Adobe Announces Photoshop Elements 6 and Premiere Elements 4
I have not yet worked with Photoshop Elements 6, but I can share with you some of the new features and improvements I've learned about through my briefing with Adobe.
First off, Photoshop Elements 6 is sporting a new "streamlined" user interface with a dark background that is intended to bring more focus to your photos. The new tab-based layout also reduces clutter.
In the Editor portion of Photoshop Elements 6, there is a new Guided edit mode in addition to the Full Edit and Quick Edit modes that we had in previous versions. This Guided Edit mode provides detailed instructions and controls along the side of the screen to walk you through the most common photo editing features.
The selection brush is being replaced by the new Quick Selection tool which makes the process of making selections easier than ever. Users can paint over an object to make a selection, and the selection will automatically snap to the edges of the object, growing as you drag across it. After a selection is made, it can be fine-tuned with the Refine Edge dialog.
The Photomerge features is not just for panoramas anymore. The detection and blending technology in Photomerge has been enhanced to make all your photo-merges easier to create, and there is are two new types of Photomerges you can create. Photomerge Group Shot helps you combine multiple photos with groups of people so you can create one photo where everyone is looking their best. Photomerge Faces is a fun feature which lets you combine facial features from 2 different photos.
There is also a new feature just for converting color photos to black and white.
On the Organizer side, Adobe says they have increased the performance for tasks such as importing photos, searching, and tagging. The Organizer is also shared now between Photoshop Elements and Premiere Elements, making it easier to create project utilizing photos and videos together.
The Organizer now offers Smart Albums, which are based on search criteria. This makes it easy to find photos based on metadata such as all photos from the last month, or all photos taken with a specific camera.
There are new options for creating projects in Photoshop Elements as well. The artwork palette is improved with larger thumbnails and an expanded viewing are. There are new themes, templates, and artwork for online galleries, photo books, slide shows, and scrapbook pages. When it is time to share your project, all the options for sharing are gathered into a new Sharing Center.
I was skeptical of the last version of Photoshop Elements, until I got my hands on it. As always, it is difficult to get a feel for the program until you can personally test the features. I am looking forward to testing Photoshop Elements 6 and writing more details on the new features. Currently, Adobe has not posted a trial download for Photoshop Elements 6 or Premiere Elements 4, but both can purchased today through Adobe.com and other retailers.
Macintosh users of Photoshop Elements have been waiting for a new version for quite a while, but according to today's press releases, the next update to Photoshop Elements for Mac is coming in early 2008.
Check Prices on Photoshop Elements 6
Check Prices on Photoshop Elements 6 / Premiere Elements 4 Bundle
Related Links:
• Photoshop Elements Review
• Photoshop Elements 6 Screen Shot Tour
• Photoshop Elements User Resources
• Adobe Photoshop Elements Home Page
Comments
I wish they would do something about Elements for McIntosh! They are still stuck at version 4.
Irene: They are saying early 2008 for a new Mac version.
Previous versions of Elements did not support CMYK. Do you know if this version does?
Susan: If that had changed, I’m sure Adobe would have mentioned it in my briefing or in the new feature docs they gave me, but they did not. So I’m pretty confident the answer is no.
Love the improvements in Elements 6, but HATE the black/dark interface. Any trained designer knows reverse on black is much harder to read! Is there any way to change the interface color? I tried in Preferences, but no luck. What did Adobe say to you about this? Maybe they could create a downloadable patch?
David, I agree and I know of no way to change it. A patch would be great, but I suspect we will be waiting for PSE7 IF they do anything about it at all. :-/
I am looking at Photoshop Elements as a new user. Should I start with v6 or try v4 or v5 to get started?
Gary: You might as well go with the latest and greatest.
What are the pros and cons of Elements 4, 5, or 6. Which would you rather use?
Generally, you can’t buy the older version once a new version is out, Nancy. New features are added with each version. You can read about what has been added in every version since 4 in these articles:
http://graphicssoft.about.com/od/pselements/ss/pse4whatsnew.htm
http://graphicssoft.about.com/od/pselements/ig/PSE5new/index.htm
http://graphicssoft.about.com/od/pselements/ig/PSE6New/index.htm
I have used very version of Elements since 1 and I currently use 6. I see no advantage for a new user to buy an older version unless your system can’t handle the newest one.
Right now I’m using Elements 3. Elements 5 is still available. Other reviews say that 6 is buggy and people don’t like the dark background. What would I be missing (as a just for fun photographer) by not upgrading to 6 now and going with 5?
Nancy, check out my article on What’s New in Photoshop Elements 6
I bought PSE6 for my wife for Christmas. She is about to divorce me. She cannot find the Help. When clicking Help on the toolbar all she gets is a Notepad and it contains nothing but programming language. PLEASE HELP!!!!!
Mike: The Help should open in your Web browser. If that is not happening, try reinstalling. Be sure to turn off your security software when you install. If that does not fix it, come to the forum and post more details about your system and we will try to help: http://graphicssoft.about.com/mpboards.htm
Or visit Adobe’s support section for Elements: http://www.adobe.com/support/photoshopelements/
Although Adobe claims this product is for small business users, it’s dead-snail-like performance (you politely call it sluggish) means it’s still not ready as a serious tool. CS3 and Lightroom run fairly snappy on reasonably powered machines with a gig of memory. Not so PSE 6 WIn. Also, Adobe’s continuing refusal to add curves to PSE continues to make it a hobbyist tool and an incomplete photo-editing tool. PSE remains, in my view, simply a marketing exercise that panders to the fear-of-photoshop crowd. There’s lots of other choices in the same price range or cheaper that work better and faster for the same audience. For the real beginner or someone looking for decent, free tools, Picasa (free from Google) and Faststone Image Viewer (free for non-commercial use) are much better choices. I am generally a big Adobe fan (I have the CS3 Suite and LightRoom) and have bought and registered PSE2,3,4,5 and tested 6–all in the hope of finding a good light-weight photo editor. PSE has always disappointed me.
I purchased Adobe Photo 6 Elements 4.
I suggest you stop reading here if you don’t like the truth, ’cause I’m about to spout the truth.
I hate the program.
Honestly, I have spent HOURS on-line with Adobe, remote assistance, where Adobe controlled my computer. If I could only list the problems they and I encountered, and their so-called solutions, in simply burning a disk. Again, honestly, it would take pages to list them. Adobe actually suggested that I .avi my Adobe .wmv slide-show file into an outside program and then burn the slide-show.
I’m not talking rocket science here, people, I’m talking turning 100 digital pictures into a slide-show with music, (neatly accomplished within Adobe) and then ATTEMPTING to share it via burn-a-disk within Adobe.
HA-HA.
And to get me to that failed-burn level within Adobe it took HOURS of, “Honey, let’s try it this way…” with Adobe on-line, while my wife and I (computer people) could only shrug our shoulders.
Did you know that within Adobe’s program they refer to “get media” to mean gather your pictures from within your computer file; then later in the Adobe program the definition of “no media present” means you don’t have a CD-DVD in your burn drive?
Save your money, people. Buy a program other than Adobe 6-4.
Or you, Adobe, if you have balls enough to address our frustrations and fix your customers’ every-updated legal Adobe purchase, then do that, fix it, and I’ll retract this honest review.
What I hated most is that I bought it and used it with XP and when I had to get a new computer VISTA was all that was available. The Photoshop doesn’t work on VISTA and I wasted my money. I will stick with free programs now. I do not print them I just burn a CD and take it to one of the many retailers that print pictures. I wonn’t use my ink.
Claudia
PSE6 HATE IT!! My old eyes have fits with that black screen and the sloooow speed. Find myself using FastStone more and more.