Photoshop Elements version 6

Reviewed by Ted Bade

Adobe http://www.adobe.com   $80 USD   System Requirements: PowerPC G4 or G5 or multicore Intel® processor, Mac OS X v10.4.8 through 10.5.2, 512MB of RAM (1GB recommended), 64MB of video RAM, GB of available hard-disk space (additional free space required during installation), 1,024x768 display resolution, DVD-ROM drive, QuickTime 7 software required for multimedia features, Internet connection required for Internet-based services.

Strengths: Powerful, fast, easy to use, guided modes, work well on older G4 Macs as well as newer multicore ones.   Weaknesses: Default interface leave little space for image. For information and a demo of this product: Adobe Elements For Macintosh

Introduction

Adobe Photoshop Elements 6 is the latest version of Adobe’s consumer level photo manipulation program. It is peppy and full of features for automatically or manually tweaking your photos to perfection. There has always been a lot to like about Photoshop Elements and version 6 is right on track offering even more options then before.

 

Photoshop Elements might be a bit less powerful then Photoshop, but from the viewpoint of the amateur photo hobbyist, there is little this programs lacks. Unless you are a high-end photographer, you won’t find Elements lacking. If you do find it lacking, you probably have a profession that justifies the cost of Photoshop. ☺

 

(The working window)

 

Element’s screen presentation truly cries for a large monitor space. The new gray background color of the interface does make images seem more bright and beautiful, but there is still a lot in the way of crowding the screen with tools. The top of the window contains the menu bar and some sizing tools, the bottom has some more controls as well as a “Project Bin”, showing an icon of images in the current project. The left side contains the typical tool palette, and finally the right side contains a large space called the palette bin, providing access to a variety of palettes depending upon what you select. While all these features are useful, they do reduce the space available for the image. This, I feel, makes it more difficult to edit images. This wasn’t such a big deal on the 22” screen connected to my MacPro, but does become an issue when working on my 15” PowerBook. On the small screen, I found myself spending some time getting the image larger and the Elements interface stuff smaller. This is my only complaint about this program.

 

Even though it takes up visual space, the Palette bar can be useful. I found it a quick way to access and even learn about using Element’s features,Using Element’s guided tools feature. This new addition is a good way to learn about and experiment with the features contained in this program. A real boon to new or novice users.

 

(Guided menus, great for novices)

 

On the top of the Palette bar are three tabs, Edit, Create, and Share. Clicking any tab provides controls reflecting that choice. The Edit tab has three sub-tabs, Full, Quick, and Guided. In the full mode, the user controls Elements using the pull down menus, keyboard short-cuts, and so forth. In the “Quick Edit” mode this area shows a bank of controls that are typically used when editing a photo.

 

Broken into the four categories:

 

General Fix, Lighting, Color, Sharpen.

The user can manipulate the image clicking on buttons or moving sliders to cause an effect. Since the image changes in real time, you can instantly see the results of your manipulations. (and if you have enough monitor space, you can have both the original and modified images shown for comparison). Buttons are provided to easily step back if you don’t like the results of your adjustment.

 

The guided edit mode is designed for people new to using Elements and working with digital images. I found working in this area very comfortable and a lot easier. This section divides the tasks of editing a photo into categories:

Basic, Lighting and Exposure, Color correction, and Photo Merge.

There is also a guided activity section that asks a series of questions about what the user wants to do with the image and provides the tool to make each adjustment. This area, is a real benefit to someone new to digital photo editing. If you have the screen space, turning on the before and after views is a terrific way of seeing how the tolls affected the image.

 

The Create Tab provides tools to create a variety of different ways of presenting your images, such as making a photo collage, a photo book, or even a PDF slide show. Besides the regular items, you can also create greeting cards and CD/DVD labels and jackets. The Elements package includes a goodly amount of artwork that can be used to enhance such projects.

 

The Share Tab gives the user ways to share their images. You can build a variety of web pages, burn images to a CD or DVD, attach your images to an email, or even order prints, right from Photoshop Elements (through a service called MorePhotos).

 

As in previous versions, Elements includes Adobe’s Bridge application, an easier means of accessing and working with images. Bridge provides a lot of information about the image and gives the user tools for organizing photos and setting up automated jobs sets among many other abilities.

As I expected, PhotoShop Elements ran really fast on my MacPro.

 

This is the first version of Elements that is Universal Binary, so it is ready to take advantage of the stack of fast Intel processors in that computer. What surprised me was how well it worked on my older PowerBook G4 laptop. I was easily and quickly able to manipulate a variety of images with it, and didn’t really notice much in the way of hesitation when using the PowerBook. The only disadvantage with the laptop was the screen space. I closed as many tool bars I could when editing images so that I could see it well. This means that Elements 6 is definitely the application to take along on a trip or special event!

 

(A view of Bridge)

 

Most of the editing I tried was a spectacular success. But that is to be expected from this program. I was able to easily remove scratches from an image without any trace of my playing around. I removed a person’s elbow from one image, easily replacing it with the brick pattern that would have been there if the elbow hadn’t. These effects occurred almost instantly with either of my test machines. I found working with the guided tools area interesting, but so well laid out that I adapted to it easily. Almost all of the important fixes are available in that section. I did run into one or two issues, but nothing that was really annoying. My biggest problem is that there were so many tools to learn about and too little time before this review was due!

 

While not every picture can be saved, it is amazing how a little constructive tweaking with Elements can take the average “ho-hum” image and make it a good one. More importantly, it can do some truly fabulous things to good or great images, giving you truly excellent results. There is a lot to like about this program. There is also a lot of depth to it, which can be mastered over time.

 

Besides all this power, there are a couple of interesting features in Elements 6. They have automated the process of moving a person or a face from one image to another. A feature like this can be used to correct a problem when taking group shows. Take the better faces from several images and replace them in one image, theoretically producing a “perfect “ shot from several okay ones. Nothing really beats getting it right when you shoot the image, but in a pinch, a cheat like this can get that one good image from a set of not so good ones! The feature works pretty well, and I am sure that as one gains experience using it, the results will become better.

 

This tool set can also be used to paste together shots to make a panoramic image, adding a breath of detail to a series of images.

 

Conclusion

If you want a powerful tool to edit your digital photographs, you need look no farther then Photoshop Elements. It offers plenty of power, a terrific selection of tools, many features for not only editing your images, but also for presenting them, and is a breeze to use. If you are a beginner to the world of digital photography, the guides available in this program are a must have and if you are more experienced, they can be kept in the background and out of your way. By far, Photoshop Elements 6 is the best program I have ever used to work with digital photographs! It is well worth the cost.