Is a NAPP membership worth it for a hobbyist photographer?
Asked 11/24/2010
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I'm considering joining the National Association of Photoshop Professionals (NAPP). The membership appears to include Photoshop User magazine, member forums and support, tutorials, discounts on hardware/software, and Lightroom-focused content. For hobbyist photographers and artists, is the membership generally worthwhile?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
16y ago
2 Answers
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A NAPP membership provides access to quite a few resources, most of which you've listed above. You'll also get a discount to the Photoshop World conference which is held each year in both Orlando and Las Vegas. Originally covering Photoshop, as you note the reach of the organization has now extended to Adobe's other primary tool for photographers, Lightroom.
It's definitely a useful organization although I'd argue the value has diminished over time as other excellent online resources including blogs, forums, and even this site have made it easier than ever to learn about and get help with Photoshop and Lightroom.
Is it worth it? That's a subjective question but I'd say if you're going to drop $300 on Lightroom and 2-3x that amount on Photoshop, spending $99 for the NAPP membership (at least for the first year) is probably a worthwhile investment in education.
Originally by user89. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user89
16y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
A NAPP membership can be useful if you actively use Photoshop and/or Lightroom and want structured learning resources in one place. Based on the community feedback, the main benefits are tutorials, the magazine, forums/help, Lightroom coverage, discounts, and reduced pricing for the Photoshop World conference.
Whether it’s “worth it” is subjective. For a hobbyist, it makes the most sense if you expect to regularly use those member resources and training materials. If you primarily want occasional help or general tips, the value may be lower now than it once was, since there are many strong free resources online, including blogs, forums, and community Q&A sites.
So the short answer is: yes, it can be worthwhile for a hobbyist, especially if you prefer organized education and Adobe-focused content. But if you’re comfortable learning from free online resources, you may not need it.
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