savagesax Posted November 20, 2008 Share Posted November 20, 2008 I picked up Photoshop CS4 today and haven't installed it yet. Are any wedding photographers using it? If so, how is it at batch processing? CS3 would run out of memory when converting batch RAW files so you couldn't open 500 batch files at one time, you could only do about 50. Has that improved? Lastly, are there any new special features that would be ideal for weddings and portraits? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keithdunlop Posted November 21, 2008 Share Posted November 21, 2008 My understanding is that CS4 has enhancements of interest to graphic designers, but not much for photographers. Photographers I have spoken to who are running CS3 are waiting for the next version (CS5). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tomwatt Posted November 21, 2008 Share Posted November 21, 2008 I just began the company's deployment of CS4 this week... most of our design staff is eagerly awaiting the improvements over CS3. For Photoshop, one of the more important enhancements is an improved large file handling ability. And there is a tabbed arrangement (sounds weird, but it improves workflow for color adjustments) for masking and adjustments. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
david_schilling___chicago_ Posted November 21, 2008 Share Posted November 21, 2008 I routinely use CS2 but 98% of the time it could just as easily be PS7. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sherijohnson Posted November 21, 2008 Share Posted November 21, 2008 Bob, A lot of that could be dependent upon your computer too. It sounds like you need a program that is specifically designed for processing your RAW images. (like lightroom or something similar) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmichaelc Posted November 21, 2008 Share Posted November 21, 2008 I've been using it Bob for about 6 weeks or so now. I think the batch process that you speak of is mainly due to how much RAM you have. I have 3G or ram on my primary workstation and could batch process about 900 images in CS3 before running out of RAM. I haven't had a problem yet with CS4 with batching about 1200 in one shot. CS4 has a few nice features, mainly functionality and the way the image is previewed once one screen. However, it is not a significant upgrade IMO. On the other hand, if you are like me and your a Bridge user, then here is where i see a big difference in performance. The images loads much faster and the rows are locked to fit the screen as you scroll through them. This is very nice when making your selections at large preview. I could certainly do without this upgrade and consider it "Decent". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edrodgers Posted November 21, 2008 Share Posted November 21, 2008 I use it, and I'm glad I got it. I don't have memory issues, but the GL rendering really speeds things up, the interface is improved greatly (in my opinion), and I even like the content aware scaling. Bridge is faster (again), and ACR is improved. In fact, Adobe says they are no longer going to add cameras to ACR 4.x, so at some point most of us will have to upgrade. This is a major update - under the hood, and Adobe will quickly cut support for the "older" architecture. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john_h12 Posted November 21, 2008 Share Posted November 21, 2008 using it all the time and loving it! not a single crash on any of batches!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
christopher hartt dallas Posted November 21, 2008 Share Posted November 21, 2008 Hey Bob, I have similar curiosity to yours. I had the memory issue with CS3 and bought a MAC. I'm currently running 16G RAM and never have to deal with 'out of memory' issues. From what I've read and researched about CS4, there's nothing that CS3 and Mac doesn't already offer. I don't mean to stir up any controversy about Mac v. PC...I have both and both have their strenght's. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bill_clark___minnetonka_mi Posted November 21, 2008 Share Posted November 21, 2008 Yes, I'm using it and liking it. Since Photoshop seems to announce a new version about every 18 months why not get the full value for the current version by purchasing it when it is released? Unless you plan to skip the next version. I see this as an essential tool for my business and the investment is worth it from various vantages. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
savagesax Posted November 21, 2008 Author Share Posted November 21, 2008 Wow interesting responses. To fill you all in I was running XP Pro. SP3 with 4gbs of ram. Although I had the max amount of ram along with a quad core the issue could be the motherboard. As you all know motherboards and ram may not be ideal, so the computer crashes on me. Yesterday I installed Vista 64, which allows one to add more ram. I'll put in another 12gbs of ram and see if that solves my problem of memory dumping. If that doesn't work I'll switch motherboards. Hopefully that will solve memory issues and then I'll load CS4. Who knows, maybe it's time for me to get a Mac. I feel so loyal to PC's because of having computer degrees and also Microsoft certified, but if I can't batch process more than 50 images it's time to rethink and redo my systems. As always, thanks everyone for your responses and taking the time to post. I'll keep you posted over the weekend with the final results. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tomwatt Posted November 22, 2008 Share Posted November 22, 2008 I sympathize with the "time to get a Mac" feelings... it crosses my mind from time to time. If it's any consolation, our all-Mac design department just completed switching to PC. And although a few folks grumbled, everyone is happy now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bakarichavanu Posted November 23, 2008 Share Posted November 23, 2008 I downloaded the trial version a few days ago, and I'm finding this version faster on my computer. I kinda like the interface better, and I especially like that it includes the Vibrancy feature, preview cloning, and the advance adjustment tools in one panel. Though I don't look forward to paying the upgrade fee (since CS3 has only been out a little over year), I think the new features are great, but not essential if you need to get some other things first. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blairhall Posted November 23, 2008 Share Posted November 23, 2008 <p>I've been using CS4 for production for a few weeks now at my "day job". My only "negative" is that they've changed a couple of things that I needed to get used to (changed some key commands, moved some things around etc...) but some of them make more sense than they did in the past. The one thing I love is the new speed of some things. Filters like Smart Sharpen generally don't need to process after you've accepted, they just get applied to the image and we move on with life. The speed bump applied both on my 20" Intel iMac and my half-assed HP laptop with a dual-core AMD running 32bit Vista (ick). Both have 2gb of memory.</p> <p>In terms of being a worthy upgrade to CS3... I think for photographers it's the speed advancements, better access to adjustment layer tweaks and the Bridge upgrade that are the most worth it. I'm sure there's more, but I'm still figuring it all out! I'm certainly not unhappy with upgrading. Oh, and I've found it chews through batches a little more efficiently as well, although I don't generally batch RAW files, usually just PSD's after they've been converted from RAW and edited.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bakarichavanu Posted November 25, 2008 Share Posted November 25, 2008 The Adobe Configurator which you can download for free also has some promise. It enables you to create a custom panel of tools so that you use on a regular basis. It's sort of like Actions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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