Software Purchase Question

[demaina]

Alright.  So, this is about buying Photoshop before I get stuck with their Cloud Subscription.  I want to go into video games and it seems like Photoshop is pretty much necessary for that (not for all careers in it, but still).  I've been looking at it for years and decided I should probably either jump on the boat while I can still get a perpetual license or figure out some other program to use instead (like Painter X3).

Seeing as Photoshop is pretty much on every job listing I've come across, I really keep leaning towards it but $800 for their extended copy seems like a lot for one program.  Plus, I would like to get Flash Pro as well, which is another $600.  So, I'm already at $1400 and I own two pieces of software when I could get a suite of 5-9 pieces of software for maybe $400 more, or I can get the Master Collection for $900 more (13 programs in total).  The problem is I don't know if I will ever use those pieces of software but it might be nice owning them in the future if I decide to delve into video editing, sound editing, or web development.

I'm at the point where all I really need immediately is Photoshop and maybe Flash Pro in a year and MAYBE Premier Pro down the line, but averaging $700 a piece seems insanely expensive, where as the Master Collection has more software, which may not get used, but is about $200 per software. And the other suites available are about on par with the price per software sold.

Is it better to settle for the lower cost per product when you might get software you won't use, or deal with the higher cost of a single piece of software?


I think my worry is that, if I ever need the video editing software, I'd have them if I buy a suite instead of having to find something later and pray it isn't expensive.  But then I have an issue with paying for something I'm not using either despite the cost being almost identical so that's why I need some outside opinions.