photo shop

[Toogee]

hi all
im just into looking for a photo shop program, i have been told about adobe element 9 and photoshop CS 4 is there much difference in the bar the price, and is there any other programs out there worth looking at?

[Indigo]

I use Elements 9, meets my requirements, I think you have to look at what you want to do with a program
if you want to just tidy up, contrast etc, Gimp would be worth looking at, it is free, give you an idea where to start and what you want from a program :)

[ricktas]

At the beginner level, I would say get Elements, it has all the great features of photoshop, but the $$ is a lot easier on the pocket

[Hannah Michelle]

Hi, I have had a few people suggest that Light Room is a more user friendly then Photoshop - is this true? Is there a big difference between the two programs? I am trying to break into the fashion photography field and would be doing a bit of editing with my photos and was wondering which would be best to use...?

: )

[ricktas]

Lightroom and photoshop are different types of software, though Lightroom is expanding with each version to become a 'one stop editing shop'. It depends on what you want from your software. I suggest going to the adobe site and downloading trials of each (30 days) and testing them out to see what you want/need. You can also use youtube to get some great video tutorials to guide you as you learn to use them both, or look for books on photoshop and lightroom by Scott Kelby, he has a unique style that makes learning them easy.

[kiwi]

If you are looking at doing fashion photography youll need photoshop elements (or CS5) for it's control over masking and skind adjustments etc

[Nikkie]

Hi I have been using Paintshop pro now for some 10 years I started with Jasc version 8 upgraded to 10 and now I have not long upgraded to corel photo paintshop pro x3 I am fairly comfortable with the program but have only done basic cropping and adjustments resizing I have noticed that most photographers use photo shop of one kind or another. I was wondering if it would be in my best interest to buy photo shop or at least down load a free trial version and if so which one would you recommend.

[ricktas]

Hi I have been using Paintshop pro now for some 10 years I started with Jasc version 8 upgraded to 10 and now I have not long upgraded to corel photo paintshop pro x3 I am fairly comfortable with the program but have only done basic cropping and adjustments resizing I have noticed that most photographers use photo shop of one kind or another. I was wondering if it would be in my best interest to buy photo shop or at least down load a free trial version and if so which one would you recommend.

Not necessarily, PSP is good, it it about equivalent to Photoshop Elements. Probably the only real advantage to Photoshop is that there is a LOT of people out there using it, and therefore a lot more readily available advice, tutorials etc.

[4wdexposure]

I used Elements for a while, but found CS3 and now CS5 are just so much more powerful - and so much more confusing as a result. I'd agree with Rick - run a trial with Elements because it's much cheaper than CS5. However, if you really want to do more than the basics you'll probably end up upgrading to CS5 in the long run - so why not jump in at the deep end. Many of the CS5/Elements commands are similar and my suggestion would be do a basic photoshop course with the likes of the CAE to start with and see what you think of it first. Trying to run even Elements straight out the box is daunting if you're new to it. I did a CAE course and while you only get the basics at least you're on your way.

If you qualify for an academic version CS5 is a steal. My daughter got a copy for about $130 I think. The academic version is a full version by the way, you only need to prove you qualify to Adobe for the codes to unlock it.

[Tildababy]

Elements was great to get me started, then I started study so was able to pick up PS5 at student price.

[Wirginia]

I use both Adobe Photoshop 7 (got given it by a previous employer free yrs ago) and I have been using PaintshopPro for many years. PSPro I started with version 3, yeah I'm that old. I now have 9, which is also very old but I use it almost daily. I find I edit my photos more in PSPro and do digital scrapbooking layouts in Adobe Photoshop. My son has the most recent version of CS5 as he's studying at Billy Blues right now. Only thing is, it's for a MacbookPro and I'm using windows on both my laptop and desktop, dang!

I am hoping to upgrade my laptop when my tax return is done and probably will get a MacbookPro. My son's software licence was really good value as he's full time at B/Blue and it can be loaded onto 3 machines so the place we bought it from recons. So that's a bonus for me. I hope it's true, I'll be double checking.

I've just done a three week introduction into Adobe photoshop. Most of it I'd already self taught myself but I did pick up some new stuff. It's a lot of fun playing around with both the software programs, but I nearly always go to PSPro first as I've been using it since 1996. I've not upgraded it coz I like what I can do with it and I know there's so much more to it yet to be discovered. I also make posters for a scrapbooking forum I'm on the deisgn team for, so that's made me use Adobe more this year.

I guess like the others have said, it depends what you want to do with it and how much you can afford to spend. Adobe software is not cheap if you are not a student.

Virginia aka Wirgini/Wirg.

[kiwi]

I would very much doubt that re the licence. You can normally backup software on another pc but you're not supposed to use it. The vast majority of desktop software is restricted for single client use. So I'm not saying in this case it's not, but to me it sounds unlikely... Time to check the fineprint

[Grumby]

I echo Kiwi's caution - I've not heard of multi-machine licences in the Windows world, though I don't know anything about Mac licensing. Just check the fine print rather than taking a salesman's word... you're the one that'll cop a fine if you get caught doing something wrong - not him.

Grum

[Speedway]

I think you will find that the licence for 3 computers only covers your own 3 computers, ie 1 laptop, 1 workplace and 1 home (only using 1 at a time. A lot of software now has this 3 machine licence (software companys finally moving with the times).
I am still using Photoshop Elements 5 and have PSP versions from 3-9 which I no longer use as elements does almost everything I need, I also have Photo Express 3 which I use for watermarking photos for my website.
Keith.

[graemelee]

Adobe Elements 9 sounds like a good starter and I see there is also a Premiere edition but I think this is for video production?

[98kellrs]

Yeah start with elements :)

[Gecko Girl]

Thanks for all the advice! I have been wondering about what editing software to use...I didn't even think about the free trials...so...this is where I'll start! Thanks everyone :)

[Tommo224]

I've never actually used Adobe Elements, so I don't know how it differs with Photoshop.

At work we all use Photoshop CS5 and at home I use CS4. I started on Paint Shop Pro back in high school, say 2002ish, at the time I loved the simplicity of it and hated Photoshop for its complexity.

But time and devotion pushed me to really learn Photoshop, now I won't even consider using anything else for anything graphical (apart from Lightroom with raw files). So my bias is always swung towards it. Just because it has all the features, doesn't mean I'll even use half of them, but having the access there if required is always a great thing. Nothing worse than needing to do something that the program won't support! Just requires you to go out and search for more.

But again, budget is always a tough one to stick to.