PHOTOSHOP

Since I am going to be going "total digital", I have been hearing a lot about Photoshop. Now, I have never used Photoshop and am wondering if this is something that is a MUST for digital photographers, or would I just send off my downloaded pics to a color lab and let them do what is needed.

Years ago I had a nice little business using a Mamiya 645 and now that I have this Canon EOS 20D, I am wondering if I am biting off more than I can chew and should just stick with getting a new Mamiya. I know it's old school, but if Photoshop is something I MUST learn in order to be a successful digital photographer, is it really worth it?

If Photoshop is a mandatory thing I will need, which one should I get if all I am going to be doing are Senior pics, weddings, and youth sports photos?

Thanks for all of your advice!

Photoshop is the pinnacle of today's digital imaging software...in my honest opinion, no digital photographer should be without an extensive understanding of the program

Get Photoshop CS2 and learn to use it if you're planning on shooting professionally. That's the direction the industry is taking, so learning the program would be to your benefit.

It is not really that hard to learn basics that you’ll need in most situations.
Get yourself a copy of THIS BOOK and in a couple of weeks you’ll know enough to get some decent results.

Welcom to POTN!

To get the most out of your digital camera you need some form of editing software; think of it as the digital darkroom... as has already been said Photoshop CS2 is the current pinnacle of this sort of thing.

The basics are easy in PS, but the advanced stuff takes time. Learn the following first:
Layers, Masking, Levels, and Curves.

Be prepared to spend some $$ and time. I have been using PS for about 8 years and still have much to learn.

Or, you could get PS Elements--I believe v.5 is out. It does a LOT of what CS2 does for a FRACTION of the price.

Start with elements... since it came with you 20D....

if you need more, get CS2...