Is there a legitimate upgrade pathway from Elements to Photoshop CS? I’m not a pro photographer or a commercial artist – just a hobbyist who longs for some of the bells in CS, like a healing brush, curves and the RAW convertor for my 10D photos.
Learn how to optimize Photoshop for maximum speed, troubleshoot common issues, and keep your projects organized so that you can work faster than ever before!
On the Photoshop Forum, someone said several months ago that he did get a Photoshop from Elements at an upgrade price, but not the upgrade price currently offer. I’d call Adobe and ask. You could report your finding here.
I purchased an epson scanner that came with elements 2 and a coupon to upgrade to photoshop 7 for $299. Since I already had a copy of elements 2 and had read about the great features of CS, I called the adobe store to see if I could upgrade to the full version of CS for the same price. When they said yes, I couldn’t resist. It made sense to me that they would charge more than just the photoshop normal upgrade, because I was really getting the full version, not an upgrade.
I would be suprised if you called them and asked for the same type of deal, that they would turn you down, with or without a coupon. After all, once you are hooked on CS, you are more likely to continue to upgrade in the future.
Even though I really like CS, elements still has a place on my PC… Also, this forum is much more of a kinder place with folks who are truly helpful. I’ll frequent the other, but will likely continue to learn more here.
I agree with you Derwin…I have been using PS CS for a couple weeks (and PS7 before that), but I still check here everyday for ideas and to see what everyone is up to. Ray, Barb, Jodi, (and many others) really make this board a nice place to exchange ideas and to learn. The CS board has a few great people on it too but for the most part they don’t seem to want to "bother" with us "little" people! I have also seen where Adobe will offer the upgrade from PE2 for $269-$279.
I called Adobe just now, mentioned that I had heard of a coupon upgrade price of $299. He verified my registered products (Elements 1 & 2) and put me on hold. When he returned he gave me an upgrade price of $499. !!! Not exactly what I had in mind. I told him I would pass on that price and hung up.
Steve, Perhaps patience is the key here. A year ago I upgraded to Photoshop 7 for $299 from a registered Elements 1. I think the promotions seem to go in cycles. $499 is not much of a bargain <G> .
Seems CS for windows is using a very similar system to authenticate as Microsoft adopted for there new operating system. This is a system I do not like so I will not likely be buying CS. Which is a pity as I have been holding off upgrading in anticipation of CS.
Do any of you guys have kids? You can get the entire CS package – Photoshop, GoLive, Illustrator, InDesign, and full Acrobat for $379.95 at the Academic Superstore. I’m thinking of adopting a child who needs to learn how to use this software. 🙂
Beth, is that fair or what ???? I would have to wait 15 years to get that option…then again, the way tuition is going…hum, something will have to change before then.
Beth you can take a course at a community college to quality or …. have a wife that is a graphic artist in a research department in at the university down the road from me. … very evil grin as I call out to Doreen 😉 g.
Yes, Grant, and don’t think I haven’t been checking that community college catalog! What burns me is that I worked for a school district for 15 years, and there were never any good perks like this until after I left. 🙁
And, Jodi, yes I did send you a message, and I got one from you saying you hadn’t gotten anything. I did a reply to that one, and I also resent the first one, so you should have two coming in from me, plus the first one. Total of 3. ???
Watch out everybody! I think Jodi is getting ready to go on the warpath again about her e-mail!
Yup rain today and they closed the job down for the trades people. While I could have stayed I decided to play hooky and off I went and bought the fixing for Chilli now that is a way to beat he ball blues……
Ah … while the Chilli and the rain were the excuse I really wanted to get home to play with my new toy. My Nikon ED AF Nikkor 80-200mm 1:2.8 D arrived and it is a biggie. Now when I get the 17-35mm there will be no more excuses for not taking great photographs.
Plenty of sunshine for you also Grant. This is the best 8-10 weeks of the year; Lower humidity, temperatures range from 65 at night to 85 in the daytime. Don’t forget sunscreen.
Well, I haven’t been able to use the scanner since there isn’t a panther driver for it yet. As far as ordering, I just entered my elements serial number on the order page and that was that.
Frankly, if I hadn’t been needing a new scanner anyway, I would just have bought the CS Suite for full price, since by the time I pay for Photoshop (which I need right now for work), the scanner and the upgrade to the full suite later, it will be about the same amount of money as if I had just bought the suite for the regular price.
Any hope for a better upgrade deal in the near term?
Well, there are still some $299 deals out there from various camera and scanner manufacturers, so it a matter of getting one of those products that have Elements 2 bundled with it and have the special offer code included.
What version of PS Elements are you using to upgrade, PSE1.01 or PSE2? I already have PSE 1.01.
I am a full-time student at university studying Photography Technology and I can get PS CS at the educational discount price but I’m wondering if the upgrade (which is definitely less expensive than the full version, even at educational prices) would work for me or if I should just bite the bullet and get the full version.
No, Stephen, the full Photoshop upgrade can’t be used with Elements. The "upgrade" price you’re seeing here is just to encourage people to move up to the more sophisticated software from Elements, so Adobe is offering a somewhat reduced price. If you want or need full Photoshop, you’ll have to get the full install. Have you checked out the Academic Superstore? It looked like their price for the full Photoshop CS package was awfully close to the regular educational price for just Photoshop.
