Photoshop suggestions.

[UffDa]

I am considering buying one of the full versions of Photoshop. I would like to be able to move things around and maybe transplant heads. I have an old version of Elements somewhere and I have Serif Photoplus 9. Neither seem to be able to do much. Maybe that's because the instructions are not very user friendly.

I am not willing ot spend more for software them my computer is worth. I see Photoshop CS3 and CS4 on eBay for less then $100. Any ideas?

 

[smersh]

You might find that a current version of Elements does everything you need/want. You can download fully-functioning demos of the current versions of both Elements and full Photoshop from Adobe and try them out.

Keep in mind that more recent versions become more resource-intensive, so performance may be an issue. Another good reason to try before you buy.

 

[mwerner]

Also, the free program GIMP has almost all the functionality of Photoshop, though being open-source it takes a bit more work to figure out.

 

[thejamppa]

Also, the free program GIMP has almost all the functionality of Photoshop, though being open-source it takes a bit more work to figure out.

and if you don't run linux you need to install few other packages ( gtk+ and other linux libraries) to make GIMP work in Windows. There's good tutorial's and guides though in the web.

 

[kr1]

+1 on GIMP

KR

 

[Mountainman38]

and if you don't run linux you need to install few other packages ( gtk+ and other linux libraries) to make GIMP work in Windows. There's good tutorial's and guides though in the web.

I've used GIMP for several years now, and it installed easily and does a lot more than I've ever needed.

Sure, it's a pain to figure out, but so is Photoshop.

 

[truthseeker]

I would say the latest version of Elements should do nicely. You could buy one of Wacom's tablets and get a 3-license copy of Elements for free. Two birds with one stone! :thumbup:

 

[Tim.S]

I've been using the full version of Photoshop for 5+ years now. It is an incredibly powerful tool. I do a lot of retouching of digital photographs and I've maybe mastered 20% of what Photoshop can do.

If you can get it for a good price, and are willing to invest in learning the basics, it is a powerful and productive tool. I've used Elements and GIMP; they both feel like kiddie toys compared to Photoshop.

On the other hand, if you're not willing to invest the time, Elements is your best bet.

-Tim

 

[Any Cal.]

Gimp is nice for some things, I just downloaded Paint.net, which is much more intuitive. Gimp can probably do much more, but I hate spending the time trying to find out how to do it. Paint.net has a lot of free plugins, FWIW.

 

[TXBulldawg]

I use Gimp for resizing photos and doing borders and stuff without affecting the resolution of the final product. For further basic editing (color temp, sharpness, contrast, special effects, etc) I use Picasa. Both of these free programs are more capable than me, so spending money on Photoshop would probably be a waste of money for me.

 

[SharpByCoop]

I am considering buying one of the full versions of Photoshop. I would like to be able to move things around and maybe transplant heads.

Older versions of PS are still five times as powerful as you will need. The amount of tutorials available online make this a clear favorite.

That's my vote.

Especially if you want to dick around. :thumbup:

Coop