Preserved Topic: To Buy Or Not To Buy... (Page 1 of 1)

To many experienced photoshop users this may be a ver easy question to answer, but i figured that i would get the advice of some graphical masters first.
Currently i have Paint shop Pro, and i want (Badly) to take a serious upgrade to Photoshop 5.5. The olny problem is that 5.5 runs about $600. I'm a life gaurd in the summer and to me i can see blowing half of my savings on a program. I also found that adobe offers a photoshop LE version for about $100.
Should i go for the LE version or the Full version. I will be using the program to make graphics for my site and for flash animations.

Please don't get fustrated with me! Alwayss keep in mind that i'm 'Slow to learn, and quick to forget'

I always recommend the try it before you buy it. That is what a demo is for. Download the demo. Don't spend $600 unless you know it will be worth the investment.

There is no doubt that photoshop is a billion times better than paint shop. I myself also started on paintshop. I found paintshop to be much easier to use, and for a while I gave up on photoshop (i was still a newbie at the time). But once you put the time in on learning Photoshop you will find it to be $1000 better than paintshop.

You have to decide what you want to do with it. If you are going just to be using the program for doing a personal site (that is for fun, not for profit) then don't put the $600 into it. However if you plan to move on making a business website, or plan on going further with graphic design, such as becoming a webdesign professional there is no reason why not to get photoshop.

One more thing, is that you may not want to go with 5.5 because the rumors are blazing about 6.0 being a godsend to all of us. So you may want to wait a bit.


www.warmage.org

Good advice. If you are into digital art or website development and really enjoy the time spent on your computer then the investment will be invaluable to your development even if you don't start out with profit-making ventures in mind.

I've never used Paintshop Pro, so I don't know how the feature set is. But I'll tell you what makes Photoshop great. It's not the filters, the specific features, or the ability to let you produce something professional looking within hours of opening it for the first time. It's the interaction of the whole package combined in a relatively easy to learn interface. So when you look at the mass of Photoshop creations out there you are probably only seeing a surface scratch of what you can do when you truly understand the tools. They are versatile enough that you can actually visualize something you want to create and then reverse engineer it in several ways. The only problem is you can never realize this power until you own the program and have spent hundreds of hours using every menu-item and palette available (Been a PS user since v2.0, and still have tried less than half the filters). Maybe I'm just in love with this program, but it's also a great springboard into 3d texture development using alpha channels and textures.

So all in all, I have to say go for it unless you don't have any real long-term interest in computer graphics (what's the chance of that, eh?)

BTW, if you want to save some money on software, find someone who's in college. Get them to go to the campus bookstore and buy the Educational Version for you. Same stuff, *much* lower price. When I was going to school, I always bought my software there and saved tons.

Thanks for the info on version 6 comming out! I'm one of those guys that has to have the newest version of everything, and i would hate to spend $600 on PS 5.5 and then go and spend $200 to upgrade to V.6.
Anyway do you know when PS 6 will be comming out and it's aproximate price(So i can start saving!)?

Please don't get fustrated with me! Alwayss keep in mind that i'm 'Slow to learn, and quick to forget'

Wes:
Im curious, is there a difference at all between the Education Version and the normal versions of Photoshop? I read somewhere that you'r not allowed to use the Ed. Version for profit, but whos gonna tell right?

Jestah
ieJestah@hotmail.com
ICQ - 77252449

No difference at all. I use the ed version of Illustrator. It's really just the serial # that's different and will make it say "Educational Version" in the splash screen. I don't know about the non-profit deal, I never read the license...

If you decide on PhotoShop LE look around first. Everyplace I've seen offers it free with Hard drives scanners and other computer equipment no more than 100 bucks in price

Last I heard Photoshop 6 will be here early sept. I've used it for like a month and like the improvements

When I tried to go back to PSP from photoshop 5 my fingers started to burn and my eyes hurt.

Good advice on educational discounts..from what I've seen they are the same but they ARE tons cheaper at all the college bookstores around here. If you can check the college bookstores they have a bunch o' software
Some schools you need your ID but not at the larger universities..if you can get through the doors all you need is cash

eeermmm.... *embarassed* I learned photoshop with a version copied on CD. I now have the official version, but if you're out of money: The copied version is always cheaper!

: : M a h j q a : :

From a legal standpoint mahjqa...I have to say, please do not do posts like that, it could possibly get us into trouble, but if you can't afford the real thing, I wouldn't blame you for being tempted.




Don't make me come down there! - God

actually that subject has come up many times, and with the same basic concensus: if you can;t afford it, and you're just satrting out...nobody is going to hold that against you (excpet of course, the law..). When you get to a point where you are making money off of your use of the software...or using it all the time, then it's time to suck it up and pay for the software properly <img border=0 align=absmiddle src="http://www.ozones.com/forum/biggrin.gif">

just my 2 cents

i agree totally 44.

And always a good time to post my favorite (legal!) scam. Go to a used book store and find one of the obsolete user manuals for an early version of Photoshop. You can get a copy of the PS3.0 manual for maybe $5.00, what could it be worth, they ask? The thing is, they typically have the serial number on the inside cover, and Adobe will usually simply accept the first page of the manual as proof of prior ownership. Then you get the special upgrade price! Worth the time in the bookstore.

Your pal, -doc-

Doc Doc Doc, you naughty scam artist u <img border=0 align=absmiddle src="http://www.ozones.com/forum/smile.gif">

Hmmmmmmmmmmmm...Very intersting! Time to run a quick errand!

Please don't get fustrated with me! Always keep in mind that i'm 'Slow to learn, and quick to forget'

Doc - does that work? I mean the installation, not the qualifying part. Upgrade disks are different from full installation disks. I tried to load Illustrator 8 (from the upgrade disk) when I got my new Powerbook last year. When the upgrade disk couldn't find an older version of the app, it wanted me to prove I was really upgrading by inserting the install disk from a previous version. Since I wasn't scamming and did have a legitimate copy of an older version, all went well. But I'd be careful with that advise, 'cause the manufacturers aren't entirely unaware of that angle! But maybe you've had other experiences than mine?

hope this helps somebody... got it from the educational microwarehouse. check the school bookstores it might be cheaper and you have better chance of getting it without a student ID if you have id or are a high school student with ID use this number...

sorry about the size but I wanted you to be able to read the text...



buy buy buy

[This message has been edited by Boomzilla8 (edited 01-09-2000).]

I'm headed to the bookstore later this week... anybody ever able to find academic pricing on a wacom tablet?

Boom, I think you would be better off just linking the image from now on. It slows down the loading time and its just annoying to have a huge image. I know it needed to be big so we could see the text ... just for future reference...

Jestah
ieJestah@hotmail.com
ICQ - 77252449

pre order ps6...

Boom, I dunno about academic pricing for Wacom, but I got mine refurbished and cost a lot less; you might look into that.