Hi Folks! Deciding between Painter and Photoshop (dismissing for the moment current MetaC issues) also involves deciding the ultimate path for your 3D graphic endeavors. As a desktop publisher, multimedia producer (including animation), and emerging web page designer, most of my images are designed for commercial or proprietary purposes (hence, why none have been seen here yet). Photoshop is great for me because I can use its tools so well with many other applications, especially those from Adobe. I've had a lot of success creating patterns in PageMaker (!), importing and processing them in Photoshop, and then exporting them to Poser and Infini-D as texture maps! Currently I'm experimenting with backgrounds and patterns that I edit in Photoshop and then animate using Premiere and/or After Effects. However, I have begun to take a liking to the Painter3D application that's bundled with the Poser4 CD. And its natural brushes seem to complement Photoshop's tools very nicely. All that being said, I'd like to suggest to you what I tell my students frequently:use the tools that work best for you. And if you can find a way to be eligible for the academic discounts that are available to teachers and students thru many software producers or resellers, use as many as you can afford to purchase. Hope this helps. Peter (Dr Zik)