[Closed] Photoshop versus Photoshop Elements

Depends what you want to do I expect.

There are free alternatives - paint.net and GIMP are popular - though I expect a course will be Photoshop-centric.

You can download CS2 directly from Adobe, they released new serial numbers when they shut down their activation servers. Some sites will tell you it's free - it's not, you're supposed to have an existing licence - but as you say you used to have it I'm assuming you already have a licence yes?

I tried PS Elements and found it was a bit too basic for what I wanted to do. I can't remember specifics, but I remember thinking at the time that they could do with releasing something between Elements and CS. But, I suspect that would take customers away from CS.

A friend of mine had found an Elements plug-in you could buy for about $20 that worked with Elements and gave you a heap of CS functionality. I was tempted to buy Elements in conjunction with this plug-in but never got round to it. I can probably dig the link to the plug-in out if you want?

I used to use Picasa, but didn't like the way it seems to keep the original, but store the modification data in a hidden file somewhere. When I was doing my pic of the day it would get confused about what one had been changed and what hadn't so display both photo's as modified, whereas in MS Photo Viewer only one would appear modified (I think, can't really remember now). But it was enough of an annoyance for me to stop using it for editing.

I did look at Paintshop Pro a while back. It's pretty good value and gets good reviews.

I'm a big fan of Lightroom for photo editing - I have Photoshop too but I don't use it that often for editing as Lightroom is so fast and powerful.

If you are editing lots of photos, as in cataloging the photos you get off your camera, cropping and touching up, then sending to facebook/picasa/photobox.... try lightroom.

much more suited to my needs, as it handles RAW files, and you don't have to open individual files like in photoshop.

The exports are really good too. I have an export set up for pictures of our baby - i just drag the best pictures onto the export collection, and when i click publish it compresses them as per my settings, uploads them to my google docs folder to share with the grandparents, and syncs them onto my phone and ipad for t'missus to show her friends.

Dave

I notice you can rent them now

In fact AIUI you HAVE to rent them (at least you have to rent PS)and the price is quite prohibitive for the casual user.

grum - Member
I'm a big fan of Lightroom for photo editing - I have Photoshop too but I don't use it that often for editing as Lightroom is so fast and powerful.

I tried the trial of Lightroom and couldn't get on with it at all. I just didn't know where I was within the program or how to do anything with it.
A friend of mine uses it though and swears by it.

How did you get up to speed with it? Trial and error or did you use a book/online guide?

If you're serious about Lightroom the best guide is the video from Luminous Landscape. I found it fairly intuitive to get going, though...

How did you get up to speed with it? Trial and error or did you use a book/online guide?

Think I watched a few tutorial videos but I found it pretty intuitive as well.

For me, because it's Photoshop that is part of the course, I guess it's photoshop I need to be familiar with.
Otherwise, I would certainly try Lightroom etc...

kayak23 - Member
For me, because it's Photoshop that is part of the course, I guess it's photoshop I need to be familiar with.
Otherwise, I would certainly try Lightroom etc...

I missed that you are doing a course.
You might be eligible for the education offer that Adobe does on all of this s/w.

Just make sure you check the terms and conditions beforehand as I think if you buy it and then Adobe don't consider you a 'student', you are stuffed. You don't get a refund or a validation key.

Here's a link:

http://www.software4students.co.uk/t/brands/adobe

In fact AIUI you HAVE to rent them (at least you have to rent PS)and the price is quite prohibitive for the casual user.

I think it seems quite reasonable compared to how much the SW used to cost of buy (not that I did as everyone seems to use hacked copies which think they're licensed when they're not).

I think the "reasonableness" depends on a couple of factors - firstly, do you already own PS, and so now just want to upgrade. Secondly, are you someone that upgrades every new version, or just every other version or so?

As I already owned PS CS6 and only upgrade at most every 2nd version, paying the full price on Creative Cloud (before they came out with the "Photographers Offer" ) was a big jump in price that I couldn't justify.

firstly, do you already own PS

I don't own it no. I used to have a copy that Footflaps alluded to above..ahem 😳 but no longer have this.

Well, looks like if you are a student it is 16 quid a month, if you sign up now.

[url= http://www.adobe.com/uk/products/creativecloud/students.edu.html ]http://www.adobe.com/uk/products/creativecloud/students.edu.html[/url]

I dabbled about with 'one of those' copies of CS4, then bought elements which did 99% of what I wanted but I never got on with the organiser. I tried the trial of LR2 but never really got on with it but recently downloaded LR5 and I'm now converted, there really isn't much it can't do now unless you are compositing several pictures together, think it is still being sold with a 20% discount.

Pixelmator has just announced a new upgrade, which may be of interest. Has no CMYK capability, but that wouldn't be an issue to the majority of users.

Ended up buying Elements.

Going from just using Picasa to import my photos from my camera to my computer and doing basic editing, I have to say I am not liking elements so far. Seems like everything is just way complicated and the organisation seems much worse than Picasa.

For instance, all my folders in Picasa were down the left hand side and ordered newest first. I liked that order. In Elements they are alphabetized and I can't see a way of changing that.

Maybe it's just a learning curve thing but so far I'm not enjoying it...

Slow! Did I mention how god awful slow it runs?!.... 😕

I use Gimp mostly. It has its foibles but they're nice and quirky. Not that I'm a proper graphic designer or anything.

I bought a book on Gimp that everyone recommended. It was hard to read.

Oops fat fingers

kayak23 - Member
Ended up buying Elements.

Maybe it's just a learning curve thing but so far I'm not enjoying it...

I was like this when I bought trialled Lightroom. Just couldn't get on with it at all. I think I needed a guide/book as I couldn't work it out at all.
Admittedly, I didn't have the chance to spend masses of time working it out and I am sure that I would have got the hang of it.
But, I subsequently downloaded Picasa and it was much more intuitive as an organisation tool.

Lightroom is not really photo editing software, it's photo developing. It's the digital equivalent of a darkroom, plus a few extra tools. You're adjusting tones, colours, contrast, exposure and so on. The program is ridiculously simply because you just adjust sliders to make changes depending on how you want to develop the raw image. There's no layering and it's non-destructive.

For editing images, like putting high heels on a badger, or whatever tickles your pickle, then Photoshop (or similar) is your software.

I found it tricky at the start, but then bought a book and sat at the computer and worked through a few examples. There are quite a few keyboard shortcuts that are useful to know.