Elements vs. PS3

[barkphoto]

Please don't throw stones at me if this has been asked before.

I want a program that is not overwhelming to learn.

I want to be able to do minor tweaking and some

adjustments.

 

Is it worth getting Elements instead of PS3?

The price difference is big between the two, but I dont want to get

elements and then want PS3 down the road.

[Tony Rowlett]

Hi, B.K.,

 

You needn't post a second try when you see that your first post hasn't shown up yet in the list. You see, each question/response needs to be approved by a moderator before they are listed. (I deleted your second post.)

[lex_jenkins]

Unless you plan to do some very complex editing *and* are willing to invest a ton of effort and time into learning Photoshop and possibly even taking a workshop or seminar, Elements is plenty good enough.

 

For years I used Corel Photo Paint not because it was better - the interface was about as charming as a concrete bridge - but for the pre-press tools. Having come from a background in press work, layout and design, blah-blah-blah, I thought that was oh-so-important.

 

Nah. I rarely needed those tools. I switched to the more user friendly Jasc Paint Shop Pro. The current Corel PSP X and Photoshop Elements are very comparable and do much of what most of us need.

[kari v]

Elements is perfectly good for most work, even advanced. There's no reason to buy CS3 (CS4) for minor tweaking and image editing learning, the price is absurd.

 

You can download trial version of Elements and see how you like it. Adobe website only shows PSE 7 which hasn't a trial version yet but here's PSE 6:

 

http://www.download.com/Adobe-Photoshop-Elements/3000-2192_4-10057110.html

[john_vance]

<I>"I want a program that is not overwhelming to learn. I want to be able to do minor tweaking and some adjustments." </I>

 

How about a program that is for photography instead of mostly graphic arts applications like Photoshop and Elements are. Adobe Lightroom is strictly for photography and very easy to use, since it is not packed with gimmicks like the other two are.

 

You can download a full working 30 day trial version of Lightromm 2 at the Adobe website, plus they also feature some very well done Lightroom tutorial videos on the site.

[ronald_moravec1]

For the price Elements is the way to go. It will do most of what photographers need.

 

CS3 is a suite of graphic arts programs which you will probably never use. There are few things in the photoshop portion you can`t do with elements.

 

Consider Elements the basic start and it will take a long time for you to outgrow it. By then you will have purchased one or two upgrades ant $200 each and will want a Mac computer.

 

Download a free trial of Elements. Google for on line tutorials to get an idea how it works beforhand.

[ambers-photos]

If i were you i would try both you can download the trial versions from adobe they are full functioning for 30 days and you should get a good idea witch works best for you

 

 

 

Amber

[phyrpowr]

Do you mean CS3?

 

In any event, Elements does all I need (Idon't do graphics work, big batch processing and the like), and I think anything you miss can be taken care of with aftermarket plugins

[gagnerants]

Maybe try giving gimpshop a try, it's free and it is modeled after photoshop.

[anthonybagileo]

Hi, B.K,

I've just gone through the same thing youre speaking of over the last few years. I think the big question is what are you using your pictures for. If you know that you're only going to be doing personal photos for print then I believe Elements is your answer. For that purpose the only real significant difference is in your ability to use layers. If you feel you may have to get into editing for publishing purposes, as i did, then PS3 is the way to go. If money is not an issue than go with PS3. A second choice might be to go with Elements and invest in some plug ins. The techniques for using the tools in Elements are mirrored in PS3, so its not going to be any more difficult to learn the simple editing techniques in PS3. I would say that the major difference is in the ability to use higher bit files and work in different color spaces. Your choices are limited in Elements. Remember too that Adobe will sometimes offer great upgrade prices to go to Photoshop . They did it for me and i saved $300. Hope that helps.

[barkphoto]

Thank you all for taking the time to respond.

I will do what most suggested, download the free trial for both, and take

it from there.

 

I had not considered Lightroom but will look at that as well.

 

Tony R, Im sorry for the double post. I kept getting an error message.

Newbies!!!! Thanks for your patience =)