# Photoshop Elements



## monokitty (Jan 26, 2002)

For those that know anything about, and use, Photoshop Elements - how do you like it? The reason I ask is because I'm contemplating it to use for photo editing, but I'm in serious doubt I need Photoshop for my uses (but my uses do extend beyond iPhoto's capabilities). Do people find Photoshop Elements a decent solution for amateur photo editing?


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## rvxtream (Aug 12, 2010)

You may want to try Gimp, a little bit of a learning curve but its free. 
GIMP - The GNU Image Manipulation Program


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## Lawrence (Mar 11, 2003)

Does it call the Internet anymore when you boot it up?
That's one of the main reasons why I stopped using it,
I got tired of the beachballs on startup.

I just use Graphic Converter nowadays.


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## kps (May 4, 2003)

Allow me to take you in a different direction...Lightroom 3

Download the trial version and have at 'er....


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## winwintoo (Nov 9, 2004)

I used earlier versions of Photoshop Elements and found that I could accomplish some amazing things with it, I don't think they would have reduced it's ability in later versions.

When I was learning photo stuff, I joined RetouchPRO.com and learned from them. An amazing community of very talented people with the same vibes as you find here at ehMac.

Whatever application you settle on, ask Santa to bring you a Wacom tablet. If you haven't used one before, an entry level will bring you hours of enjoyment.

Margaret


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## eMacMan (Nov 27, 2006)

You have always been able to disable the call home feature. 

The help menu used your browser but that was because the Help files were HTML.

As a former darkroom man I am probably more demanding than most users. Full PhotoShop usually has a couple of toys missing in Elements but I find Elements does everything I could possibly want. 

Great buy in the $100 price range.


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## Rob (Sep 14, 2002)

I'll second the suggestion to try GIMP. It's open source, and has many features similar to Photoshop. There's PC and Mac versions too.

Photoshop Elements is also very powerful. You don't need the Pro Photoshop versions unless you earn your living doing this stuff.

Just keep in mind that all of this software has a steep learning curve. Don't expect to be starting it up and being productive in a few minutes.


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## monokitty (Jan 26, 2002)

Rob said:


> I'll second the suggestion to try GIMP. It's open source, and has many features similar to Photoshop. There's PC and Mac versions too.
> 
> Photoshop Elements is also very powerful. You don't need the Pro Photoshop versions unless you earn your living doing this stuff.
> 
> Just keep in mind that all of this software has a steep learning curve. Don't expect to be starting it up and being productive in a few minutes.


Thanks guys. I'm not worried about the learning curve - I'm patient.  And I definitely don't need Photoshop - the real deal.


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## The Doug (Jun 14, 2003)

I tried Gimp once. Ugh, definitely not for me. 

Why not try GraphicConverter? I've been using it for years - quite powerful. The new interface is a welcome update, albeit with minor quirks.


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## greensuperman32 (Mar 28, 2005)

I second the suggestion to give Lightroom a try. I use it myself for photo editing and love it!


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## Lawrence (Mar 11, 2003)

There is a good review here of Adobe Elements 9:
Adobe Photoshop Elements 9 review - Techworld.com

The comments are worth reading also at the bottom of the review.


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## Guest (Dec 9, 2010)

What kind of photo editing are you looking at doing Lars .. that would be helpful. I love LR and can do 95% of all my photo editing in there ... but it may not be what you need depending on what you are looking to do.


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## monokitty (Jan 26, 2002)

mguertin said:


> What kind of photo editing are you looking at doing Lars .. that would be helpful. I love LR and can do 95% of all my photo editing in there ... but it may not be what you need depending on what you are looking to do.


LR may not be bad, but I haven't used it and it likely costs a fair amount. I do things like colour manipulation (making colours more vibrant, etc.) and say producing a black and white photo with just that one object in there that retains its colour. That kind of thing - all things Photoshop can do, but I really don't need the full power of PS. I may get into more advanced editing later on as I learn the application's full potential.


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## Guest (Dec 10, 2010)

LR sounds like the perfect candidate for that. I personally think it does a much better job for that sort of thing than photoshop, but you're right, it's not cheap. There is a trial of it however that lets you run for 30 days for free.


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## eMacMan (Nov 27, 2006)

Lars said:


> LR may not be bad, but I haven't used it and it likely costs a fair amount. I do things like colour manipulation (making colours more vibrant, etc.) and say producing a black and white photo with just that one object in there that retains its colour. That kind of thing - all things Photoshop can do, but I really don't need the full power of PS. I may get into more advanced editing later on as I learn the application's full potential.


All easily done in Elements. The Levels control is fabulous as you can manipulate everything at once and/or individual RGB channels as well. For me the easiest of the half dozen or so methods Elements has to control colour.


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