Moving from CS4 (Windows) to CS4 (Mac) - or alternatives.

[Aynsley Cooper]

Hi Forum, I'm hoping that this isn't a question without an answer, but I worry that it might be so.
As of 2015, I've moved to iMac, and use Capture One Pro.
All well and good.
I have Photoshop CS and CS4 for Win. (fully licensed)
I would like to install CS4 on My Mac, but no-one seems to sell it any more. I'd like to use, smart objects, stitching and the like.
How do I manage to continue my use of CS4, without having to pay monthly for CC, or run a separate Windows machine?
Any suggestions, please... I'd be very grateful.
For info. only, I have tried a certain "Crossover" type of software, but not to any useful effect.
Thank you, in advance.
W A C

[Mark D Segal]

I see nothing on the US Adobe website that allows buying Photoshop on a permanent license any longer. If you want a cross-grade from a Windows to a Mac platform of an older Photoshop version, you are best advised to phone Adobe and see what they would do for you.

[Aynsley Cooper]

Mark, Hi.
Thank you.
I did try this, I had a brief live exchange with them a day or two ago (NB I'm in the UK)
Apart from to advise me that I could still use my licensed software on Windows, I was advised to consult Adobe resellers in the UK, and given a generic link in order to do so.
Frankly, that was about as useful as... well, you get the idea, i suspect.
Thanks Adobe, if you're reading this.
W A C
(Aynsley)

[Mark D Segal]

If it can't be done I recommend that you go on their combined Lightroom/Photoshop subscription plan. It's a great combination very well priced.

[Bart_van_der_Wolf]

I see nothing on the US Adobe website that allows buying Photoshop on a permanent license any longer. If you want a cross-grade from a Windows to a Mac platform of an older Photoshop version, you are best advised to phone Adobe and see what they would do for you.

Hi,

Always worth a try, but I wouldn't get my hopes up since even CS6 is no longer sold for several years now. The OP is just too late with the switch, and Adobe actively tries to steer people towards a subscription, even for programs that do offer a perpetual license like Lightroom.

If the OP desperately wants to continue with a non-subscription model, maybe a copy of CS6 can be found on eBay or such, maybe even a legal copy.

Alternative would be to either subscribe, or start using something else that after the learning curve may proof to be a blessing in disguise (depending on which features one actually want to use).
For the Mac Affinity Photo is gaining traction, and Pixelmator apparently is also a serious contender.

Photoline is also very powerful (although the user interface is somewhat busy due to all the features it offers), and support is very direct and personal. I found an incompatibility with the support of SVG files, and they sent me a beta release version within 48 hours (over the weekend) with the issue solved (even web browsers do not yet support that specific functionality, despite the W3 standard, but Photoline now does).

Cheers,
Bart

[TonyW]

I do not think it possible to cross grade other than from currently supported Adobe products.

Therefore I suspect your only option to the CC route is to install VMware e.g. Parallels to run Windows on your Mac and then install CS4

[Aynsley Cooper]

Thank you all for these rapid and helpful responses.
Some food for thought all around.
Cheers
Aynsley

[BobShaw]

It's a crude solution but it will work. You instal VMWare Fusion on the iMac and then run the Windows machine inside a Window on the Mac. I run a version of Mac 10.6 on my 10.11 Mac just so i can run some software made in 2001. I also run XP and Windows 7 occasionally for similar dinosaur programmes.
However frankly i think you are better off just biting the bullet and paying the $10 per month.

[Rhossydd]

They should be able to offer a platform swap for you
"If you require a different language or operating system version of a non–Creative Cloud product you purchased from Adobe, you can exchange your product. For example, if you now run Mac OS instead of Windows, you can swap Creative Suite 6 for Windows for Creative Suite 6 for Mac. "
See: https://helpx.adobe.com/x-productkb/policy-pricing/exchange-product-language-os.html

I've done this is the past without a major problem, but it may be the case they'll try to make it difficult for you as they want you on their subscription gravy train.

Also keep an eye out for a CS5 upgrade from someone. The CS5 package had a cross platform serial number.

[sniper]

Am I right in thinking the serial number remains the same?  It should be easy enough to find someone with a mac and a cs4 disk to borrow.

[Rhossydd]

Am I right in thinking the serial number remains the same?  It should be easy enough to find someone with a mac and a cs4 disk to borrow.

I don't think so. That only happened after CS5 went any platform as a 'feature' (see above).
I'm pretty sure that the serial number I was given when I cross platformed CS4 was different, but it was a long time ago now.(Still works fine though :-) )

[BobShaw]

If you want a boxed version of CS5 for Mac then PM me.

[sniper]

I don't think so. That only happened after CS5 went any platform as a 'feature' (see above).
I'm pretty sure that the serial number I was given when I cross platformed CS4 was different, but it was a long time ago now.(Still works fine though :-) )

Ahh, maybe thats where I got the idea from. I stand corrected.Thanks.
Regards Wayne

[ErikKaffehr]

Hi,

I would guess that CS4 is not supported any longer by Adobe.

I actually don't think a perpetual license makes any sense, as there is no obligation that it would work on any modern platform. That said, companies like Microsoft put a lot of effort in backwards compatibility but that comes at a price (of complexity).

Bart is right in pointing to other platforms. I would have dropped Photoshop if Adobe did not include it with Lightroom at a reasonable price.

Best regards
Erik

Hi,

Always worth a try, but I wouldn't get my hopes up since even CS6 is no longer sold for several years now. The OP is just too late with the switch, and Adobe actively tries to steer people towards a subscription, even for programs that do offer a perpetual license like Lightroom.

If the OP desperately wants to continue with a non-subscription model, maybe a copy of CS6 can be found on eBay or such, maybe even a legal copy.

Alternative would be to either subscribe, or start using something else that after the learning curve may proof to be a blessing in disguise (depending on which features one actually want to use).
For the Mac Affinity Photo is gaining traction, and Pixelmator apparently is also a serious contender.

Photoline is also very powerful (although the user interface is somewhat busy due to all the features it offers), and support is very direct and personal. I found an incompatibility with the support of SVG files, and they sent me a beta release version within 48 hours (over the weekend) with the issue solved (even web browsers do not yet support that specific functionality, despite the W3 standard, but Photoline now does).

Cheers,
Bart