Have PP 1.5 & PS CS3 - Best Upgrade Path to CS5?
 

Any speculation on if it would be better to upgrade my Photoshop CS3 license to CS4 Production Premium, and then upgrade that to CS5 Production Premium when it comes out? Or, would the cost be just the same if I bought a brand new CS5 Premium bundle outright, and skip CS4. I don't have an immediate need for CS4 now - but will definitely want the new Premiere when it comes out. (I'm way outdated and waiting for my new machine)

Thanks for your previous upgrade experiences...

No way to know for sure, but they usually have different upgrade prices depending on where you're upgrading from, and they usually have it worked out so it costs the same either way. In other words, the price to upgrade to CS4 and then to CS5 will likely be pretty close to jumping straight from CS3 to CS5.

But who knows what those crazy cats will do?

And take into consideration, the hardware costs involved in getting the benefits of what CS5 is promising....
I'm of the opinion, that the cost of CS5 is going to have to be bundled together with a new computer. Especially where the CUDA card is involved....

Thanks, guys. Yep- trying to hold off on both software and hardware until CS5, if possible. But considering I'm on PP 1.5 and on a machine that can't handle XDCAM-EX, I'm quickly running out of options in my work flow. Just trying to figure out when I can jump back in the game of becoming instantly obsolete... (which I can live with, I guess - system stability is another matter) :) Thanks!

Look at the upgrade price to CS4 from CS3 and double it to get your total upgrade cost from CS3 to CS5. Adobe tends to keep its pricing consistent each cycle. Then look at the cost of a new CS4 Production Premium license ($1400-1500) and that should be very close to the CS5 price.

Now that I think about it, you can get the upgrade to CS4 for cheap on ebay. There is a process where Adobe transfers the license, which is simple. (I sold my CS3 upgrade on ebay)