Which Photoshop?

[Brian Turner]

Okay, that's interesting - went to order Photoshop for graphics development, only to find there's a ton of different products available from Adobe.

Photoshop-specific products seem centred on:

Adobe Photoshop CS3
Adobe Photoshop CS3 Extended

We've already got Ulead 11 in for basic video editing, so is the extended CS3 really going to deliver any potential benefits?

Or is Ulead 11 likely to have the extra features charged for in Photoshop CS3 Extended?

[Joff]

Go for the cheapest - if it's still available, get CS2 as it's unlikely you'll see any benefit if you're just starting out.

[tamecrow]

We use 7.0 here and that seems to do everything we need it for.

[Brian Turner]

Is that Adobe Photoshop Elements, by any chance?

[tamecrow]

I don't think so, no.

[Brian Turner]

GEEZ - what's all this about?

Buy Photoshop CS3 Extended from Adobe, stating I'm from the US, it costs me $999 - approx £500.

But if I state I'm from the UK, I get charged over £800!!!

What gives with the extra £300??

[Eagle]

That'll be 'mug tax'. Happens everywhere.

I'd just get hold of an old copy of Photoshop 7. That's all I use.

[Brian Turner]

Not sure where, though?

Just looked at Photoshop CS3 on Amazon.com, and the reviews suggest it's buggy and doesn't allow for compatibility from earlier programs. As I'm looking to use the internet as a source for tutorials, I figure that's important.

However, when I checked out the reviews for Photoshop CS2 on Amazon, one suggested I'd need a lot of RAM to work with it - at least 1GB, preferably 2GB RAM. That's a warning flag, because it would be installed on my girlfriend's PC, and that's a 512MB machine.

So while I'm ready to make a purchasing decision, I have no idea what to purchase now.

My main interest is to produce those nice mirror reflected logos and rounded two-tone buttons you see on a lot of Web 2.0 or aspiring Web 2.0 websites. I don't suppose that effect is available in Photoshop Elements?

[Eagle]

Originally Posted by Brian Turner

Not sure where, though?

Have you had a shufty on eBay?

Just looked at Photoshop CS3 on Amazon.com, and the reviews suggest it's buggy and doesn't allow for compatibility from earlier programs. As I'm looking to use the internet as a source for tutorials, I figure that's important.

Most tutorials, unless they are specific to CS3 / 2 should be pretty generic for all versions.

However, when I checked out the reviews for Photoshop CS2 on Amazon, one suggested I'd need a lot of RAM to work with it - at least 1GB, preferably 2GB RAM. That's a warning flag, because it would be installed on my girlfriend's PC, and that's a 512MB machine.

I wouldn't recommend running any image editor on less than 1Gb RAM.

My main interest is to produce those nice mirror reflected logos and rounded two-tone buttons you see on a lot of Web 2.0 or aspiring Web 2.0 websites.

With a little practice, you can do that on any image editor. Why not use the Gimp? It's free and does most things Photoshop can do.

I don't suppose that effect is available in Photoshop Elements?

Possibly, but unlikely I would think.

Go Gimp!... There's no need to blow hundreds of quids if you're not using it professionally - www.gimp.org.

[Brian Turner]

Need the tutorials, though.