Photoshop vs. Paintshop

[DaphneOracle]

Can someone highlight the significant differences between Paintshop and Photoshop other than $$$. I have never worked with Photoshop but see that it seems to be the preferred program.

Thanks
Bryant

 

[IVARTON]

As a graphic designer by trade Ive never used Paintshop. I do know that so far Photoshop seems to be the industry standard when it comes to photo manipulation. I know this doesnt really help in your comparison search other than that im sure theres probably a ton more resources for photoshop.

 

[ferny]

People tend to use it because the pros do. It gives you much more freedom than PSP. But, you don't need that freedom unless you know what you're doing. PSP will do everything that you want as an amateur and is excellent for editing photos. You'll find that most people who just take photos for fine and have either PS or PSP don't use half of the features either have. PSP is much easier to get into and can be a lot faster because it's more userfriendly, I find.

 

[DaphneOracle]

That's kind of what I thought. I know that even now, when I do anything that is slightly complex, I have to go back to the tutorials and relearn the process. If I was in it everyday that might be different.

But I guess I am wondering if there are any features that PSP is lacking?

 

[etaf]

for a general amateur photographer there are a few editors around

Photoshop – industry standard – expensive

Paintshop pro v9 – and you can find V7 for free

The Gimp also free

Adobe Elements – a cut down and much cheaper version of photoshop and great for photographers

http://photo-editing-software-review.toptenreviews.com/
http://reviews.cnet.com/4540-3633_7-31117695-4.html
http://www.consumersearch.com/www/software/photo_editing_software/fullstory.html
http://www.winplanet.com/file/11598.htm

 

[303villain]

oh man thank you guys for this thread! ive been pondering over this for a LONG time now! i didnt want to fork out the cash for ps cs, but wasnt sure if i could find a comparable program to use! i think after this ill probably go with elements, as its probably going to be sufficient for my use!! ive been tired of the limits of iphoto for the 3 weeks ive had this new computer!

 

[Kenh]

One thing that Paintshop Pro has that Photoshop Elements does not have (as far as I can tell) is a Curves tool. That alone was enough for me to upgrade to PSP9. I have Elements on my computer and almost never open it.

I have also found that alot of the tutorials I see for photoshop can also be translated to PSP with a little thought and understanding of what it is you want to accomplish.

Now, if you are going to be preparing images for commercial print you definitly need to go with Photoshop. PSP lacks the color management tools you would need.

 

[etaf]

I have never used elements - but thought thi smay be interesting
http://www.dpforums.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1584

If you're an Adobe Photoshop Elements user who longs for tools such as Curves to optimize image contrast and the Channel Mixer for black and white conversion, you can now add them for free by downloading the new Earthbound Light effects for Photoshop Elements. Don't let a silly little thing like Adobe not including them in the box stop you from getting the most out of your images!

http://www.earthboundlight.com/
http://www.earthboundlight.com/phototips/photoshop-elements-curves.html