Your choice depends on what you want to do with the software. If all you plan to do is play with it at home, maybe touch up an image or two, put old Aunt Gertrudes head on a donkey, then stick with Paint Shop. For the price you can't do better. However if you are planning to seriously get into graphics and work with the software then don't waste time with a PhotoShop wannabe. True the software is expensive, yes the learning curve is steeper, but in the end the results outweigh it all. Not trying to sound like a commercial here, but there is a reason why PhotoShop is the industry standard. Its ability to interface with the rest of the Adobe line and its competitors, makes it one of the most powerful tools you can learn to use.