Photoshop CS upgrade for $299: Worth it? (1 Viewer)

Doug Greenberg · Sep 1, 2004

Hello,
I have been blithely using Photoshop Elements 2.0 for about eighteen months, mostly in preparing bird photos for printing or for delivery to the web. I received a flyer from Adobe a few days ago offering to allow me to upgrade to Photoshop CS for a "mere" $299, which is a lot less than the $649 retail price.

For people who have made this switch previously (or one similar from another low-end program), is it worth the investment? I know there are features in the full version of Photoshop that I will never, ever use. For your day-to-day just trying to make a bird photo look its very best, is Photoshop CS superior to Photoshop Elements? How so?

In general photographic forums elsewhere the general attitude is that Photoshop CS is "definitely worth it." But here, I believe I am speaking to/with fellow "amateur bird photographers." What do people think?

jourdaj · Sep 2, 2004

Re: Photoshop CS upgrade

Doug Greenberg said:
Hello,
I have been blithely using Photoshop Elements 2.0 for about eighteen months, mostly in preparing bird photos for printing or for delivery to the web. I received a flyer from Adobe a few days ago offering to allow me to upgrade to Photoshop CS for a "mere" $299, which is a lot less than the $649 retail price.

For people who have made this switch previously (or one similar from another low-end program), is it worth the investment? I know there are features in the full version of Photoshop that I will never, ever use. For your day-to-day just trying to make a bird photo look its very best, is Photoshop CS superior to Photoshop Elements? How so?

In general photographic forums elsewhere the general attitude is that Photoshop CS is "definitely worth it." But here, I believe I am speaking to/with fellow "amateur bird photographers." What do people think?

Doug,

As a regular user of Photoshop 6.0 I can only say that I only use a handfull of features: sharpening filters, curves, image adjustments, etc... and don't feel
inclined to upgrade to CS. The only attraction it has for me is the ability (via plug-in download) to convert RAW images from our Nikon D70. I believe that you have everything you need in Elements 2.0 to handle digital imaging conversions. That said, $299? (Hmmm... I'll have to think about it).

Best,

Jerry

Muskrat · Sep 2, 2004

Doug,

I have used Elements and PS 7, and late last year, purchased the CS version of Photoshop from Academicsuperstore.com for $279. I really like it. One of my favorite features is a selection called "Shadows / High lights". Many of my photos of birds are taken in brush and trees where there can be strong sunlight and deep shadows in the same image. I used to have a terrible time getting the detail out of the shadows without completely blowing out the bright areas. I would try burning and dodging, and masking..etc....but the new feature lets you vary 2 sliders that does a fantastic job, in my opinion. Also, there is a "Photo Filters" feature that lets you add warming and cooling filters to the image or many other tones for that matter.
Those are just 2 of the tools that I use quite often, and it has been a worthwhile purchase for me.
Muskrat

jimtfoto · Sep 3, 2004

Agree with Muskrat about the two tools he mentioned, especially the shadows/highlights function ... for me, that tool alone was worth the upgrade.

cheers,
jim

RAH · Sep 3, 2004

I agree that the Shadows/Highlights filter is very useful. This type of tool is appearing in a lot of places. For example, you can get a very nice Plug-in (works in Photoshop, Elements, Paint Shop Pro, etc) called Digital SHO (http://www.asf.com/products/plugins/sho/pluginSHO.asp). It costs $50 and works great.

Soooo, I say stick with Elements and check out that Digital SHO filter. It's not worth $299 to upgrade to the full Photoshop for a casual user. Another option - buy Paint Shop Pro for about $70 and get most of the functionality of Photoshop. The new version 9 has a built-in Shadow/ Highlights filter. Plus, I think it's nice to support small software companies (Jasc) instead of "evil-empires" like Adobe. (I just threw that in to ruffle feathers, so to speak).

Adey Baker · Sep 3, 2004

As Elements is often bundled 'free' with cameras, scanners, etc., this is a really economical way of getting the full version of Photoshop - such an offer would go down very well over this side of the 'pond!'

RAH · Sep 4, 2004

You make a good point, Adey. In fact, even if a person went out and bought Elements (about $75), it would still be a good deal ($299+75), assuming you want to get the full Photoshop. Perhaps Adobe is actually considering lowering the price?

Doug Greenberg · Sep 4, 2004

Well, I went ahead and took the plunge. I decided to spend the money based on the shadows/highlights feature, which is apparently superior to the simpler "fill flash" version in Elements, and also the curves feature, which simply cannot be duplicated in Elements. And perhaps just as importantly, the newest Photoshop includes a plug-in to process RAW files, something I have been thinking about using.

I also succumbed to the argument that once I own this more complete set of tools I will push myself to learn new and higher-level skills. Hehe.

I'll report back if I end up thinking that the investment was a waste of money

BTW, the free packaged program included in MOST scanners, etc., is Photo Deluxe, not Elements. This is the most very basic version of Adobe's photo modification software.

RAH · Sep 5, 2004

Doug Greenberg said:
I'll report back if I end up thinking that the investment was a waste of money

BTW, the free packaged program included in MOST scanners, etc., is Photo Deluxe, not Elements. This is the most very basic version of Adobe's photo modification software.

Good luck with Photoshop! You certainly did get a good deal on it!

I've been under the impression that Photo Deluxe is no longer produced, but I may be wrong. I just bought an Epson 3170 scanner and it did come with Elements 2.0, the full product. Perhaps lower-end scanners (say for $99) still come with Deluxe.

Doug Greenberg · Sep 5, 2004

RAH said:
Good luck with Photoshop! You certainly did get a good deal on it!

I've been under the impression that Photo Deluxe is no longer produced, but I may be wrong. I just bought an Epson 3170 scanner and it did come with Elements 2.0, the full product. Perhaps lower-end scanners (say for $99) still come with Deluxe.

Well, it wouldn't surprise me at all if my knowledge/information is out of date. The world of software is a fast-moving one, indeed.

Merop · Sep 5, 2004

I really like the ability to process RAW files, it was worth it for that alone - but I do like the package overall.

MikeB. · Oct 18, 2004

No posts on this thread since last month, but I've only just joined BirdForum!

I bought Photoshop CS and love it, having migrated from Corel Photopaint which I used for years.

I was worried about only being able to activate it once, but I have installed it on my laptop and desktop no problem.
Is there a limit to how many times you can activate it?

Mike

Mike Pearson · Oct 19, 2004

Photshop Elements 3.0

Check out the advertising on Adobe web page for the November release of Elements 3.0 - significant upgrade. There are already some great reviews of the pre-release package.

Check out:

http://graphicssoft.about.com/b/a/112499.htm#more

Photoshop CS upgrade for $299: Worth it? (1 Viewer)

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