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I've looked through the forum for this one and no doubt it has been "done" before.
I've just ended a 30 day trial on PS CS2 and now have installed a 30 day trial with Elements.
I know I have not even scratched the surface with CS2 so I'm curious as to what I, as a relative newcomer to digital editing will loose, if I go for Elements long term.
You will not loose about £450-00, The diffrence between the two.
Elements although slightly diffrent is a very cut down version of Photoshop CS/2, you will learn a great deal from Elements and most of the time it's more than enough for someone fairly new to digital and digital software.
If some years down the line you want to take things further then Photoshop CS 1 2 or 3 is probably the way to go, By this time you should have mastered Elements and the transition will be less of a Nightmare.
And if yer shrewd you will have saved up the pennies to buy the Full PS/CS version.
Quote: mymemory has Elements 4 for just over £17. You can buy some nice lenses with what you save.
Spot on Ken, Elements 4 at that price is a gift.
I use CS2 myself but what with the price and a learning Curve that almost vertical at the start, I wish I had started on something like Elements, but back when PC's had valves I started with Photoshop LE ( probably and old Elements then ) Anyhow 6 years down the line and I can say that I have become familiar with CS2, But it has been a long haul.
I'm not saying Elements is easy, But there is a lot more help built into the program, that should get you going without to much outside help.
Vince
There are loads of plug-ins for elements to keep you going.
Earthbound Light
Grants Tools
I have also just found a curves adjustment filter that seems to be quite good, I have not installed it yet though so am not sure. Smartcurve.
...and Elements 4 has just been ordered! For £17??? That'll do me nicely! 
Quote: ...and Elements 4 has just been ordered!
Nice one Glen, You will not regret it.
While your waiting for it to arrive check out Adobes site for the latest Adode RAW file for it ( It's the same one as CS2, as you may need it to read the NEF files from your D50 )
When you do get it there is a simple instruction on how to load it into the Elements program folder.
As usual if you get stuck you kow here to come.
Vince
photoshop LE is much cheaper than the full version and would give you all you need as an amateur, i was using elements2 and have just upgraded to elements4 since it came with my graphics tablet christmas pressie 
, otherwise i would have been quite happy with elements2.
Does Elements have a "curves" function? Just interested to know...
Miles
Not until you get to v.5 I think. Unless you are a snap shooter with no desire to do better things then you need v.5 so that the editor doesn't limit you. Curves and Adjustment layers [not just layers and masks] are essential everyday tools unless you want to bash your images with brightness and contrast tools. and 'quick-fix' buttons.
The editor is just as important part as the camera, perhaps more so.
Quote: Does Elements have a "curves" function? Just interested to know...
I believe there are a couple of free plugins available to download from Adobe that provide Curves and Layers (??). Not sure which exactly but they do add some popular Photoshop functionality. Perhaps someone else could confirm this for you Miles..??
You could also give Adobe Photoshop Lightroom a try.
Can trial the Beta 4.1 for free with version 1 due out in Februaury 2007 ( Strong indications from Adobe ).
It has a "curves" function - probably not as advanced as CS2 / 3 but much better than Elements 5 and much much more.
Version 1, when it arrives, will be
Quote: Leaps and Bounds ( quote from Jeff Schewe )
better than than B 4.1 with some excellent new features e.g. spot healing for dust removal and better DAM functionality e.g. keywording searches.
It will cost more than Elements and less than both Photoshop and probably Apple's Aperture ( approx £220 )
Vince you are damned good at this - you are now starting to answer my next question before I've even asked about it!!! (ie. the RAW/NEF support).
Cheers buddy - your help is always appreciated.
Quote: It has a "curves" function - probably not as advanced as CS2 / 3
The curves in Lightroom is far more advanced than CS/CS2 - and CS3 incorporates a lot of Lightroom's functionality when it comes to RAW file processing.
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