Photoshop CS6 Extended for £190

[Rob MacKillop]

As I am currently an Open University student I have access to student discount. They are offering CS6 Extended for £190 - normally £928. This seems an incredible bargain. However, a couple of questions:

1. Is it worth ME buying it? I imagine it does TONS more than I will ever use it for.

2. I currently use CS3 Ext and am happy doing so. I also have Lightroom 4, which, to be honest, I haven't really clicked with, so to speak. Where does CS6 stand in relation to these two products?

3. This is a teacher-student discount. Am I right to assume it is the same product, not a 'lite' version?

Rob

 

[Rob MacKillop]

Here's a comparison table for C3, C4, C5 and C6:

http://g-ecx.images-amazon.com/images/G/02/uk-software/2012/Adobe/CS6/PhotoshopExtended3to6._V135978508_.pdf

 

[Rob MacKillop]

C6 seems to be focused on creating 3D images and videos, not something I'm interested in at the moment...

Maybe my money would be better spent on Nik plugins to CS3?

 

[Hamish Gill]

I'd still buy it for that money!!

 

[Pete Askew]

Can you also get CS6 standard. It would give you cheaper upgrade path when you are no longer a student. I use a mixture of standard and extended as some of the measurement tools in the extended version are useful for technical stuff. For normal photography standard is perfect. As Hamish says, it's a good opportunity.

 

[Larry Bolch]

Same product.

Huge bag full of tools. No one ever uses them all. However, if you run into a situation where nothing else can do, PS6 can probably do it—as long as you have the skills. I will be upgrading.

 

[Pete Askew]

Interesting that you can only get CS6 Extended at the student price. I suspect this is a clever bit of marketing as the upgrade cost from CS5 Extended to CS6 Extended is twice that of CS5 Std to CS6 std. So it's a bargain now but will cost more I expect if ever you want to upgrade the version in the future. Even so, it is still a good buy.

I will be upgrading all of our licenses next week (1 Master Collection, 1 Creative Suite and 2 x CS6 Std and 1 x CS6 extended). No new cameras this month then!!

 

[Rob MacKillop]

I don't think upgrades are allowable other than within one number system, so CS6 Ext v1, v2, v3, etc, etc, is allowable, but not CS7 whenever that appears. And, as you found out, Pete, CS6 Std is not available with student discount.

Oh, it seems too good an opportunity to pass up on, even without upgrades...

One fly in the ointment - as previously reported, my laptop is struggling already. CS6 Ext requires 1GB of RAM, which I don't have. So, I might buy the box version rather than the download, and stick on a shelf until I get a new computer, which might be a while...

 

[Pete Askew]

Sounds like a good plan. Make sure that you decide what your final platform will be - Windows or Mac - before buying though as there is a cost to cross-grade. Unlike LR you must choose.

 

[Rob MacKillop]

Ah...good point! Life is so complicated!

 

[Darren Turner]

CS6 is a possibly the best photo editing software available. I am using beta version and its awesome.

However i it is capeable of far far more than i will ever use or even ever know, it great to have though just in case. I also have CS5.

Howevere LR does all that i need with PP of my photies.

Daz

 

[Rob MacKillop]

Thanks, Daz. Useful info. Still mulling it over.

 

[Pete Askew]

Don't forget you can also launch the Nik filters from LR and they are cross-platform. And CS3 will still function from the Windows environment. Also you can upgrade CS3 to CS6 Standard edition for £190 (I guess a cross grade from Windows to Mac would be similar if you decided to go that way). And, if you don't have it already, you'd then get 40% off LR4, ie a total of £270.

 

[alfie Wright]

That's a great price!, If you're going to use it, Rob.