Share your experiences as we discover what Adobe CS4 has to offer

Photoshop, let alone the the whole Adobe Creative Suite is a massive subject to debate at the best of times. With the recent release of Creative Suite 4 (CS4) I thought it would be a good idea to start a regularly updated blog that builds up a record of many people's experiences, from first installation through to discovery of powerful features. In time, this blog will become a handy resource. DPNow is a photography site, so we will, inevitably, be focusing on PhotoshopCS4, and - of course, Bridge CS4. And we will be including information on how Adobe Lightroom integrates with CS4. But input on all aspects of CS4, whether it be Dreamweaver or Acrobat, will be very welcome.

We aren't just restricting ourselves to Adobe components. Photoshop is powerful because of what can be bolted on to it, from plug-in specialsist like OnOne Software and third parties like DxO, and many others.

If you'd like to join in, sending us your tips and anecdotes, the simplest method of communication is via our discussion forum, which will be connected to the blog. If you aren't already a member, you can register here. Or you can send an email to cs4@dpnow.com.

There has already been some CS4-related discussion on the forum and we will be highlighting these threads on a separate forum page.

Photoshop CS4 incorporates a lot of visible changes that make it less familiar than previous updates

And let's not forget Bridge CS4

Getting going

To get things going, here are a few things we found out about installing CS4 and getting going.

Lengthy installation

If you are installing one of the 'suite' versions of CS4, be ready for a long wait . CS4 Web Premium took me about an hour to install and a DVD change is required.

My first attempt to install CS4 Web Premium was a bit of a hash because I tried to selectively install a sub-set of the components available to me. You are supposed to be able to tick the modules that you want to install, but this didn't seem to work properly and I ended up installing practically nothing!

After un-installing and having a second go, this time with the default 'install everything' mode, all proceeded normally. On Windows systems you will be asked to exit Web browsers and, if installed, MSN Messenger, applications. I needed to resort to CTRL-ALT-DEL and the Windows Task Manager to zap some of these applications from the Processes tab.

Eventually, the installation completes, you enter your product software licence key and when you run a suite application for the first time, activation (an internet connection is required) of your installation is carried out.

Registration freebies - but beware!

At this point, you will also be invited to register your software and there are several tempting rewards for doing this, including online training via Lynda.com, for example. To sign up for this you will be sent a confirmation email and I'm hearing that a lot of people are finding that this important email is trapped by email spam filters. So if you don't appear to receive the expected email, check your junk mail!

Hardware compatibility

Another issue that Adobe warns about is some limited incompatibilities with certain video graphics accelerators, or more accurately, video graphic accelerator drivers. You will be pointed to some advice on the Adobe site concerning known issues with selected graphics hardware and drivers, with links to updated drivers and/or work arounds. Why is all this necessary? CS4 now makes extensive use of hardware accelerated graphics. It means that selections can be rotated in real time using your mouse or tablet pen and images can be re-sized seamlessly and anti-aliased, so there is smoother edges and more refined rendering on the screen overall.

Do you have something to add? post your comment to the DPNow Photoshop Permutations forum, or email me via cs4@dpnow.com.

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Adobe CS4 discovery BLOG

DPNow Adobe CS4 discovery BLOG
Here is a summary or excerpt from an article that has just been published on DPNow: DPNow.com has s... (more)

Ian Re: Adobe CS4 discovery BLOG
Don't forget, if you have something to contribute to the blog, you can do it here :) Ian... (more)

Patrick Re: Adobe CS4 discovery BLOG
Well after you guys were praising CS4 I bent the plastic and upgraded. Reaction, admitted after ... (more)

Pol Re: Adobe CS4 discovery BLOG
CS4 is beginning to get on [I]my[/I] nerves too. I'm certainly in no hurry to deactivate and uni... (more)

Stephen Re: Adobe CS4 discovery BLOG
You guys shudduv bought a Mac *LOL I really have had no such issues. Surely its just a case of ge... (more)

Patrick Re: Adobe CS4 discovery BLOG
Hi Pol I have managed to get CS4 to show images instead of a black sceen now on the Laptop, ... (more)

Pol Re: Adobe CS4 discovery BLOG
My PC, which is very new, also very powerful (quad core, NVIDEA geforce 9800GT. 3Gb Ram - all singi... (more)

Pol Re: Adobe CS4 discovery BLOG
Why would I want a Mac? It's not raining here. ??? *whack You [I][B]don't[/B][/I] have to fl... (more)

Pol Re: Adobe CS4 discovery BLOG
Stephen - hat includes an example of the method for merging yet retaining previous layers as a new ... (more)

Stephen Re: Adobe CS4 discovery BLOG
Thanks for that Pol, I hadn't realised thats the way to do it :) I had infact worked out that I cou... (more)

Pol Re: Adobe CS4 discovery BLOG
A new background layer is ok too but the point about merging previous layers, with a top copy, is... (more)

Stephen Re: Adobe CS4 discovery BLOG
Alt + Merge Visible did the trick, thanks Pol... (more)

Patrick Re: Adobe CS4 discovery BLOG
It would appear unless I'm doing something wrong that its no longer possible to load more than one i... (more)

Pol Re: Adobe CS4 discovery BLOG
I agree wholeheartedly that CS4 isn't anywhere near as intuitive as CS3. No doubt about that! ... (more)

Ian Re: Adobe CS4 discovery BLOG
Do you mean RAW or JPEGs? I can certainly open multiple selected JPEG file from Bridge into PS CS4... (more)

Pol Re: Adobe CS4 discovery BLOG
It can also be done with the RAW files. Same method of using Ctrl+Alt then a double click will open... (more)

Stephen Re: Adobe CS4 discovery BLOG
Even easier is CTRL R or Command R on the Mac, which will open ACR as you say with all selected fil... (more)

Patrick Re: Adobe CS4 discovery BLOG
Hi Ian Raw never use JPG's Patrick... (more)

Patrick Re: Adobe CS4 discovery BLOG
OK Pol & Stephen will give these methods a try. I have un-installed from the Laptop and am ret... (more)

Patrick Re: Adobe CS4 discovery BLOG
OK it worked loaded 6 RAW images in 35 seconds (Can't complain about the speed) in Photoshop CS4.... (more)

Pol Re: Adobe CS4 discovery BLOG
Glad to hear you're gradually getting sorted. I'm hoping I'm gonna get around to liking it better ... (more)