Photoshop Elements is Adobe's photo-editing software for amateur photographers, digital imaging enthusiasts, and small business users. As the name implies, Photoshop Elements is built around core elements of Adobe Photoshop, excluding some advanced, professional-level features and adding unique features for photo-hobbyists. It includes a fully featured photo editor, photo organizer, project templates, artwork and themes, and sharing options.
Photoshop Elements Description
- Photoshop Elements has everything most people need to organize, edit and share digital photos.
- The Organizer helps you manage all your photos and videos with albums, keywords, and folders, and browse by people, places, and events.
- The Editor helps you touch up, fix, and get creative with your photos in three editing modes for any skill level: Quick mode for beginners, Guided mode for intermediate users, and Expert mode for advanced users.
- Organizer's powerful search tools and background analysis help you find your photos quickly.
- Elements lets you share your photos in creative projects such as slide shows, video CDs, cards, email, calendars, online albums, photo books, and photo layouts.
- Offers Basic and Advanced modes for creations so you can create something quick in basic mode, or go advanced to fully customize your creations with all editing tools and options.
- 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, layer masks, and adjustment layers provides editing flexibility.
- The Guided Edits feature provides fun and useful photo edits in an easy to use, step-by-step presentation, which advanced users can customize further in full edit mode.
- Share photos and videos on Facebook, Flickr, YouTube, Vimeo, SmugMug, and Photoshop.com.
- Automatically analyzes photos for content and tags them based on attributes such as faces, focus, quality, and so on.
- Mac and Windows versions are on the same release cycle and are shipped together in the same box.
Pros
- 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 more than two decades of Photoshop development by Adobe, the leader in digital imaging software.
- One of the most flexible and easy to use photo editors for its price range.
- New user interface deign in version 11 is much more user-friendly.
Cons
- Facial recognition can be inconsistent at times.
- Background Auto Analyzer can cause problems on some systems (but can be disabled).
- Historically, the Organizer bogs down with large photo collections.
Photoshop Elements in a Nutshell
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. The user interface is friendly to beginners, but not "dumbed-down" to the point that it frustrates experienced users. Photoshop Elements also includes a photo organizer, drag & drop photo creation layouts and artwork, and many sharing options, which makes it a convenient all-in-one solution for photo hobbyists.New Features in Photoshop Elements 11
These are the main new features of Photoshop Elements 11, which I discuss in more detail in my Photoshop Elements 11 tour:
- Improved user interface
- People, Places, and Events, tabs in the Organizer
- New Guided edits for high-key, low-key, tilt-shift, and vignette effects.
- New Filters: Pen & Ink, Comic, Graphic Novel, and Lens Blur
- Refine Edge tool for selections
- Actions palette and support for loading Photoshop actions
- New template designs for photo creations
- Vimeo upload
Conclusion
Whether you are considering Photoshop Elements as a new user or as an upgrade for an older version, Photoshop Elements 11 is a choice you likely won't regret. Photoshop Elements 11 offers flexibility, maturity, and has the power and expertise of of industry-leader Adobe behind it.• Photoshop Elements 11 Screen Shot Tour of New Features
• Photoshop Elements 11 First Impressions
Disclosure: A review copy was provided by the publisher. For more information, please see our Ethics Policy.
