Lately I've been finding a lot of tutorials using the full version of Photoshop and I've been wondering if its worth the upgrade.
YES! Of course I started on PS and never used Elements until much later, but I couldn't imagine not being able to tweak my shadows like I do. Also, I LOVE text paths, can't scrap without 'em. Do you have a kid in school? You can get the educational version that way (that's what I did) and it's much more reasonable!
I'm actually in school right now, I'm a nurse going back for my BSN. I didn't even think about the discount.
Yes. It's awesome. I LOVE CS6! If you get the educational discount it may also be worth looking into the extended version. You can do really cool 3D stuff, shadows, etc., and there's no upgrade from regular CS6 to Extended. I regret now that I didn't spend the extra $ when I bought PS.
Absolutely worth it. I agree about the educational discount. You can get a full version of PS6 and also get illustrator, acrobat, etc... I paid 200 for it. I also bought lightroom at the same time for just about 100. Its the best money I've spent. I'm not working on campus anymore, but I hope to take some classes soon and if I do, I'll be buying the next version. I have CS5.... I got it about 3 months before CS6 came out (I didn't know!!)... so I am itching to upgrade.
I used PSE for about 5 years until the shadowing and text in a path/shape started feeling limiting. Up until that point I was fine. I told myself when it wouldn't do what I needed it to anymore THEN I would upgrade. That's the advice I would give you.
I used Elements for 2 weeks before I upgraded to PS CS2.....that was years ago. I have owned CS2, CS4 and upgrades last year to CS6! It's worth every penny!!!!
Yes! I started out with Elements and when I started using the full version I was so blown away. I'm still on CS5 and don't feel an urgent need to upgrade yet. Go for it...you'll love it!
Btw, there's a free trial you can download and use for 30 days to see if you think it's worth it. I've also heard that a lot of folks are moving to the Creative Cloud, where you pay a monthly fee for use of all of the latest version adobe products. I'm a bit wary of that, because it strikes me as expensive and you don't have any software that's YOURS (so if you stop paying, you have no programs), but if you are the kind of person who upgrades all the time, likes having the latest version and/or needs more than just Photoshop, it might be worth it.
I'm a stick in the mud. I'm still using PSE8 for just about all my pages, even tho I have PS3; I have started making text paths, etc on it, but haven't done a whole lot else with it yet.
upgrading the CS was totally freaky and hard and stressful to learn, so I totally understand that... I was in tears for about a month trying to figure everything out to make it comfortable... and I had to literally uninstall PSE because I knew if it was available, I'd use it LOL... so I totally understand this!!!
totally...I NEVER used elements and started with CS so I am glad I stuck with it and just "learned" totally get the educational discount!
IT IS worth the upgade, but (and this is going to make me look bad) I admit PSE is easier for the basic building of your layout. I learned how to use the basic features of CS6 and switched to it for a few weeks. Then I just got lazy. Now I build my page in PSE and then open it in CS to play with shadowing and any advanced features. Eventually I might see if there is a way to change the setting in CS to do a few of the things I really like about PSE.
After doing a little research I ended up subscribing to the Adobe Creative Cloud because with the educational discount it's being offered for $20/month right now. I couldn't pass it up when you get access to everything in CS6 and things like Lightroom Illustrator. Now I just need to learn how to use it.
