Photoshop which version do I need?

[fac]

Hi,
I am trying to play with photoshop, however, I am not sure which software do I need? and what I will miss if I do not buy the biggest bundle available..

Phtotshop elements
phtotshop CS5
Adobe creative suite 5

I suspect I only need photoshop elements initially as I just want to edit the photos, I looked into the specification, it seems that CS5 can create something like 3D, does it mean that photoshop elements is a subset of photoshop CS5? or that they are two totally different products?

 

[ukcatfan]

The full version is a professional tool and Elements is consumer product. Almost all personal users can get away with Elements. Look to see if there are any features you cannot live without in the full version. Considering the huge price difference, it is hard to justify. There are student discounts if that applies to you or any kids you have.

 

[thomas998]

If you are looking for the most bang for your buck... I wouldn't use photoshop as a first choice. I have it... but only because I have some specialized plug-ins that require it. If I'm just doing quick simple edits I tend to use Corel's Paintshop Pro (which a full version will cost you $99)... it does everything you would need and tends to run faster than photoshop.

If you really want to save money you might start with a program called Gimp. Its a completely free piece of software that lets you do a lot of photo editing... the only down side is it isn't as user friendly as some of the others... but if you want to give it a shot go to gimp.org and you'll find out all you need for it.

 

[fac]

thanks.
I tried GIMP last year and it was a pain.

I think we do qualify for a student discount and am planning to send my k13 years old to a photoshop class which I think the elements would do. But what is full version? I don't seem to be able to find Photoshop Full ? is it the same as Photoshop CS5?

 

[Phil'sFrontier]

The photo merge feature in ps cs4 and newer is awesome. I am not sure if they put that into elements

 

[GrumpyGoat]

Photoshop CS5 is the full up version and is intended for the working professional. It not only edits photographs, but is widely used by graphic designers. I use it to design business cards, personalized watermarks for images, etc. in addition to editing images.

Another bit of software that falls between Photoshop CS5 and Photoshop Elements is Photoshop Lightroom. Lightroom is more of an organizing program than an editing app but it has some very good editing tools. I use Lightroom for 90% of my photo editing needs.

The average consumer hobby shooter will do just fine with Photoshop Elements, the current version of which is 9. Photoshop Elements is what Photoshop was ten years ago...

 

[krb2g]

I was able to get CS5 on an education discount from my university's computer store and saved a *ton* of money. It has photoshop, illustrator, acrobat, indesign, and some other things. I only really use photoshop and acrobat. But at the bookstore they only had the package for sale. My sister bought just acrobat either from the website or from a store like Staples with the education discount, and she had to mail in a copy of her student id/transcript to prove she was a student. The education discounts are fantastic if you qualify (although you may end up buying more than you need, like I did, because that's what the store had available to sell me).

 

[GrumpyGoat]

I was able to get CS5 on an education discount from my university's computer store and saved a *ton* of money. It has photoshop, illustrator, acrobat, indesign, and some other things. I only really use photoshop and acrobat. But at the bookstore they only had the package for sale. My sister bought just acrobat either from the website or from a store like Staples with the education discount, and she had to mail in a copy of her student id/transcript to prove she was a student. The education discounts are fantastic if you qualify (although you may end up buying more than you need, like I did, because that's what the store had available to sell me).

I thought about doing that (my FIL is a high school teacher) but after doing a little research, I discovered that if you have an academic version, you can only upgrade with another academic version. This means you have to prove eligibility all over again. I bit the bullet and bought the CS5 Design Standard non-academic package instead. Now I know I can upgrade with CS6 when its released for less than the full cost (Adobe has upgrade pricing...) The Design Standard package includes Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign and Acrobat and allows you to install it in two different computers.

 

[photo_chick]

I thought about doing that (my FIL is a high school teacher) but after doing a little research, I discovered that if you have an academic version, you can only upgrade with another academic version. This means you have to prove eligibility all over again. I bit the bullet and bought the CS5 Design Standard non-academic package instead. Now I know I can upgrade with CS6 when its released for less than the full cost (Adobe has upgrade pricing...) The Design Standard package includes Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign and Acrobat and allows you to install it in two different computers.

With the academic pricing you actually can get the standard upgrade price later without having to prove eligibility again. And you can install it on 2 computers.

 

[fac]

great. thanx for the clarification..
In fact, in addition to photoshop, I was thinking to get Acrobat X pro as I planned to scan all my documents and I was told I will be able to search document.
It seems that if I were to buy CS5, I do not need two "different" products (photoshop and Acrobat X pro).

When you mentioned CS5, did you mean Adobe CS 5.5 Design Standard (not Adobe Photoshop Extended CS5), right?

I found this link in Amazon
http://www.amazon.com/Adobe-Design-Standard-Student-Teacher/dp/B004TH7OXQ/ref=pd_sim__58

there is a table for the differences between each software ...but I found some names are just so confusing.
thank you for clearing it up.

 

[GrumpyGoat]

With the academic pricing you actually can get the standard upgrade price later without having to prove eligibility again. And you can install it on 2 computers.

Interesting, because I didn't get that impression with the research I did on Adobe's website. Oh, well... It was easier this way, since my FIL lives in another state.

 

[MarkBarbieri]

With the academic pricing you actually can get the standard upgrade price later without having to prove eligibility again. And you can install it on 2 computers.

That's the way it worked for me. We bought the academic version of the Adobe Creative Suite 4 Master Collection. When we upgraded that to CS5 and CS5.5, we did it just like any normal upgrade.