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Son Loves Photoshop


Corvallis Cooke

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My son is enrolled in a digital imaging course and loves Photoshop CS5. I want to give him a version of Photoshop for Christmas, but don't want to pay for Photoshop CS5. Is elements 11 comparable for home use?

PSE 11 is a fantastic program for hobbyists, but if he's serious about digital imaging, it might not fit his needs. Photoshop CS6 is the current photoshop program. Unfortunately it is really pricey. As a student he can get a greatly discounted version. Another, less pricey option is to get a 90 day subscription for the cloud version. Hope that helps. You're a very thoughtful mom.

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I have Photoshop Elements 4 and 9 (presently own 11, which I haven't yet installed)

I have CS3.

 

CS3 was fun to play with, but in reality - unless you are a professional photographer - it's overkill for the casual user. I digital scrapbook and I can create all I want to do with Elements.

 

Unless your son wants to create actions, and wants 100 options for each function rather than dozens, there is no need to spring for the high priced CS.

 

If he has CS already, there may be upgrades to his CS that are available at a lower price - you go thru Adobe's website to get the upgrades - upgrades available depend upon the version he already has. Same holds true for Elements, however, I have found good bargains at Sam's Club or at Costco - which were comparable to the upgrade pricing.

 

So, I guess my short answer to your questions is - Elements is an excellent program. CS is overkill for the general user.

 

Of course, he can start out with Elements and move on to CS if it turns out he wants to move onto the professional level. Those of us who are "Adobe Junkies" are never satisfied with the current version - always looking for the upgrade to "play with" - however, spending our hard earned cash for the upgrade is what holds most of us back. LOL

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I suspect they'll be teaching techniques for the Photoshop rather than PSE in the class. I found that the school bookstores of the larger universities my girls attended had a better price than the Adobe student store. If you choose the subscription (cloud) option there are student discounts for that as well.

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hi there, as a designer of 25 years and growing (!) I would highly recommend he gets the student version of CS6 so that he will be up to date on the latest and greatest and this will give him a huge advantage during his course and then when he needs to find a design job. there are great ideas here on how to access the student discount, all you need is proof that he is a student which is easy as he is already enrolled in a course. good luck to your son

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