Photoshop Versions & Advantages for Photography

[Ady]

I couldn't agree more with Colin, what you call things IS important and using inaccurate or 'dumbed down' language just adds extra layers of misunderstanding.

On the subject of software I would have to say that I'm not a big fan of Photoshop, or any Adobe software apart from InDesign, though that's really just an evolution of Aldus PageMaker which was the best free-form page layout application of its time.

However, I have worked in pre-press on and off since the early days of digital imaging (doing stuff such as producing halftoned separations of digital images for offset litho) and I've yet to work in or with a pre-press shop that uses anything other than Photoshop. So if you want to move into photo and image processing in a commercial print setting it's worth bearing in mind that you will need to be familiar with the idiosyncrasies of the latest version of Photoshop in order to demonstrate that you can maintain a commercially relevant skill set.

[rpcrowe]

A caveat... I originally purchased the entire Adobe Creative Suite CS3 when I was taking a course in Photoshop at a local college. I got it from the college bookshop at a very good educational discount price. Although, I never used the other portions of the Suite, the price I paid the entire suite was cheaper than buying Photoshop CS3 alone.

I didn't upgrade to CS4 but, when I wanted to upgrade to CS5, I found that I could not upgrade the Photoshop portion alone and needed to upgrade to the entire CS5 Suite. I was no longer a student and this was quite an expensive upgrade.

If you enroll in a community college course, you can purchase Photoshop CS5 and/or Lightroom at a very good price from either your college bookshop (if they carry it) or from one of the educational vendors online. However, unless you feel that you will make use of the other CS5 programs, simply purchase the Photoshop and/or Lightroom alone.

[Barry Richter]

There is Silky Pix Developer Studio Pro 4, which is an excellent RAW convertor with non destructive editing. It is worth a try.
Barry

[steveedmonds]

I have been using Gimp for 5+ years now. It has an interesing learning curve as it approaches things in a different way, but now I find it more intuitive, primarily for touching/correcting photographs rather than digital creations. It is progressing to 16 bit (I think V3)
http://www.gimpusers.com/forums/gimp...bit-gimp-doing
or a dirivitive cinepaint is now 16 bit.
UFraw is already 16 bit.
There is not much help in Gimp, but are litterally thousands of tutorials available by search.
There are many things standard in Adobe that are handled by plugins in Gimp that do not come in or are limited in the standard package (white balance). If you know what you are trying to do or what it is called in Adobe, search (the net) and you will most likely find how it is done in Gimp.
steve

[tom059]

I originally thought this thread would deal with both Photoshop and competing programs. The frequent mention of Gimp would seem to go along with that. I have wondered about Paint Shop Pro, version 6. That seemed to be enough for our needs until Vista. I went with PSPX2 which seems pretty good but a bit buggy. Any comments?

[Barry Richter]

The following are also excellent RAW convertors

ACDSee Pro3 Photo Manager
Special on at $99.99
www.acdseepro.com

SilyPix Developer Studio Pro 4
Yen 26000
www.isl.co.jp/SILKYPIX/English

Regards
Barry

[Sonic4Spuds]

I have not found PSP intuitive or useful, the learning curve being worse than GIMP.

As to no help being available for GIMP right here or http://docks.gimp.org for the official help.

As to the 16bit GIMP the next version, 2.8 is being moved to a GEGL base, meaning that it will have 16 or even 32 bit per channel support. The backend change will also bring native HDR tools to GIMP.

Just the info a little digging can do.

-Sonic

[SpiderBob]

I have been using both Elements and Lightroom for about 3 weeks now, and fail to see a 200 dollar difference to go with Lightroom. Can someone please tell me the difference, major difference for the cost.

[mythlady]

I think the organizer/cataloging function of Lightroom is much better than Elements, if you use it for that. Also, LR will process RAW files, where Elements doesn't, though you may have Camera Raw for that. And I could be wrong here, but Lightroom has batch editing capabilities that Elements doesn't? I'm on a little shaky ground here. I just know that I moved up to LR and PS after having used Elements for several years, and I'm very happy about it.

[Colin Southern]

Also, LR will process RAW files, where Elements doesn't, though you may have Camera Raw for that.

PSE opens RAW files using ACR, but it restricts you to the first 2 or ACR's 9 tabs.

[tom059]

And three years later I'll add version X5 is much less buggy as far as I am concerned. (X4 was as bad as X2)

[SpiderBob]

I have been using both Elements and Lightroom for about 3 weeks now, and fail to see a 200 dollar difference to go with Lightroom. Can someone please tell me the difference, major difference for the cost.

An update, been using both the newest programs now, with most use going to Lightroom the more I learn from it the more I like it.

[jcuknz]

When I was running both Paint Shop Pro, which have all the features of Elements and more, even older versions available for less on Amazon for much less than $100, one I bought cost me $15 boxed, and Photoshop CS as well as the earlier PSv7, I was amused that PS didn't recognise my psp or pspimage files while I could happilly open psd in PSP ... there is a moral there for you I think. In view of cloud PS I am glad I no longer have it in my machine, and I am trying to get rid of LR5Beta without success so far

[Wayland]

Should add Photoline to this thread.

Very impressive program, currently almost as powerful as Photoshop and there is a new version due in the Autumn.

I seriously recommend you try the 30 day trial before putting your money down on anything else.

Amazing value.

[jcuknz]

I originally thought this thread would deal with both Photoshop and competing programs. The frequent mention of Gimp would seem to go along with that. I have wondered about Paint Shop Pro, version 6. That seemed to be enough for our needs until Vista. I went with PSPX2 which seems pretty good but a bit buggy. Any comments?

I started serious editing with PSP 7AE and later because 'everybody' goes on about PS [ it was PS7 and later CS I got ] I got that to see what all the fuss waas about but frankly I don't like the PS approach and no longer have it in my machine. A crash helped that along Recently I have looked at LR4 and LR5Beta but really cannot be bothered to learn a new language and am trying to rid myself of them ... my son is also struggling with LR but uinfortunately he has an Apple so I cannot help with PSP ways.

I think the key aspect is the person using the programme and their skill ability in using it. I use Paint.Net on occasions for the fun of it ... it loads quicker than PSPx4 .. and I hate to think how much slower PSPx5 would be if I succumb to the adverts.
I also use 'old' Paint for certain things it does simply and well. I am fortune to still have PSP8 and PSPX which have the advantage for stitching panoramas that they do not have a size limitation like X4. Rather desiirable in these days of high Mp cameras.