Photoshop or PSE?

I started way back with PSE 5 I think it was, used PSE 6, 11 then 15 over the years. Decided to try Photoshop CC for a bit then decided for what I want PSE was just fine so went back to PSE 15 which I'm currently using. I must admit I don't do double page spreads but I imagine that RAM and things like that would play more of a part in how you would find PSE or Photoshop CC working for you. If I was you I'd do a trial for 30 days and see whether PSE would work for your needs.

 

I have only used photoshope over the years and never elements so I am not a big help! but I do love my photoshope

 

Hi there @CEDARHIL i'm an iceage photoshopper as well but i've tried a few other programs and and looked at the basics of them for the blog earlier this year -there's a ton of program alternatives since back in the PS iceage (which for me is cough, cough 2005) and more than a few Affinity people here which is another 'no ongoing subscription costs' alternative. https://the-lilypad.com/so-you-want-to-start-digital-scrapbooking-devices-programs/

- PSE should be more than adequate for what you want (the set-up is a little different but moving to any new program, that will be the case) but depending on what your current version of PS is/was before your new computer and how elaborate your scrapping style is (like a million element layers & shadow tweaking versus more photo based or pocket cards etc), moving to (free) GIMP might work just as well - I made a layout with screenshots and how to's here https://the-lilypad.com/so-you-want...tep-by-step-in-gimp-with-a-layered-quickpage/

Photopea also has promise ( it's free and online/web based - I haven't blogged my experiences with that yet but i had some import issues that were a real roadblock when I started with a template so if you are predominantly a template based scrapper, that may require learning some workarounds or just frequently resizing scrapbook kit papers and elements as it seemed to default to just dragging everything in at 24% size, but if you start from scratch (no template) it was working fine - and the reason I haven't blogged it is I was getting other Pollys to troubleshoot issues with me and my results weren't always consistent with what they were finding and I wasn't sure if my more limited internet (in Australia) was part of the issue or it was a RAM thing (we ruled RAM as not the main issue but couldn't really come to an answer even with googling, my resizing issues were not universal nor addressed by the team over there that seems to be their customer support)

So my basic answer, in a round about way, would be to give some of the alternatives a go before deciding too, especially with a new computer. (If you're using Capture One I'm going to presume you aren't new to photography and shoot RAW and knew to get a system that supports heavy graphics use so have sufficient RAM). If you have any more specific questions, reply here or tag me @bellbird and i'll try to help (I wouldn't usually say this but don't comment or ask questions in the comments section on the blog posts directly, to make sure i see them, please use the forum here - cheers)

 

so i had to google this - from what i'm reading about PSE (from 2020 to 2022 Q's and reviews), it doesn't, or only in a limited capacity - using a plug-in, you can import RAW 16 bit files to process but they're converted to 8 Bit if i'm reading and processing everything right then you run your edits, filters or whatever, you can save a 16bit psd file but only 8 bit jpeg - if you are using Capture One and doing your processing in that, it may not be an issue you need to worry about - not sure that really helps and i can't say it's an issue i think about and I'm not familiar with their plug-ins so I can't come to a definitive conclusion or answer here, sorry.

 

(also i believe @keepscrappin uses PSE so let me tag her for a more informed opinion - Kayla, can you weigh in and add anything, please and thanks?)

 

@CEDARHIL - I have been scrapping with PSE for over 18 years (currently using PSE 2022) and it's been great! PSE doesn't have everything PSCC does, but for the most part it meets most scrappers needs.

Your best bet would be to do a free 30-day trial of PSE 2024 like Jennifer suggested, to see if the program meets your needs.

https://www.adobe.com/products/photoshop-elements/free-trial.html

Once you've installed the program, make sure you go into the editor of PSE and select EXPERT (ETA: is now called ADVANCED in newer versions) along the top of the screen, so you can scrap like you did with PS. There are guided edits and Adobe's website/tutorial shows them, but for 99.9% of the time, I scrap in the Editor in Expert mode.

I learned how to use PSE from a course by scrapper's guide, now called digital scrapper. There are many free videos on youtube that can help you learn PSE too.

And our designer, Cheryl of Fiddle-dee-dee Designs, has some older videos that show some things in PSE too here. I especially like Cheryl's videos on how to make the layers panel stationary and how to make shadows on a separate layer in PSE. She also has a video for using the photobin which is only in PSE and also a video with tips for making double page layouts and several others that you'll find helpful. Even though she is using PSE11, the interface is similar and the videos should help you get a good feel for the program.

PSE does support 16-bit and camera raw. You can edit your photos in camera raw by selecting file > open in camera raw > select photo. Along the bottom you can change the depth to 16 bits/channel.

Adobe also has a $9.99/month photography plan that includes lightroom and photoshop CC. It's a little tricky to find, so I linked it here for you. You won't be charged until after your free 7-day trial.

Hope that helps you decide what you want to do!

 

Hope you were able to get a program to scrap with so you can join us for iNSD.

 

Kiss