For home users (Adobe Photoshop CS4)

Member Name: Tetura

Product:	Adobe Photoshop CS4
Date:	04/06/09 (11 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: New features added, overall excellent software

Disadvantages: complex, some features from previous versions taken away

For any type of photo editing or graphic design you know you can't go wrong with Photoshop!
CS4 is the latest version that has even more to offer than previosu versions. Including a major layout change. The customisation of the palettes displayed and creating you're own workspace hasn't been easier.

I'm not someone to fully use all the features photoshop has, as i have no real purpose to use it. But for a hobby i do enjoy experimenting and graphic design.

For general use, touching up photos, adding effects, creating simple graphics, photoshop does the job and isn't too hard to use. At a first glance it can seem complicated and put you off using the program immediately as, after all it is designed for professional use. But once you learn the basics and get the hang of the tools it would definitly be worth it.

One thing i didn't like about CS4 in comparison to previouse versions was the the removal of Image Ready. For creating animated graphics this was a must! The idea may be to move people onto using Flash? This is annoying for those comfortable with Image Ready like myself!
Another downer is the lack of options under the 'image' catagory. It seems they have removed some of these 'quick fix' options.

I have yet to explore more of CS4 including the 3D aspect and i'm sure to update this review when i have.

Summary: professional software for photo editing and graphic design.

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