"My true opinion is that the person who can pull the best out of both programs is probably the real winner in the debate." You got that right! I'm coming from the opposite direction: I've learned painter well enough to use it for what it's advertised for, which is digital painting. But then I've seen some amazing pics from people crediting Photoshop, and even on those occasions when they've explained their technique, I've not been able to do the same with Painter. BUT, then again, though Painter has some really cool (although probably little more than "standard") image editing tools, it's strong point is in image creation. I was just wondering if I could have the best of both worlds in one app. But I'm not good enough yet to use PS to it's utmost potential; I understand that a whole lot of PS is fairly subtle, such as it's printing-setup tools, something which I have only the vaguest knowledge in. One day. :)