Question Adobe Photoshop CS2 or CS3 (or PS Elements 5)

STLMach1

Greetings everyone,

I am currently using PS Elements 2 and would very much like to upgrade to a more sophisticated version of PS. Unfortunately, I don't know a great deal about any of the versions of PS outside of the version I have now.

Are there any recommendations folks could give for one version versus the other? After looking on Amazon, C2 seems much more affordable than CS3 but are its advantages significant enough to warrant the additional $400???

Another question might be, as I'm in no way a professional, would Elements 5 provide enough functionality to be a viable alternative? I know that question likely depends on what I want from the software. Still being a PS newbie I can't very well answer that question as I am not yet fully aware of the capabilities of PS.

I know I do want something better apt at doing curves though. (Still have to research whether or not PS E5 can do this.) I did find a curves plug-in for PS E2 but I don't know that it's quite as sophisticated as a version already equipped to do curves.

Sorry for the long read and thanks for any input you might be able to provide.

Many thanks,
Michael

DavidTO

Any one of those will be a big step up. PSE5 being so cheap, I would try that first. Could keep you busy for quite a while.

Gary Petersen

I use CS3 and have had Photoshop since CS was the current version. In your case however I'd opt for Elements 5 considering the price then later on it really doesn't hurt much (and only once) to upgrade to Photoshop if you really feel you need the ultimate. Full blown photoshop has a steep learning curve and most people don't come close to using 50% of it's capabilities.