photoshop elements 9 vs paint shop photo pro 11?

[Urchin]

Whats the difference? My wife has a DSLR Canon, and I'm thinking about messing around with skinning possibly.

Is one of these better than the other? 

Does Photoshop Elements have everything I'd need to do skins? I know 'regular' photoshop is like $600 and there is no way I'm shelling out that kind of money...

[Greebo]

I doubt there are many who have used both programs to be able to offer a comparative opinion.

All you really need for skinning from any graphics program is the ability to handle layers, i.e. not Microsoft Paint. Both Paint Shop Pro and Photoshop Elements can do this and so should have no problem working with AH skins. Its more important that you understand how to use all your program's features than which one you use.

Personally I use a ten year old copy of Paint Shop Pro, which does me fine. The later versions just add digital photography tools which I don't need, although it sounds like you probably do.

[VonMessa]

What Greebo said.   

Plus, I will add that most Adobe products are fantastic, but do not seem to be geared for the "casual" user.  By that I mean, someone not formally trained in photo editing and seem to be a bit pricier, especially if you are not using it to make a living.  The PSP products always seemed a bit more user friendly and are quite capable of doing some nice photo editing work.

[Stoney]

Urchin, you can always use GIMP.  It has pretty much the same capability as Photoshop, but is free.  I've been using it for going on 5 years now, and I've never had a problem with it.