Is Elements8 > CS2

[Kev M]

It's fair to say that I'm pretty aweful at post processing, never enjoyed and and anything other than levels and curves I've never really understood. So I've decided I really need to get my head around it in the next year if I'm not going to become completely disillusioned.

At the minute I have Lightroom1.4 a demo of Lightroom 2.4 on my laptop (my PC can't handle it), Elements 3 (from back in the day ) and a student copy of CS2 (so no cheap upgrade option.

99% of the tutorials I read are based around the tools in CS4, some of which aren't in CS2 (or if they are they're presented differently and I've not been able to make the link). Now I straight up can't and won't buy CS4 I'd be better off spending the money on glass in my opinion but I'm wondering if Elements 8 is so much better than Elements 3 that is is possible even better than CS2:shrug: Is it worth upgrading to Elements 8 or should I just persevere with CS2?

Cheers,
Kev

 

[swanseamale47]

Elements 8 is going to be miles better than elements 3, but CS2 to CS4 is a different issue, there are big changes between the two but you can pretty much do anything you need in CS2, and most of the changes are improvments to existing tools. I know pros who are happily slogging away with photoshop 7, still doing all the tricky stuff. Yeah ok they havent got vanishing point or focus stacking or content aware scalling, but to be honest those are thing most togs won't use every day anyway, and even then theres work arounds or cheats for most of them.
Personally in your shoes I'd learn CS2 to it's full potential then worry about an upgrade or whatever.

 

[SpikeK6]

I have cs2 and I am complete novice to pp so I have bought a book on how to use cs2(waiting for it to come from USA, very cheap)

I know what you mean about all the discs that come with mags on tutorials for this and tutorials for that, but to be honest i cannot follow any of them as I donot have the know how to change from the cs4 or what ever thay are using to my cs2.

Spike

 

[Craikeybaby]

A lot of the concepts are exactly the same, CSX or ElementsX, is it just the availability of tutorials that you feel is holding you back?

 

[Kev M]

Elements 8 is going to be miles better than elements 3, but CS2 to CS4 is a different issue, there are big changes between the two but you can pretty much do anything you need in CS2, and most of the changes are improvments to existing tools. I know pros who are happily slogging away with photoshop 7, still doing all the tricky stuff. Yeah ok they havent got vanishing point or focus stacking or content aware scalling, but to be honest those are thing most togs won't use every day anyway, and even then theres work arounds or cheats for most of them.
Personally in your shoes I'd learn CS2 to it's full potential then worry about an upgrade or whatever.

You're absolutely right Wayne I should get to grips with what I've got rather than buying more software, I'm just struggling to get to grips with it using tutorials designed for more modern software and you're right that CS2 will still do more than I ever need. You've just stopped me from spending £80 on Elements8.

I have cs2 and I am complete novice to pp so I have bought a book on how to use cs2(waiting for it to come from USA, very cheap)

I know what you mean about all the discs that come with mags on tutorials for this and tutorials for that, but to be honest i cannot follow any of them as I donot have the know how to change from the cs4 or what ever thay are using to my cs2.

Spike

That's exactly the same boat as I'm in.

A lot of the concepts are exactly the same, CSX or ElementsX, is it just the availability of tutorials that you feel is holding you back?

Pretty much mate, I was trying to follow a tutorial in one of the mags for edgy portrait editing which was written for CS4. After doing some research the guy whose style the article is based on has said that they'd edited the steps down to a point which made them very difficult to follow. Even the bits I could follow I had trouble getting the tools to work in the same way as they'd appeared to have changed from CS2-4.