Customer Reviews

Adobe Photoshop Elements 2.0 [OLD VERSION]

5 star:		(85)
4 star:		(22)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(18)

 

 

Photoshop Elements is a truly outstanding photo editing program. Here are seven of the tools that I use all of the time:

1. Auto Levels -- With one click, colors pop and become more vibrant. Skin tones are optimized. The color cast from indoor or fluorescent lighting is eliminated. To do this manually would be much more time consuming (and definitely hit-or-miss).

2. Auto Contrast -- Also with one click, the light/dark contrast (and tonal range) of a photo is optimized giving the image much more richness.

3. Sharpen -- This takes a few clicks, but this command will make digital photos somewhat sharper. (This also happens automatically when one uses "Auto Contrast.") Sharpening digital photos, especially at longer focal lengths (or when using lower megapixel cameras), is always welcome.

4. Fill Flash -- This command is absolutely amazing. When used, it will brighten all surfaces (in shadow) facings towards the camera (even in the background). If faces are too dark, this will lighten them. If details are lost in the shadows, this will restore them. Brighter areas are unaffected. This command almost eliminates the need for outdoor fill flash or reflectors, and results in much more natural (and more softly lit) portraits. If you take a lot of people pictures, (or if you like to shoot with natural light), this tool is indispensable.

5. Sunset Light -- This digital filter will give a photo taken during bright sunlight the warm glow of an evening image. The sky and all reflected surfaces will look warmer (and more romantic). This is a great way to add drama to scenics (turning cliches into works of art) -- especially if hanging around 'til dusk isn't an option.

6. Perspective Adjustment -- Using a wide angle lens and looking upwards will make buildings appear (on film) as though they are leaning backwards. This tool remedies this. I've found that I won't enlarge photos with leaning buildings -- but I will once they are upright again. Fixing a photo on the computer is also much more convenient than carrying a special shift perspective lens or lugging around a heavy view camera.

7. Color Cast Correction -- This is a really cool tool. For photos where the color is seriously off due to indoor incandescent or fluorescent lighting (beyond what can be remedied by the Auto Levels feature above), this tool fixes it with just one click. Simply put the cursor on an area you know to be black or gray -- and Photoshop Elements will adjust all of the colors (in the entire photo) accordingly. It works fantastically. If you're not satisfied, just keep clicking around other portions of the black or gray area until you get the overall color balance that you're seeking.

For my own use, I've found that I won't print a photo -- until I run it through Photoshop Elements first! I'll usually apply tips #1-3 to every photo. (This takes but mere seconds.) I'll use the Fill Flash feature when faces are too dark (or when the contrast between light and dark is too high.) Lastly, I'll use tools #5-7 only when the situation requires it.

Photoshop Elements also has a convenient "step backwards" function which will delete the effects of the last command (in case you like the previous image better).

(I learned to use most of the above tools, incidentally, by reading Photoshop Elements Solutions by Mikkel Aaland -- which makes the software as easy to use as the folks at Adobe intended. I highly recommend it.)

Other photo editing programs provide a lot of special effects or photo album-type backgrounds. I just want my photos to be better! Adobe Photoshop Elements is perfect for my needs.

I had used a friend's Adobe Photoshop 6.0 and was contemplating the purchase of the newer 7.0 when I spotted an ad for this version for amateurs. At one sixth the price it was sure worth a try. All I can say is that I got more than my money's worth. This simpler version has everything the non professional would want and more.

It is easy to install and uses less computer space than its big brother.

Helps to easily import photos from cameras, CDs or scanners.

It has all the simple fix-its you might need- such as auto enhancers, red eye reduction,ability to crop, straighten, focus, fade,blur, change the background, layer, create panaramas etc.

Easily compresses photos and attaches photos to emails or helps create web galleries using templates and even animations for your web site.

Creates dozens of special effects.

Prints multiple photos on one page to save photo paper.

My only complaint might be that there is too much that you can do and it gets daunting at times. It is however far simpler and user friendly than the professional versions.

I had always meant to learn Photoshop, since it seemed to me to be the best way to learn about how digital imaging really works. I wanted to learn layering and masking and all those arcane things I had read about. However, I wasn't quite ready to make the $... investment that Photoshop requires. Instead, I struggled with Photoshop LE and Photo Deluxe. Neither of these was very satisfying, and Deluxe was especially geared to the greeting cards and "projects" audience.

Elements 2.0 is really Photoshop with the pre-press taken out. It has all the layering and filters and plug-ins that you are likely to need for photo retouching and other uses you would normally need Photoshop to handle. I've been very pleased wiht the results I've had from it.

If you need more power, buy Richard Lynch's book (Hidden Power of ....). He includes a CD with lots of additional tools like curves and RGB channels etc. that Adobe probably didn't want you to get in PS Elements.

There are still some limitations. A few commercial plug-ins for PS don't work in Elements, and some instructions that you read for doing things in PS won't work in Elements. But this is the program to have if you want to get serious about photos.

As an aside, let me strongly recommend a plug-in that works in Elements and regular PS. It's called iCorrect, and it lets you make very accurate color corrections with just a few clicks. It's really magic. check it out at Picto.com.

I upgraded to Photoshop Elements 2.0 from 1.0 after it's release. Version 2.0 was slower on my computer (PIII 600 with 256 MB memory) than the original and seemed to demand more of the available memory. The quick editing features were particularly slow on my machine, making them more difficult to use than they were on the original. File management was also quite slow.

I purchased Version 2.0 envisioning that new filters and effects would be offered, but really nothing substantive in that domain was added to the product. The end result was a product that runs more slowly than version 1 with no dramatic additions to the feature set.

For new users who want powerful photoediting software at a very reasonable price, Photoshop Elements is the product of choice. For owners of Version 1.0, an upgrade to Version 2.0 has marginal value.

I received Photoshop Elements 2.0 a few days ago and was a bit intimidated. I also purchased Mikkel Aaland's book, Photoshop Elements 2 Solutions, The Art of Digital Photography. I don't recommend buying the software without this book. I read the book first and it made the software much easier to use. I have had a digital camera for a little over a year, and just upgraded to a better camera. For the extra money I spent, I wasn't seeing dazzling improvements in my photos. My salesperson recommended that I buy this program in the hopes of improving my pictures. The software did just that! No more blurry faces, no more pale faces. The shrubbery in the background looked "good" before using the software, but after, it popped off the photo paper! What an incredible difference!

If you've been using the software that came with your digital camera or scanner, toss it in the trash and buy Photoshop Elements 2.0. It is well worth the money you will spend! My results were amazing!

If you page back in these reviews on Photoshop Elements 2.0, you may find the one that I submitted last November. I've never re-reviewed a product before, so this is a first for me.

Having owned Elements for almost a year, I can honestly say that this is without a doubt the second best and second most powerful editing program I've used, and believe me, I've tried them all I think. The best and most powerful of course being Photoshop 7.

For those of you considering purchasing either Photoshop 7 or Elements 2, you need to ask yourself one question....do I need the extra tools and capabilities of Photoshop for what I do with my images? You'd have to do some pretty serious justifying to spend six times the cost of Elements. In all honesty, I spent a considerable amount of time comparing Photoshop 7 and Elements tools to each other over the past 11 months, and with the exeption of the healing brush, the patch tool, the history brush, curves, and channels, there wasn't much I couldn't do in Elements and usually with fewer steps.
Let's just use red-eye removal as an example since everybody has that problem. In Photoshop 7, the best way to remove red-eye is with the channel mixer...a very labor-intensive prosess requiring multiple selections and adjustments. It works beautifully and once you're used to it, no big deal. However, in Elements, it's usually a one-click process. (Here's a little tip...the red-eye removal tool is nothing more than a color replacement tool in disguise. You can use it to replace the color in just about anything). However, let it be known that you can also replace color the exact same way that it's done in Photoshop 7. The commands are just in different menus, that's all. One other example is for effects. In Photoshop 7, there's a command to "fade" (whatever effect you've applied). Choosing this command opens a dialog box with a slider to adjust the fade and also the layer styles menu. The slider is nothing more than an opacity adjust. The same thing can be done in Elements by changing the opacity of the layer in the layers pallet. The layer styles menu is there as well. These are just two examples...I could keep going, but I don't have that much time or allocated space here.

I read one review in here that didn't recommend Elements for a professional. Well, I disagree whole-heartedly. I do photography and graphics full-time for a living, and I use this program all the time. It's served me well. Granted, it's not a replacement for what I do in Photoshop 7, but for many applications I get the same results usually with less labor involved. If I had to pick one thing that I'd like to see in Elements it would be the ability to work with channels. There is a book out called "The Hidden Power of Photoshop Elements" that comes with software that will allow you to use channels, curves, etc., in a roundabout way, but it does work. Can't afford or don't need to spend $600 bucks for Photoshop 7??? Go for Elements for around $50 after the rebate and the book for another $30 and you'll be in business.

By the way...in case you haven't heard, the new version of Photoshop is on the way. It's "Photoshop CS" and the price is going up another $50. Elements 3 won't be far behind, and who knows what new surprises Adobe may decide to add.

...

Elements 2.0 has a lot of "idiot" controls as well. But if you use the advanced controls, it gives you great control of the color and level adjustment. Five minutes with the "Levels" control (setting white point, black point, and midrange), a little cropping, some adjustment to the hue and saturation, and you've made a lusterless photo into one that leaps off of the page. You can use dodge and burn tools, fuzz the background, and apply a wide variety of filters. ...

This doesn't even discuss what I haven't learned yet: layers, opacity, painting, cutouts, and a bunch of other advanced features. It's great.

The best things in Elements 2.0:

1. "Levels" control. This will make your photos sizzle.
2. Photomerge: create panoramas by stitching photos together.
3. "Liquify" filter: your children can have hours of fun distorting pictures of mom and dad.

Worst things in Elements 2.0:

1. It takes some time to learn how to do the manual features.
2. You'll want to buy photoshop. And that costs a fortune.

Product is probably fine, however, a $30 manufacturer
rebate offer applies only to those upgrading.
The cloest Adobe or Amazon comes to acknowledging this
is "rebate information on box", thus you have to purchase
the product, receive it, then find out if you qualify.
Amazon blatenly advertises $30 man. rebate as if there
were no special conditions.

With the amazon.com price of about 60$, you can't go wrong.
Adobe Photoshop Elements v2.0 is aimed at being a relatively cheap priced program that can be used to create simple graphics and edit photos/pictures (even web graphics). This program does it flawlessly.

First off, this program is just a "toned-down" version of Adobe Photoshop. Having said that, this still offers a wide range of features that the average person will find overwhelming. Because it is based off of photoshop, this has some great features such as Selecting, layers, photo touch-up, color adjustments and transperency; the same Exact ones that are in photoshop!

The sad fact is that, most computers eaither come with no image editing software, or very little such as microsoft Picture It!. Also, i have looked at several digital cameras and seen the software that comes with them. I am very dissapointed with it. Basically these are just ment to quickly crop, edit colors, add text, and transfer the pictures from the camera to the computer. Adobe Elements v2.0 does all this, and better!

If you recently bought a digital camera, have the need to create simple web graphics, or want to touch up previous pictures this is your best bet. Jasc Paint Shop Pro is another alternitive, but i prefer the Adobe elements.
The documentation is very "cryptic", and does not "teach". There are a ton of tutorials though online for FREE provided by adobe which offer a hands-on approach to learing many of the features of Elements. Something Paint Shop Pro does not excell at. Also, there are a lot of books writen on elements 2.0 that will teach people how to use Elements.

I will be honest, if you have NEVER used any photo-editing software, and do not know the basics of how to use a computer, you will find yourself lost! In that case, i 100% recommend you get a book to accompany this software. It might take you a while to learn the in's-and-out's of how to use this software to its fullest, but once you do you will be able to do amazing things.

But, what sets Adobe Elements away from the competition is that Most Adobe products "act the same". What i mean by this is that, the "the magic wand tool" that is found in other adobe products is the same exact one in elements. This is true for most of the features and tools that Adobe products have. This helps make the transition over from other adobe products very effortless, in-case you have worked with other products or plan on working with other adobe products.

I have used several adobe products, including GoLive6, Photoshop 7, Illustrator 10, Indesign2, and have experimented with other's as well. I am very impressed at what these can do; granted that some are expensive, they do amazing things!

The only major downfall, is that Adobe makes you sign their end-user liscense agreement, which basically states that Adobe is not liable for any damage or lose of data done to your computer ... EVEN IF THEY KNEW IT WOULD, a very disapointing thing from such a large company!

To sum up:
If you are looking for a fairly simple software program to edit and touch up photos, and even create a few of your own(at a relitively cheap price), Elements v2.0 should be your best bet.

I recommend you goto http://www.adobe.com/products/tryadobe/main.jhtml and download the 30-day trial version before buying it. Give it a shot for a few days, see how it works, and if you like it, i would recommend you get it!

~Hope this helps!

This software does most of what Photoshop does, but at a much lower price and is easier to use. This includes adjusting lighting, contrast, color, sharpness, and fixing red-eye. It has Levels and layers just like Photoshop, and a lot of painting/drawing tools. You can burn-in and dodge, and apply changes to just the selected portions of an image. You can adjust the layer "mask", adding and removing effects to portions of the image even after you create an adjustment layer. It can be a little intimidating at first because of the power of such things as layers, but the wealth of improvements you can make to your photos is amazing. You CAN print multiple pictures on a page, in multiple formats at once, despite what "Disappointed" said. You can also construct a set of web pages to display your work using a powerful wizard. The manual isn't bad, but provides little guidance on when to use various corrections, so a good book on this software is recommended.