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Ready to move up from PSE 9 what do you recommend?

redplaid3

redplaid3

Just call me Zaley's Grammy!
Joined
Aug 22, 2012
Messages
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I've been having some trouble with my PSE 9 lately. I'm thinking about upgrading. What do you recommend? PSE 13 or whatever number they're on seems weird. You pay monthly or something? I don't like that. Is there just Photoshop and what is CS?
 
I've never really used PSE, so I can't comment on the different versions of that one or what the adjustment curve might be in transitioning to full Photoshop.

CS stands for Creative Suite, which is what all of the Adobe full professional level programs were in the most recent years before they went to the subscription based model. I am using Photoshop from Creative Suite 6 (aka PS CS6), which is the last creative suite version.

Now the professional ones are all subscription-based. This is called "Creative Cloud" (CC). You pay a monthly subscription and always have access to the latest features, instead of waiting to upgrade once you decide there are enough features to make it worth the cost.

The most inexpensive CC subscription includes Photoshop and Lightroom and is $10/month. For a cost comparison, I paid over $200 just to UPGRADE my Photoshop from CS4 to CS6 in 2012, so for the full version, it's a very good deal. It looks like PSE 14 is still the buy-and-install model you're used to and it's selling for about $70, so if you are happy with the functionality there and tend not to upgrade often, that will be a bit less overall.
 
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I'm using PS CS5 and have been for about 6 years. I hope it never quits working because I do NOT want to pay for a subscription for my software. I will probably downgrade to PSE before I do that CC. I just upgrade to Windows 10 and was so scared my Photoshop was going to quit working, but thankfully it still rocking along! :)
 
I'm with Karen. If my CS5 quits, I will go to the latest elements, the subscription kinda freaks me out.

I will say, I thought the jump from Elements to Creative Suite 5 was huge, and I was very intimidated. It was a real push, but now I thrive in it, and enjoy the tutorials and learning from Adobe and Youtube so much.
 
I love CC through adobe with the $10 a month for the PS CC and Lightroom... well worth it. I have had it for over 2 years and it works great. I like that you constantly have the newest version. I still have CS3 and my PSE 11 but will use the 3 only as a back up or for illustrator. I have no complaints and believe me I was like I do not want to "rent" either but I did not want to spend $600 for a version of PS that will need upgrades. at $120 a year it meets my budget.
 
I'm still at PSE 11, but I'm hoping to move to PSE 14 sometime this year.

I also use PSCC, but honestly PSE it's what I gravitate towards time and again when I'm scrapping.
 
I'm using PSE 13. For any of the elements programs you just pay once, no subscription. I've been really happy with it, but it will be a bit different coming from 9. The best is that actions and styles are so much easier to load! If you need help adjusting just ask here!
 
I'm not a fan of subscription software. I'd rather buy it once and use it until I want to upgrade. This past fall I upgraded from PSE 10 to PSE 14 for $40 when Costco had a sale. I've also seen Amazon do deals on PSE too, so if you're not in a hurry to upgrade watch for a sale.

PSE 14 is a little different that what you'd be used to in PSE 9, but you will love how easy it is to install/run actions and styles. Just make sure you're in expert mode and you'll be good to go. There are tons of PSE tutorials online and several people here that are willing to help too. The interface is similar to PSE 11 so if you watch Cheryl's scrap videos you'll catch on quickly.

PSE 14 does plenty for what most scrappers need and with a one time purchase it comes at a significant savings over the subscription software. A new version of PSE is usually released each fall, but you don't have to upgrade each year. Hope that helps.
 
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I'm on PSE11 I moved from 9 because of the ease of installing actions. I was considering 14 but someone said that colour variations had disappeared from the Enhance > Adjust Colour menu and I use colour variations all the time to recolour simple elements.

I don't use PSE at all for organisation or sharing and many enhancements to the upgrades over the past few years seem to have focussed on those side of things. I'm personally happy with PSE11, I can't imagine working without the photobin to have all my elements in to drag up onto the workspace (I don't think you get the photobin in PS).
 
I'm one of the few who LOVE the subscription CC. I pay only $8 a month- as I signed up with a promo code. I previously used PSE12 & while I do still have it- I LOVE CC- there is just SO much more you can do. I too love that I always have the best version- the Glyphs panel alone is worth it to me for $8, and being able to quickly separate styles onto their own layers is something I do for EVERY layer on my pages. I think it's a personal preference & I felt like I was being hindered by PSE12. But like previous poster said, they have made PSE very user friendly & updated a lot of great things since PSE9. Good luck!
 
fruitysuet said:
I'm on PSE11 I moved from 9 because of the ease of installing actions. I was considering 14 but someone said that colour variations had disappeared from the Enhance > Adjust Colour menu and I use colour variations all the time to recolour simple elements.

I don't use PSE at all for organisation or sharing and many enhancements to the upgrades over the past few years seem to have focussed on those side of things. I'm personally happy with PSE11, I can't imagine working without the photobin to have all my elements in to drag up onto the workspace (I don't think you get the photobin in PS).
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The photo bin is the ONLY thing I miss from PSE- but I've quickly gotten used to not having it ;)
 
You can drag from Finder/Explorer right onto your canvas, which isn't that different from dragging from a bin IMO.
 
fruitysuet said:
I'm on PSE11 I moved from 9 because of the ease of installing actions. I was considering 14 but someone said that colour variations had disappeared from the Enhance > Adjust Colour menu and I use colour variations all the time to recolour simple elements.
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This is true. I just checked my 11 to my 14. I've never used color variations, so I hadn't noticed it was missing.

And yep, I upgraded 11 to 14, so it was 3 years between my upgrades. And I got the deal at Costco of $40 which is the major reason I switched.
 
I'm on PSE13 and if I didn't already have Lightroom 5, I would push myself to learn Photoshop in the CC. While I too get my periodic Photoshop upgrades at Costco's excellent price, the cost of Lightroom is never cheap anywhere. I thought I'd lost my copy of my LR software, and I did have the subscription to the CC for 5 months til I found my software. I just cancelled it (even with the penalty charge).

I have all my photos cataloged in LR as well as another catalog for all my digi supplies. I love LR!

@bestcee Have you had any problems with 14? I've heard it's a bit buggy but I know I'll wait for 15, or 16 to consider an upgrade.
 
Karen said:
I'm using PS CS5 and have been for about 6 years. I hope it never quits working because I do NOT want to pay for a subscription for my software. I will probably downgrade to PSE before I do that CC. I just upgrade to Windows 10 and was so scared my Photoshop was going to quit working, but thankfully it still rocking along! :)
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I am the same....CS5 and hoping it keeps going because I have a hard time paying a monthly subscription for it (since I am not one that had to have the newest version, it actually would end up costing me more).
I am glad to hear that it is working with Win10, I have not upgraded to it yet for that specific reason...I was scared it would mess up my CS5.
 
I didn't hurry to switch to the subscription model because I was content with Elements but I wasn't averse to the idea of subscribing. I think sometimes people think it means working in the cloud. No, it just means we download the software and get every little frequent update (but choose when to download it) just like keeping our phone apps updated.

I decided to trial Photoshop last May when I read that Lightroom might become only available via subscription. As a photographer, I use Lightroom on a daily basis. I love the additional capabilities I have with full Photoshop and definitely feel the $9/month is a good value. Before CC became available, I never could have afforded PS.

p.s. I also found a promotional deal (via Clickinmoms) so I'm only paying $7 actually.
 
@cookingmylife the only bugginess I've noticed is that my items don't always pull in on top of the layer I want them to. But it started to do the same in PSE11, so I don't know.

I actually just signed up for CC, so I have been playing with full Photoshop. I still don't like the subscription service from the standpoint of monthly payments, but since I never would have bought Photoshop at the previous price point, it's kinda fun.
 
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