Photo Editing Software

[couriers]

I am about to pick up some good photo editing software and would like some input before I actually spend my money. It seems that the 3 top choices are Adobe Photoshop 7, Jasc Paint Shop Pro 8 and Corel CorelDraw 11. A person that I work with is willing to sell me Photoshop 6 and CorelDraw 10 since he will be upgrading to the newer versions soon. Would it be best to get these 2 for $100 or spend the same amount to get the latest version of Paint Shop Pro? Is it worth getting both pieces of software or will one pretty much make the other useless? I am somewhat familiar with what Photoshop can do but I don’t know anything about CorelDraw. I also know that Photoshop is considered to be a step above Paint Shop Pro but would that hold true for an older Photoshop vs a newer Paint Shop?

Considering the value of getting Photoshop 6 at such a low price it seems to make sense to go that route but I am curious what the more experienced photo editors have to offer as helpful advice.

Thanks.

[dbacks]

I'd go with Photoshop myself. That's pretty advanced stuff if you know how to use it. Problem is, though, is that takes a rather long time to get good at. I know a professional, commercial photographer that uses Photoshop as his one and only photo-editing software. He and I are both currently using version 7.0, and if you can get it for a pretty good price, I'd take it.

[Le Grande Orange]

Photoshop 6 is very good, but be aware that if you do use a lot of text with your photos it's a pain to work with. The text gets rasterized after you type it, so if you need to do frequent size or type changes it gets annoying very quickly. Photoshop 7 doesn't have this problem as all type is finally treated as vectors, meaning you can change it or rewrite it without having to redo it all.

CorelDraw is a graphics suite, meaning with it you get: CorelDraw, for drawing vector graphics; Corel Photo-Paint, for digital photo editing, a whole bunch of various smaller utilities that do a variety of useful things, and a ton of fonts and clip art images. As I understand it, Photo-Paint is just as good as Photoshop, but I've never used it myself as I'm totally used to Photoshop.

Anyway, I'd say if you are getting both Photoshop 6 AND CorelDraw 10 for just $100, you'd be getting A LOT of great software for a very good price.

[StorminZ]

If you can get both Photoshop 6 AND CorelDraw 10 for $100, GO FOR IT!!!!! While they are not the latest versions, these two will give you far more tools than that latest PSP. PSP 8 is good, actually, very good, but it cannot compete with Adobe and Corel. Many people I know still use Photoshop 6 and CorelPhotopaint 10 ... I'm one of them!

Yes, that's a steel of a deal!

[couriers]

Thanks for the advice and the information on what to expect from both pieces of software. After reading the responses I immediately picked up the phone and secured the deal. I'll be picking them up tomorrow and am very anxious to see exactly what they have to offer. I have been working with PSP 7 demo for the past 3 weeks and my free trial period is almost over. I'll have a lot to learn but this is turning more and more into a personal hobby for me that it should be exciting. Thanks again.

[EagleEye_0]

Keep in mind that I was able to pick Paint Shop 7 for $29 with a rebate a while ago. If you can find a deal like that I would go for it. PSP is very good and pretty simple. Photoshop can definitely be a lot better, but if you know how to use it.

So, if you want a more casual program which is pretty simple go with PSP. If you want the most powerful go with Photoshop

[Draft Dodger]

also worth pointing out that (assuming this is a legal copy of Photoshop 6) you can upgrade to 7 for $140. I'm still using 6 though, and it works fine for what I'm using it for.

Photoshop is definitely the way to go - there's a learning curve, but it's a good skill to be learning.

[couriers]

I have become somewhat comfortable with PSP 7 and would love to get it for as low as 30 bucks. I'll have to keep my eye out for that if the Photoshop doesn't work well for me. The deal has been confirmed though and I would hate to change my mind at this point.

DD, both pieces of software are legal copies and the idea of upgrading down the road is definitely on my mind. Right now the money is limited so it would have to wait for a while. The main reason that he is willing to sell them to me for so cheap is that he is upgrading his and is looking to get a bit of a break on the cost.

[couriers]

Well, after thinking a bit harder on the legality issue it dawned on me that if he plans on upgrading to the newest versions then he should not be able to legally sell me the previous versions. If this is the case then I will turn the deal down. O'well, it seemed too good to be true anyhow.

[austinm56]

i have added 2 links here, 1 where u can get PSP7 for free, not a trial, complete version for free, 4-ever. the other link is for a small photo editor.
Not nearly the options of PSP, but iff all u need to do is resize, change format, sharpen, etc... its great.

IrfanView

PSP7

[Shub]

uhhh, in my experiences, any site that lets you download software for free that isn't freeware or shareware, and is loaded with porn, is definitely a warez site. That site is not legal...

[Draft Dodger]

Originally posted by couriers
Well, after thinking a bit harder on the legality issue it dawned on me that if he plans on upgrading to the newest versions then he should not be able to legally sell me the previous versions. If this is the case then I will turn the deal down. O'well, it seemed too good to be true anyhow.

well, yes that's true. of course, I would still do it, but that's just me talking.

"After purchasing an upgrade, is it legal to sell or give away my old version?
No, you cannot sell or give away a previous version and continue using the new version after purchasing an upgrade. However, you may transfer all your rights to use the software to another person, provided that you turn over all copies, updates, and prior versions. For more information see Adobe's document on transferring ownership."

transfering licenses

[scoobz0202]

I use JASC Paint Shop 7. Works good. I would try my hand at Photoshop but I still suck with Paint so that is a bad idea

[EagleEye_0]

This is the best price I have found now for PSP

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg...tware&n=507846

Also you can get a good deal for PSP 8 here as well. You can only get $20 off PSP 8 since you wouldnt be upgrading

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg...503753-2680043

[couriers]

It did turn out that he was going to upgrade his versions so it would be illegal for him to sell them to me. Thanks for the link to the Amazon special. I'll have to pick up a copy of PSP7 at such a good price.

[EagleEye_0]

Glad I could help

[Goody]

I don't recommend PSP7 because it doesn't have as dynamic of a text tool. The text warping abilities are one of the main things you need for doing logos and baseball graphics.

[Shub]

I would agree about the dynamicness (is that a word?) of text being better in Photoshop, but if you know how to use PSP7 good enough, you can actually do some neat things that are comparable to Photoshop text. I use PSP7 every day, and when I need some good 3d text I just use a couple of shareware programs that are out there to do it if I can't get what I want from PS.

[couriers]

What shareware programs do you use for extra text Shub?

I do agree about the text aspect though. It is rather obvious that the text that some use is much better than the stuff that I can come up with PSP. This very well could have to do with me not being that much of an expert at it yet.

A lot of my logos will either have no text or very basic text at the most. In some extreme cases I have altered the text from other images to read what I want it to say. For instance, on my Hooligans logo the text was altered from another logo that didn't even have half of the letters necessary. The same was true with my Rutgers Edge logo where the Edge came from the letters in Rutgers with the "d" being made from bits and pieces. Talk about a pain in the arse.

[Shub]

I can't really remember the names of the two I use (they're on my cpu at home) but I got them from cnet.com, take a look at their downloads section, they have a lot of different programs out there. I have found a ton of great freeware and shareware programs out there for a rare occasion when I need a little something extra.

I very rarely use any 3d text in my logos, just because if you look at all of the logos that are out there for pro sports teams, how many actually use it? Not too many. A lot of the logos are pretty flat. I'm not a big fan of the bevel either. I like mine simple.

If you do go with psp, which I highly recommend, especially for the price, I have some links to some really great psp sites that have tons of tutorials and examples that will show you every trick that you'll need. That's how I learned to use psp, and then you start to realize just how powerful the program is.