Photoshop

[sambrody44]

No they do, I downloaded it for Mac... Can't figure it out though...

 

[Call_me_Tom]

Because I work so much with Photoshop (PS) I downloaded a plug in for GIMP that made GIMP look, work and function similarly to PS. But after receiving CS3 I haven't touched GIMP in a very long time...I'm eluding to the fact that I no longer remember what that plug in is called.

The best that I can suggest is reinstalling the software.

 

[ericande]

ugh. why do so many people lump lightroom in the same category as photoshop.. its not the same, it doesnt do the same things (yes it does some, but not most) lightroom just does color edits.. nothing else...

it drives me crazy when people put them in the same category... lightroom is a photo organizing application.. you store photos and can do batch edits, and color edits.. its a great app for anyone who takes a lot of pictures (i.e. at a wedding) because even once you have the photos imported, theres is a whole labeling system you can use (for rejects and picks and so on)

the question should never be lightroom or photoshop (as it wasnt in the OP's post) the reason it shouldnt be, is because they are 2 different programs... I use both photoshop and lightroom (CS3)

But as for which version of cs3.. they all kinda do the same things.. .there are a few changes in the newer ones, but if you can get away with a cheaper one, do.. I have the CS3 design suite, because it didnt cost me a penny..

ugh, why do some people not realize the power of lightroom? When lightroom 2 came out it added a ton of localized adjustment possibilities. I have and use CS3 all the time but for a self-proclaimed "beginner who doesn't really know what he's doing" I would avoid Photoshop for now. 95% of the photos you see could have been created in lightroom and it's much easier to learn to use and manipulate your photos. 9/10, new photographers will get better results with lightroom than photoshop.

To the OP, if you want to use CS and not lightroom, CS is fine, you don't need CS3.

 

[roadkill]

I can't imagine needing to do anything in post that CS3 couldn't acomplish.

 

[Ptyler22]

No they do, I downloaded it for Mac... Can't figure it out though...

Ya I did that too, I have no idea what's up with it but I can't get it to work

I say since you will be learning, you may find you want to do different things you can't do with light room or elements. And a lot of people say its expensive, and it really is but what they also say is just start with elements or light room for now. But if you just start with photoshop you will never out grow it and you won't have to pay for one of the cheaper ones and then pay for photoshop later down the road, I say go for photoshop. But you can also go to adobe and download a 30 day free trial of all of them, and see which one you like best, which is what I recommend doing. This way you can get used to the programs and see what things you need and which you don't. Good Luck Oh one other thing. If you do the free trials and photoshop scares you, there are lots and lots of tutorials online to show you, plus if you just mess around and see what does what, you will learn it pretty quick.

 

[Bifurcator]

I can get CS for free. Would I be satisfied and be able to follow most guides, say in Digital Photo magazine, with CS3 being the new standard?

If you can register it Adobe's upgrade plan is very very sweet. Upgrading from ANY version to the latest version is the same low price! :thumbup:
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The newest Mac version of Gimp is pretty nice on 10.5.5. It should open up X11 automatically and then open a dialog showing the data files it's opening and finally the executables. Then an interface like:

should open up without the flower window of course.
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The difference between PS and LR are massive. Totally different markets. PS is a superset that includes LR functionality. LR is a wisely assembled subset of PS functions specifically for photography. If you do much more than photography with your machine AND you take allot of pictures then LR and other systems that copy or "import" your images into a "library" suck pretty hard IMO. This includes Aperture, and LightRoom. Systems that will allow you to edit without having to "import" are much more beneficial and usable IMO. this includes CaptureOne, Raw Developer, Pixelmator, and of course the ultimate combination of PhotoShop+Bridge. If there's a convenient way to directly edit in LR without importing I haven't found it. The whole idea of having to import an image prior to editing it just sucks hugh nuggets IMHO - so while LR 2.x is pretty slick and powerful it's just not for me. CaptureOne on th other hand is more powerful, faster, more robust, produces superior results, and doesn't require you to import first.