Few questions about Photoshop CS4 Student Edition

[David_A....@adobeforums.com]

I'm thinking of getting a DSLR camera in the summer, so (since I'm a geek) I want to make sure I've got all the software I'll need to edit the photos once I've taken them. The catch is that I graduate from university this year, so if I'm going to buy Photoshop (ie if I'm going to _afford_ Photoshop) I need to do so in the next couple of months to get the educational discount.

I've just got a few questions as to whether I actually need Photoshop CS4 for my situation:
* I already have Lightroom 2 (courtesy of Amazon Vine!) for processing RAW files, doing basic colour adjustment etc. Would I get £150 worth of extra usage from Photoshop CS4 compared to Lightroom?
* What DRM/copy protection does Photoshop CS4 use? Is it the same that's used in Lightroom 2 (hasn't given me any problems) or the Macrovision stuff that installs a background service (called something like 'Adobe LM monitor') on your computer?
* If I need to reactivate over the phone some time in the future (e.g. when I move to a new computer and I've already used the activations) do I still need to be a qualifying student?

Reckoned there wouldn't be a better place to ask these than PS forums :)

[dave_...@adobeforums.com]

Would I get £150 worth of extra usage from Photoshop CS4 compared to Lightroom?

depends on what you do, but does it contain £150 worth of more stuff? definitely. and even if you don't use it immediately. with it in hand, i'll wager you FIND uses for it moving foreward as you learn the program.

the Macrovision stuff that installs a background service (called something
like 'Adobe LM monitor') on your computer?

that's the one.

If I need to reactivate over the phone some time in the future (e.g. when
I move to a new computer and I've already used the activations) do I still
need to be a qualifying student?

no. just at time of purchase.

[boblevine]

Let's just get something clear here...there's a student edition and an
academic version.

I'm not sure about UK rules but in the US the student edition is highly
restricted...no commercial use and I don't even know if it can be upgraded.

The academic version costs a bit more but allows commercial use and is
upgradable.

Bob

[David_A....@adobeforums.com]

the Macrovision stuff that installs a background service (called something
like 'Adobe LM monitor') on your computer?

that's the one.

Aaah. Well in that case I'll pass. I'll make do with Gimp, Paint.net, and CorelDraw X4 (the latter I also got from Amazon Vine). To be honest it would take a great deal to convince me to install spyware-like DRM on my system, and Photoshop just doesn't offer enough over Lightroom + other software to overcome that.

I'm not sure about UK rules but in the US the student edition is highly
restricted...no commercial use and I don't even know if it can be upgraded.

The UK version is the same. However as there's no prospect of me ever using it for commercial purposes it wouldn't have been a big deal

[dave_...@adobeforums.com]

, and Photoshop just doesn't offer enough over Lightroom + other software
to overcome that.

then you just don't know enough about photoshop.

To be honest it would take a great deal to convince me to install spyware-like
DRM on my system,

hmmm how about A PAYING JOB! :) i think that's what the clincher is for most folks. ;)

[David_A....@adobeforums.com]

then you just don't know enough about photoshop.

Actually, if you had read the initial post you'd realise that I'm fully aware that Photoshop is hugely powerful. However it doesn't offer enough benefit for my usage (ie retouching of amateur photos) to make it worth the money + computer infection. My above post wasn't an attempt to say that Photoshop is bad, or that Gimp or any of these other freeware programs are even in the same league, I was just stating that my own need for Photoshop's power isn't great enough to make me want to install spyware.

hmmm how about A PAYING JOB! i think that's what the clincher is for most
folks.

True, but (again, as I explained above) I'm not a professional photographer/graphic artist/etc. and therefore there is no 'need it for work' motivation.

[dave_...@adobeforums.com]

<Simon Cowell>Off you go then!</Simon Cowell> :)

<http://www.gimp.org/>

[Eve...@adobeforums.com]

Robert Levine wrote: "I'm not sure about UK rules but in the US the student edition is highly restricted...no commercial use and I don't even know if it can be upgraded."

I bought the student version of CS3 in Sept 2007 from JourneyEd for ~$500, and just "upgraded" to CS4 also from JourneyEd for about the same $$. I did get a complete set of disks in the mail, so I'm not sure if this was really an upgrade, or if I just bought a whole new batch of programs. So cheap, it's really a moot point. Heck, I go to a community college and the cost of one semester's tuition PLUS the student cost of CS4 is still lower than the retail cost of CS4.

[boblevine]

> I bought the student version of CS3 in Sept 2007 from JourneyEd for ~$500

As far as I know, JourneyEd only sells academic versions. Generally the
student versions are purchased through the school.

Bob

[Eve...@adobeforums.com]

If you go here:

<http://www.journeyed.com/itemDetail.asp?ItmNo=44011033>

you'll see Adobe Creative Suite 4: Design Premium Student Edition - WIN (College Students) for $399.98.

How would an "academic" version differ from a "student" version?

[boblevine]

I stand correct. For the difference read my previous post.

In addition to that, however, note that academic versions can be
purchased by teachers.

Bob

[boblevine]

Here's a link to the academic version. Note the eligibility and price
difference.

http://www.journeyed.com/itemDetail.asp?ItmNo=24011033

Bob