my personal opinion is that nothing beats photoshop,fair enough it is a hefty price,but there is a reason for that,its better! (and before anyone starts giving me hell,this is my opinion).i will definatley be upgrading to 7.i hear so many people complaining about the price of photoshop,but try thinking about it as only being a few weeks to a months work to buy it (for your average job i mean). if you can afford it,get the best.