Is Photoshop more than I need?

[SockMonkey]

Damn, I didn't ask the question completely.
What I mean is are Photoshop's brushes good enough for painting to warrant the cost of it to be used just for that purpose. I can see that the layers feature is well worth it, but that doesn't do me alot of good unless the brushes are versatile enough.

[leigh]

Considering that you can make your own brushes in Photoshop, I have no problem whatsoever with Photoshop's brush toolset or its capabilities.

I've used Photoshop for years to do textures and have never felt limited or frustrated with it - in fact, I absolutely love it! I also use ZBrush and BodyPaint for texture work, but Photoshop is my main tool for that task.

If you need any more convincing, then why not download a demo and try it out? Also remember that there is a stripped down, cheaper version of Photoshop called Photoshop Elements that you may want to check out (although I have never used it myself so I don't know what features are missing).

[SockMonkey]

Thank you. :)
Yeah, I read through the Photoshop sections in your book, but not knowing Photoshop...
In any event, I get the idea.
I learned Painter quite a while ago, and I had to force myself to learn Deep Paint 3D, which, fortunately, I took to right away.
However, learning LightWave has become akin to a full-time job for me and I don't know if I'm up to learning something as complex as Photoshop at the moment.
I was told that there was no Photoshop demo, and never bothered to look inti it. Yeah, I'm a dumbass. ;)
So I'll check into it, and see if I can find any good beginner's tutorials on using the brushes and the layers.
I know that PS has a lot of features, and I'm sure I'd find a use for them. My thinking has been flawed in that I was thinking about IMAGE EDITING in terms of post-work, not considering I might want those tools as part of the process of creating textures. Like I said, I'm a ..well, you get the point, I'm sure.
When I bought my Wacom tablet, it came with a free version of Elements, which I tried, but wasn't particularly impressed with. I don't remember the specifics, but I do remember thinking that Painter had nothing to worry about.
I saw that the Office Depot in my sleepy little town has the latest Photoshop full edition, and it's not that far out of my reach, price-wise, so, maybe I'll just go and get it.
I was thinking, it probably would be in my best interest to learn how to use it, regardless.
Once again, thank you for your reply. :)

[dbates]

You could try the GIMP. It's not as functional as PS, but it's better than Elements (not to mention free).

[maruchan]

I can compare GIMP and PS for ya real quick:

Photoshop:

Pros:
-Industry standard
-Even has features pros don't understand
-Box can be worn on a chain around your neck as a status symbol
-Graphic Designers will temporarily forgive the fact that you aren't using a Mac

Cons:
-Costly, and those *&@# upgrades make it sound like you will die if you don't buy them
-Won't run on your Linux system when XP blue-screens
-GIMP users will constantly try to show you you made a poor purchasing decision
-GIMP users will be right, 80% of the time

Gimp:

Pros:
-No cost
-Truly multi-platform
-Open Source
-Lots of handy texturing features

Cons:
-Layout is different from PS
-Doesn't have every PS feature
-N00bs will laugh at you
-HR won't know what the heck it is when they peruse your resume
-May or may not sport an ugly splash screen, depending on the version

[SockMonkey]

"-Box can be worn on a chain around your neck as a status symbol"

Well, I already have my LightWave box there. Of course, it's starting to smell kind of bad (I wish they'd hurry up and release LW 9).

I'm all for the idea of open source software. I only wish that Microsoft felt that way.

Thanks for the info! :)

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