shoddy programs?

[Cohen]

hey everybody, i'm looking for some answers about graphic art programs. A couple years back when i bought my wacom, it came with corel painter essentials 2 and adobe photoshop elements.

I understand these are kind of like the incompetent little brothers of their respective programs. I'm really starting to get into the digital painting scene, so do i need to go out and buy updated software? i also have to keep in mind that i don't really have thousands of dollars to spend on these things.

[BadGeometry]

Well, if you're a student, you can get usually get heavily discounted prices for Photoshop or other visual arts programs.

But if you absolutely can't afford anything, there are some very decent free programs similar to Photoshop or Painter out there. GIMP is one of the better known ones. Though I'm sure there are others that you can probably find.

Then again, not like I'm implying anything here or anything, but you can do a lot with a high speed internet connection.

Just sayin'.

[Elwell]

Essentials and Elements aren't shoddy, they're just limited. You can download free trials of both PSCS3 and Painter X to play around with and see how they compare, and whether you need them or can get by with what you have.