Elements Dilemma?

[tjsgarden]

I'm not sure what to do. I am on a restricted budget. I want to get Elements and I also want to upgrade my scanner.
I can get a CanonScan D1250 U2F scanner with Elements 1.0 included and Richards book for about the same price as Elements 2 by itself.
I use Windows 98 and have a serious interest to learn photo restoration techniques. Would Richard's book and CD combined with Elements 1 and a good scanner be better than getting Elements 2 by itself? (Finances are limited!)
All opinions are appriciated.

John Craig

[pitcher]

PS Elements 2.0

Don't know if this helps.... but Amazon.com is selling Photoshop Elements 2.0 for $37 after $60 in rebates.

Here is the link:
Amazon.com Photoshop Elements 2.0

[tjsgarden]

I appriciate the information. I am aware of the Amazon rebate but it is my understanding that the Adobe $30.00 rebate is only good if you have a previous version of their product. I have photoimpact and PSP but I don't think Adobe will rebate for these programs.

John Craig

[jeaniesa]

Tough call, but I think I'd go with the scanner with Elements 1 and Richard's book. Getting a good scan is the first step in any restoration. You might want to read this thread about the differences between Elements 1 & 2.

The one caveat here is that I'm not familiar with Elements since I do all my work in Photoshop 7, but I think you will be happier with a good scanner than the additional features in Elements 2 if your goal is photo restoration.

Jeanie

[tjsgarden]

Thanks for suggestions!

This is just an update to thank everyone for their suggestions. I got PSE2 and have ordered a couple books to ease the learning curve for using the software. I have the elements book by Mikkel Aaland and am anxiously waiting for the book by Richard Lynch to arrive by mail.
A new scanner is still in the back of my mind but the old Visioneer is still adequate.

John/tjsgarden

[Richard_Lynch]

John,

what are you using the scanner for, and what is it you might hope to gain from getting another? Perhaps a little discussion can help you determine if you really need one or not.

[tjsgarden]

Richard,
I have attempted to restore a few family photos using a Visioneer OneTouch 5300. All of the photos were black and white. The scans turned out really good but the scanner interface allows very little adjustment prior to scanning. I am wanting a relatively inexpensive scanner that allows more optional user settings prior to scanning. The only settings I can adjust is dpi and "quality".

John/tjsgarden