Photoshop

[armen_hovannisian]

<p>I'm looking to buy photo editing program.<br>

Should I save money and buy photoshop elements or buy adobe photoshop CS2 ?</p>

[brad_smith8]

<p>That's hard to answer without knowing your needs. Are you aware of the differences? If not, all that info is on Adobe's site.</p>

[armen_hovannisian]

<p>P.S. I didn't say what element (photoshop elemnts 7)</p>

[charlesheckel]

<p>They are both good programs, but CS2 will do things that Elements 7 cannot, at the cost of a steeper learning curve. It's possible to save money, if you are a teacher or a full-time student in an accredited program, by getting CS3 (or 4) at a very substantial educational discount. Sometimes in buying hardware, such as a scanner, you can get Elements bundled in with the scanner software.</p>

[richsimmons]

<p>Without you explaining more about yourself and the fact that you asked this within the beginner forum, I'd say go with elements. Elements comes with built-in tutorials that will help you become more effective on a shorter learning curve. If you can afford a copy of CS2 (which is now 2 versions behind, but still a good piece of software), then I'd buy Adobe Photoshop CS2 Classroom in a book, which has about 25-30 tutorials that will get you familiar with the program. There's a lot to learn with PS. I've been using it for about ten years and I'm still learning new ways of doing things. Don't be afraid to be overwhelmed at first, you'll get by it. And read, read, read.</p>

[py-photography]

<p>Have you looked at Corel Paint Shop Pro. Great program and around $100. <br /><a href="http://www.corel.com/servlet/Satellite/ca/en/Product/1184951547051#versionTabview=tab1&tabview=tab0">http://www.corel.com/servlet/Satellite/ca/en/Product/1184951547051#versionTabview=tab1&tabview=tab0</a><br />I used it for a year or so, before upgrading to CS4, but looking back I could have saved my money. I just don't use enough of the tools in PS CS4 to make it worth while in hindsight.</p>

[tmcleland]

Why not both? Get the lower-cost Elements now, then save your money until you can get the full version later on. You

may find that the money you're saving for PS is better spent on Lightroom anyway.

 

In any case, Elements is an excellent springboard into the full Photoshop. As mentioned, there are things Elements does

not have, but my guess would be that it would be some time before you find what's missing limits you much, especially at

1/6th the cost. The tools and controls they have in common (Levels, Hue/Saturation etc) behave in much the same way,

so that should you decide to go to the full Photoshop later, the format and interface will be fairly familiar.

 

The good and the bad of Photoshop is that it's a very in-depth program... I've been using it for years and still find things

that make me go "oh, I didn't know that.." It's good because having that level of control gives a lot of flexibility when

editing, but bad as it can be overwhelming. Elements is something of a middle ground in that respect, as you'll still get a

good amount of flexibility in software that's easier to learn.

[paddler4]

<p>I second Peter's suggestion: take a look at Paint Shop Pro. I think you can download a demo of both this and Elements. I don't remember the details, but I did this about 18 months ago, and my recollection is that PSP has a lot more capabilities than Elements. I use PSP routinely for things that I can't do in Lightroom. I end up exporting most shots to PSP because its control over contrast and brightness is worlds better than Lightroom's.</p>