I am returning for the third time to try to make a decision about which Painter software to buy for my daughter, a college grad photographer who has not yet used Painter. I bought her the Intuos3 pad which comes with Essentials 3, etc. I thought, from reading I did here a couple of days ago, that Painter IX would be the right thing. I was thinking of a couple of the books on IX also. But price wize, IX.5 seems more easily found ($130) and then there is X. Help, I want the easiest entry into all of this for her but there are so many choices.
Thank you.

I started a new thread with your question to attract more "eyes."

re: I want the easiest entry into all of this
When it comes to Painter make no mistake: There is no easy entry. It is a very, very feature rich and, therefore, complex program to learn and use.

In addition to the software, training is a must. No way to learn to use it by intuition. Look into very high quality, but low cost online offerings at www.EclecticAcademy.com (http://www.EclecticAcademy.com).

Since Painter is 'Essentials on steroids,' what limitations has she found with Essentials?

FWIW: I've used IX, upgraded to IX.5, removed the IX.5 upgrade (it was XXXX). Have X now; fairly stable compared to IX, IX.5. If you determine she needs to move beyond Essentials, I'd recommend X.

Just checked eBay; some very, very good prices on Painter X.

Training here is good too: http://www.lvsonline.com/

Thanks, Danny, for the information. I think the class at lysonline.com will be perfect.

Glad to help... Good luck getting her going in the right direction. She's lucky to have a dad like you.