Photoshop Elements or CS4??

[kd2]

A friend who is a beginning photographer asked me the difference between Photoshop Elements and CS4. I have CS3, but am not at all familiar with the features of PS Elements, so I can't explain the difference.

She's hoping to become professional, but is just starting out. So would it be better for her to start with Elements and upgrade or just jump in and start learning CS4? What doesn't Elements have that CS3 or 4 offers?

[W.W. Webster]

She's hoping to become professional, but is just starting out. For a beginner, though with 'professional' aspirations, is Lightroom another option to consider? :dunno

This could be possibly augmented with Photoshop at some time much later in the future. :nod

[DonRicklin]

For a beginner, though with 'professional' aspirations, is Lightroom another option to consider? :dunno

This could be possibly augmented with Photoshop at some time much later in the future. :nodI'm with W.W.W. on this one. Take a look at Lightroom. Thirty day trial and lots of help to beginners.

Don

[dogwood]

I believe CS4 has a 30-day trial too. But... that said, for a beginner, CS4 is like driving a Porsche in rush hour traffic-- a bit of overkill. That doesn't mean CS4 isn't a fantastic program, it just means it has so many awesome features it might be a little bit much for basic image editing. Most professional photographers (me included) barely scratch the surface of all the cool stuff in CS4. :D