Photoshop: Photoshop Archeology

[Doug Nelson]

What's the oldest version of Photoshop (assuming you could run it) that you could use and do most things just as well as you can today?

Not what's the oldest you could use, I'm sure we could all eventually get the job done with 0.9. But the oldest you could use with little significant inconvenience?

[RegalSin]

Re: Photoshop Archeology

You can't their is none. Basically all Photoshop programmes do the same amount of work + add-ons that was separate projects from adobe and miscellaneous companies.

Photoshop 7 - the last real photoshop program for 32-Bit windows

CS2 - the longest running photoshop with unofficial edits and the most filters made for.

CS3 - changed around an bunch of things. ( 64-bit from my understanding )

CS4 - the last photoshop for PPC. IDK how it is different from

CS5 - improved usage of memory ( we are intel/windows zone now )

The biggest problem with photoshop is the lack of memory usage. Working with big files ( meaning 4800DPI vs analog standards ) with an RAID ( fast scratch space ) is impossible on most previous versions ( unless previewing from my understanding ) which makes doing heavy life long industry work impossible.

Nobody is making the add-ons to correct the memory usage issues. Adobe just magically update these things from time to time. Try using Photoshop 3 or photoshop 5 you will see the program exit without warning. In fact nowadays you will still see exit without warning playing without the much needed 64 exabyte raid and scratch speed.

If you want the best experience for photoshop you might as well hire an programmer to improve the program as well as an electric engineer on hand to connect the whole thing together.

I sound insane but that is as good or bad as it will get. With the Intel machines it is CS5 and up ( talking standards ), PPC machines is CS4 ( as of this moment until PPC comes back ), ad 32-bit Windows 98 is PS7 along with Windows XP is CS2.

More importantly it depends of the work you will want to do.

[Doug Nelson]

Re: Photoshop Archeology

More importantly it depends of the work you will want to do.

Thanks for the reply, but I think you took my question a little too literally. It was about the Photoshop features, not whether it would actually be possible to load and run it. A mental exercise, if you will, rather than a practical challenge.

And it was about the work YOU want to do, not any work anyone might want to do.

[joe_7]

Re: Photoshop Archeology

I used Photoshop 3.0 in college. It would probably work now, since most of what I end up doing is just basic stuff like cloning and color adjustments anyway.