Both perfectly accurate, guys. I've been using Photoshop since version 3 in 1996 [Photoshop v1 was 1990] and I can't tell you how much I've spent in upgrade fees over the years, but then I don't consider myself an amateur. I want to do serious stuff on the most modern computer equipment and, sooner or later, a static version of the software gets bypassed by the hardware: you get a new tablet that is only supported by the newest version or your new 128K computer won't run a 32K program or some such incompatibility will popup. Might be in five years or six years or whenever, and then, when you MUST have your Photoshop to do your job, you'll still have to subscribe to whatever the Cloud version is or hope that the freeware has caught up enough to suit your needs. Five years at $10 a month would have been $600 for all the latest bells, whistles and free upgrades and more power than you'll ever need. If you're an amateur, you'll never justify it. If you're a pro and you use the program daily, it's pretty easy to justify it. You write it off as a business expense: $120 per year - you could easily spend more than that per MONTH cable TV or on coffee and definitely DO spend more than that on tobacco if you smoke. Yeah, I'd rather own it, but I'm not getting all upset about this change. I'm getting frequent updates and improvements and, with the whole Creative Cloud I've got access to every program that Adobe makes - something I could never afford before.
Do I LOVE Adobe? No, not really. Would I go back to the old system? I'd really have to think hard about that. At a $400 to $500 upgrade price every couple of years for my "must have" programs [Photoshop, InDesign, Dreamweaver, Acrobat, Lightroom], it's really a toss up. Maybe the new Photoshop versions weren't so dramatic in their upgrades, but the new technology they introduced always seemed to fit right into my work flow and my creative projects so that I really, REALLY wanted them. Just the "Content Aware" fit/scale/healing technologies have redefined what I'm capable of creating and how long it takes to create it.
Sure, owning is better. But that ship has sailed unless you want a static Photoshop program. After my initial gut reaction of "OWNING IS BETTER, DAMN IT!", I settled down and realized that as long as the software was on my computer and not "in the cloud", I could live with it. Not happy, but not actively antagonistic either. My cost isn't that much different and I believe that I am getting some added benefit for my extra $$$. So it's a wash, I believe. I also treat it as a tax-deductible business expense. Your evaluation might be very different if you aren't able to write it off as such.
I've played with the freeware, narf, and you're right, they do a lot of things that people playing around with photos and comic pages need to do. If that's ALL you want or need to do, DO NOT consider Photoshop. Even with all the stress I put on the program, I still only use about 10% of its power. It is a massively overpowered program that is intended for professional of almost every graphic stripe and meant to satisfy their most stringent needs. For example: KaineZ suggests that Lightroom is a better option for digital camera enthusiasts than Photoshop. Well, Photoshop contains as just one teeny portion of its code, something called Camera Raw, which is, for all intents and purposes, Lightroom, and also has a less featured photo file handler called Bridge, and a smaller version of THAT called mini-Bridge. So, yes, if you don't want to be distracted by the 99% of Photoshop that ISN'T devoted to handling your digital photos, use Lightroom. It's MUCH less confusing and much better option, just as the freeware photopaint programs will probably be for most users.
This is all moot since the $10/mo deadline is long past, but the misapprehension about what Photoshop is and isn't seems to linger. It's a really powerful tool for high-end users or for people with really specific high-end project needs that only the right tools can perform. There's a learning curve for most tasks and dozens of ways to accomplish anything. Finding the good ones, and then the best ones is most gratifying. Makes it all worthwhile.
Peace, Jim (|:{>
