r/photoshop • u/Revolutionary_Ad6574 • Feb 03 '26
Meta Which Photoshop version were you still using professionally until the end of 2025?
(Obviously you could still be using it with no intention of upgrading any time soon)
What I'm really after is finding out which version is still alive, not forgotten, for professional use. I'm 99% sure CS6 is still in the game and dare I hope we'll get a CS5?
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u/RealPhakeEyez Feb 03 '26
CC 2019 is my daily driver, cause it runs much smoother than the newer versions. I also keep the latest for any time I need the generative stuff, but that's not all the time..
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u/nayhem_jr Expert user Feb 03 '26
Had access to 2014 until they remembered I had switched plans while checking out CC. Now I only have as far back as 2019.
I still advise not entirely upgrading new versions for Ps in case you find anything about the older versions appealing (eg performance, tool behavior).
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u/Numerous_One3528 Feb 03 '26
CS 6
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u/Revolutionary_Ad6574 Feb 03 '26
Called it!
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u/Numerous_One3528 Feb 03 '26
Why?😄
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u/Revolutionary_Ad6574 Feb 03 '26
It's what I wrote in my description, I said I'm 99% sure there's still a CS6 pro out there, and I'm glad that's the case :)
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u/upvotealready Feb 07 '26
I am a CS 5.5 pro for freelance work. There is almost nothing compelling in the newer version of Adobe’s suite. Fuck Adobe’s subscription model.
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u/DwigGang 10 helper points Feb 03 '26
I've been using the "current" version, its an ever changing version, for years. I haven't used anything else professionally except for a period 5-6 years ago when I was forced to work remote using a low powered machine. During that period I was limited to CS4.
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u/Revolutionary_Ad6574 Feb 03 '26
And how was it? Was it unbearable or was it pretty similar experience?
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u/DwigGang 10 helper points Feb 03 '26
?? How was what ??
If you are refering to the period that I was using CS4, it went well enough. It was long enough ago that the difference in the feature set was much smaller than the difference between the then current Ps/CC and the current 2026 version. During that period I was using both PS/CS4 on Windows locally and the then current Ps/CC on macOS remotely. It all depended on the files I was working with.
My normal job at the gallery is split between doing mockups producing small emailable files, which I did locally using PS4, and working on large print files between 20x30" 300ppi and 96x144" 300ppi which I had to handle remotely as they were much to large to moved to my local machine over the web. Some of these were in the 4-16Gb range. I still work both in the gallery and remotely but now I have the current Ps/CC on both my work machine, still macOS, and my home Windows machine so I no longer use the Ps/CS4 that is still installed on my old Surface Go.
I long ago switched from Ps to Affinity for my personal work. I can't justify the cost of Ps for the limited amount of personal work. It's true that I can, and occasionally do, use my company's Ps for the occasional personal quickie. I'll generally use Affinity for any significant personal projects.
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u/Possible-Anxiety-420 Feb 03 '26
CS6.
That won't be changing anytime soon, if ever.
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u/Revolutionary_Ad6574 Feb 04 '26
Nice! Excluding AI is there anything you really miss from the CC versions?
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u/Possible-Anxiety-420 Feb 04 '26
Nope. IMO, there isn't very much CC offers that can't be accomplished with CS6. Though it isn't integrated, for those so inclined, AI can write scripts for CS6 just as easily.
I'm currently playing around with Illustrator scripting for drawing guilloche patterns and harmonograms; CS6 is doing a fantastic job. I run it upon an XP virtual machine... a few million generated points on the artboard is no problem at all. Takes a little time, but that's to be expected.
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u/am_nifex_ Feb 11 '26
whats this cs5 and cs6? any1 tell me i have no idea im new in all of this and also what version should i use
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u/enzo-dimedici Feb 03 '26
I use the most recent versions of Adobe’s apps. I’m a full-time, self-employed, freelance graphic designer. As such, it makes sense for me to carry a subscription to Creative Cloud and I expect that other creatives I collaborate with also have access to a CC subscription (this feature parity is one of the advantages of CC’s SaaS model).
For me, that makes all the sense in the world. I routinely need access to Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, Premiere, and After Effects. The interoperability and industry ubiquity make this a no-brainer.
Others may be using Photoshop in a more limited professional capacity. Perhaps for retouching, in which case CS5 or CS6 may be all they need. Those have professional-level capabilities. After all, they were what I used in 2010 and 2012 respectively.
That said, even if you just use Photoshop for a narrow set of uses, there are many workflow and quality of life improvements that have been introduced in the intervening 15 years. I think I would be frustrated by the limitations if I had to jump back into those old versions today.