Photoshop Elements 7 for Windows

Pros

• Expertly bundles photo organizing, editing, and sharing into a complete package.
• Balances ease of use and flexibility. It's beginner friendly but not oversimplified.
• Based on 17 years of Photoshop development by Adobe, the leader in digital imaging software.
• New text search box makes it even easier to find photos in your collection.
• Photoshop.com integration provides backup and anywhere access to your photo collection.

Cons

• Sluggish performance when switching modes. Some crashes and program errors in Vista 64-bit.
• Ads for Photoshop.com membership throughout the program can be annoying.
• Some issues converting catalogs from older versions.
• Windows AutoPlay integration does not work under Vista 64-bit.
• New version 7 features provide little upgrade incentive for users of version 6.

Description

• Photoshop Elements has everything most people need to organize, edit and share digital photos.

• The Organizer and Editor are divided into activity-based tabs where you can Organize, Fix, Create, and Share photos.

• Organizer lets you organize your photos with keyword tags, then search and share them in Creations.

• Creations include slide shows, video CDs, cards, email, calendars, online albums, and photo layouts.

• Quick Fix lets you crop, fix red eye, adjust lighting & color, and sharpen with a before/after view.

• Standard editing tools for correcting and enhancing photos, drawing, painting, selecting, and adding text.

• Support for multiple layers, layer styles, and adjustment layers provides editing flexibility.

• New: online backup and sharing, Photomerge Scene Cleaner, Automated Actions, Touchup Tools, Smart Brush, Surface Blur Filter.

• Enhanced: adjustable workspace brightness, text search, new guided edits, AutoPlay integration, art/templates, Camera Raw.

• Printing options: Contact Sheets, Picture Package, labels, single prints, and online services.

Guide Review - Photoshop Elements 7 for Windows

Photoshop Elements incorporates many of Photoshop's powerful features without being too overwhelming to the novice user. A guided editing mode helps users get started, and automated features simplify many tasks, such as posting online photo galleries and stitching multiple photos to create panoramas. The user interface is friendly to beginners, but not "dumbed-down" to the point that it frustrates experienced users. Photoshop Elements also includes a powerful photo organizer, drag & drop photo creation layouts and artwork, and many sharing options, which makes it a perfect all-in-one solution for photo hobbyists.

Version 7 brings the following new features:

• Photoshop.com Integration for Online Backup and Sharing
• Adjustable Workspace Brightness
• Text Search Box
• Photomerge Scene Cleaner
• Automated Actions and New Guided Edits
• Quick Edit Touch Up Tools
• 2-in-1 Smart Brush
• Surface Blur Filter
• and more.

Photoshop Elements is an excellent program, and I highly recommend it, but the new features in version 7 are not all that exciting if you already have version 6, and the over-aggressive push for Plus membership may turn off new users.

If you've never used Elements, or you're considering an upgrade from an older version, take a look at the new features added in Photoshop Elements 6, Photoshop Elements 5, and Photoshop Elements 4 for a taste of what Photoshop Elements offers.

It's a shame that sluggish performance continues to afflict this product, but Elements is good enough that I feel the draggy performance is worth putting up with. All in all, Photoshop Elements remains a powerful photo suite that every photo hobbyist should have, but version 6 users don't have a lot of incentive to upgrade.

What's New in Photoshop Elements 7

_{Photoshop Elements 7 requires Windows XP or Vista. (Elements for Mac is on a different development cycle).}

User Reviews