Mac OS X

Photoshop: The King of Image Editors

By EAN ⋅ August 13, 2007 ⋅  Email this Post ⋅  Print this Post ⋅ Post a Comment

Developer: Adobe Systems
Version: CS3 (10.0)
Price: $649 or $999
Download Photoshop Here.

Alright, to kick off “Art + Design Week” I figured that a review of the big daddy of image editors would be a fitting place to begin. That’s right, it’s a review of Adobe’s flagship program, Photoshop. This is the big gun in the design world and is always what comes to mind whenever anyone talks about editing images, creating wallpapers, brushing up photos of models, and, well, “Photoshopping” pictures. Yes, it’s name has become so synonymous with editing images that it has become a verb and a noun.

But we already know exactly how world renowned Photoshop is. It’s the standard by which all other image editors are judged - but is it really all that good? Yes, yes it is. I will even venture to say that it has no equal in the image editing world. Pretty bold statement, but yeah, Photoshop really deserves it. There is no program that can compete with the huge array of options that Photoshop packs in - and that list is growing by the release.

However, if you’ve read some of my previous reviews, you have probably gathered that I’m not a fan of a program that has a laundry list of features. You may ask: “Why do you like Photoshop so much when it does far too many things?” The answer is: because each and every one of the features in Photoshop is useful, if not required, for a graphic designer, professional photo editor, and anyone else in the art and design profession.

That being said, I don’t even scratch the surface of what Photoshop can do - and I’ve used it quite a bit over the years. As an amateur photographer and hobbyist graphic/web designer, I use maybe half of the stuff that Photoshop can do. I have never used most of the Photoshop filters (aside from simply tinkering with them). About half of the tools remain untouched. The vast majority of brushes and shapes that come stock with the program are completely useless to me. But the point here is that someone, somewhere, does use every single feature in Photoshop - and regularly too.

So we already know that Photoshop has all kinds of crazy components - but there’s more to it than that. Photoshop is easily expandable with downloadable plug-ins. Products like Neat Image, High Dynamic Range Compression, and Icon Builder are just three examples of the countless plug-ins that you can use to extend Photoshop’s already extensive functionality.

Up until this point, I’ve really talked a lot about all of the things that Photoshop can do, but the next question is - is Photoshop useful for everyone? The answer is no. Photoshop packs way too much power in too complicated of a package for the average user. It takes a bible to be able to learn about everything that Photoshop offers - and that’s far too much for the average user. Most people have no reason to use Photoshop for their picture tweaking here and there. If it were cheaper, I would recommend it for everyone, but Photoshop really is a professional tool at a professional price.

Speaking of the price, Photoshop is priced very highly. Yes, it is designed for professionals who can use the program to generate a lot of income for themselves, but the price is so high that it is almost prohibitive for anyone who just wants to use it to edit family photos or the simple garage sale flier from time to time. Hell, I certainly wouldn’t own Photoshop if they didn’t offer an amazing educational discount on various academic websites.

So, all in all, what’s my verdict. If you’re looking to get into the graphic design or photo editing profession - Photoshop is the tool you need. Think of it as an investment and the price won’t seem too high. If you are a college student who has even the slightest interest in amateur design and photography, take advantage of the student discount before you graduate and buy Photoshop while you can get it at a low price. Everyone else, stick with cheaper programs like Photoshop Elements, iPhoto or go with free options like the GIMP [review] and Picasa [review].

I highly recommend that you do give the 30-day trial a go.

Try Photoshop for Yourself.

- Eric Norton