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December 17, 2009
[REVIEW—ADOBE PHOTOSHOP ELEMENTS 8]
Price: $175
Half great, half infuriating
The low-down: The latest incarnation of Photoshop Elements arrives almost exactly one year after the release of version 7. Some of the most significant changes are in the Organiser module, which is also the biggest disappointment. (See below) Owners of 7 will probably find little incentive to upgrade, but there are enough improvements over 6 to justify the price. Elements is a cut-down version of Photoshop that does just about everything most people will need for photo finishing. The only feature we really miss is the ability to record Actions (macros). Elements will play them but not record them.
Like: The Edit module is excellent, striking the right balance between automation and full user control. There is an overview of features at tinyurl.com/yhe2uqq with comparison charts for versions 7 and 6. Adobe Camera RAW can be set as the RAW conversion front end.
Dislike: We spent a day trying to make face recognition work. This is one of the vaunted new features and we could not get it to function. There is no instruction book and as Elements is a complex program it will be necessary to buy a third party manual. The design of the Organise module is poor. There is a Nobel prize for the first person to find the microscopic Edit/Find/View dropdown menu button.
Verdict: Photoshop Elements is the economical and viable alternative to the very expensive full Photoshop program. It’s a shame that Adobe spends so much money on creating a bewilderingly beautiful interface and not a cent on documentation. The on-line help system is no substitute for a printed manual. This means that the cost of a third party manual must be factored in to the price of the software.
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Posted by terry at December 17, 2009 07:54 AM
