People on HN/Reddit are pretty biased when it comes to CSS knowledge almost to the point where I really wonder if they've ever worked at a place outside of a startup or a tiny company. If you work at an creative digital agency, chances are the division of labour will mean you won't ever have to touch a line of code. It just makes more sense to divvy up the responsibilities. Plus, during client presentations, most of the designs are mocked up as flats instead of live code.

I'm currently using CS5, but it's largely because of some of the small addition features with smart objects, workflow, and layer styles that annoyed me with CS3. It's one of those things where you have to work with a program for a long time before you notice these small upgrades that really help the day-to-day. I think you're fine with CS3.

The idea that GIMP is more than useful is... debatable. I would say that every notable designer I know in NYC/SF uses Photoshop. Like it or not, it is the industry standard. And while I do sometimes have a love-hate relationship with the program (specifically because I want more stability instead of new features), GIMP is still far behind with regards to it's intuitiveness and penetration.

Now that I've migrated to a startup, I use Photoshop for quick initial concepts before coding scss. Photoshop is pretty solid for making elements or re-using templated elements made from other designers and photo-editing.

Thanks so much for your input. I'm glad to hear that it's the industry standard. I think I'd rather swallow a high price point (either now or eventually) and learn the right way to do things, than there not be an industry standard.

I'll probably always be coding anyway since I work as a freelancer - I like coding anyway. I just want to learn best practices and do things the right way. I've at least learned by now that it's worth it to stop cutting corners. (:

I have to admit part of the reason I want CS5 is for the ability to edit RAW images (amateur photography), so I things like content-aware fill and better selection tools are looking pretty sweet... not sure if that's enough to convince me or not.

Speaking of scss - are you on a Mac? I'm thrilled with CSSedit as part of my workflow - I'd seriously miss the live view. But, it appears to not be compatible with scss..

I'd say for a web designer's needs, GIMP should certainly prove more than useful. These days, a designer should know how to mock up sites using CSS3, like you mentioned.

Another advantage of using live mockups is that you suddenly become an animation designer (if any is used on the site). When done well, this could be a very useful skill to have in terms of UX.

Cool, okay - can you explain what you mean by animation designer (maybe with a link)?

I don't have a link, but I'm referring to a designer who also has a sense for discreet but pleasing transition animations. I'm talking about the people who designed the G+ circles animations. To me, that's separate from designing or mocking up a site in Photoshop, as there's no easy way to represent such animations.

Photoshop is necessary, but in my experience CS3 is usually adequate. CS5 only becomes necessary due to lock-in.

I use GIMP whenever possible. That's maybe 50%. The UI is maddening, but this is a big step in the right direction:

http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2890397

Hmm, what do you mean by lock-in?

I've tried GIMP, but the maddening UI you mentioned just isn't worth the frustration to me..

It's not possible to read a CS5 PSD with CS3. If you don't follow Adobe's upgrade path you're out of business (which means a great opportunity for GIMP).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vendor_lock-in