Which Photoshop?

Errata

Would Photoshop Elements and Premier Elements 10 Bundle be suitable for an entry level learner? It's a heck of a lot cheaper than the 'big' Photoshop software.

movilogo

Use GIMP - it is free and as good as Photoshop.

If your requirement is not very complex, you can use Paint.NET as well.

santer_2

Elements would be better to start with, though paint.net is worth a look

http://www.getpaint.net/

ChiefGrasscutter

The "big" photoshop series is really designed for/suited to professional graphic designers with a background and training in the field. So it is professional commercial software with commercial prices to match.

Errata

Thanks everyone, very helpful.

InsideInsurance

Elements in recent years have been fairly good - the older versions were too watered down for my tastes.

GIMP and GIMPShop are both powerful tools and can do most of what Photoshop can do but the UI is not as slick as photoshops. A lot will of cause depend on what you are wanting to achieve - just photo editing or actually learning photoshop with a view to getting a job involving it

paddyrg

+1 for GIMP

Rather, try GIMP first - it can do whatever you want (pretty much anything Photoshop can do). If you find it doesn't do what you need (and you have searched for tutorials online and asked here), then think about spending some money. If you find GIMP's interface confusing (layers, masks, etc) then Photoshop is NOT what you want, and go with getpaint.net instead. Photoshop is very powerful, but takes a lot more learning than 99.5% of home users will ever need or want (at a price to match that).

Pinkypants

^^^^^^^ 100% agree, learn gimp and then decide if you want photoshop later.