Adobe Photoshop CS3

I have CS3, but I also have Elements 6 and Lightroom 2. I would say that for the majority of photographers Elements more than does everything they will need (especially when you can get free plug-ins to do layer masks etc). Of course there are other differences and if you are the type of person who enjoys the digital manipulation side of things and you are willing to explore the programme in depth, then CS3 may be worth the money. Personally I would say that a combination of Lightroom and Elements may well be much better value for a large proportion of people. Then you could put the other £300 towards gear which would get a loy more use.

(Written by: MikeTheTog)

I upgraded from Elements 4 to CS3, I found the user interface to be intuitive and easy to navigate. I find CS3 to be fun to use and packed with more features than I could ever need for my purposes, there are however some extremely usefull tools which Elements lacked, the most noteable being layer masks and curves, those of you uncertain about upgrading, don't be, its a great piece of software and i'm sure you will love it, I do.

(Written by: Dave Parry)

My first copy of Photoshop was version 6, I upgraded to CS then to CS3. CS3 loads faster than any of the previous versions. The new features available in CS3 are just fantastic. Black and white Adjustment layer Choice of tools for making selections is vastly improved. The quick selection tool does what it says on the package, and along with the refine edges feature works both quickly and accurately. Adobe Camera Raw converter is vastly improved. It allows you to adjust the luminance of individual colours, fantastic. ACR also allows you to manipulate a jpeg fantastic. Setting ACR to open as a Smart Object saves a lot of time in allowing you to "tweak" the settings at any time during your workflow fantastic. Photoshop in general has a steep learning curve but once you know the basics the new features in CS3 saves a lot of time during your workflow. One word for this progamme,Fantastic.

(Written by: carrhighlander)

I dont know why it hasnt received 5 stars from everyone!! Its a fantastic tool for any photographer. Im not going to go in to all the details beacuse most people know about them. After a few years of using the program and knowing all the tools...I dont know how i would live without it..especially the raw facilities.

(Written by: carlskinner)

A wonderful program with a simply huge learning curve. Thank goodness the magazines continue to show me how to use it! The smart objects addition has changed the way I work. I also like Camera Raw to convert my RAW files. I've tried a few others, but always come back to Adobe. It's a lot of money, but worth it if you sit at the computer whenever you're not out taking photos.

(Written by: Julia_E)

Ok so it is expensive, but as they say you get what you pay for. Whilst i only use it to manipulate digital photographs i know it is capable of so much more. Is there anything it cant do with a picture. I use the MAC version and have found it stable, fast and reliable. It has never crashed when i have been using it. A powerful tool with infinite flexibility. Highly Recommended.

(Written by: mrsparks)

Having made a leap from Elements 2 to CS3 (albeit I am fortunate enought to qualify for the student edition - which is hugely subsidized) it is difficult not to say wow! This is quite an extraordinary programme which, even with the assistance of a couple of very good books, I am only glimpsing at the moment. The Adobe Bridge interface and Camera Raw make workflow a less haphazard process (I now shoot everything in RAW and it will handle JPEG as well), with simple interfaces and clear instructions. The difficulty is akin to being in a sweetie shop - what do you choose to enjoy without over-indulging and making yourself sick! I suspect I will never use all of its power and performance, being a keen amateur, although it offers a lot of discovery and enjoyment to come. Only thing is, you tend to spend far too long in front of a computer, which is a bit sad! Nevertheless, it has helped me to visualize and adjust my images to where I originally wanted them; it isn't a replacement for good camera craft - but it can really make a huge difference.

(Written by: wjames)

Forgive the pun in the title, but as mentioned in an earlier review, this is one expensive piece of software, that a holiday to the Florida everglades may be more appealing. However, how on earth can you criticise its simplicity, complexity and so many worthwhile features. I got a chance to use the software recently and felt that it wasn't worth the upgrade price from my CS2, but if you are a newcomer to the Photoshop series, it has all the bells and whistles that you need. I probably still don't use the aforementioned 30% of its capabilities, but its learning curve allows you to gather the basics before moving onto bigger and better things. Having used Paint Shop Pro and several other pieces of imaging software, Photoshop CS3 is head and shoulders above almost anything else you will find on the market. Think long and hard about whether you actually need its full capabilities before you make the purchase, elements will do the trick for most people, but if you are a good learner, a really keen editor and have an eye for a finished product, then this is the one for you

(Written by: Flick)

There's no doubt as to the power and versatility of Photoshop CS3 - it is, after all, the industry standard. The big question is, is it worth the asking price to a photographer? At £562 it's expensive - that money would buy a decent entry-level DSLR and lens kit - add to that the fact that the average amateur photographer would probably, at most, use only 30% of the power and features of CS3 (remember it's target market is graphic designers and imaging professionals); so as an outright purchase, for an amateur photographer I would say that Elements would be a far more cost-effective solution. On the other hand, if you already own Photoshop 7.0, CS or CS2, then the price for an upgrade to CS3 is a far more attractive £163. So ... is the upgrade worthwhile? In my opinion, if you have Photoshop 7.0, then yes, definitely - if you have CS, then possibly and if you have CS2, then probably not - better to wait for CS4. Bear in mind that substantial discounts are available for students.

(Written by: HangTen)