Bfore I subscribe !

[BrianZero]

Exactly what do subscribers get for for their Dollar ?

Especially UK at $85 versus USA $49 ???????

Is the outlay worth the expense

What is the real benefit of subscribing as opposed to not ??

Senior Citizen writing so need to be careful [Very] with £$£$£$£$

NOT trying to be provocative...

[mrod]

Hi Brian-

Subscribing gets you 8 printed newsletters a year, a gallery to post your images, and access to the subscriber's area of the web site, which contains well over 100 (maybe over 200 by now) tutorials. Some are in video format and others are in written, step-by-step format.

Hope that helps you decide.

Mike

[Cmcburnett]

Brian, if you want to work with Elements than the forum is the place to be. I wish that when I first bought the first version of Elements that I had known about the forum. The subscriber area offers online videos that are formatted in QuickTime that allows you to pause and work on your photo along with the video. There are also several written tutorials that come with the subscriber area that you can print out.

[AngelicKim]

Brian, with all that Mike just described it is well worth subscribing. The videos and the tutorials alone are worth it. The Newsletter 8 times a year is a big plus as is having the gallery to share your work with everyone.

[Wendy]

Hi Brian ...

It is more expensive for us in the UK ... but I do think that it is well worth it :)

For me one of the big pluses is the Subscriber Area ... in there you get around 180 Video tutorials and over 90 written ones. Seeing that the average book only contains maybe 30 tutorials ... well it gives you an idea of the value.

... also its not static you get a new Video tutorials posted most weeks and there are usually a couple of written tutorials a month too ..

Then you get the downloads section, the extras and a Gallery ..

... and the newsletter (which is more like a magazine) 8 times a year .. :)

The two year subscription works out cheaper and you get goodies with it ..

I think that it is well worth the price and great value ..

Wendy :)

[Suzeque4]

I think it's worth it, too.

I'd had PSE for years, but just used it for cropping and the auto quick fix. Just couldn't get the hang of it, even though I bought books, and, oh yeah, have a BS in Computer Science. LOL! Since joining this forum I was prompted to sign up for the on-line Layers class and the on-line Portrait Retouching class. Also spent a lot of time in the subscriber area where the tutorials are and learned a LOT. And if I still don't get it, I can come here and ask.

Worth every penny.

[jimsdigipix]

Hi' Brian Zero and good evening from Edinburgh.
I agree with what you write i.e $85 in th U.k.
I too am of the 'silver surfer' clan and will have my 73 next month!!!
I wonder if there would be any mileage in trying to get this service as a down load ???
I am a member of the I.F.P.O. who operate out of the U.S.A.
last year they started to send their magazine as a download.
We can only live in hope.
regards.
jimB

[EJB]

Hello Brian,
I'm afraid I go against the grain with most people on this site.
I started with a bundled copy of PSE 2 which I only used a little. When I retired last year I decided to purchase, at the normal price, PSE 5.
I will not pay a very high yearly subsription for the privilege of actually using the programme. Plus, of course, you will find that there are very many add-ons that you will be invited to purchase...just for a few Dollars!
Most users seem to have no problems continually paying for many of these services/products but I am certainly not one of them.
Finally I must state quite clearly that I have nothing against this site or anybody on it. Everybody is extremely helpful and friendly and have, and I hope will continue, to help me with all sorts of Elements problems.
The people are quite wonderful but I find the Company and this system to be very distasteful albeit very profitable.

[Wendy]

Hi Ted ...

Ummm ... not quite sure who you mean when you say ...

"I find the Company and this system to be very distasteful albeit very profitable."

Do you mean Adobe or the company who run this site ?

Wendy

[n692bc]

I don't understand what you mean either Ted. I don't see how these people are raking in the bucks at $49/year. Perhaps you mean adobe which is not associated with this site. But adobe doesn't make the plug in's either so I still not sure where you are going with the "I find the Company and this system to be very distasteful albeit very profitable".


I for one have found this site and the subscriber area invaluable in learning elements. Sure you find some help here in the fourms, but if you really want learn elements a subscription is the way to go. Yes it does support this FREE forum, but at the same time it offers you so much more in the videos, tutorials and downloads, not to mention the magazine.

But, if expenses are tight, then just join us on the forums and have fun here. I think the subscripiton is worth it, but everyone is different and has different ideas.

Ross

[kimi_boo]

It really comes down to one thing.....

If you want to learn what the software has to offer and making the most out of your photos then watching the video tutorials are critical.

If you just want to have the software sitting on your computer and you play around a little, then you are going to be fine with just the forum.

I have had Elements for 1 year and if I had not joined, I would still be lost. Instead I am amazed at how much I have learned in such a short amount of time.

[Rusty]

Ted,

Like Kimi, I had Elements for years (started with "1" packaged with a scanner) and upgraded to PSE 3 and finally to PSE 5 last September. At that same time I became a Subscriber.

You can get a lot of help from the Forum --- and that doesn't require subscribing. But, at least in my personal case, I really didn't start understanding what was going on until I had access to the tutorials and videos.

What I don't understand is the HUGE cost difference between the US and the UK. Everything is on-line except the mailed magazine and I can't believe that postage accounts for that much of a difference.

I wonder if our Canadian friends are paying such a difference? Yes, in C$ there is a FX difference but, at the end of the day, what is the US$ cost?

Whether you subscribe or not, you are welcome here.

Rusty

[AngelicKim]

Wow, what a statement. I personally don't agree with you. Like stated Adobe has nothing to do with this site. I think $49 a year is not much for this site to be run with the production of the video and printing of the the newsletter and paying a web host. Granted the site has been down lately alot but that is so they can improve it. Then there are the salaries of the awesome people who keep this site going and the newsletter. Matt has explained this all to us before when the question was asked if the newsletter could be put in a PFD format for download. Yes, I am sure they make a profit but I wouldn't imagine it being much.

I will admit that I am cheap. I don't run out and buy things I want just because I want them. I only pay for things that I think are worth it and this site is one of them. I had PSE3 for over a year and had no idea how to use it. Thanks to this site and it tutorials and videos and of course the forum I know how to use it and have upgraded to v5.

[TonyW]

I wonder if our Canadian friends are paying such a difference? Yes, in C$ there is a FX difference but, at the end of the day, what is the US$ cost?
Rusty

In $US it's $49 in the US, $59 in Canada and $85 everywhere else. That's pretty typical for magazine subscriptions (UK ones in North America typically cost twice what they cost in the UK). I guess it's all relative - is it worth the equivalent of a tank full of gas/petrol or dinner out for two? Absolutely (and that's not far off what those cost in the US, Canada and the UK respectively)

Tony

[Jancy]

I personally had no idea where to start when I got elements bundled with my tablet. Browsed around on this site for about a little while and found everyone here so helpful and knowledgable. When the posts came back explaining what the subscriber area was all about-I decided to join for 2 years. It is absolutely the best site. If it were not for this site-I wouldn't know where to start and understand elements. To me it is money well spent. I feel like this site is a second home and everyone here family. I look forward to checking in here everyday when I get home from work. There is always something new to learn and something fabulous to see!
You will not be disappointed in the least by subscribing. :)
Jancy

[Robyn]

I agree. Apart from the wonderful help received here on the forum, which of course is free thanks to the generosity of forum members, the videos were what got me up and running.

[Cmcburnett]

After all is said and done, I plan on resubscribing when my year subscription ends. The yearly fee in my opinion is not overpriced and I think the subscriber site is very well managed.

[graficalicus]

Many folks learn differently, and have different degrees of interest - as well as economics. A lot of folks love the videos and other stuff that comes with subscribing; others choose to find comparable tutorials and videos and downloads elsewhere by just Googling.

It's really a personal choice - if you want it delivered to your postbox every 6 weeks or so, go for it!

Grab the sample issue for comparison, Google around for PSE tutorials (or PS tutorials, as many will also work in Elements with just a bit of tweaking), and see.

Personally, I like the hunt and the discovery just as much as I like actually accomplishing an effect.

-------------------------------------------------------

(BTW, from the lower right corner of this site's home page - Adobe does have a sizeable stake in this site - they're listed first, for whatever it's worth):
http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f219/graficalicus/sponsors.jpg

[Stringbean]

There is an old saying “You get what you pay for”. In the subscriber area I would say that you get more than you pay for. A big bang for your buck!! :)

[BrianZero]

What a super response
All good points

Nice to have your considered views.
Forum usually well informed - People come across as genuinely trying to help

Thats one reason for considering a subscription

It would be nice if a 'Guest / Taster' option was available .
Limited viewing / truncated tutorial / no download rights for limited period / log-ins to sub. area.

Will probably jump in - but a bit later on

[BonzoDog]

As a UK non-resident might I suggest to my fellow nationals to try some of the books which you can probably get from the library.
It only takes perseverance and an ability to read. There might also be some local classes in Elements or Photoshop.
I have not joined the subscriber section yet but at 85 dollars I would need to see what I am buying and be fairly sure that it was what I needed.

[kayser]

I'm in the U.S., but I first lurked on the forum and learned a lot just from reading others' posts. I also heard about the subscriber tutorials and saw what things people were learning through these tutorials, and that's what convinced me to subscribe.