Are there real alternatives to Photoshop?

[navaja77]

Oh, and for me, as far as photo editing, I don't do extensive photo editing - mostly I do color correction, curves adjustment, w/b adjustments, some cloning/healing and that's about it. I try to get my photos as accurate as possible straight out of the camera (SOOC) so that I don't do much editing.

If anyone is interested, I have photos that I have done editing using GIMP and Darktable. I don't do much editing on the photos that I scrap (mostly to make sure it prints right meaning w/b and curves adjustments and make sure skin color is accurate). For my photos (that I share on my photography forum), I post process more than I normally would.

 

[Sarah8914]

I used PSE4, 6, 7& 8 and when we got an offer to get PSCS 5 for $199 my Hubby bought it for me and I love it. I don't really want to go back to PSE and I don't want to pay a monthly subscription either. Plus I really don't want to try something else.

Does PSE11 allow you to play with the darkness/lightness levels or do you only have the auto buttons? I really like being able to fix my own pictures, rather than have them "automatically" adjusted?

I think I only have PSE 8 and you can adjust the levels yourself!

 

[LJSDesigns]

So, does PSP not do styles at all, or can you just not use PS styles with it? That program sounds like a possibility, but I would definitely want to be able to save some of my own shadow styles since I use them all the time.

You can not use PS styles with PSP. As a scrapper, PSP does all I need it to. I would like the ability to use styles for when I am dabbling with designing, not regular scrapping. I have no complaints with it for regular scrapping.

I've been using PSP from the beginning and have purchased PSE in the past thinking I should switch, but it was not better, so I went back to my PSP. In fact not being able to control my shadows the way I wanted made PSE worse for me. I was given a copy of Photoshop CS2 as a gift a few years back and have not done anything with it because I have been intimidated and do not want to relearn everything.

Some times I feel like an odd duck using PSP in a Photoshop world, but it works and I could afford it, so I am a content odd duck.

 

[LJSDesigns]

That' s awesome Lorie! I think it's great that you have those skills in your back pocket

Thanks Maria. It is usually trial and error, but when I finally get it right it is sweet!

 

[JuliaM]

Some times I feel like an odd duck using PSP in a Photoshop world, but it works and I could afford it, so I am a content odd duck.

I wouldn't say your an odd duck...or I'm one as well. I've used PSP for more years than I'd care to think about. I recently bought a copy of the lastest version of PSE thinking I'd give it a try. I didn't find it any better than using PSP and, in fact, found it frustrating because things I could do so easily in PSP I had to really think about and hunt for in PSE. I've gone back to PSP for all my scrapping and only use PSE for a few actions that I have. I'm debating, right now, if I want to upgrade from PSP X4 to PSP X5.

 

[Stacey42]

There are various actions/styles/scripts for PSP that do what various PS styles do. It depends on what you want to do. I have a script that gives a plastic look & some that do shadows on dark or light backgrounds (but then I created my own so I use them). They are harder to find but people do sell PSP scripts.

 

[LJSDesigns]

There are various actions/styles/scripts for PSP that do what various PS styles do. It depends on what you want to do. I have a script that gives a plastic look & some that do shadows on dark or light backgrounds (but then I created my own so I use them). They are harder to find but people do sell PSP scripts.

I will have to search some out. Do you have a good resource? I have been writing my own scripts lately, but have a ways to go before I consider them good.

Julia, I love PSP, I must or I would use the PSE and CS2 I have, but it still is not represented well in the digi scrapbooking world as far as tutorials and "add-ons" are concerned. I sincerely wish there were more digi scrapping resources for it. But it is a good program and one I would recommend to anyone who asks.

 

[MissKim]

I've used PSE since 2 or 3, I think. I have 9 now and I do edit my RAW files using it. I also have the RadLab plug in and honestly, I can't see where there's anything in Photoshop that I can't do in PSE. I do have some plug-ins that allow me to put layer styles in a separate layer but I rarely use them. I think if you're motivated, you can figure out how to do almost everything in PSE. I really enjoy PSE and can't see why I need to spend $500 more.

 

[DawnMarch]

I am a little leery now of getting invested in another Adobe product since I really don't trust them at this point. I assume that PSE is similar to PS and I know it isn't too expensive so it still might be worth giving it a try in the end. We'll see.

 

[PeggyC]

Dawn, I also now leery what Adobe might do down the road. That said my heart is broken as I have used Photoshop since PS4. Right now I'm trying to decide whether to quick upgrade to CS6 or just prepare myself for a huge learning curve into a new program as I will not pay the $20 per month subscription fee. Another issue here is my old computer. Its 8 or 9 years old and I was also thinking of getting a new one. My brother and I built the last one and we will build my next one. Some many ways to spend my $$ and oh, so little $$ !!

 

[origami]

I am a little leery now of getting invested in another Adobe product since I really don't trust them at this point. I assume that PSE is similar to PS and I know it isn't too expensive so it still might be worth giving it a try in the end. We'll see.

Are you currently using Photoshop CS5 or 6? I imagine that those will both continue to work for at least a few more years. I think there are probably people still using CS3.

Meanwhile, I think that media has been moving toward this for quite some time. People buy their music as mp3s, their books for Kindle, and apps on the iPad with no box. True, you can use all these things forever with a perpetual license, but it's just no surprise that companies don't want to deal with the expense of marketing a physical product anymore.

 

[newfiemountiewife]

I've honestly never understood why scrappers would invest in the professional editions of Photoshop to begin with. I think it's a crazy amount of money to spend to make layouts when PSE does nearly everything you need it to for a fraction of the price. Is text on a path or shadows on a separate layer really worth $500 more? I dunno.

I also wondered this. I have the Creative Suite 5, with Photoshop, Dreamweaver, Illustrator, etc, because I need it for web design and what not. But otherwise PSE would be more than adequate I would think.

I have no idea what I'm going to do. My problem is that I am planning to upgrade to a MAC, and then I will have to buy new software anyway. So I assume that I'll be stuck with CC? I don't know.

 

[rach3975]

My problem is that I am planning to upgrade to a MAC, and then I will have to buy new software anyway. So I assume that I'll be stuck with CC? I don't know.

I think that depends on your timeline. Adobe and other sites are still selling the boxes of CS6 that they have, but presumably there won't be more available when these are gone. Apparently the link to buy CS6 is very hard to find on Adobe's site, but it's there. Someone well known in the photography/PS community blogged about it recently and shared the link...I think it was Scott Kelby. I'll need a new computer in a year or two and was considering a Mac (though it will depend on prices when I'm ready to buy), but if things continue as they are with Adobe and PS I'd probably hold off on switching until CS6 was too old to work on even a PC.

 

[PeggyC]

Jamie, I noted a lot of people have stated they have already bought CS5 or CS6 and plan on using the software until their computer crashes or a new computer will no longer support the program. But that doesn't really resolve the problem, only puts it off into the future. If you are definitely upgrading to a Mac, you could go ahead and purchase CS6 now and store it on a thumb drive until you are ready for it. I've considered doing this.

 

[Andrea G]

I've been using CS3 since it came out (before that I was on PSE3-PSE7ish or PSE8). Now, I'm going to get CS6 and hope it never breaks. I ::need:: Bridge. I just love it.

I do wonder if someone will beef up their program to be an even better competitor then they currently are since Adobe is going to loose some of their users.

I ::get:: the subscription theory, but it just bugs me that if you stop paying you have a Rent-to-Lose situation - nothing to show for what you paid rent for 2 years or whatever length of time you used.

I also wonder if Adobe will keep increasing their prices every year. Not like the users will have any recourse - they will be completely at the mercy of Adobe. I'm not a fan of being dependent on an industry giant that has no limits or reason to protect their end user.

Just my 2 cents.