Adobe Photoshop

Hello Lovely and Clever 4N people!!

I am looking at getting Photoshop - does anyone know what's "missing" in the Elements version to the full CS6 version - it's about a 10th of the price so I guess it's quite a lot more basic, but as I'm not an expert do you think I will notice what's not there? Also will I be able to open occasional PSD files that I get sent for work in it?

Thanks in advance for your thoughts!

What do you need it for Jody, I train on both so know them very well.

It will really come down to what level of control you want with the files

If it is just a case of opening, making some minor adjustments, saving and printing then both will suit the need.  However if you need better control when changing from a colour image to a black and white image or cutting out an item from one photo to add into another, then the full version would suit better.  Whilst to a certain degree, you can do it in elements, it is long winded and trickier to achieve.

If I know a little more about what you intend to do with it, then I can advise you better as to which would suit your needs.

Also, if you want to save images using the CMYK colourspace with PS Elements, you'll need to use a workaround which isn't exactly elegant.

Here's a decent comparison between the two.

And it might also be having a look at GIMP, a free & open source alternative to Photoshop. Might as well download it and see if it will work for you, if it doesn't you can always uninstall it and you haven't lost anything. :)

There are cheaper ways of getting Photoshop....

Such as buying an older version, borrowing from a friend or looking on ebay.

I would have to agree with Richard on this one. I downloaded GIMP II and compared it, feature by feature, with Photoshop. Unless I have missed out on some esoteric item, which I probably have, it does seem to be all there. I won't be using GIMP as I know Photoshop very well but if I was wanting to get heavily involved in imagery for the first time then I wouldnt be adverse to trying GIMP.

A very simple editor that handles PSD files among many others is Photo Pad from NCH software.

Gary

Little known is that Adobe introduces quite some new features first in Photoshop Elements (PSE), then in the big Photoshop (PS)

But all these features based on image filters are a little bit of a red herring. I would imagine (!) Jody needs to deal with images/logos etc which will be printed onto promotional items?? These machines vary a great deal and Jody's suppliers will know the exact details, but this is the question to ask:

Is the printer based on CMYK or on RGB? (PS can work in CMYK, PSE can't)  Do you really need to provide CMYK files?

Most inkjets are RGB printers (Note to techies: the number of ink cartridges does not reveal which colour model is used!)
JPEG is an RGB format
TIFF can contain CMYK or RGB
Silk screen printing needs colour separation (CMYK)

The actual conversion however between a RGB file and say a required TIFF for a given printer can happen on site and may not be Jody's problem.

GIMP is impressive but can only with some workaround handle CMYK.

Finally, Glenn's question is most important: What do you want to achieve?

Agree with Michael on these points.

Like all "almost clones", the features are there but done in different ways. As Jody isn't a Photoshop user as yet then the CMYK features of GIMP are simply that, a feature. It is only if you have used CMYK in a Photoshop environment do you knotice where the core GIMP product and where the ongoing development has added features rather than integrate features.

But for the cost of £0.00 including VAT :-) GIMP isn't bad at all.

Gary

Have you looked at just getting Creative Cloud CS6 (Includes Photoshop, Illustrator, Fireworks etc)? I pay £25 a month for the entire Abode Suite and get free upgrades to the latest versions when they update.

Hi Jody,

One of my clients (Dave @ Northampton Life) also uses the £25 pound a month option. Aside from 1 issue with one of the programs it's been a great and much cheaper option. Adobe support did find that answer to the software clitch and this support was covered in the £25.

Well worth a look.

This must have been special offers of some kind?
Adobe wants £27.34/month  (just for Photoshop) or £17.58/month if you commit to a full year.
£328.08 /year or £210.96 resp. 
The full CS suite costs £70.34/month  or £46.88/month on a yearly plan.

(Andy?? Chris?? did you mean the socalled special for existing Adobe customers? Doesn't really apply in this case, or?)

Mind you these are prices directly from the Adobe shop, not a wise option, as their prices are always much, much  higher then elsewhere.

Back to basics, only buy what you need. Photoshop Elements 10 costs only £50 one off from the usual online suspects. 

@Gary S: Probably a typo, but GIMP does not have CMYK on board. As it comes "from the box" it's a RGB package.

Seriously waiting now for Jody to tell us more about her needs.

Just going by the price I was told. Not something i supplied. It's possible it wasn't all the packages or a special at the time.

Hi Jody

think I've got an old copy you can have; for a mac though?

Hi Michael,

You are quite right in that CMYK is not in the core GIMP product but it is there as a plug in. For the most part, it does the job.

Gary