Photoshop or bust??

[ericf]

Is there another program that many use and are very happy with? I have Nikon capture and am aware of it's limitations. It seems from what I've read and others have stated, PH CS and CS2 are extremly complex, as Pete said in another thread, "you can get wrapped up" in the complexity of the program with all that it can do. Is there a program available that meets the wishes and needs of the majority without the complexity?
Or is there really "no Santa Claus"?

Whoops; sorry, I should have put this in "photo tips"

[mrclown]

At first I stayed away from Photoshop. Tried ACDsee and several others. I've settled on photohop for the following reason - its as simple or complex as you want to make it. Go to the bookstore of your choosing and look at a book called "the digital darkroom". Its full of one page lessons on what you might want to do to fix a particular problem. The examples are geared to the photoshop menusystem and the program itself. After spending all the money on the second best programs, I'm glad I'm on the best now.

Canon had a deal with adobe to get photoshop for 50% off. I bet Nikon has something like it but you have to dig.

[eurotrash]

if photoshop is too complex try Kodak picture gallery. ;)

[Will Raybourn]

Capture has recently updated a lot of features, and I still use it as my RAW converter, although I just got CS2, so I will be experimenting with it. There was another thread just a few days ago, I think in the Photo Tips forum, that talked about a free RAW converter. May be something to look at.
But that is just talking about the RAW conversion. CS2, or any version of PS, is much more than just that. It is a wonderful program, but yes, there is a learning curve that I believe never ends ;). If you are wanting to know what other image editing software is available, there is Paint Shop Pro, Corel Photo Paint, MS Digital Imaging Suite, to name a few. I have used PSP and Corel, both are nice and have their pros and cons, but they can both do a lot on the editing side. Don't forget there is also Photoshop Elements, which has the common editing features, but not as many as the full version of PS.
Bottom line is that while PS is definately a favored editing program, there are others out there at much less cost and less complexity. Hope those suggestions help.

[bear1962]

Photoshop Element 3.0 is a very good program.

I have CS2 that I downloaded for $69.

[Nevyn]

Originally Posted by bear1962

Photoshop Element 3.0 is a very good program.

I have CS2 that I downloaded for $69.

Elements is upto V4 now.

Another package to look at would be Paint Shop Pro. It has a bit of a following.
I think a few of the posters on this forum use it.

The thing about CS2 is that it does a lot, likely more than you will really need. Having said that, I have it and love it.
You can download a trial version from Adobe and give it a try. You can also try a trial version of Elements 4. Then decide if the extra functions in CS2 are something you need.

Bear1962 : Where did you get CS2 for $69?! that is a real good price!

[Clint_Smith]

the main reasons I went with photoshop is:

1 IT IS the industry standard. sorry it just is.

2. color management. Many of the earlier version of Paint shop and the like didn't manage color so you could edit something, print it and it looked like it was polished with a hershy bar and a brick.

After the initial purchase the upgrades are reasonable. There are ways to get it at a discounted price, you just have to look for them. seems like I remember something last year about Adobe selling Photoshop CS for $300 if you bought a Canon Digital camera that came with Elements.

I bought my first version of Photoshop in college and was able to pick up the ed version for under $300...now I just buy the upgrades which generally run about $150

[Sonny]

Originally Posted by ericf

Is there another program that many use and are very happy with? I have Nikon capture and am aware of it's limitations. It seems from what I've read and others have stated, PH CS and CS2 are extremly complex, as Pete said in another thread, "you can get wrapped up" in the complexity of the program with all that it can do. Is there a program available that meets the wishes and needs of the majority without the complexity?
Or is there really "no Santa Claus"?

Whoops; sorry, I should have put this in "photo tips"

If you are feeling intimidated by Photoshop CS2, don't be. In the beginning PS CS did feel a tad overwhelming to me too. I have a few video tutorial I'd be happy to share with you. PM me if your interested

Lynda.com - Photoshop CS2 Essential Training
Lynda.com - Photoshop CS2 for the Web
Lynda.com - Adobe Photoshop CS
Lynda.com - Power Shortcuts for Adobe Photoshop CS

[darktiger]

Even though I use CS2, you might want to look into Paint Shop Pro X. It is not a bad program, and it is fairly easy to use....Or Elements is another good and easy program...

[evil4blue]

Originally Posted by Clint_Smith

I bought my first version of Photoshop in college and was able to pick up the ed version for under $300...now I just buy the upgrades which generally run about $150

I second this. This is exactly how I got my first version (5, I think), and over the last 3 years I was in grad school and bought the updates cheap too. Unfortunately I graduated so no more discount...wait, did I say unfortunately I graduated, this photography thing is rotting my brain.

[bear1962]

I saw an ad for a download version for $69.

Here's one for $79.
http://firstpickstore.com/aps9.html

I downloaded it, burned it on a disk and it all works.

[jtford]

Originally Posted by bear1962

I saw an ad for a download version for $69.

Here's one for $79.
http://firstpickstore.com/aps9.html

I downloaded it, burned it on a disk and it all works.

The only "download version" is the tryout version, available only from Adobe. Adobe also manages the transfer of lecenses themselves. This is a pirate shop, and your copy is illegal.

[bbailey]

Originally Posted by jtford

The only "download version" is the tryout version, available only from Adobe. Adobe also manages the transfer of lecenses themselves. This is a pirate shop, and your copy is illegal.

I think adobe has a direct download version you can buy from their website, but you're right, that place is definitely not legit.

[Charloto]

I was overwhelmed by Photoshop CS2 at first too. I had used Illustrator so that helped a bit but really the only thing to do is to just jump right in. You're not going to hurt anyone by hitting the 'wrong' button :) There are tons of easy tutorials and once you learn the basics is smooth sailing from then on. You can do anything from up the contrast on a photo to create a work of art. It's up to you :)