InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "PALKIIIAAAAAAAA"

I Met A Man Who Wasn't There (sharizard) wrote in rp_tutorials,
@ 2009-12-14 02:04:00

Entry tags:

images: editing

Photoshop question?
Okay. So I've been using GIMP for about two years now and generally as long as I have high quality photos to work with and with a lot of practice I'm fairly satisfied with the outcome of most everything I make. I never try to make anything terribly fancy with it but I feel like if I had the tools I could do a lot more graphic wise.

So I looked into getting Photoshop a while back and I just checked again tonight and it says that CS4 is $700 unless you're upgrading, where it's $200.

So, my question is, for all those using Photoshop did you really pay $700 for it? If not, how did you get your hands on it?

I guess this could go for PSP too, althought that's only listed as $60 on their wesbite, would users of that program recommend it as comparable to Photoshop?

(Post a new comment)

advertisemyrp
2009-12-14 12:27 pm UTC (link)

I don't find PSP at all comparable to Photoshop. As my for obtaining Photophop, my roommate got it through her school - Illustration major - and installed it for me.

I do know of people who've managed to download it and crackes to generate serial numbers as well, however, to get around paying so much. But the difference in pricing between Photoshop and PSP? Yeah you get what you supposedly pay for. Photoshop blows PSP way out of the water, in my opinion.

(Reply to this) (Thread)

vegas_valentine
2009-12-14 01:14 pm UTC (link)

I agree. The only problem is trying to find a good photoshop to download that doesn't have some sort of virus. I did have a good one, then I deleted it for some reason and the only one I could find was a crappy Photoshop7, which came with the mother of all trojans :<

but i'm not very good at finding things that aren't infected. lol. if you knew where to look, you'd definitely get a good one

(Reply to this) (Parent)

	sharizard 2009-12-16 02:35 am UTC (link)
	Thanks for this! I'm extremely wary of downloading anything I don't know is safe (and I expect cops whenever I DL illegally, no lie) but this was very useful to me! (Reply to this) (Parent)

splott
2009-12-14 02:18 pm UTC (link)

Yeah it's not really all that helpful to download something off the internet. The best way to do it is to borrow cds from someone and get a key generator that will make that xxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxx-xxx a number. I don't know if you can upgrade from a faked one though. I just have PS CS2, my mom got it for work - illustration - and it came with a family pack. I really love CS3 and CS4, they are like sex.

If you've been working in GIMP, PS is more like that tahn PSP, but I know some people that work exclusively in PSP. you just get to learn the program, you know?

(Reply to this) (Thread)

	sharizard 2009-12-16 02:37 am UTC (link)
	I love the CS3/4 comparison there, it really made my day! I thought that would be the case any way about it. Thanks for your info! (Reply to this) (Parent)

	damosel 2009-12-14 05:27 pm UTC (link)
	PSP is excellent. (Reply to this) (Thread)

	sharizard 2009-12-16 02:38 am UTC (link)
	Thank you! I think I'll give it a test drive if I can. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	damosel 2009-12-16 03:45 am UTC (link)
	They used to have a full feature demo available -- I haven't upgraded mine in a while. (Reply to this) (Parent)

	lemniscate 2009-12-14 07:05 pm UTC (link)
	I got a student edition of Photoshop with my laptop when I was in grad school many, many, many moons ago. I update every other edition (I'm current right now but will not update to CS5, just wait for CS6) because that's how long update pricing lasts these days. I shudder to think how much I've spent on PS over the years, but yes, mine is legal. (Reply to this) (Thread)

	sharizard 2009-12-16 02:39 am UTC (link)
	I'm tempted to ask school if they give it to graphics kids, I may just have to switch majors if I can get my hands on it! (Reply to this) (Parent)

t_quibbler
2009-12-14 10:05 pm UTC (link)

I know in the past that people have been able to download a trial copy of the current Photoshop from an Adobe website. The trial expires after a month, at which point you'll need to put in a key code. You can obtain one by purchasing the program legally, or, yes, you can obtain one illegally online. Keygens that are downloaded from P2P sharing programs will often also come with a virus, which might tank your computer or might just sit there dormant. I don't know if trial versions of PSP are offered; I've never used the program as about 95% of the graphic artists I know - professional and hobbyist - all conclude that Photoshop far outstrips PSP. You may want to try both on trial if you're curious about their capabilities, to compare and see what meets your needs. What you likely will not want to do is invest your money in Photoshop Elements. It's a fantastic photo editing program, but is limited to pretty much that, photo editing. If you want change the general color of a photo, get rid of red eye, etc., it'll work just fine; if you're looking to do more sophisticated things, you need a more sophisticated program.

Also consider if you're going to one day want to do more with your graphics; Adobe offers a wide range of excellent other programs, In Design, Illustrator, Flash, Dreamweaver, and Fireworks, or, all of the above plus Photoshop in the Adobe Creative Suite. To shell out for the entire creative suite is a painful experience, but if you are planning on making money using the software, consider it an investment in your business. :)

Lastly, I would recommend checking out the new features that will be offered in cs5. Some of the verbage might be confusing if you don't already use some form of Photoshop, but you can surely see what they're achieving on the screen, and it's pretty darn neat. Right now, the best estimated release date I've heard is sometime around April/May 2010; if those features really interest you, you may want to hold out until the release, rather than purchase/download CS4 only to upgrade/re-download in five or six months. :D

(Reply to this) (Thread)

	sharizard 2009-12-16 02:44 am UTC (link)
	Thank you so much for this! I would never be able to afford anything w/o saving for months anyway (I make about $65 a week) but I do plan to try both programs if I can to see if going the cheaper route will be better for me or not. I really feel horribly guilty stealing so I'm definitely going to look into it as thoroughly as I can! (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

t_quibbler
2009-12-16 03:05 am UTC (link)

You know, I had a friend who downloaded CS2 less-than-legally, to take her time learning the program, to become really proficient with it, and then once she started using it for income purposes rather than a hobby, bought CS4. I don't know if you would feel less guilty doing this or not, but I (and no, I'm not the law, I imagine they'd have far different things to say on the matter) never faulted her for this. :)

If you have any other questions about the program, let me know! I'm still running on CS2 (plan to upgrade to 5 when it comes out), so I may or may not have some of the CS4 tools, but I'm happy to help when I'm able!

(Reply to this) (Parent)

color_up
2009-12-15 05:19 am UTC (link)

Ok...
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Wacom+-+Bamboo+Craft+Pen+and+Tablet+-+Silver/9468989.p?id=1218110423193&skuId=9468989&st=wacom%20tablet&cp=1&lp=6

This is pretty cool, you get a table,Photoshop Elements, and Corel Painter Essentials. Now these are the cheaper versions of the software and as such don't have all the fancy tools that the full version or CS versions have. Does it really matter? Depends on what you are looking to do. Really I've only noticed the selection tools are a bit more educated and make smoother lines. That and I think you can do more 3D rendering (well do it in general as opposed to not in the cheaper versions). Beyond those two things, I've never noticed much difference. I'm pretty advanced when it comes to Photoshop but I'm also no expert.

To get the free version depends on your computer. If it's a Mac then there is something called cereals which you can basically get any mac software for. Be warned that the one major virus for the Mac was attached to CS5 this way.

There is a site... http://www.serials.ws/index.php .... that lists key gens. Most work. The only downside to the site (to some people at least) is all the side porn ads.

There is also a website ...http://thepiratebay.org/... that has a lot of stuff on it. Look around, love it.

Your journal is Bad Ass so if you need any help just PM me or something.

(Reply to this) (Thread)

	sharizard 2009-12-16 02:46 am UTC (link)
	Thanks so much! I'll be sure to do that! (Reply to this) (Parent)

	fromamerica 2010-01-03 07:47 pm UTC (link)
	Student discounts are the best, find someone with a student ID and you can get the entire package for less than $150 in some places. That is awesome stuff. :B (Reply to this)

	hammertech 2010-03-09 07:16 am UTC (link)
	I got my first copy from a friend. However, if you look through the posts over at ituned you'll eventually find both. (Reply to this) (Thread)

	hammertech 2010-03-09 07:20 am UTC (link)
	http://asylums.insanejournal.com/ituned/3639431.html <- I used these. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	sharizard 2010-03-09 03:58 pm UTC (link)
	Thanks so so much! (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	hammertech 2010-03-09 09:47 pm UTC (link)
	Of course. <3 (Reply to this) (Parent)