Photoshop CS5 is cost prohibitive.

[g-fi]

There are free alternatives to PS that can do probably anything you need as a hobbyist. GIMP has much of the same functionality as PS and it's FREE! But I 2nd the "find a student and have them buy it" course if you want PS at a decent price. $200 is NOT too much to pay for what is a really great program. If $200 is still out of your price range, definitely go the GIMP route and google Youtube tutorials on how to maximize what you can get out of it, or learn how to use it. If you don't know any students, you can always sign up for a low cost course at a CC and buy it yourself at the student price. There's always hobby classes offered for $35-$50 and that's still ridiculously cheaper than the full price for PS.

Don't pirate. Pirating software is mega lame.

 

[erotavlas]

I used to have the full version of photoshop until my computer crashed and lost everything. I ended up buying a new Wacom Intuos tablet and it came with a free copy of Photoshop Elements 9. After using Elements for a while I now love it, It has most everything Phtoshop CS has and a few extra features CS doesn't have. I was impressed. I never made full use of all the features Photoshop CS had since I'm not a pro editor or phtographer. Plus if there ever was something I needed to do that Elements doesn't I can always search out an open source image processor/editor to do the job (GIMP comes to mind as the previous post suggested - I use it at work sometimes and its great)

 

[Kerbouchard]

Professional Photography is prohibitively expensive for most people.

Many of us have thousands of dollars invested in lenses, thousands invested in flash gear, and thousands invested in multiple camera bodies.

Adobe happens to offer software at all different levels. They even offer free trial periods so you can pick which works best for you and your work flow. CS5 is the professional version. If you are a kit lens kinda photographer, go with Elements, or a lesser version.

Personally, I wouldn't say Photoshop is prohibitively expensive. Sure, it's not cheap, but in the grand scheme of things, it's kind of a drop in the bucket compared to the cost of everything else. In any case, the upgrades are offered at a significant discount, so it's more of a one time cost sort of thing. And yes, it's worth it.

 

[KmH]

You have until 11:59 pdt today to get 30% off CS5 - Adobe

What many seem to miss is that you only have to pay the full retail price once, if you don't qualify for buying in the Adobe Education Store. From that point, including owning a legal Student Edition, you qualify for upgrade pricing which is only $199. Anyone having a legal registered copy of CS2 can get CS5 for just $199, not $699.

Adobe will even give you $100 off if you have registered a copy of Elements 6, 7, or 8.

By the way, most good lenses will cost you more than CS5 does at full retail. Considering the contribution CS5 can make to putting the finishing touches on your photos, it's not all that expensive.

The "find a student and have them buy it" approach is as bad as obtaining a pirated copy. Actually, it's worse, because you involve the student in the fraud.

 

[Kbarredo]

.

So you are pro theft? So, having your camera stolen didn't bother you? Did you just steal a new one?

oh look another assumption made bY bitter. No I didn't steal cs5 or any other one. I just suggested it.

 

[Bitter Jeweler]

.

So you are pro theft? So, having your camera stolen didn't bother you? Did you just steal a new one?

oh look another assumption made bY bitter. No I didn't steal cs5 or any other one. I just suggested it.

You should go workout more.

 

[Kbarredo]

So you are pro theft? So, having your camera stolen didn't bother you? Did you just steal a new one?

oh look another assumption made bY bitter. No I didn't steal cs5 or any other one. I just suggested it.

You should go workout more.

Well by the looks of your picture I think you should work out more.

 

[GooniesNeverSayDie11]

You have until 11:59 pdt today to get 30% off CS5 - Adobe

What many seem to miss is that you only have to pay the full retail price once, if you don't qualify for buying in the Adobe Education Store. From that point, including owning a legal Student Edition, you qualify for upgrade pricing which is only $199. Anyone having a legal registered copy of CS2 can get CS5 for just $199, not $699.

Adobe will even give you $100 off if you have registered a copy of Elements 6, 7, or 8.

By the way, most good lenses will cost you more than CS5 does at full retail. Considering the contribution CS5 can make toputting the finishing touches on your photos, it's not all that expensive.

The "find a student and have them buy it" approach is as bad as obtaining a pirated copy. Actually, it's worse, because you involve the student in the fraud.

It also matters with how far you want to go in your hobby. CS5 has been one of the best photography purchases I have made as a hobbyist. The ability it gives you for polishing your photos is something that you cannot even begin to put a price tag on. I would seriously look into the student copy idea and also upgrading from your elements copy to get a discount on CS5. As long as you take the time required to learn it, you will never be disappointed in it as long as you are still doing photography.