Adobe Photoshop CS4
Review Date : Fri, 2 Jan 2009
Author : Paul Nuttall
While Photoshop CS3 may not have been ideally suited to the photographer, CS4 sees a change in emphasis for Adobe
| Pros: | Tabbed interface, Content-aware scaling, Camera Raw enhancements, Adjustments Panel |
|---|---|
| Cons: | Still very expensive, OpenGL |
Much as Google has become synonymous with web browsing, Hoover with vacuum cleaners and Tannoy with public address systems, Photoshop’s status as the market-leading image-editing software means many people view it as the only option when it comes to editing your shots.
However, the image-editing market is now awash with alternatives to the Adobe beast, with Adobe themselves offering the alternatives of the more-stripped-down Photoshop Elements and the increasingly popular Lightroom. So, whereabouts does Adobe’s latest incarnation of the famous software sit? What new ground does CS4 break, and what exactly does all the extra cash get you?
Verdict
It must be said that some of the changes are arguably more suited to the beginner or relative newcomer to image editing, rather than the more advanced user who would no doubt have their own workflow sorted in such a way that, for example, the need for a simplified adjustments panel would never occur to them. And with this in mind it begs the question... if you’re a newcomer to image editing, are you going to be willing to spare nearly £600 for editing software? If you do, you’ll get the market-leading program, but surely it will only be a matter of time before the headline features in CS4 make their way through the Adobe family to more accessibly priced and easy to operate products.
Have your say!
Latest comments
February 12 00:29
Paul Streeting
Having had the chance to try a copy i found the interface a bit more logical than in CS3. For photographers it is a very good program though most photographers will maybe never use all the features it has. My main concern about the program as in other versions, is down to the cost. At close to £600, and in times of recession i wonder how many will be able to justify the cost? The problem that Adobe have is that you either buy the limited 'Elements' software, or have to spend a heck of a lot more for the full Photoshop. I would like to see Adobe produce software priced at about £150ish that offers more than 'Elements' but not with the bulk of Photoshop. That would be a winner i think in todays market.