Adobe Photoshop Elements?

[Comet Hunter]

Looking to start using Photoshop, and looking at the Elements package, which is attractive as its a one cost of 150 and my local tech school offers instructor lead training with the Elements package.

Recommendations on Elements? I am not a pro, and barely be considered an amature, but looking to move past Affinity Photo. most of my use of photoshop with be for touching up my astro photos and the very beginnings of still photography etc with my Nikon.

By the way, (I ended up getting a Nikon D7200 w/a sigma 17-50mm f 2.8 starter and a Rokinon 14mm lens F2.8 for Milkyway shots

Feedback welcome.

• Start with Elements or spring for the full PS package?

Thanks in advance!
Ed

 

[JimFox]

I vote for Photoshop itself. I have used Elements, as I had gotten it a few years ago to put on a small laptop for when I traveled to foreign countries. Photoshop was too large to fit on the limited memory of a small laptop, but Elements fit on it.

So I used it, it is workable. But it obviously misses some of the features, like a lot of it only works on 8 bit images instead of 16bit.

Since you also want to do some Astro editing I would suggest Photoshop. Since it's a monthly subscription try it for a few months and see if you like it.

I kind of feel that going to Elements would just be a lateral move from Affinity. Photoshop CS would be an upgrade.

 

[AlanLichty]

I'm in the same camp as Jim - and also go along with the suggestion to try it for a month or two with the subscription.

 

[Douglas Sherman]

Count me in as suggesting the use of Photoshop CS, Ed. You will learn it quickly.

 

[JimFox]

And Ed, we can help with any questions with Photoshop CS. Some of us have been using Photoshop for years, I have been using it for about 40 years, with graphics art long before digital cameras.

 

[Comet Hunter]

Thanks, Photoshop it is

 

[John Holbrook]

I’ve used Photoshop since its inception in 1990—and it has steadily improved in its features and ease of use. For example, masking has improved to offer “Select Background”and “Select Subject” as features included in recent upgrades. Of course, you’ve read opinions about “Sky Replacement” here in FocalWorld and elsewhere. My recommendation is to try the Photoshop/Lightroom bundle.