[Shelley_c]

I really do like having these debates with you every several years about your love for corel/jasc products. To be honest, I haven't followed their products in a number of years and they have come along way since the jasc days but you always seem to revert back to explaining about tubes/plugins etc... If I wanted to render some tubes I would load up 3ds and construct/render tubes which would surpass anything that these programs can render, More wire framing/points and superior rending capabilities. As for plugins, I've never used plugins, plugins are for lazy people who want a one click solution in creating a specific affect, when infact it can be achieved using multiple blending modes/using other features to get a far better desireable more realistic affect. Sure, it takes a lot more time... but you learn from it, and mostly you learn how to create designs by using multiple tools and features instead of the one click solution.

Example: You see all these sig/tube creators post their creations and what have they learned? nothing. They have only learned how to create a tube/signature by clicking 2-3 times and voila job done. Nothing learned.

I always noticed to have always been anti photoshop (for reasons unknown) but without posting the pros of the industry standands (adobe) features and strengths your comments are biased and suggestions a tad flawed. Like I have said 3-4 times to you liz, every program has it's own strengths and weaknesses, that's a fact. Mostly, (and I've always stated this) a program is only as good as the person that uses it. It's what the person behind the wheel feels most comfortable with to get that desired result.

Like I stated. This one click solution you have praised in promoting plugins/tube creation is very much a flawed selling point if at the end of the day the person using the program is not going to learn. By learning the tools of the trade, you know beforehand what features and tools you are going to use before the design is even on paper and when you have got to this stage plugins are a thing of the past and most people will never ever use them. So, If you would like to use (plugins/filters etc) for that one click solution then go right ahead, you willnot learn from it.

Anyway, just my 2 cents factual piece so that the original poster keeps an open mind and makes the correct purchase. If you hunt around on ebay you can pick up adobe photoshop prity cheap. Try going for cs2.