FYI: Demo of After Effects 6.5 still available

TwistedLincoln

TwistedLincoln

Veteran
This took me forever to find, so I thought I would share it with everyone:

Adobe still offers a demo version of After Effects 6.5. To get it click here: http://softwareupdates.adobe.com/updates/detail.jsp?cid=2580

Why would you still want 6.5? Well for starters, it can be found much cheaper from various legitimate sources. And second, it does not utilize Product Activation, so if you are against such technology (like I am), you can buy this without selling your soul.

From what I've seen, there really isn't that many huge improvements between version 6.5 and 7, so I certainly think it is the way to go.
 
Cam-Ra said:
it does not utilize Product Activation, so if you are against such technology (like I am), you can buy this without selling your soul.
Click to expand...

I have AE7 and don't have a problem with the Product Activation. It was a very easy and painless process anyways. You must not use Win XP either I assume? People made a BIG fuss about Product Activation on Win XP. Over what? Nothing!

The product activation is really blown out of proportion and is NOT as bad as people would have others to believe. Why are you so against a company and companies product that is trying to protect its software from the ones that use it illegally? If there was not so many people using the product illegally (copying and ect.) we would not even have to worry about Product Activation in the first place. As long as your using it legally what do you have to worry about? Nothing! :)

:-)
Dave
 
No, I don't use XP, I use Windows 2000. And I am against product activation because it takes total control of your purchase away from you, and puts it in the hands of the company that controls the activation. After Effects 7.0 is supported by Adobe today, as is Windows XP. But what if I go to reinstall ten years from now? Can I really expect that the activation servers will still exist?

It may not seem likely that I would use software for ten years, but I do still use Windows 2000, which has been out for almost 7 years. More importantly, a company could use activation as a method to force you to upgrade, any time they want. All they would have to do is shut down their activation servers, and your expensive software product will have become useless for all future re-installs.

I DO NOT support pirated software, and I have legally purchased software on all of my machines. But I believe that in exchange for my business, I should be able to use the product I purchased for as long as I want.

I sell computers for a living, so I am constantly upgrading my systems to bigger and better machines, as I find good deals. On average, I totally replace a machine every six months. If I had to buy a new copy of every piece of software every six months, I would be unable to justify upgrading. That's insane. I should never have to worry about losing the ability to use a piece of software that I purchased...

When one starts talking about a program like After Effects, that at a minimum will cost you $600, it becomes a big issue to consider that you may be totally out your money if you switch machines too often.
 
I understand you point Cam-ra. I never thought of it that way. (concerning activation).

BUT, I would definetly recommend AE7 over AE6.5. The layout improvements are great, and the Adobe Dynamic Link is a life saver. Especially now that we are in the HD era. Not having to render out files in multiple apps, and being able to seemlessly move projects from one Adobe app to the next is priceless. Also, there are a bunch of little things that AE7 does. Things that aren't necessarily "features". They are just little tidbit things that I remember annoyed me in 6.5, that have been cleaned up in 7.0.

For example, I like how whenever you have a layer selected and you go to your "effect controls" window, the layer's effects are displayed in the window, NO MATTER WHAT. Where before, there were certain situations where you could have a layer highlighted and go into the "effect control" window and it would be the effects for another layer. So when you have similar layers, you might be adjusting the effects on the wrong layer. That bugged me to no end. Also, the render Queue was the bastard window that had no proper place in AE6.5. Now they have it integrated into the layout much nicer.

I guess it is all preference.
 
Your saying things that are not even true about activation. One activation does not take control of anything, not even your purchase.

It has been widely suggested and talked about even by Microsoft and others with activation that if in 10 years they are no longer around they would release a patch or something to let you activate the program and have to never do it (activate) again. BUT, do NOT count on Microsoft ever disappearing. Not even in 50 years and we will be dead by then anyways so it doesn't really matter. Besides lets say Microsoft was history, would you really be using their software? or someone that is in business and that makes a better software than Microsoft at THAT time? Something would have had happened for Microsoft to "disappear". Microsoft disappearing ='s Hell freezing over! :)

AE doesn't cost $600 if you upgrade. It only costs $199. As I upgraded from AE 5.0 Pro FULL still sealed UNregistered version and have legal rights to the 5.0 Pro and upgraded to 7.0 Pro and NEVER installed 5.0 Pro at all, but have it in the box under my desk. It cost me a whole $275 to get 7.0 Pro by the upgrade route. It is easy to find someone that either doesn't use or want an older version of a program and then do an upgrade. Legally!

You can use the product for as long as you want. But the same can be said for Windows 3.1 too. When Microsoft Vista comes out I will eventually upgrade to it too, even faster if I get a FREE copy (Legal Copy). I have a Legal copy of every Windows from 3.1 on, EXCEPT for Win Me, and they didn't cost me a cent. My wife works at a computer store and she goes too Microsoft meetings and they give out free software all the time, even OS's. I only use the latest Win XP Pro. I actually have Two of Win XP Pro and one has never been used yet. But my next system build will use it.

Why would you lose the ability of using software you own just because of a simple fast way of activating your product or software? Just be aware Product Activation is the way of the future and more and more companies are gearing towards it because the fuss that people made with Win XP and activating it was just NOT that big of a deal. It was fast and efficent to boot.

You upgrading doesn't even hold up when I know people that upgrade 5 or 6 times or more in that 6 months and they have never had a problem with any of their software activations or their software because of the simple process of upgrading. Unless your talking about upgrading and wanting to use the software on more than just one computer. But you said you legally have all the software so that is not even a problem. The only problem is about every 4 to 6 months computers are already outdated anyways.

The Activation has been blown out of wack and is a lot easier and faster then people think it is that are AFRAID of it.

Shutting down their activation servers? LOL! Thats called being paranoid about something that could happen. The World is going to end one day too, but I am not going to cower in the corner and never go outside because I think the World is coming to an end. Product activation is here and is not going away anytime soon if ever.

You don't have to worry about using a piece of software that you purchased like you say you have to worry about. Re-Read the paragraph above. :)

And when you say about switching machines too often even that is easy to do with Win XP I know of. I also belong to a Computer Forums and there are some hard-core people in there that buy all the latest gadgets and gizmos, CPU's and MB's and all. Even they do NOT have a problem with activating their programs that require it. If they upgrade more than 6 times in 6 months then it is an easy Toll-Free number you call get the code and then your set. Sometimes you can even do it over the Internet depending on what upgrades you did and how many you did. Not a big deal. This is with Win XP. Out of the years I have had Win XP I have only had to re-activate ONCE! And that is because I installed a new Sata Hard Drive here recently with controller card. A simple hop on the Internet and it was activated once again. Painless and Fast! And yes, I have upgraded this computer many many times over the years.

I even uninstalled (from my Pata Hard Drive) and reinstalled my AE 7.0 on the Sata drive and did NOT have to reactivate it because I saved the activation (it asked me if I wanted too) and re-installed with NO problems at all and no re-activation needed even to a different Hard Drive.

Believe it or not. I had some of the same concerns you did till I just did it and have never looked back or worried about it again.

Activation ='s a Painless Process! :) :dankk2:

:-)
Dave
 
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