WARNING! Adobe out-sources its academic verification process for products like Photoshop to a privately held, six-employee company in Wisconsin that has terrible customer service and cannot be reached by telephone. If you purchase academic software from Adobe, be prepared for a long wait to receive the serial number required to use your software. And forget about contacting Adobe if you fail to receive the numbers. They will not help you. Adobe Photoshop Extended CS5 Student & Teacher Edition [Mac]
Great product, quick delivery from Amazon. Just make sure you have the student verification materials to send to Adobe so they will send you the activation numbers you need to install this program. It is usually a jpeg of your student's college ID or a tuition bill or both if the ID does not have a date on it which I believe is often. Our college student had all the documentation she needed and had no problem.
It took more than 2 weeks to get my software code so that I could install the program, including multiple calls and emails to Adobe's customer service. Very dissatisfied with Adobe's process - if identification is required, then it should be approved up front so that the customer doesn't have to spend hours tracking down their authorization code.
this is much the same as CS4 but with a few new features,but one thing you should know is that most plug-ins currently only work in 32bit,therefore you must start it in 32bit(double click on the PS icon in finder and "get info",then tick the box "open in 32bit").The problem here is that PS CS5 can only access 2gb ram max(because its been rewritten in cocoa as opposed to CS4 being written in carbon,and cocoa has a higher ram overhead),unlike 32bit CS4 which can access 4gb ram,so perhaps it would be wise to hold on to your cs4 until all the plug-ins are re-written as 64bit,most will be available in the next 3 months.apart from this its a nice upgrade! the previous review by Nathan Andersen covers the new features well,I subtracted one star for the RAM problem.
It was extremely difficult to get the serial number. I purchased the software from Amazon because it was $10 less than the Adobe site. I sent a valid ID that was issued in July 2010 for the fall semester. I recieved a notice that the date was not acceptable because it didnt have a start/end time period. I then sent the letter of acceptance from the school that indicated I had been accepted to the program for fall 2010. It was rejected also, they wanted more evidence. I called Adobe who said they couldnt help because the software was purchased from a retailer. They suggested I return the software and re-purchase from them. I couldnt return the software because I had to open it to get the information on how to get the serial number. In the end, I finally got the serial number but that was after much stress and time. If you are in college and have one ID that is issued and meant to last for the full 4 years you will need to submit more. At least if you buy from Adobe, they wont send you the product until after the verification process.
I purchased this product for my high school junior to use to develop her photography editing skills. I saw there was a criterion that had to be met to verify that this product was to be used by a student. Not a problem, I thought, I have a homeschool student. When I received my order there was a big warning sign on the box that said if we didn't qualify proof as an enrolled high school student (in a public or private school), college student or teacher then don't open the box. The product was not returnable otherwise. I didn't think that Adobe would block my homeschooler from using the product, but called their customer service before I opened the box to make sure we qualified. The customer service rep at Adobe began walking me through the steps to see if she qualified. Then he found out that I bought the product through Amazon rather than directly from them. He suggested that I send back the product to Amazon then buy directly from them to obtain an easier track to my answers. When I questioned the sense of that, he told me to use an e-mail through their website for people who purchase from "other means" to ask my question. There was NO phone number, only an e-mail form to fill out. The form said to fill out the form including the serial number (inside the box). I explained that I was hesitant to open the box because I wasn't sure my daughter would qualify. This was 3 weeks ago. I e-mailed twice and have gotten no response. I can't call because I didn't buy directly from Adobe. I still have an unopened box and a very disappointed student eager to learn this program. Amazon shouldn't sell a product that takes such a toll on the end user. I felt I was being punished for buying through Amazon.
I bought this for my son who is in high school, and this is what he has to say:
The Student-Teacher Edition discount (roughly 80% off of the commercial retail) is astounding. This version is the EXACT same version that non-students/faculty must pay around a thousand dollars for (you just cannot resell it). If you choose to upgrade in the future, you will have to pay commercial upgrade pricing, so if you are still a student, it may be cheaper just to buy the new version in Student-Teacher Edition.
That being said, for around $200, this is the most powerful photo-editing software available. I used Photoshop CS3 beforehand, and the user interface remains very similar, so it is very easy to adjust to CS5. Many of the new features are very useful. I find that the content-aware fill works well at removing unwanted objects from images.
The program loads much quicker than CS3, and I have yet to experience a crash (which was rare with CS3 anyway).
A previous reviewer mentioned that student verification was not easy and took too much time. Personally, I had no issues with verification. After purchasing the product, I followed the directions in the box (going to a website and submitting some information and a scan of my student ID), and I received my serial number less than 24 hours later. Quick and efficient.
Final thoughts: Adobe's CS series is no toy; it is made for professionals. Consequently, there is a very steep learning curve, and this program is not for those who are used to minor editing in iPhoto, etc. Adobe Photoshop Elements may be a better step forward for such users. For those who have prior experience with Adobe CS products, it will be very easy to get used to Photoshop CS5, and the program is the very best at doing what it is advertised to do. - Editing - Mac - Adobe - Photography'
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