Installing Photoshop: Need to know
If you haven’t yet installed Photoshop CS2 (or the Adobe Creative Suite), here are a few points to keep in mind:
Install only into the default location. Photoshop is a resource-intensive program. Installing it into the default location (Applications on a Mac/Program Files for Windows, as shown in Figure 1-13) ensures that it has access to the operating system and hardware as necessary. Installing into any other location or attempting to run Photoshop across a network can lead to frustrating problems and loss of work in progress.
Figure 1-13:
Install into the default location to avoid future problems. Disable all antivirus software before installing. Antivirus software can intercept certain installation procedures, deeming them to be hazardous to your computer’s health. That can lead to malfunctions, crashes, lost work, frustration, and what I like to call Computer Flying across the Room Syndrome. If you use antivirus software (and if you’re on Windows, you’d better!), turn it off before installing any program, especially one as complex as Photoshop. You might find the antivirus program’s icon in the Windows taskbar; or you might need to go to the Start menu, use All Programs to locate the antivirus software, and disable it. On Mac, check the Dock. And don’t forget to restart your antivirus software afterward! If you already installed Photoshop and antivirus software was running at the time, I urge you to uninstall and reinstall. (On Mac, drag the Adobe Photoshop CS2 folder from the Applications folder to the Trash and empty the Trash. On Windows, choose Start Control Panel Add/Remove Programs.) If you use auto-backup software, shut it down, too. Never run auto backup software when installing software. Like antivirus software, it can also lead to problems by interfering with the installer. Connect to the Internet and activate right away. It’s best to run the Photoshop installer while your computer is connected to the Internet. That enables Photoshop’s activation process to happen right away, making sure you can get started as soon as the installer finishes. If you have third-party plug-ins, install them elsewhere.
Third-party plug-ins — those filters and other Photoshop add-ons that you buy from companies other than Adobe — can be installed into a folder outside the Photoshop folder. You can then make an alias (Mac) or shortcut (Windows) to that folder and drag the alias/shortcut to Photoshop’s Plug-Ins folder. (If you have a multi buttons mouse, right-click the folder to create an alias/shortcut; Control-click if you’re still using a one-button mouse.) Why install outside the Photoshop folder? Should you ever need to (gasp!) reinstall Photoshop, you won’t need to reinstall all your third-party plug-ins. Just create a new alias/shortcut and move it into Photoshop’s new Plug-Ins folder. If you have lots of plug-ins, create sets. Plug-ins requires RAM (computer memory that Photoshop uses to process your editing commands). If you have lots of plug-ins, consider dividing them into groups according to how and when you use them. Sort (or install) them into separate folders. (Hint: Plug-ins that you use in many situations can be installed into multiple folders.) When you need to load a specific set, do so through Photoshop’s Preferences Plug-Ins & Scratch Disks pane by designating a second plug-ins folder and relaunching Photoshop. If you love fonts, use a font management utility. If you have hundreds of fonts (over the years, I’ve somehow managed to collect upward of 3,000 fonts), use a font management utility to create sets of fonts according to style and only activate those sets that you need at any given time. The Mac OS has Font Book built right in, and Windows users might want to take a look at Suitcase (www.extensis.com). Too many active fonts can choke Photoshop’s type engine, slowing performance.
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