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Photo imaging software

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lumpkin

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Right now I have an old version of Photoshop which I''m actually not that thrilled with (I think it''s version 5). I also have Microsoft Publisher 2000, which is surprisingly effective for such a basic program. But I''m kind of itching to try something more advanced. I''m kind of thinking of trying Photoshop Elements or Paint Shop Pro. I like Corel software a lot. But then I''m kind of torn because it seems like I see Photoshop everywhere, and then there are all the accessory packages offered by Adobe.

What software do you use and why do you like it -- and if you''ve used several why do you prefer the one you use?
 

AlyceC

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Are you working on a PC or a Mac? What do you generally do with Photoshop and Publisher?

I have Photoshop Elements and Publisher on my PC. On my Mac, I have Photoshop CS2 and Quark 7. It''s amazing how much more stuff there is in Photoshop CS2 than in Elements. I actually had to pay for it, versus the free Elements that came with my scanner. Of course, I''m taking a class right now to figure out all the bells and whistles. I''m not sure what you do in Publisher, but I find that doing layouts for newsletters, brochures, annual reports, etc. is so much easier for me in Quark than Publisher. I used PageMaker years ago, so Quark is more a fit for me. When dealing with importing photos simply for making a collage, I do prefer Publisher. You can just cut and paste in the photos instead of having to create a box for them in Quark.

I hope this helps!
 

lumpkin

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Alyce, I actually do a lot of scrapbooking pages electronically because I just have too many crafts to start scrapbooking with all the different stuff -- I prefer to do it on the computer. So I do a lot of layouts, etc., which I like Publisher for a lot. I have a PC and I''ve never used Quark. I also use Microsoft Picture It 2000 for editing the photos (sorry, I was in a rush and said Publisher, but I really use Picture It for photo editing, then Publisher for layouts, etc.). I know there''s a Quark for PC, though, or at least there used to be.

I''m not sure I''m really going to use the advanced features that would justify buying Photoshop as opposed to Elements, but if you could tell me what features you use and how you use them, you might change my mind!

Thanks!
 

lumpkin

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Oh, and I might take a photography class at the community college, so that would give me the opportunity to buy the software at an educational price. I have no idea how much that would save -- I kinda jumped the gun on that since we were talking about cameras. Still, I''d love to know what everyone uses and what they like and why...
 

hopefulheidi

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I use an old copy of Photoshop 7 here at home and Paint Shop Pro X at work (I''m a web developer). When I started my job my only experience was with Photoshop so I was a bit biased against Paint Shop Pro but it honestly didn''t take me very long at all to learn. I hate to admit this but I actually kind of prefer Paint Shop due to the ease in which the layer palette works. One of the things that always annoyed me about Photoshop was the need to find and click on the layer via the layer palette...Beautiful PaintShop allows you to just click within the image and it finds the layer for you. This is SUCH a huge help if you''re like me and just keep adding layer after unnamed layer to your image ;-) hehe The biggest downfall with Paint Shop is the resizing. It''s HORRIBLE at resizing images while maintaining their clarity. Generally I''ll do all my work on the large image in Paint Shop, save it as a jpg and open it up in Macromedia Fireworks to do the resizing to ensure that my images don''t get all gunked up in the shrinking down process.

~Heidi
 

TravelingGal

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I''m in the software industry in this category, and actually like a different program altogether.

Adobe Photoshop is powerful, no doubt. That is why it is the choice for the pros. I have not used Paint Shop Pro, but it definitely has it''s fans. I should install it and try it since I have it, but have been too lazy.

I have seen the elements programs, but from what I understand, they are the pro products with less features, so the interface is similiar (again, I don''t know this for sure). This is a pro or con, depending on how you look at it...it means you can "graduate" easily to the more feature enriched program later and don''t have to relearn the interface...but it also can mean you have to start with a more difficult interface to begin with.

I really like a program by Ulead called PhotoImpact. In the retail channel I believe it''s distributed by Nova and it is a very colorful box (you can''t miss it). I believe that Ulead is actually owned by Corel now (since Corel bought InterVideo, which took over Ulead) so who knows what will happen to the product since it competes with Paint Shop Pro. The reason I like it is that is objects based vs layer based. For a pro, this would be annoying, but for a casual user, it makes it SO much easier because you can just click on objects on the screen and be able to manipulate them. There used to also be all these great tutorials on the CD but I don''t know if that is still the case anymore. I use PhotoImpact 10, but I know they are a version or two beyond that now.

I actually have Sony''s PhotoGo now, but haven''t run it through to see what it''s like. It''s cheaper than the other products, but is also not as robust.

What you should do is go to the company websites and download trials before you buy. Don''t do it until you are ready to use it as they time out from install. Find tutorials and follow along. Many online vendors have the lowest prices, but don''t count out special mail in rebates at retailers, as they can run some awesome promotions. If you are a student, there are many educational resellers who offer great discounts on software.
 

strmrdr

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nothing out there beats photoshop on anything but price.
That said PSP will do pretty much all of what most people need too do for a lot less money.
I use both but since I took up writing scripts for photoshop I don''t use psp much.
Its real nice too hit one key and have photoshop do a dozen steps for me.
 

Odilia

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I am also interested in this question. I have Photoshop Elements 3.0, but have never been able to learn to use it well. It IMO is not user-friendly, and I do not have boatloads of spare time to play with it and figure it out, and even when I do figure something out, it seems I can''t repeat it later. So my question is, HOW DO YOU LEARN TO USE IT? I was hoping to take a class, but they either have regular photoshop, which I didn''t know if I would easily be able to adapt it to Elements, or else they have a class for Photoshop Elements- but on a mac, and I use a PC. Very frustrating. Any suggestions on learning quickly and easily (not fumbling around) would be welcome!
 

jcrow

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photoshop cs2 lover here. endless amounts you can do with this program. mind boggling really. but you can do the basics really easy too.
 

jcrow

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and for AlyceC and lumpkin and those using quark, check out indesign. i find it a much friendlier program. it has the same interface as illustrator, so if you are familiar with that it''s an easy switch.
 

eks6426

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Has anyone heard of GIMP? It supposedly like Photoshop only it is a free download.
 

curiopotter

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I''ve used Photoshop 6 up to Photoshop CS2 (currently), Photoshop Elements, QuarkXpress, Paint Shop Pro, Corel Draw, InDesign, Publisher, Adobe Illustrator, and countless others that won''t really mean much to you...

So, you''re a newbie, and you might take some Photoshop classes at your local JC to get familiar with the program, right?

>IF you''re planning on taking classes, then I would recommend Photoshop. It can be a very daunting program to someone who has never done a tutorial or taken a class, BUT once you begin learning how to use the program, you''ll want to stay working with it, rather than downgrading to Elements.

>Photoshop Elements has the same interface as Photoshop, meaning you''ll work in layers, but a lot of features are gone. That''s not to say it''s a useless program for the average person, because it is pretty user friendly, and the icons are easy to understand.

>Quark is a pretty complicated program for someone who has little experience in using paint programs, however if you''re a pro, it''s a great program.

>PageMaker is another complicated program that is mainly used by the print media. I also wouldn''t recommend that to you.

>InDesign was created to work with Photoshop, Illustrator, and Dreamweaver.. a few others to mention. It has more features than Photoshop with regards to print media, like magazines, layouts, or print media presentations. This is Quark''s competator.

>There are two versions of Paint Shop Pro. There''s the Paint Shop Pro Art Suite, and Paint Shop Pro PhotoX or XI. The Art Suite comes with PhotoXI, Painters Essentials, and PhotoAlbum. The suite can be useful for newbies, but you can do most or more of those things in Adobe Photoshop if you learn the program.

You can use Photoshop for your scrapbooking projects, but it can be pretty complicated to use, and you won''t get crisp lines and borders. Photoshop is more for enhancing photos to create digital media. It''s not user friendly for making simple borders and crisp cut-outs. Photoshop Elements is free. I suggest you try Elements first, and then if you get used to it and like it, then get Photoshop CS2 or CS3. It''s a huge leap from one to the other, but you''ll understand why Photoshop''s features are hidden in Elements. They can make people really confused if they don''t have familiarity with the program.

The education version of Adobe Photoshop will run you between $20-50 by the way. Depends on what discount your school gets; mine was about $26.


 

lumpkin

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Keep the info coming!
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ETA: Curiopotter, you and I were posting at the same time, I think. Travelinggal, thanks also for your info. You are giving me just what I was hoping for.


Hopefully some other experienced pros will weigh in as well.
 

jcrow

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jcrow

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curiopotter gave lots of helpful info! and i agree that photoshop isn''t the best for scrapbooking.
photoshop is for photos. illustrator, quark and indesign are for type and layouts.
 

rjdodd

Shiny_Rock
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Jan 4, 2007
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108
In your old version of Photoshop do you ever use curves, paths, or macros? If yes then Photoshop, if not then Elements.

I''ve used GIMP and it''s very functional, but the interface is obvisouly not the same and there are very few books on tricks for GIMP, compared to entire libraries for PS.
 
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