For most people, probably not. But for creative professionals such as designers and photographers, yes!
If you are a home user or hobbyist, save your money and go with Photoshop Elements. It has all the features of Photoshop that you are likely to ever need. However, if you are planning to enter the graphic design or photography business, you will need to know industry-standard Photoshop, which offers many more advanced tools and productivity enhancements over Photoshop Elements. Although the price difference (and learning curve) for the full Photoshop program are steep, students can purchase Photoshop at significantly discounted educational prices.
Some of the features in Photoshop CS2 that are not included in Photoshop Elements 5 are:
* CMYK and LAB color modes
* More tools and features that work with high-bit (16-bit and 32-bit) images
* Combine multiple exposures to create high dynamic range (HDR) images
* Channels Palette
* Recording custom Actions (for batch processing)
* Adjustments: Color Balance, Match Color
* Layer Masks, Layer Comps, and Quick Mask mode
* Smart Objects, Smart Guides
* Lens Blur Filter
* Vanishing Point Tool
* Pen tool and paths palette
* Some adjustment layers (curves, color balance, selective color, channel mixer)
* Editing History Log
* Text on a path, advanced text formatting
* Advanced Layer Style manipulation
* Advanced Color Management
* Advanced Web features and ImageReady (rollovers, slicing)
* Customizable tool presets, keyboard shortcuts, and menus
* In the features and tools that are shared, the Photoshop version usually offers more advanced options for fine tuning and control.
Although these features are not natively supported in Photoshop Elements, some of them can be simulated through other tools in Elements (layer masks and quick mask, for example), and some are actually there, but hidden and only accessible through actions created in the full version of Photoshop.
