» Adobe Photoshop Elements 6

Adobe Photoshop Elements 6 Reviews

Customer Rating:
Summary: All in one solution
Comment: I've been using Adobe Album as a photo organizing program for several years. For the most part, the 'quick-fix" abilities built into it have been enough for me. However, I had a very old copy of Elements that I used for occasional photo retouching and manipulation that were beyond the capabilities of Album. Now, with Elements 6, both are combined into a program that not only organizes your photos but allows you to do virtually anything with them. I can't imagine a feature that is not included in Elements that would be needed by anyone except perhaps a professional photographer or artist. I am both an amateur photographer and a fairly advanced artist, and this program is indispensable for both. I recommend it highly.
My sole complaint (so far) is that the photo cataloging I had in Album was completely lost in Elements. Re-filing several thousand pictures is not an easy task; in fact, I am still doing it. This seems like a fairly significant shortcoming in the program.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Not worth the money
Comment: I do not like this product at all, it is without a doubt the most unuser friendly photo editing program made. In the past I used Microsoft Digital Image and absolutely loved it, it did everything I wanted and was very easy to use. Then my husband was so kind as to buy me a new computer but unfortunately is was a Vista (did I mention I don't like Vista either), ans was also kind enough to have them download Abode Photoshop Elements. I was happy about the new computer but after several tries with the new photoshop, I can honestly say I would rather have my XP back with all my old photoediting programs.

I don't care if it is the best rated all I know is that this product is the more money than it is worth.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Thumbs Up
Comment: Photoshop Elements retains Adobe's penchant for doing things a little differently. For example, every other Mac program I own uses Command-H for the Hide command. On the other hand, none of my Adobe products comply with this standard. Other than the need to adjust to Adobe's quirks, Elements 6 is a heck of program for less than $100. In particular, the merge assistant makes it extremely easy to merge two or more photos together to make a composite that looks as good as the best elements of the originals. Elements 6 is way beyond iPhoto '08, but just a little under Photoshop, which retails for a jaw-dropping $649. For the advanced amateur, Elements is hard to beat.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Not Recommended
Comment: I've been using a Mac for over four years and have always marveled at how easy it it to install software. That was until I had the misfortune of ordering PSE 6. The installation failed and then took hours to remove. I finally was able to manually copy the installation files and complete the install. Ironically, Adobe only provides support to registered users, and you have to install the product before you can register. I found the answer to the problem on a Mac support forum. This is without a doubt the worst Mac installation I have ever seen. It also installed a bunch of unwanted and/or obsolete Adobe products without asking.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: A worthwhile compromise
Comment: When I became a professional photographer nineteen years ago, very few people knew that photographs could be retouched digitally. We used to do it with ink, straight onto the print.
Then came the digital revolution, which changed everything overnight. By the early nineties, there were a number of applications, "photo editing suites", available, each with their own strengths and weaknesses. It wasn't unusual for a professional to have three or four of these programmes installed and to use them all.

Or, if you were clever, you would get Photoshop, the undisputed champion, and an Apple computer, by which time you would be bankrupt. How things have changed.

Adobe has shown us why they are the market leaders: they know what the market wants, and then come up with unbeatable software. When Photoshop was released, it set the standard. It has been the benchmark since day one, and continues to be. But it is outrageously expensive and very, very complicated, even to full time users.

That is where "Elements" comes in. Created for amateurs, fit for professionals.

Elements 6 is GREAT for amateurs and hobbyists because:
* you get FANTASTIC value for money - Elements 6 compares very favourably with everything else available in terms of features;
* it was designed with beginners in mind - Elements 6 has an interface option where most of the things an ordinary person would want to do is automated. It is simple to use and works really well. Plus, the tutorials are really good, and a first time user will be able to achieve impressive results within an hour or so.
* it is the perfect stepping stone - if you decide to upgrade to the full Photoshop one day, you will already know how much of it works. Many of Elements' features are identical to Photoshop, because it is based on Photoshop, but easier to learn.
* you don't miss out on anything - if you are not a serious professional, you will not even miss the Photoshop features which were omitted from this "younger brother", as it has enough features to keep you busy for quite a while. (If you are in the printing trade and need to do stuff like colour seperations though, you will have to opt for the full version instead).

If you enjoy photography, or tinkering with photographs, this is the best way to see how the professionals do it without having to sell your house. We use this for all but the most demanding jobs in our professional studio, with great results. Do not even consider getting anything else because nothing comes close.

By the way: If you have Elements 5 and you are considering upgrading to Elements 6, do it. There are enough improvements to justify the purchase -- get the demo from Adobe's website and see for yourself.

A worthy purchase which is bound to give you a renewed interest in photography.

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