photoshop version? on a macbook? help needed

[Loum]

hi all,
I am wanting to buy a macbook 13" with osx.
I have been using windows vista wtih photoshop 7 and while I still have a lot to learn I do sortof know my way around it.
my question is: if I buy a macbook and I want to use a photoshop program, what version of photoshop should I buy, and what OS X version do I need to run it? are there incompatibilities I should know about?

I am not sure what the differences are between photoshop 7, (which I know) and cs4, elements or what else is out there for a mac? I am not a professional photographer or graphic designer but i wouldn't want anything that handles less than photoshop 7 .
thanks for your help in advance.
Louise

[Xenedis]

Louise,

Adobe Photoshop CS4 (the current version) is available for both Windows and Mac.

It is functionally the same.

Looking at the box, the minimum specs are as follows:


PowerPC G5 or multicore Intel processor
Max OS X v10.4.11-10.5.4
512MB of RAM (1GB recommended)
2GB of available hard disk space
1,024 x 768 display (1,280 x 800 recommended) with 16-bit video card


I don't think you'll have any problem at all if you're buying a new Mac.

Adobe Photoshop CS4 is basically Photoshop version 11. If you're running version 7, it's quite old, and there would be a lot of changes.

[Big Pix]

I am running Photoshop CS3 Extended on a mac book with out any problems.......

Photoshop 7 would be Elements 7 which is now Photoshop Elements 8.....CS4 is the full version and expensive......

....... there are lots of programs for a mac...... google is your friend

[Loum]

thanks for that.
Its a second hand macbook - but its only 9 months old - so the specs are with the range you suggest.
I just found out the OS is 10.5.8 (is that outside the range the mention?)

I guess I am wondering whether CS4 will be to big a leap for me from PS7 - is elements a stripped down version of CS4?
thanks again

[Big Pix]

thanks for that.
Its a second hand macbook - but its only 9 months old - so the specs are with the range you suggest.
I just found out the OS is 10.5.8 (is that outside the range the mention?)

I guess I am wondering whether CS4 will be to big a leap for me from PS7 - is elements a stripped down version of CS4?
thanks again

the mac will be fine..... make sure you have lots of memory......

yes Elements is a cut down version of the full version......

if you are going to run PSCS4, it will work better on the latest OS for Mac

[Xenedis]

thanks for that.
I just found out the OS is 10.5.8 (is that outside the range the mention?)


That should not be a problem.

I run CS4 on OS X 10.6.2.

What matters is that your version of OS X is at least the minimum version required.

I'm not sure why Adobe lists a range of OS versions, given that they continue to increase.


I guess I am wondering whether CS4 will be to big a leap for me from PS7 - is elements a stripped down version of CS4?

I'm not familiar with Elements 7 (I did have Elements 2), but they are different packages. Photoshop is immensely more powerful, but I'd expect that there'd be enough similarities such that you'd be able to get started easily enough.

CS4 has a lot more features, but usability should not be all that different. Note again that I am unfamiliar with Elements 7, so I can only make my comment based on my experience when I moved from Elements 2 to CS3.

[Loum]

hi all,
ended up with a macbook pro and CS4 student version.
LOVE the macbook - for anyone else wondering about the stretch from older photo shop version - looks so much like the older version I've had not problems
cheers,
Louise