to use it in a professional capacity. For example, if a full-time student in their last year or two of college bought a full version of Photoshop or any other Adobe software, and continued to use that software in a professional capacity upon graduation, then I see nothing that gives Adobe the rights to prohibit such use. I also consider it 1) highly unlikely that Adobe would ever become aware of whether an individual's use of PS is for commercial verus non-commercial reasons, as well as 2) never would seek to stop such use since continued use of their products would likely encourage a future upgrade.

Bob, if I've missed something that you know of in the license agreement that bars commercial use of Adobe software purchased under the educational discount, I'd sure welcome your pointing that out. I don't want to offer bad advice to anyone, but will certainly encourage purchasing the software at the best possible price for which a person is eligible.

Mika, in general, I would say that if CS4 Extended is signficantly cheaper than CS4 Standard, then I'd go with Extended. But, I think this also would require you to purchase the upgrades for the Extended version in the future, which are considerably more expensive than Standard. So, you should really review the feature comparison at http://www.adobe.com/products/photoshop/compare and decide if the extra features of Extended warrant purchasing it a lower price now, while potentially finding it more costly in the long run to to the upgrade costs. I'm sure that for a great many Photoshop users, the Standard version is as much as they need, but I think too there may be some features that are common to both Standard and Extended, yet more still offering more capabilities in Extended, and that doesn't appear to be clarified in the comparison table.

Another thing...while I say there is a greater long-term cost in owning Extended and upgrading it, I vaguely recall someone (Dave Milbut??) talking about upgrading from CS3 Extended to CS4 Standard, and being able to do so although that is not shown as an allowed upgrade path. So, if you wanted to upgrade in the future from CS4 to CS5, 6, etc., but downgrade in capability from Extended to Standard, perhaps that can be done through coordination with Adobe, and that would render my point moot about the cost of long-term upgrades if you start from CS4 Extended.

Regards,

Daryl

Thanks a lot for the clarifications..

ok,, so function wise there are differences...

i need to understand one thing..

i am a photographer..
if i want to sell my photos which had been processed/edited by this edition...
(personal benefit)
is that against the license?...

Thanks.

only if you're getting paid for it.

If I were to get the Student edition, would I be able to post my work/artwork online, galleries, etc.? Or is that considered commercial?

Student edition is not eligible for any upgrades whatsoever?

I understood the only difference between student and educational versions was that only the educational license could be used commercially while the student edition cannot. When the student edition is upgraded later, it becomes a regular retail/commercial license.

>What is the difference here?

There is no difference in the content of the software (student, educational, site license, or retail). The difference is the license that controls what kind of work you can do with it and where you can install the software.

Maybe to help clarify or repeat myself, my main question concerns the Education store.

I noticed that two products seem practically the same but the price difference is large:

Adobe Photoshop CS4 Extended - $299
Adobe Photoshop CS4 Extended Student Edition - $199

What is the difference here? By getting the Student Edition am I losing more of the software's capabilities for price or is it just the label of 'Student Edition' that's lowering the price?

Well, but are you a student in the sense of being entitled based on Adobe's terms and conditions? If so, the question should answer itself. In that case it wouldn't even matter, if you own a previous version...

Mylenium