maren

I downloaded Photoshop CS2 because it was free and because I am new to--- Photoshop anything. I thought I would try learning some of the basic things and then if I felt capable I would purchase the Photoshop CC package.
When I was using the patch tool to remove some unwanted tree branches from a clear blue sky background, the best I can get is a grey blurry blob where the branches were. Two questions:
1. It that as good as CS2 is, or am I doing something wrong?
2. Is the Photoshop CC that much improved from the CS2? In which case I will quit wasting my time trying to get the results I want from a program that I instead need to update.
I am thankful for any advice you have to share with me.

brucewells Loc: Central Kentucky

While I'm confident there are many successful users of CS2, the thought that went through my head was to compare with automobiles. The features of a 2017 model have been much improved over a 2005 model, which is when CS2 was released.

The content-aware technology in PSCC using the healing brush makes very short work of removing objects from the image. And, this is just the beginning of a long list of enhancements since the days of CS2.

par4fore Loc: Bay Shore N.Y.

Content Aware in CC is great to try for this. Send me the pic of you want and ill try it for you. CC vs. CS2. For me CC is so worth it for camera raw(ACR), dehaze and lens correction alone.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

Is a 1957 Ford about as good as a 2017? No, and the same applies to PS. No comparison. I have CS6, and CC has gone well beyond that.

On the other hand, if the 1957 Ford gets me around, I could be satisfied with it, just as the CS2 can still do all it did when it was new. I have no desire to spend $30 a month. Prices are rising.
https://www.lifehacker.com.au/2017/05/reminder-renew-your-adobe-cc-subscription-before-june-5-to-avoid-price-hikes/

dar_clicks Loc: Utah

Photoshop CS2 is better than the results you describe. It has been a few years since I used CS2. CS3 is better than CS2 and CS5 and CS6 have improved features over CS3, so I presume that Photoshop CC would be even better still, although I haven't used it.

It takes a few years to become proficient with Photoshop although you can begin using many of the basic things you might want to do with some proper study, education, and time spent working with it. That is true for Photoshop or any other photo editing software product that has extensive and complex tools and abilities, not to mention available plug-ins. It is definitely worth it to learn to use such a product that might appeal to you and how you like to work. A good way to get into using Photoshop is to spend some time (even a year or three) using Photoshop Elements first.

I'd recommend attending a class or finding a good friend that is willing to share techniques and answer questions. You can also find help here on UHH and other on-line sites. "How to" information for a specific operation is available from a great many places on the internet.

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

You still have a computer that can actually RUN CS2? My Mac stopped running CS3 with Mac OS X 10.7. An OS that old is probably dangerous to put on the Internet.

CC is MUCH easier and faster to use than those older versions. The healing tools are far better and actually seem to be intelligent in the current version.

mackphotos Loc: Washington, DC

Content-aware was introduced in CS5 -- circa 2010. Before content-aware you would retouch photos with the clone or spot healing brush tools. You can try to find a copy Katrin Eismann's "Photoshop Restoration & Retouching" book 2nd or 3rd edition. Or, Google "Retouching with CS2" to view old YouTube vids on the subject.

DWU2 Loc: Phoenix Arizona area

One of the things you may eventually choose to do is to begin shooting in RAW. I won't go into the advantages, but many (though not all) experienced photographers use that approach. CS2 won't support your camera's RAW format. PSCC (and Lightroom) will.

maren

Thanks for the info. Have used the internet for many questions, and there is a lot of info. out there on just about anything. I have looked for "live classes" to attend, but what I find is way out East. I can't believe there isn't someone out there in the Dakota's or Minn. that wouldn't like to make a little extra money teaching some classes on Photoshop. I will keep looking and will definitely concentrate on Photoshop Elements. Thanks again

maren

Yep, I know I am outdated in that area also. I needed to hear/see that in writing. I have been procrastinating.
Will be doing research on laptops. Thanks

maren

I will try to send you the pix I was trying to fix. Hope it gets to you. Thanks.

brucewells Loc: Central Kentucky

This price hike is due to currency fluctuations in Australia, and is only for Australians. Plus, the Photography subscription is ~$10, not $30.

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

You will be amazed what the new ones can do! Get one with an SSD and you'll think everything happens instantly.

sjb3

I got hold of CS2 back in 2013, and run it just fine on my vintage-'11 HP Pavilion core i3 running Win 7. I found and bought (back then), for 1 cent plus $3.99 shipping, a used copy of the above-mentioned book thru Amazon. The 3rd edition is the one you want; it was written for CS2 (2nd edition was written for PS v.7). I looked 5 minutes ago and you can still get a used copy of the 3rd edition for as little as 2 bucks & change. That book helped me quite a lot and I still use CS2 occasionally as a complement to PSE 15.

rgrenaderphoto Loc: Hollywood, CA

Actually, you've picked one of the harder tasks in Photoshop.