iMac G5 and Photoshop Platform Licenses

[ky2]

My current workstation is pushing its limits and I'm seriously

considering getting an iMac to replace it next year. I really like the

20" model, but the default installation has 512Mb, and I feel I need

at least 1.5Gb to run CS2 in 16bpp mode. I don't mind migrating from a

pentium system-- but what about my photoshop license? would I need to

purchase another copy? i won't be using the one on my PC. Also-- are

the iMacs subsystems (HD?) up to spec with CS2? from very limited

experience, the machine seems fast enough, but there was no Photoshop

installed at Apple Store.

[Ed_Ingold]

Call Adobe and explain that you are changing platforms. Chances are you can get a Mac version at little or no cost - basically the media replacement cost. You may have to deactivate the copy in your PC in order to activate one in your Mac.

 

Give a little thought about switching to an iMac. You are really restricted as to hardware and peripheral expansion compared to a G5.

[david cunningham]

i did the same a while ago and a friend did it last year. call adobe and tell them you are

changing platforms. you will need to fill out and sign a form that says you agree to destroy

all copies of the old platform. when you fax it to them they will send you a new disk free of

charge.... d

[ky2]

David thank you very much for the info :) this saves $600!.

 

Edward, I know what you mean-- but the iMac packs a lot into a small box, and since I have small apartment and can't afford a separate den for my photography, it would go in the living room... seems like a nice tradeoff to me :).

[daniel_taylor]

The only thing you're likely to add to a tower that you can't add to an iMac is a video card. The video card isn't going to affect Photoshop much.

 

RAM and HD are easy to access and upgrade on the latest iMacs, and a second drive can plug in through FireWire or USB2.

 

The worst problem with the iMacs is that if something fails, the whole computer needs to go in for repair. Make sure to set the energy saver on your screen, LCD backlights do fade and go out over time.

[blueviews]

We did the same thing as you want. I am running on both a G5 desktop and the 17inch imac

with 2 MB. Not much difference in performance but the imac screen is way nice.

[ky2]

Thanks guys. I used to build my own PCs, but now I don't see the point in wasting valuable time such as that.

[Brad_]

<I>I used to build my own PCs, but now I don't see the point in wasting valuable time such

as that.</I><P>

 

A wise man... <BR><P>

 

Also consider getting an external amplifier/speakers and then you'll be all set for music via

iTunes.

[Uhooru]

I'm using CS not CS2 on iMac G5 and 2 gig of ram. In runs great. I use an external drive and

it all works great. I beleive that CS2 will allow for use of more than 2 gigs of ram, but of

course the iMac is limited to 2. That should be enough for now, but if you are concerned

than you might want to look at a tower or even better, a duel powermac. But the 20" screen

on the iMac is wonderful.

[eric_perlberg]

For digital images from 5-8mpx cameras working in 16bit the iMac should be fine (as I remember the files are about 25mb in size in photoshop). If you buy your dream 5D, you might begin to have visions of a dual desktop. RAM from <a href="http://www.crucial.com">Crucial</a> is high quality and much cheaper than buying from Apple. If you can, bring the machine up to its 2gig max. Also consider backup. You can use the firewire to get a backup HD or less robustly back up to DVD. <a href="http://www.shirt-pocket.com/"> SuperDuper</a> is cheap, easy to use and widely respected backup/recovery programme for macs. Enjoy!

[ky2]

My largets concerns are my 35mm scans (5400dpi, 16bit) and Medium Format (6x7@3200dpi, 16bit scans). When I stack some layers on my 1 Gig PC, it's slows down to a creeping halt...

[eric_perlberg]

when i was testing out to see if i could get by with an iMac I checked with file sizes at

25mb

(6-8mp camera) and with 95mb photoshop files (my 1dsmkii). I made multilayer docs and

working in CS I applied various filters (it was at an Apple Store and they had no plugins

beyond straight CS). I thought the 95mb files with layers doing sharpening and bluring

was

not really desireable but doable (I know professional photographers who do some

processing on PowerBooks with a G4 process.or, it can be done but not fun. Curves and

Levels were less of a problem. Didn't check noise

removal but I would guess with 50meg files you're looking at 60-80 seconds. I think

50meg

files are borderline, but definately max out RAM. So much depends on your workflow and

expectations. There's a page somewhere I can find if you want which goes through various

Photoshop strategies to get the most out of what you have.

[Uhooru]

Well on my iMac G5 I routinely will run files in the 100 plus starting size that end up very quickly at 300+. Everything works fine except for a plug-in sharpner called focus magic. That runs relatively slower than everything else in photoshop and on a big file can take a couple of minutes. With 2 gig of ram on the machine, I'm not really getting much, if any bogging down, even on MF files.