Photoshop assistance!?!?

[macmomma55]

I'm sure this has already been discussed somewhere but im wondering what is the best version of Photoshop to get? There's so many out there. I'm just looking for some input from some PHotoshop users out there thanks guys.

[vsa]

The one you can afford.
The one with all the features you need.
If money is no object then the latest. (CS4 at this moment)

[RexK_Cozumel]

It really depends on what you want to do and how good you are with photoediting software / computers in general.

If you want the maximum amount of photoediting power and are computer savvy then Photoshop CS4 is the way to go.

If you are looking for more user friendly "one click fixes" then something like elements will suit you better.

If you are looking to speed up your work flow and are more into batch processing images and managing large numbers of images then Lightroom would probabbly be best for you.

I personally have both Lightroom and Photoshop CS4. I mainly use CS4 but if I am batch processing a bunch of images (which is pretty rare for me) then lightroom does a better job.

[RoyL]

I downloaded a copy of Elements the other day to get the steps to edit an image for someone on DPS. It is ok but I find it to restrictive. Personally I love CS4, used to have CS3. The Bridge is improved, Photoshop itself differs marginally from CS3 but the best thing is probably Camera Raw which is vastly improved in version 5.# (for CS4) over version 4.# (for CS3), and it will continue to improve.

Although many people swear but Lightroom I could only swear at it. I am still trying to figure out how to import presets as I need to convert them for Camera Raw. I might just write my own converter. I didn't like it at all.

[Samanax]

Originally Posted by macmomma55

I'm sure this has already been discussed somewhere but im wondering what is the best version of Photoshop to get? There's so many out there. I'm just looking for some input from some PHotoshop users out there thanks guys.

If you've never used Photoshop before it might be a good idea to start with Photoshop Elements 7 since the price isn't as prohibitive as CS4. Learn how to edit with it and once you find it's not able to do what you want, upgrade to CS4. By that time CS4 won't seem as scary to use.

Just remember that when looking at versions of programs, check and make sure that it can handle RAW (if you shoot that, and you should be) files... older versions of Photoshop cannot.

~Eric