Why Get CS5? Productivity and Competition!
I think it’s fair to say that, more than ever, Photoshop is a tool for digital photographers. Is the CS5 upgrade really worth the investment? In a word, yes.
Even if the overall operating speed of CS5 vs CS4 is roughly equivalent, the improved toolbox should still help us edit more efficiently, and create more appealing images.
For example, the tools available in CS5 for refining selections, and masking hair or other complex items, will save time in post-production. They are significantly better than their predecessors.
In regard to the appearance of finished images, improved noise reduction, HDR, panorama stitching, and content-aware fill all offer significant upgrades. Better looking images makes us more competitive.
Another way to look at it: if I work on just five images a week, and I assume I save just ten minutes per image, that equals 50 minutes saved per week. At $65-85/hour, that equals $54-71week, or $216-283 per month.
Your mileage may vary – so download the trial version and see for yourself.
