Is CS2 REALLY worth the upgrade?

[ChargerBill]

I have CS1 on system OS10.4 and everything runs like clockwork save a couple VERY minor bugs. I am wondering if there are any unexpected bugs in CS2, if there are any MUST HAVE features (I'm concerned mainly with Photoshop and Illustrator) and if there are any peripheral upgrades that need to be made or compatibilty issues with other programs.

I usually skip every other upgrade because I get comfortable with what I have and if it ain't broke, why fix it? So, is it a must have item, or just a way of getting us to part with a few more bucks?

basically, what main differences/upgrades did you notice?

[rickself]

plain and simple...stick with CS1...if it ain't broke, don't fix it.
IMHO

[PrintDriver]

Photoshop has a new addition called Vanishing Point but unless you have need for it, no need to upgrade.

They've basically added Streamline as a feature in Illustrator CS2 (Live Trace) and a Live Paint feature. Again, if you don't use it, don't bother.

On all the CS2 programs they've put a palette bar across the top. Takes a little getting used to, especially in Illustrator.

Bridge is an interesting feature. I don't use it at my end of the industry. Check out the quicktime movies at Adobe to see how it functions between the CS2 programs in a design capacity. It may be something that organizes your production workflow.

I've been hearing some compatibility issues with Tiger, especially with CS2 Illy and Indesign. Lots of crashes and no start ups. I'm not convinced these aren't maintenance issues though. Tiger should be loaded as a clean install not an upgrade and I think a lot of these problems go away if the load in is clean. Jury is still out. CS2 testing is ongoing. I haven't really put CS2 into the workflow. I only use it if a client sends a file done in it.

[Neballer]

If shoot digital photography, Adobe Bridge allows you to edit RAW files directly in it. The live trace and live paint features in Illy CS2 are awesome, but unless you feel that you absolutely need these features it's not worth the money.

[Alexis_1707]

Hi.

If you can buy CS2 you should.
It has some new features that will help you a lot. Vanishing Point works great, in just a few steps the job is done. The Image Warp is also cool , and if you like photography the Advanced Noise Reduction will help. :D

[PersonasBinar]

The combination of both is perfect. Acrobat7(CS2) kicks ass and is worth the upgrade. Don't just have one or the other. Keep both around. Wanna correct images in Acrobat? TEll Acrobat7(CS2) that PSHOP(CS1) is the image editor, otherswise if PSHOP(CS2) does it all the images reappear in the lower corner of your document.

Bridge is great for syncing colour settings and profiles. Indesign(cs2) can be the only way of unbuggering client PDF's sometimes. Place, re-ps and distill with my settings.

All this being said I still keep Illy 9 around for a couple things that it can do that no other version can . To get Indesign to print from Tiger we had to do something...I cant remember what I'll check and get back. I think for cs1 we had to use the Panther printer files and not the tiger ones but for CS2 we need to use the Tiger printer files. (ppd's) Illy in CS2 now does save EPS's back, none of this export legacy crap. If you delete the fonts it loads it will not run, you have to keep a couple around, will get back on Monday about that.

[ChargerBill]

I was hoping for a definitive, consensus response. Too many conflicting opinions...brain hurts now, confusing...error...error...must reboot.

OK, I'm back: I guess I need to sit down in front of some of these programs and see the differences for myself. Do they have trial versions?

[PrintDriver]

Yep. Downloadable fully loaded demos at the Adobe site. Good for 14 days I think.
Hope you at least have DSL to get em. Hefty.
Don't mistakenly save some of your old files in the demo mode! LOL!

[idaho]

If you are using CS1 stick with it for a while longer. InDesign is still buggy. We have crashes all the time. There is a problem with importing transparent files and the drop shadow feature. When we apply the drop shadow it doesn't recognize the transparency and put the shadow on the bounding box rather than the object.

We also get a color shift with transparent images. It looks like the bounding box is closer to a 5-10% fill instead of transparent. This is a problem that has existed since ID2 and Adobe has never fixed it.

InDesign also has major problems opening InDesign 2.0 files. It crashes every time. We've had to install both ID2 and CS2. It's a pain in the butt.

Otherwise CS2 it pretty nice.

[PersonasBinar]

if it's for design you're fine. Prepress and production work.....gotta have it