New computer... help!
 

I’ve been using the same version of photoshop since I started scrapping digitally! With a new computer, I’m now forced to either do the subscription or buy photoshop elements. Can you please explain to me the difference between elements and what I was able to do with photoshop cs3?? I’m dreading having to relearn how to use it!

I'm not sure about the differences although I do see random comments about things can't be done in PSE that can be done in CC.

Personally I love having the subscription I get all the updates to the software they put out!

PSE is more economical, but has less functionality (but meets the needs of most scrappers). It really just depends on how much flexibility you want and what your budget is. I converted from PSC6 to PSCC a couple years ago and have been really happy with the feature it offers, but [knocks on wood] cost is not a consideration for me. I pay like $10/month and get the latest on a pretty expansive suite of Adobe products. I use PS and LR daily so it's worth it to me. Good luck with your decision!

I don't know what the current version of PSE is like, but when I was looking a few years ago the differences that sold me on PSCS6 over elements were mostly related to actions and styles. On elements you couldn't write your own actions, using purchased styles was more cumbersome, and there were fewer styles available that would work with PSE. I don't know if that would be enough to sway me to PS when the options were a single cost for PSE vs a subscription for PS, but I use multiple styles on every layout and sometimes write actions so that's probably where I'd feel the difference most.

I used PSE5 forever and had to switch to PSE2020 this year. It's fine for my scrapping needs, but I do use PSP for photo editing. Or at least I used to--the new version is weird when I save the files. I guess it all depends on your needs and your budget. Good luck with whatever you decide!

Elements has come a long way, and I would venture to guess that the current PSE is comparable with the full version of Photoshop you were using. I'm an Elements user myself and it does everything I need it to. I'm with you though and I hate having to learn something new. I would like to upgrade my Lightroom program, but just hate the idea of having to re-learn something. My scrapping time is limited and I hate spending it on something like that.

Like others have said, Elements has come a long way. There are still some things it can't do that I love being able to do, so I wanted PS CC...but it's such a personal choice, and Adobe is great about enhancing Elements with previous PS tools. For example, Elements 2020 has automatic skin smoothing and Object Removal. (I love object removal.) Here's a breakdown from Adobe's site of the new features in Elements 2020.