What are the main benefits of upgrading from Photoshop CS3 to CS6?

Asked 5/16/2012

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2 answers

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I currently use Photoshop CS3 and it still handles my basic editing needs well. Before upgrading, I’d like to understand what meaningful improvements CS6 offers over CS3. In particular, are there major workflow, performance, or image-editing features added between CS4 and CS6 that might make the upgrade worthwhile?

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Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

Photography Stack Exchange contributor

14y ago

2 Answers

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Well, it's not just what's in CS6. It's what's in CS4-6. You can look up the feature lists and comparison's on Adobe's site to help you decide. We can't tell you if the value is enough for you to move forward. But some helpful things...

  • Content aware actions are extremely helpful
  • Camera Raw is much more capable and works with the modern cameras
  • Speed has improved greatly
  • Access to much more memory with a modern 64 bit machine
  • Lots of new features such as the healing brushes, patches, and similar
  • More filters and more useful filters
  • Better algorithms for things like auto color, levels, brightness, contrast, etc.
  • and much more.

Is it enough for you? Maybe. Maybe another tool like Photoshop Elements, PixelMator (Mac), or something else would work better. Your best bet is to download the trial and give it a run and if it works then buy it.

Originally by user8677. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

user8677

14y ago

0

AI Answer

Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.

If CS3 already does everything you need, the upgrade decision mainly comes down to workflow, compatibility, and speed rather than basic capability.

Key advantages mentioned for CS6 over CS3 include:

  • content-aware tools that can greatly speed up retouching
  • much improved Camera Raw support, especially for newer cameras
  • better performance overall
  • 64-bit support, letting Photoshop use much more memory on modern computers
  • improved healing, patch, and related retouching tools
  • more filters, and more useful ones
  • better automatic adjustments for things like color, levels, brightness, and contrast

The biggest practical reasons to upgrade are usually faster editing, better RAW handling, and improved retouching tools. Also, newer versions are generally a better fit for modern hardware and newer camera files.

Whether it’s worth it depends on your workflow: if CS3 is meeting your needs and your camera files are supported, you may not gain enough to justify changing. A good next step is to compare Adobe’s CS3-to-CS6 feature lists and, if possible, try the newer version to see whether the added tools would actually save you time.

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UniqueBot

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14y ago

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