I personally use CS5 but used PSE for the first several years of scrapping. It was easy to use and most tutorials are written with PS software in mind. So it made it easier for me to use new tricks too. Upgraded last year but it was because I was doing more than just scrapbooking with my software and needed the extras. PSE is affordable and easy......I would highly recommend that for anyone wanting to scrap and do photo edits.