Hi,
I have PSE 2, Photo Impact and PSP 8.1, which I hated (it had every bug invented and kept crashing on my pc) and now PSP 9 which I love.
PI came bundled with my new computer and I wouldn't have a clue where to start, so I can't advise on that.
PSE run well on my other computer whilst PSP 8 didn't.
I upgraded to PSP 9 shortly before buying a new faster computer and it run much better on our older one than V8 did.
PSP can be slow if your computer doesn't have loads of memory and a fast processor - that said I'm still a fan.
In PSP you can customize your effects more than in PSE - BUT PSE brushes are better than PSP in my opinion.
There are so many plug ins which work with both PSE & PSP that I would go with one of them - in the beginning you probably won't use these a lot but as you become more advanced you will.
You can download trials of both of these programmes for free in the meantime if you fancy trying them out before taking the plunge!
HTH
Jules
