ian_cooke1 Posted April 20, 2007 Share Posted April 20, 2007 Commercial software is usually licenced to a single user. If that copy is being used by him or anyone else in addition to you, then you'd be breaking the copyright/terms of use set forth by the manufacturer.... so yeah, it'd be NOT legal. <p> Just research carefully and buy whatever software you need. Usually there is a trial version that you can download to check it out first. Also, when you purchase a legal copy, usually when the software is updated (all too often these days), the company gives you a significant discount to get an upgraded copy. This is true with most Adobe products. <p> From what I've read, I'd highly recommend you check into Lightroom and Photoshop Elements. If you continue with all this, you'll probably eventually grow into the full blown version of Photoshop, but Elements should be more than enough for you right now and won't be as overwhelming in cost or learning curve. Lightroom is easier to grasp and will allow you both "editing" and "processing"..... a LOT of people are using it and loving it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elizabeth_morrissey Posted April 20, 2007 Author Share Posted April 20, 2007 Hopefully my last question...where is a good place to go to compare all these products and hopefully talk to a knowledgeable sales person? Is there such a place? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ian_cooke1 Posted April 20, 2007 Share Posted April 20, 2007 "Hopefully my last question...where is a good place to go to compare all these products and hopefully talk to a knowledgeable sales person? Is there such a place?"<p> Download the trial versions and try them out yourself with your own images on your own computer. That will be the best test. Software will run differently on different machines and by trying it yourself using your own images, you'll get a true feel for whether or not you are comfortable with the application or not. If there is no trial version available, I usually don't bother with the software. Almost all good apps have trial versions. And sales people are usually not in tune with photographer's needs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stephen dohring Posted April 20, 2007 Share Posted April 20, 2007 Seems like most people here are not useing lightroom only a couple reccomendations. It is a new program, If they tried it in IMO no one would talk about anything else. It is the best value and fastest most logical program to use. Photoshop is still needed for creative editing, but for your raw workflow, WB, color correction editing it is the only way to go. The learning curve is way less than photoshop and the speed of editng, cropping, tweaking one or multiple images at a time is blistering fast over PS. It has saved me hours over working with bridge/PS. Aperture is a close second but I would go with Lightroom - I think it is still only $200.00 going up to $300.00 next month. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elizabeth_morrissey Posted April 20, 2007 Author Share Posted April 20, 2007 I think I will download Lightroom and give it a try. April 30th is the last day I can get if for $200 which is coming up quick! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ellis_vener_photography Posted April 20, 2007 Share Posted April 20, 2007 check http://www.lightroom-news.com for scads of free tutorials and Lightroom guidance. I also recommend Martin Evening's Lightroom book. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ericf1 Posted April 20, 2007 Share Posted April 20, 2007 Elizabeth, My copy of PSE4 came with some hardware, and I don't need it, so it is yours if you want it. Look closely at what Steve D. said - LR is very intuitive and much easier to use than PS or PSE. I only open about 10% of my images in PS after I'm done in LR. If you are a student, or have school age kids, you can get the education version of LR for $105. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ian_cooke1 Posted April 20, 2007 Share Posted April 20, 2007 Elizabeth,<p> You're correct that having Photoshop or not doesn't necessarily mean you are a "pro" or not. BUT...every professional photographer I know has it (LEGALLY) and uses it constantly. It's THE standard for professional work. Period. That said, I'm using Lightroom pretty heavily these days. But I still use Photoshop every single day.<p> If you can't afford the full brand new Photoshop CS3, then you really should consider purchasing (legally), Photoshop Elements.... OR ... better than that (now that I think about it), you can probably find an older version of Photoshop CS2, CS, or 7 that would probably be better than Elements.<p> In any case, the sooner you start using and learning Photoshop the better off you will be. Eventually, you WILL need it (if you continue to be a photographer that is).<p> If you don't have the money for any of those options, then you what are you doing for your other requirements... equipment, lab fees, marketing materials, insurance, etc... A serious business venture requires some serious expenses. I wouldn't recommend going into debt, but you do need to consider that you need to make INVESTMENTS into your business if you want to be successful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
karenco Posted April 20, 2007 Share Posted April 20, 2007 Photoshop is the professional standard and you should make sure to get a legal copy, rather than a pirated one. karen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ericf1 Posted April 20, 2007 Share Posted April 20, 2007 I've not read the EULA for PSE4, but I assume it is legal to give a copy (unused and un-registered)away that was bundled with hardware? (Not the ideal place for the question, but fits with previous posts, including my offer to Elizabeth) Any thoughts? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
karenco Posted April 20, 2007 Share Posted April 20, 2007 You cannot distribute bundled software. The Photoshop Elements agreement is here http://www.adobe.com/products/eulas/pdfs/Gen_WWCombined_PSE_5_012507.pdf Read sections 4.3 and 4.4 which says specifically that you cannot unbundle, transfer without the associated hardware, or distribute "not for resale" copies (OEM). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ericf1 Posted April 20, 2007 Share Posted April 20, 2007 Did not konw that...thanks Karen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kcolfer Posted April 20, 2007 Share Posted April 20, 2007 Didn't read all the posts so I may be reiterating, my apologies if I am. I have both photoshop cs2 and aperture. If you are doing basic edits, adjusting WB and exposure for the whole image its great, anythign more complicated it exports to photoshop nicely. Rarely do I do any edits outside of aperture. Aperture is great for organizing. In the end all the upper level programs are about the same. I woudl suggest downloading trial versions and seeing how they work for you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sara_vee Posted April 20, 2007 Share Posted April 20, 2007 "the best program" is Photoshop. If I could purchase only one, that would be it. Simple decision. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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