Upgrade from CS2 to CS4, Should I?

I am down to the last day to take advantage of the discounted price on CS4. I currently have CS2 and would like to hear your opinions on whether or not I should upgrade, pros/cons, and issues regarding installation. I am running Vista Ultimate 64bit with 4GB memory with my CS2 now with no performance issues. Thanks in advance.

Provided the video card meets the requirements for CS4 (see below), I would definitely go for it.
There are a lot of improvements.
1,024x768 display (1,280x800 recommended) with 16-bit video card
Some GPU-accelerated features require graphics support for Shader Model 3.0 and OpenGL 2.0

Similar Messages

Can I upgrade from CS2 to CS4 and skip CS3?

Can I upgrade from CS2 to CS4 and skip CS3? It would save me time.

Colin,
>But I did exactly what everyone on here said they did, went onto adobe.com to do our research, saw that the upgrade works from CS2-CS4
Adobe shows there are multiple versions of the suites on their site and clearly points the way for purchasing at the Adobe Store. Just for the heck of it, I also went to MacMall.com and MacConnection.com, two well-known online resellers. I checked their Adobe CS4 upgrades, and they clearly indicate which older versions they are meant to go with. Not quite so clear from MacZone.com and a few other reseller sites I visited.
>I am an IT person for a printing company, and as such I spent hours upon hours preparing for this transition.
It took me just a few minutes to find the correct version I needed.
>no one can tell the difference, and most vendors don't know it exists. We could help you, but you didn't buy it from us."
Maybe the reseller you bought from is just sloppy and didn't mark the SKUs properly. But how is this Adobe's fault -- particularly when other vendors can and DO get it right?
Also as both Mac and Win upgrades are pretty much determined and marketed the same way, what does this sloppiness have to do with Mac market share?
But that said, there is enough good information on the Adobe site that should trigger some questions if you as the IT guy have any doubts and are responsible for buying for your company. At the least, doesn't it make sense to call Adobe and ask which SKUs you should buy? It could've saved hours of research time.
If you truly did your research and purchasing carefully and were still fooled, I suggest you start with a complaint to the reseller who sold you the goods.
Neil

Upgrading from CS2 to CS4

I've upgraded from CS2 to CS4 on my WindowsXP, and my question is, can i now safely remove CS2 from my program roster without impacting any of my CS4 applications?

If you're low on disk space, uninstalling CS2 will accomplish NOTHING. If you've reached this point, you need a new harrdrive.
Working with a system drive with under 20% free space is a disaster waiting to happen.
Bob

New hard drive, reinstall upgrade from CS2 to CS4 Question

Hi,
I upgraded my CS2 to CS4 Extended early this year, my hard drive just bit the dust and I have to re-install the CS4, will I have to call customer service again to get my copy of CS4 Extended activated, again?
Thanks, Charles Grubbs / futurexboy

Like you, I've completely recovered from a hard drive failure - one of two in a RAID 0 arrangement in my case. Windows Backup restored it completely, likewise without re-registration, etc. A key difference is Windows Backup runs for me late at night, in a set-it-and-forget-it fashion (my computers stay on 24/7). I don't have to boot up a separate system to run it.
But I don't doubt Image is a good product.
It's good to have good alternatives to choose from.
-Noel

Can someone assist me in upgrading from CS2 to CS4 PC version?

I have loaded the CS2 version on my PC and now I want to upgrade to CS4 master using the upgrade version. I have serial numbers for both versions but when I tried to load the CS4 upgrade, the system said it could not find the old version. I had to input the serial number of the software I was upgrading from but CS4 only gave me two version options, CS3 and CS3 upgrade. When I input the serial number of my CS2 version, the system said this is not a CS3 serial number. So I proceeded to install CS4 as a trial version thinking I can later input the CS2 serial number. Unfortunately my CS4 upgrade install ran into issues and did not install all of the main software (photoshop, illustrator, etc). I tried to reload CS4 but ran into the same errors. So now I have two issues, one is how do I get the system to take the CS2 upgrade and how do I fix the install issues so the full CS4 programs will load. Please help.

Troyboy8998 please contact our support team to verify the validity of your upgrade. For the best assistance, I recommend our chat support at http://adobe.ly/yxj0t6. Our chat representatives can provide a personalized experience to resolve the issue you have described.

Upgrade from CS2 to CS4?

I work for a legal education company and our Composition Department currently uses CS2 InDesign for our manual and brochure production.
We use the Data Merge functions in InDesign for every marketing piece created, as well as scripting. The majority of our product is mass-produced, quick turn-around mailings, with occasional individual pieces for specific programs.
Our mauals are created from materials submitted by faculty members for each program. These are converted to PDF or scanned and compiled in Acrobat; with the cover, title pages and table of contents created in InDesign.
I use the entire CS2 suite for all of our other printed media and web design components, as well as individual creative pieces for partners.
We are discussing upgrading and I was wondering if anyone could tell me if there are any new and fantastic time-savers that I can research to see if they would suit our purposes before I write my proposal. Anything you have used and liked/disliked? New features that have cut times down?
We operate on PCs, not Macs, incase that will make a difference in your thoughts.

Here's my top 10 for InDesign: http://theindesignguy.com/cs4-thoughts.shtml
Keep in mind that those are my top 10 from CS3 to CS4. It doesn't even touch on the new CS3 features.
Bob

Upgrade from CS2 to CS4 but use serial for a CS3 install?

So, we do not want to go to CS4 just yet.
Is there any way to buy a CS4 license but just install CS3 for now?

A disc (for CS3 which we have from other seats on the company BTW) is just a disc, it's the serial that is important for licensing, that's why Adobe just send out bits of paper these days and you can download a trial or an installer and activate that, DOH! On 19/02/2009 16:52, in article [email protected], "Buko" <[email protected]> wrote: > How can you install CS3 if you don't have CS3?

Upgrading From Cs2 With Cs3 Extended On Computer

I currently have both PS CS2 as well as CS3 Extended on my computer. When I decided to upgrade to CS3 from CS2 I went with the extended version but find I really have no use personally for the 3D tools. Strangely, there is no way to 'downgrade' from CS3 Extended to plain old garden variety CS4. However, it does appear that you can upgrade from CS2 to CS4.
If both CS2 and Cs3 Extended are on my machine and I purchase a CS4 upgrade will the software see the CS2 and allow an upgrade to CS4, or will I be 'shut out' because I have CS3 Extended on the machine? Will I have to uninstall CS3 Extended and then do the upgrade to CS4?
Has anyone done this....seems like one of the two options above should work. Thanks.
Howard

Hi,
Just to let people know, this problem is far from 'fixed' from an Adobe Customer Service perspective has wasted (so far) 5 hours of my time without any resolution. I upgraded to Vista 64 bit to get more memory for Lightroom and Photoshop. Has to install my Extended CS3 then the CS4 Upgrade. Of Course the CS4 upgrade wouldn't recognise the CS3 Extended install. "No problems" I thought - I'll call my friendly customer service people tomorrow during working hours (note I live in Australia so these people are in Manilla). In the mean time I tested CS4 in trial mode
Anyway called Customer Service the next morning (today) and found that CS4 would not even accept the upgrade Serial number as it had decided that it was really a CS4 Extended Version and wanted a Extended Version Serial Number. I was advised that this was a known 'feature' as licence keys are further restricted by the language of the original install. And I had inadvertently left the upgrade install at the default of English (US) whereas my previous CS3 was set to a language of English (International) and once you start the trial it defaults to the version of the installed product rather than the version of the upgrade. ...Sigh.. After lots of fun with customer support and various failed attempts we had to do a complete uninstall of CS4 and a registry clean, a Photoshop Cache delete and a clean install to get back to square one (which is entering a CS4 product key)... Because the full install takes time, the helpful Technical Support person asks me to call back when it is done and gives me a support Case Number etc.
I call back ready for the unlock and quote my Support Case Number. Being a call centre I get a new person. And 'helpfully' all the extra information was not in my case file, just the basics that I had an upgrade issue and that it was resolved (lol). So we start again. This new technical support person says that it is not an approved upgrade path from CS3 Extended to CS4 and that he needs to put me through to Customer Support to explain my options (I barely control my urge to scream!).
After a long wait I spend ages talking to Customer Support who flatly deny that there is any approved path from CS3 Extended to CS4 standard and suggest that I return the upgrade and buy and extended one. I try again and get a second customer support person! Eventually after pushing they agree to try and seek 'special approval' for a non standard upgrade. At this point - after 5 hours of installing, uninstalling and hours on the phone to Adobe I am no closer to having a working CS4 upgrade.
I have escalated to Jack Nash via his Blog to (hopefully) get help. But it is really disappointing to have an issue that was supposedly resolved back in early October 2008 still exist and such challenges tyring to get Customer Support / Technical Support to address it.
My real nightmare is the future... With Windows 7 coming next year and doubtless CS5 in a couple of years... Unless Adobe change their processed I can see a nightmare many days process involving having install the original CS3, then CS4, then the special approval (again!) then CS5 etc... Really Adobe need to join the modern world. Adobe have our serial numbers held against our customer registration Email etc. So we should not have to have older versions installed in series to do an upgrade. Just have the install do an automatic check on-line that we have the most recent version licensed to us... and the on-line code could be e4asily changed to fix problems like this, rather than the rigid activation code installed on the CD.

Upgrade from CS2 Education to CS5 Full Commercial?

Hello,
I'm new to this forum. I have a question regarding upgrading to CS5. I don't think there's been another question on this specific question I have. If there is, sorry for posting it again.
Basically, I have a copy of the CS2 Design Premium Education version. Now I would like to upgrade it to the CS5 Design Premium Commercial version. I didn't need to work from home previously, so never really needed the commercial licence for my laptop. But now it's time to get one so I can work anywhere.
I know there is an upgrade from CS2 to CS5 version that I can purchase but it doesn't tell me if it can be used on the Education version too.
Can anyone confirm that the upgrade does work on an Education version too?
Thanks heaps.
Leanne

You brought up a few issues here.
(1) If you bought an upgrade that you cannot use, please call Adobe Customer Support (via phone) and see what can be done to let you return the software. There should not be any problem if this is within 30 days of purchase, but even if not, they should be supportive. If the first agent you speak to can't assist, ask for their supervisor.
(2) The copy of CS3 that was installed on your Mac by your employer is likely a volume license which cannot be upgraded via a standard upgrade license. Note that if your employer installed the software using their volume serial number, that software license belongs to your employer and not you personally. It that employer is in fact your ex-employer, you no longer have legal rights to use that software which was licensed to your ex-employer. (Note that purchasers of volume licenses cannot unbundle a volume license by either giving away copies such as to former employees or sell such copies!)
- Dov

Why upgrade from CS to CS4?

We have been advised to upgrade from CS to CS4 before the upgrade path closes, however this will also entail upgrading 3 x G4's in our design studio as these won't run CS4 properly. By upgrading to Mac Pro's there will also be additional software updates we need to purchase, which in turn means we will have to update on other Macs on network. All in all an expensive business. As such I would be really grateful for some feedback as to benefits of CS4 or should we just continue with existing Suite until we find we are lagging behind and then bite the bullet and be prepared to spend out even more for full CS (we will probably be on CS5 by then)? Am i just delaying the inevitable?

As previously mentioned, this question is really off topic for this forum but here are some thoughts anyway:
laksdjf wrote:
or should we just continue with existing Suite until we find we are lagging behind and then bite the bullet and be prepared to spend out even more for full CS (we will probably be on CS5 by then)? Am i just delaying the inevitable?
Sounds like you've already hit the "lagging behind" point, hence your question.
The real question here seems to be what decision(s) to make for the future of the business rather than weighing up, in isolation, whether CS4 justifies a hardware upgrade.
<neutral questions />
Do you have an ongoing hardware/software upgrade policy at your studio? or do you tend to wait until hardware dies before you upgrade?
If you're really facing the expensive upgrade chain of events that you describe then I'm inclined to suggest that you're reaching an inevitable "catch up" point where you're faced with investing a large amount at one time rather than spreading your upgrade cost (and tax write offs) over time.
If you're running dated gear and software, have you thought about doing a cost benefit analysis of what you might gain in speed and productivity by progressively rolling out staggered upgrades over time? The speed of faster rigs and productivity gains of updated software with integrated features can often outweigh the perceived savings of not investing in upgrades for a long period then having to upgrade everything at once.
How long does it take you to get projects out the door now and what might the difference be with an upgrade policy in place with allocated annual budgets for upgrades? What are your competitors running?
In short, I see this as more a "bigger picture" business decision for the future of your studio than a simple technical one based on the merits of CS4.

Getting error after administrator who upgraded from CS3 to CS4

Hi,
We have had an administrator who upgraded from CS3 to CS4.
However, any of our other users still using CS3 now get the
following error message:
“The website is being administered with a newer version
of Contribute. For more information contact this website's
administrator."
Do you know any way around this issue?
Thanks,
Greg

quote:
Originally posted by:
sdfsdf e3wwre4
Just wondering if somebody here can clerify the following....
If I upgrade contribute and then administer a contribute enabled
website will users of CS3 still be able to edit the site or will
the be forced to update as well?
Hi,
No they don't have to, at least I think so. If your
administror go to the menubar: Contribute>Administer
Websites> Choose the site you wish to set the settings for. In
'Compatibility' choose 'Transition Mode' and klik OK. This should
allow the other users to keep working in their version of
Contribute.
I say 'should'... Read my entry in the general discussion
forum.
(a not so happy) Ingrid

Upgrade from CS2 to CS3? (for Windows XP)

Hi, guys. I'm new here. And I only signed up for the forums so I could ask someone for help!! Haha! So, here goes......
I recently started using Adobe CS2.
I signed up for the 30 day trial of RadLab by Totally Rad. It worked fine, but my trial expired before I could finish the photos I had been editing. So I uninstalled the RadLab trial, signed up for a new trial with a different e-mail address, and re-installed it. Only, this time, RadLab wouldn't work. So I contacted Totally Rad and the guy told me that RadLab won't work on CS2. It has to be CS3 or higher. (I'm still confused as to how RadLab worked for 30 days on my CS2 if it supposedly only works on CS3 or higher)...
So, now, I am looking to upgrade from CS2 to CS3... but I don't know where to look. I tried Google, but nothing seems to match what I'm looking for. I would hate to upgrade all the way up to CS5, because I don't think my PC could handle it. (I've been told that CS5 takes up a lot of room, and I don't think my computer is strong enough to hold it all. My memory capabilities are very limited. Even with CS2, I couldn't open/edit much all at once.)
I say all that, to ask this...
How do I go about upgrading from CS2 to CS3, and it not cost me an arm and a leg? I'm on a super-tight budget ($150 is the absolute highest I'm willing to go). I'm unemployed and money is extremely tight.
Thank you in advance for your help!!

Countrydust73 wrote:
I signed up for the 30 day trial of RadLab by Totally Rad. It worked fine, but my trial expired before I could finish the photos I had been editing. So I uninstalled the RadLab trial, signed up for a new trial with a different e-mail address, and re-installed it.
I don't want to burst your bubble about using Photoshop CS3, but I would expect any software with good trialware security to not work twice on the same system no matter whether you sign up with a different eMail address. They'd be stupid not to have it work that way.
If you need the software to get your project done, why not actually buy it?
You're no doubt expecting to derive value from your project... Shouldn't the people who worked to create the software you're using derive some value from their work as well?
I can appreciate your being on a budget, but the old saying "if you want to play you have to pay" comes to mind. I'm sorry to be blunt.
-Noel

If upgrade from CS2 to CS 3 can I still use GoLive ?

If I upgrade from CS2 to CS3 with Dreamweaver, can I still use/run GoLive to maintain existing GoLive files for a time, until I make the transition ?, or once I install CS3 I need to transition right quick ?
thanks if anyone knows the answer to this ... Laura

> In my case, once I installed and activated CS3 my CS2 apps stopped working. Was GL CS2 excluded from this shutdown?
What do you mean by stopped working? Did you get an error message when launching the apps?
John

Upgrading from CS2 Suite (Win) to CS5 Suite (Mac)

Over the last few days I have twice called Adobe UK sales and have been assured that I can easily upgrade my Windows CS2 suite to a Mac CS5 suite.
I was told that all I have to do is enter the CS2 Windows serial number during the CS5 Mac installation and it will be accepted.
However I have found no mention of this anywhere on the internet.
Has anyone been given the same or conflicting advise by Adobe for this type of scenario?

Adobe are even contracdicting themselves re CS5 upgrades.
I was told by the UK sales team that I wouldn't need to submit a letter of software destruction upgrading from CS2 Windows to CS5 Mac.
However, the Adobe on-line representative said I would.
I can understand this requiurement for a straight platform swap of the same version.
However, if I am upgrading, I surely need a valid suite to upgrade from?
If I destroy my CS2 I will no longer have a valid suite any longer!
I have also found out that PhotoShop Mac CS5 will apparently no longer have the ability to print printer profiling targets with colour management disabled. Supposedly Adobe labs are developing a separate utility for printing profiling targets but with no ETA. This means that I will have to continue to use an earlier version of PhotoShop anyway!
With these uncertainties, contradictions and complications I have now cancelled my order.
Thanks again for your help.

Upgrade from CS2 / 5 TO Creative Cloud

I am working in Amdocs Israel and we just purchase your Creative Cloud product.
1. Can you please explain what is needed to do an upgrade from (CS2 / 5 --> CC) ?
2. Does such upgrade can impact plug-in we develop on Adobe Illustrator ?
Best regards,
Baruch Cohen.

you can upgrade from cs3+ to cc,
1. Can you please explain what is needed to do an upgrade from (CS2 / 5 --> CC) ?
go here and sign up using the special offer-complete link.
2. Does such upgrade can impact plug-in we develop on Adobe Illustrator ?
yes, your plug-in may, or may not, be compatible with versions it was not designed for.

Upgrade from CS2 to CS4, Should I?

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