Any Photoshop experts online now??

Question

I have photoshop 7.0 and have been experimenting/learning with it for almost a year. Questions; 1.) Is it true that photoshop stores (somewhere in my computer) everything I have ever done with this program and if so, how much memory is this taking up on my computer? Is there a way to access this information if I were to wish to go back and re-create something? Is there a way to delete this info to clear memory space? 2.) Is CS-2 the latest version and, does it do everything 7.0 does and alot more? 3.) If I were to buy the new version, would I need to un-install 7.0 first? 4.) I have installed a ton of new fonts, styles, brushes, etc...into the 7.0 version I have now. How would I save/or transfer these additions I made to the new version? I'd truly appreciate any advice/info anyone could share about these questions and, please explain in beginners terms as, I really do not wish to lose any data stored, and am afraid to make a mistake that would take me weeks to fix/ or re-place.

Answer 1

OK, THAT'S ALOT OF QUESTIONS BUT HERE'S A SHOT...
1) No, photoshop does not store everything you have ever done. it has a history for each project you have open. but you lose that when you close the project. and it only goes back so far.
2) Adobe Creative Suite 3 is the latest (CS3). Which is Photoshop 9
3) No, you would buy the upgrade which is cheaper then the full version.
4) Your styles and fonts will transfer with the update.

hope this helps

Answer 2

I also run PS 7. I like it allot. The latest version is CS 3. It will have more bells and whistles then does 7, but if you are just using it for personal use, 7 is plenty.

To answer your question about Photoshop using up a bunch of memory, the answer is, only when it's running.

You would not have to move the fonts because Photoshop uses the installed Windows fonts. As for the brushes, etc. I can't answer, but I'll bet that there is a folder inside of the Photoshop folder that contains these items. I would guess that they are in the "Plug-ins" folder.

Answer 3

1. Almost true.
Every time you run PS, it will create a "virtual memory" or a "working memory". By default, this virtual memory locates in your startup disk (usually C:\). By editing "Preferences>Plug-Ins & Scratch Disks", you can change the location of this virtual drive to second hard disk (if you have one) so that it won't interfering with window's virtual memory and will make your PS work smoother.
This virtual memory usually goes with name like "Photoshop Tempxxxx", where X is random number, and it cannot be opened by any software or even by PS. If you have power breakdown while work in PS, you should look that file and delete it.
The amount of this virtual memory will vary depend on brushes, styles, actions, etc. and will increase according to number of file opened. The more presets you have, the more file opened, the bigger the size of virtual memory will be. You can see how much the virtual memory created for a file in your PS status bar. It will show shomething like this: xxx bytes/ xxx bytes. The left numbers indicate size of the file, the right numbers indicate the virtual memory created for that file, while bytes could be Kilobytes or Megabytes.
Also, because PS created virtual memory every time it starts, you'd better keep any additional brushes, styles, actions, etc. outside Photoshop Preset folders (Brushes, etc.). You should put them in your own folders, and load them when you need them. This will ensure your PS runs faster and smoother, and you don't have to worry when you uninstall PS because you have the newer version. This also apply for external plug-ins. This also answers question 3 and 4. (As for fonts, try to put additional fonts in its own folder—not windows/fonts folder—and install them without copying when you need them. This will help your windows performance.)

2. The lattest version is CS3, but Adobe has released PS CS3 extended. There is also PS Lightroom. Go to Adobe site for more info.

If you still have any question, let me know.

Answer 4

If you have saved the files they should still be on your hard drive somewhere - You can look at how much memory your photoshop is taking by looking in your system preferences - or clicking on about photoshop..
CS2 was the most recent - but CS3 has just launched - no you wouldn't have to uninstall 7 you can just load what ever version of CS you have. - If you have things saved as appropriate photshop files - jpeg.. tiff.... psd.. etc.. you can open them in CS.
When you load the new softwear all of your fonts etc should move over to your new program.
you ask about deleting things to get more memory - what do you mean? files? just delete them if you have 80 gigs of memory you want to keep about 40 gigs open - so delete back to that point.
hope this helps

Answer 5

1.Not to my knowledge, once deleted it's like any other deleted info, you may be able to retrieve with special software, but it gets increasingly harder the more it's written over.
2.CS3 at present is Adobe's newest.
3.No, you can use both versions, but CS3 is a memory HOG, so uninstalling PS7 probably would be the better way to go.
4.Yes you can transfer the brushes, fonts, styles over, this is explained in CS3's software much better than I can explain here, just leave PS7 on after loadin CS3, and transfer over.
Good luck!