Agree with Beige and Jim -- (1) it's brilliant software. It really does the majors, until you get to issues like color separation for production and so on. The only really relevant things to photographers that it does not have, AFAIK, are a color mixer (important, but there are pretty good alternatives) and the ability to use Photoshop actions (important if you're high volume, also rules out automator). (2) look for alternative purchase options such as getting a tablet, purchasing an OEM copy (legal, and when PSE3 was current, you could get one for $40 from some sites... have to google around), or using academic pricing if you're eligible.