I have EQ7 and use it a lot. When I first got EQ6 (then upgraded) I didn't really use it. I took an internet class and made myself practice for at least a couple hours a week. Now it's like any other computer program--easy to use, and it really helps in laying out a quilt, figuring sashing sizes, re-sizing a block, etc. I haven't done anything fancy (pixelating,etc). You do have to dedicate time to learning the basics and then it's all fun. I didn't find it to be a program that you could just open and use-there is a learning curve but there are tons of tutorials, lessons, groups that any question you have can get answered almost immediately. I love importing fabric-choosing colors is the most difficult part of quilting-this lets me "play" with different combos til I get it right.