should I get photoshop?

Anyone use Photoshop? I want to do some decent text/logo effects and corel draw is a bit rubbish. I have corel paint too but I'm not sure it cut's the mustard like Photoshop. Thing is, it seems to be like £400, is this correct!? Is there an older version that's worth getting?

Any advice welcome.

Yeah, Adobe software is pretty expensive. Isn't there a demo version you can try? I get by with my freebie version of Paint Shop Pro, myself.

Before going for Photoshop try Gimp (or Gimpshop) as it's got much of the same function. If you can't get the results you're after you won't have wasted any money.

Yeah I've got it and Adobe Illustrator Versions CS, they are top-notch. The do cost a lot of money and you'd be better off getting GIMP.

Look at Jasc..Now Corel's Paintshop Pro, It has most of the functions of PS but costs under £100.

Version 10 is out now and I use it all the time. The only time I use PS is when I really have to and most of the 3d party PS Plugins work in PSP anyway.

Sooo.... the choice is, as they say yoors :)

CHeers

Garion

Grey,

Pop over to PC World and get Photoshop Elements - that's what I use, it has a lot of functionality of full blown Photoshop but there are no CMYK - so as long as you are not going to do work which need Print Industriy Colour matching you should be fine - its about £60 or there abouts (check on amazon).

IPete2.

Hmm interesting

IPete2: I just thought the "Elements" things were just expansion packs didn't realise they were standalone. Sounds interesting

Garion: I'm using PSP 4.0 shareware on day 670 of 30 day trial :-) more like day 4000 as I keep installing on every new OS I get.

Turns out I had gimp downloaded but no installed. I'll install it and try it soon. Like I said I really want text effects inc outlines, fills, textures, 3D etc, more than the photo editing stuff.

I use CS2 at work (and home). It's ok, but hardly a dream come true for people doing 3D gfx... some essential commands I use often cannot be shortcutted and so on... but I have used it for years and wouldn't want any other 2D soft. "Keep your friends near and enemies closer" or something like that! :)

PhotoShop is handy because there's so many plug-ins for it, like the free Nvidia NormalMap tool - but PSP can use PS plug-ins too, I think... also knowing PS (or PS elements) is a definate bonus if you're ever going to get a job in the industry.

Yay for Windows 3.1 :P

Get a wacom graphire graphics tablet with photoshop elements bundled with it ;)

Personally I have CS, and it does everything I want - I can't actually live without photoshop and my wacom - my graphics would suck :)

1) Adobe has limited time trial versions for most of their products up for download on their site -- that likely includes photoshop
2) There is a somewhat stripped down version called Photoshop Elements, which is significantly cheaper. It is included with a bunch of digital camera's and scanners, or can be bought seperately as well. IIRC, I've seen it around $60 or so
3) Some other alternatives that may suit your needs as well:
- The Gimp / GimpShop (Freeware)
- Paint.net : http://www.eecs.wsu.edu/paint.net/
- Paintshop Pro (commercial)

Photoshop is still the most powerful out of the bunch, but the others may be close enough for your needs.

ok thanks all

Why not try the gimp with the photoshop skin/hack ?

just get the gimp. you'll be very happy after finding out that the gimp can do almost all of what photoshop can.

Ah, isn't the internet wonderful. Where else would you see people using the word 'gimp' so freely and unabashed. :P

like "I love my gimp, its masks and tools are so exciting; in fact I've just got it a new skin and hope to fiddle with it tonight when the kids are in bed".

I tried gimpshop, but there doesn't seem to be layer effects in it. Does most of the rest from what I can see. But I use the layer effects in the layers panel so much I don't see how I could use anything else for 2D editing.

i love photoshop because there are 275,712,128+E tutorials out there for it :)

good point markd.

Grey

Real important.

If you are looking to have this ONLY for text. And you want something close to corel draw.

You want illustrator.

Photoshop is raster.
Illustrator is vector.

Vector is best for text. best for:


Just something to look into... in truth, the 2 programs have a lot of cross over these days. But photoshop is really for photos, and illustrator is for illustration.

I have both. They compliment eachother well, and I enjoy them both very much. I upgraded to a full version of cs on both from a student version of 7. It made for about $500 for the both of them.

Download the free version of Drawplus from the freesofware thread.

Just a thought.

Cheers

Garion

@markd: pretty much all photoshop tutorials can be used with the gimp.

DampeS8N: Great, thanks for that Illustrator tip! Well corel is for vector stuff but it's limited that's all.

Garion: I downloaded draw plus, haven;t tried it yet, but unless it's better than Corel 10, it might not be good enough. I want to make lush font's and logos.

Hi Grey, do yoo have any examples of what yoo are trying to create?

Cheers

Garion

well, hmm, not really it's just I'd like to be able to experiment. Like make a game logo and then fill it really nicely and stick a great outline that's maybe shiny, then add a shadow or poss 3D effect and maybe a lens effect etc etc. Just to get a really lush looking logo that's all.

personally, having used GIMP, I still prefer photoshop.

A lot of magazines are giving away Xara X SE, basically a cut down version of Xara X a program I have used in the past..

I do not know what effects come with it though.

Cheers

garion

Same here -- while there are many very nice programs out there, photoshop still beats them all. Also by far the most pricey option though, so one of the others may be 'good enough' for your needs.

..I'm using Photoshop CS2...I use to think about purchase or not..but now, I'm more than satisfied, and with nVidia normalmap pluging exporter for CS2, and few stuff more, I can say just that Photoshop rules..if money is not issue, get it..