Freeware (Inkscape n Co) Vs Adobe CS2

Esh

Member
I'm currently using Inkscape, GIMP, Drawplus partly because the're nice and easy to use, but mainly due to budget! I've seen a few boxed versions of CS2 knocking around on ebay, and they seem to go for anything between £50 and £100 +. I'm not the most trusting of ebay, but am considering giving it a go. My question is, would I actually be better off using CS2 over freeware, even though it's a really old version now?
 
If you want to work within the industry then you need to know CS, end of. If you're doing this as an interested / keen amateur then the freeware stuff is probably fine. Personally I would make the move on to Adobe but I am sure CS2 should be a fair bit cheaper than £50 by now if you shop around. It would be worth it to learn the essentials but job-wise the oldest version I have seen in use is CS4.
 
I know how to use CS I had a copy of version 3 on my old laptop but it had to get wiped :(
I also used it at college/uni, and have occasional use of CS4 & 6 curtesy of a couple of friends but that's not a daily thing. So I AM familiar with the standard tools, It's just a case of whether its worth going for an old version to use for myself (freelance) fairly regularly (may I add, I have NO intention of going for a 'proper' design studio job at any point now or in future), surely a lot of people are still on CS never mind CS2?! I've been fine with Inkscape etc but know it's a matter of time before someone specifically asks for say, a PSD or Ai file!
 
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I've been fine with Inkscape etc but know it's a matter of time before someone specifically asks for say, a PSD or Ai file!

I think you just answered your own question there. Obviously I can't be 100% certain on this but I don't imagine many people here are still on CS / CS2. I have just moved on to CS6 and was on 5 for a couple of years before that. It's not about being snobby / elitist but the fact is when you work in this filed you have little choice but keep fairly up to date with software.
 
Yeah Spotty is right. I am on CS4 for everything except Illustrator I am on CS5. I can't upgrade my AfterEffects, as CS4 is the highest my computer can handle, unless im lucky enough to afford a new computer. I don't intend on upgrading the others any further either until maybe CS8/9, as I just don't think its worth upgrading every time there's a new release, as there generally isn't any major differences until a few years has past.

You just have to get what you can afford, CS2 is better than no CS in the long run.
 
As a side note personally I don't think upgrading to CS6 is worth it...sure Illy is faster now due to moving to 64bit and there is a handy pattern creator but not much else. Photoshop has upgraded the Content Aware a bit but really nothing worth shouting about. I only upgraded due to my HD going bang and CS6 was the easiest option.
 
From a pure cost perspective get the CS2 package, you then qualify for an upgrade to the latest CS version rather than buying from scratch and upgrading us normally a lot cheaper. words of caution though about buying second hand or from eBay, Adobe licenses usually allow for two or three installs before they become useless, don't buy the software unless you have a guarantee that the license code is still valid.
 
Well to update, I've just bought a used iMac from eBay...I was really panicky when I 'won', but it arrived and is running well, though only time will tell. I would have bought software instead of the mac, but I don't think my laptop would be able to handle anything heavy like Adobe's suite at the mo! It's seriously lame!

I'm going to continue using Inkscape & Drawplus x5 and upgrade to X6 when it comes out in March for now (which is absolutely excellent in it's own right, only the file type is the issue I'm concerned about - a couple of times I've had to save work as pdf so someone else can open it in Ai and adjust/save it. Very long!

But I'll work on getting hold of CS, the latest version I can afford, just so I have it in my toolkit and for the above reasons. Thanks for the replies anyone....oh if anyone does see any mac versions of the creative suite going at a good price, please do post the link! :)
 
I have CS4 but do all my work on CS2! Everything I need to be able to do I can do on CS2...unless someone can tell me more!
Everything for print goes as a pdf.

Nope, you're right, you should be able to pretty much do everything in CS2. Just CS4 has subtle little perks that make life so much easier and to an extent, allows you to work faster.
 
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