photo software suggestions

[boscobel]

Matt and I decided that we could each take $200 from our wedding money and buy something special for ourselves. I would like to buy some kind of photo software. I have read everyting (I think anyway) on here about PhotoShop and Elements, but want to see if anyone has any other cool suggestions.

 

Like I just saw a download that could turn pictures into sketches and I think that's pretty cool. I have never played with photos before and know nothing about this stuff, so just wondering what you guys who use it alot think or wish you knew before. Like did you buy PS, but found out Elements was better for xxxx? Or the opposite?

 

I am excited to buy something probably this weekend, so I can play with the photos! Fun, fun, fun!

[1elephant]

um. software? no. shoes? yes.

 

(sorry no suggestions!)

[rodent]

You can do the sketch thing with photoshop. I'd go with photoshop. It's way more versitile. You wouldn't want to spend that much on a program taht can just do one thing.

 

CS3 is much better than elements, but elements is a lot less expensive. You can do a ton of stuff with elements & might not even notice the difference if you are not that avid of a user.

 

A big benefit to CS3 is being able to automate things. Like if you follow steps to turn a picture black & white you can record those steps & do it with one click.

 

Photoshop brushes are also a lot of fun. They are kind of like digital stamps. You can make your own from clipart or download premade ones. There are also many premade actions.

 

CS3 runs about $600 unless you can get a student deal. I paid $200 through my school.

 

Just be aware that the program does take time to learn. You probably want to get some good books & just practice a lot.

 

another program I love is lumapix (only for PC). It's what a bunch of us use to make collages. It would be great for making photobooks from your wedding pictures. The basic version is $40. There is a free trial. I upgrades to the full version that is over $100 to be able to export larger collages.

 

You can also get elements used on ebay for a lot less. My suggestion would be to spend about $40 on elements & $40 on lumapix. Then you still have some money left for something else. You can have a lot of fun with those two programs. If you really enjoy elements, upgrade to the full version someday. Same for lumapix. You can always upgrade later. unless you have an educational discount for CS3. Then you might want to spend the $200 on it.

 

Oh, there is also lightroom. I haven't used it, but it's like photoshop but geared more towards photoediting. It's less expensive, but can't do all the things photoshop can do.

[boscobel]

I knew you would be able to offer some insight, Morgan. Thank you so much, I will look into both of those versions of Elements and Lumapix when I get home tonight.

[litl_april]

I guess I would say I'm slightly confused by your asking about opinions on the difference between Photoshop and Elements, only because I have what is called "Photoshop Elements." However, with that said, I do highly enjoy the software I have and know it produces better quality images than some products that friends have. I actually have a combo in which it is Photoshop Elements (Version 6) and Premiere Elements (Version 4). The premiere is a video editing software. My fiance and I are going to look into saving money on edited video this way and doing it ourselves, as he is very good with computers and I'm into creative things like that.

My only suggestion when thinking about purchasing Photoshop is you must be willing to read through the help pages in order to learn a lot of the techniques if you aren't experienced with the software. It is quite a bit different than others I've used as it is directed slightly more to an experienced audience (which I was not!). The guidelines are easy to follow, you just must be willing to read them. Some things I figured out on my own, but it took time!

But with that, I love it! I am able to do spot coloring, blending more than one photo together, fix or erase flaws in the photos, etc. I hope you find what you're looking for and good luck! If there's anything more you'd like to know about photoshop, feel free to ask, and I'll answer as best I can (as I am STILL learning lol)!

[rodent]

Quote:

Originally Posted by litl_april I guess I would say I'm slightly confused by your asking about opinions on the difference between Photoshop and Elements, only because I have what is called "Photoshop Elements." However, with that said, I do highly enjoy the software I have and know it produces better quality images than some products that friends have. I actually have a combo in which it is Photoshop Elements (Version 6) and Premiere Elements (Version 4). The premiere is a video editing software. My fiance and I are going to look into saving money on edited video this way and doing it ourselves, as he is very good with computers and I'm into creative things like that. My only suggestion when thinking about purchasing Photoshop is you must be willing to read through the help pages in order to learn a lot of the techniques if you aren't experienced with the software. It is quite a bit different than others I've used as it is directed slightly more to an experienced audience (which I was not!). The guidelines are easy to follow, you just must be willing to read them. Some things I figured out on my own, but it took time! But with that, I love it! I am able to do spot coloring, blending more than one photo together, fix or erase flaws in the photos, etc. I hope you find what you're looking for and good luck! If there's anything more you'd like to know about photoshop, feel free to ask, and I'll answer as best I can (as I am STILL learning lol)!

My interpretation was that she wanted to know the difference between the full version of photoshop (currently CS3) and elements (which is the smaller package).

I agree, photoshop is not an intuitive program. You do have to learn it before you can use it. Unlike word, powerpoint, publisher & others that you can usually just figure out. But, once you get passed the learning curve, you won't want to use those other programs for designing stuff.

I have thought about buying premiere. Right now I use movie maker (which is free with windows) for editing videos & making slideshows.

There is also a free online version of photoshop. That might be all you need too. Then there is another free online program called gimp.

[litl_april]

Thanks Morgan. I guess that was a thought, but I wasn't sure!

I have used the Windows movie maker as well a little bit. Haven't actually tested out my Premiere yet but I got the package deal on sale for the same price Elements would have costed alone!

[rodent]

Quote:

Originally Posted by litl_april Thanks Morgan. I guess that was a thought, but I wasn't sure! I have used the Windows movie maker as well a little bit. Haven't actually tested out my Premiere yet but I got the package deal on sale for the same price Elements would have costed alone!

once you try it, let me know how it compares.

[TammyB]

I have photoshop CS2 (I think) and I have no clue what I'm doing yet, so it takes awhile to learn (of course I've only played around with it a few times) I have seen what lightroom does to photos and I was amazed and really like the effect. I'm a hands type of person, I can learn if they give me step by step instructions but I really need to actually perform the task in order to retain it. I'm still looking for a good book for beginners of photoshop

[rodent]

Quote:

Originally Posted by TammyB I have photoshop CS2 (I think) and I have no clue what I'm doing yet, so it takes awhile to learn (of course I've only played around with it a few times) I have seen what lightroom does to photos and I was amazed and really like the effect. I'm a hands type of person, I can learn if they give me step by step instructions but I really need to actually perform the task in order to retain it. I'm still looking for a good book for beginners of photoshop

I just read kevin kubota's digital photography bootcamp. it was great. It goes through the entire process step-by-step.

I could be wrong, but I don't think lightroom can do anything photoshop can not. I think it's just a different workflow.