For hobby photographers, choosing the right version of a Photoshop suite can be a daunting task, so in order to make the decision a little easier to make we will discuss the two available suites in this article.

As stated, users can choose from two separate suites, which are Photoshop CS and Photoshop Elements.Contrary to popular belief, Elements is not a trimmed down version of the real thing, it is a standalone photo editing suite built separately from Photoshop CS and is intended as an alternative, not as a light version.

This being said, selecting the right software for photo editing will depend mostly on for what purpose you are editing the photos.

Photoshop Elements: The benefits

The current version of Elements is version 8 and is a more basic editor than Photoshop CS. This often makes the available tools easier to use but also limits the tasks to basic operations. All the obvious functions are there, like removal of red eye effects from pictures, applying tints etc., so if basic photo editing is the goal, Elements should be all you require and more.

On the other hand, Elements contains other features that could make for a decisive factor in deciding which suite to choose over other editors, like integration with Adobes online Photoshop apps, that will allow users to edit images remotely and Elements comes with a generous 2GB of storage for your images. Elements also comes with an excellent organizer for your images, which certainly will be a feature many hobby photographers will like.

Photoshop CS: The Benefits

Photoshop CS may be a more advanced editing suite and therefore have a longer learning curve, but a user that persists will learn the skills and with it gain the ability to do complex editing on the images to a point where all other photo editors will fall short. On the other hand CS is the most expensive suite compared to Elements, so whether or not it is worth it will depend on what you will be using it for.

By learning how to properly use Photoshop CS a user will acquire skills that can benefit them in a career in this area, so for photographers looking for a way to turn pro, CS may be the only way to go, as it adds skills to your repertoire.

Learning those skills can be a quick process or as long as you want it to be, as there will be courses, tutorials and how to articles everywhere you turn. A simple search on Google, YouTube or your average article directory will spawn hundreds of pages filled with learning material about how to use the features of Photoshop. Users can decide to master the basics or become an expert in that chosen field. The possibilities are almost as endless as the functions in the software itself.

Overall, the reason for editing and the price of the suite will ultimately be the decisive factor on deciding which suite is the best option for you, hopefully the above will have contributed into making the decision a little easier.
M.A.H.

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