Adobe Photoshop Elements: Perfect Performance at home
Mar 29 '01
The Bottom Line For home use you want the best piece of software at the best price...that suits you!
I have no doubt, dear and kindly readers, that you have heard of Adobe Photoshop...the king of the photo editing world, the industry standard, the must-have software for graphic designers. A cursory glance through epinions will reveal over two hundred reviews extolling the virtues of Photoshop 5.5 (and previous versions), as well the subsequent releases of 6.0.
I have used this wonderful bit of software for three years now, and I will be the first to stand in line to throw my roses and add my undying adulation to the powers that saw fit to give birth to Adobe in 1982. It is true that Photoshop can be a challenge to use, I know I have yet to master, even comprehend, all of the amazing functions this program can perform. But give me a few hours alone and I can simply get lost in layers, building up an image or creating a collage, adding delicate drop shadows to my fonts.
The beauty of the results, the sheer joy and satisfaction that comes from the thrill of creating is well worth any blood, sweat and tears that may have happened along the way.
But this brings us to the point of this little diatribe: I thoroughly enjoy Photoshop, and used it extensively when I worked at my local newspaper, and use it now at home to create web elements and doctor family photos...but is it right for you? And if not, then what software could possibly do justice to your artistic whims and fancies as this one can.
Before I answer that (as if you failed to notice the title of my review) lets examine when Photoshop 5.5 or higher may not be in the cards for you. and let us assume that you too are considering buying software for the home...not the office. Price is perhaps the biggest factor. Photoshop can be incredibly expensive...in Canadian dollars we're looking at close to $1000. The fact is that most of us who are toying at home with web design, scanning and sharing family photos or designing art work for our small business may not need the full power of Photoshop, and simply cannot justify the high cost to acquire it.
As my charming husband just so eloquently quoted to me "its like bringing a machine gun to a good 'ol western showdown. Not necessary."
I do realize that Adobe does not hold all the cards, there are other companies and other options such as Jasc Paint Shop Pro which ranks very high here at the mothersite and costs an affordable $99.00. Adobe has also spawned some software along this price line but judging from your reviews, the functions seem rather restrictive.
So what is the creative genious in us to do? We care about performance. We care about price. If you are familiar with Photoshop and biased toward that particular product, or if you are simply looking for an easy to use, affordable photo editor that is capable of dazzling results... I have found the software that will meet your needs.
Now herald the trumpets and roll out that red carpet.
Enter Photoshop Elements, a classy piece of software that has taken the best, and most oft used bits of Photoshop and rolled them into one easy to use package adding many other fun elements that are not found in the parent product. All at the highly affordable price of $99 and available for both Windows and Mac users.
Using Text
I downloaded the fully functional, 30 day trial version from adobe.com a few days ago and am positively thrilled with the easy interface of Elements. The most notable difference is that type is rendered and transformed right in your document, no extra pop-up windows, no extra clicks to confirm your transformations.
Change the font, the colour, scale it, rotate, and skew it if you like, or choose from a menu of warped text that will set your words on a wave-like path or in the shape of a fish if you desire. The options are many, but all changes occur right there in your window. It is a beautiful thing, and makes it very easy for a beginner to play around with all the different palettes and filters.
To add drop shadows, my personal favourite, a click on the layers menu will reveal thumbnails of preset options for shadows, inner/outer glows, embossing and the like. The options are limited but appropriate and there is more than enough selection to keep the budding artist occupied.
Help at hand
Geared towards educating the user and increasing useability is the inclusion of Hints and Recipes. As you move your mouse over the various tools, such as the rubberstamp or red eye brush, a definition of each pops up in the Hints menu, which can be closed if you desire. A trip to the Recipe menu and simple, step-by-step directions are given to achieve many editing activities such as reducing red eye, correcting colour, or filling text with an image.
Pile on the layers
Where would a graphic artisit be without layers. Elements allows the use of layers with similar functions to Photoshop. Increase or decrease the opacity, arrange them, merge down, group with the previous, adjust the colour levels, brightness, luminosity and add special effects. The special effects are very impressive in fact. Choose from a wide selection of filters such a blur, wind, and twirl to add movement to your image. Add a frame from the "effects menu" or render your creation to look like a charcoal drawing, watercolour, or pencil sketch to mention just a few.
Unlike Photoshop, you cannot make clipping paths, use masks, or save in CMYK which really makes this software geared to home/small business use. Obviously, given the intent and the price, there are many functions lacking that the Photoshop professional may find stifling. For the beginner and the average user though, there is an incredible amount of content here to delight the senses, and add a slick, polished look to any end product.
And speaking of the end, Elements lets you save your work quickly for the web as gif, jpeg, or png, and offers a web and print preview. One function I have yet to try is creating animated gifs, but that can be done with this software.
On your way now...
Hopefully I have you convinced to give Photoshop Elements a try. Free to try and simple to use, I hope you find great delight in using one of the latest offerings from Adobe. It offers the home user a tremendous amount of features for a great price...and what could be better than that?
When you do decide to purchase new software, do your homework and you should end up a gratified user. Make a list of the results you want to achieve whether it be creating titles and borders for scrapbooking, designing eye-catching web elements, or restoring old photographs. Whenever possible download a free trial version, hopefully one that is fully functional, and test drive it for yourself...what may be comfortable for me may not be comfortable for you. Myself, I am fumbling through Paint Shop Pro right now, yet I know many of you sail through it with ease.
Read reviews, research online tutorials or books, and by all means use epinions before you buy.
Then have fun...go forth and create and make the world a beautiful place!
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To save you a trip:
(information and download available at adobe.com)
System Requirements for Photoshop Elements
• Intel® Pentium® class processor
• Microsoft® Windows® 98, Windows 98 Second Edition, Windows Millennium Edition, Windows 2000, or Windows NT® 4.0*
• 64 MB of RAM
• 150 MB of available hard-disk space
• Color monitor with 256-color (8 bit) or greater video card
• 800 x 600 or greater monitor resolution
• CD-ROM drive
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This epinion has joined the ranks (albeit a day late) of the following writers to celebrate awoolcott's first year with epinions..they are..KingJFS, Bluehawq, 29th_Candidate, Jenni1396, Elorraine, & of course awoolcott. Take the time to visit their contributions, and please, have a great day!
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Epinions.com ID:
Caleo
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Member: Brenda C
Location: Ontario, Canada
Reviews written: 49
Trusted by: 121 members
About Me:
Searching for inspiration...
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