Customer Reviews

Adobe Photoshop Elements 6 & Adobe Premiere Elements 4 [OLD VERSION]

5 star:		(34)
4 star:		(22)
3 star:		(11)
2 star:		(13)
1 star:		(13)

 

 

The Adobe Photoshop Elements 6 and Premiere Elements 4 bundle is one of the best values for the home photo/video editor. I use the full version of Photoshop and a fairly pricey video editing (Sony Vegas) package at our business, but needed a powerful yet inexpensive (a relative term, I know) package to use at home. Here are my observations on each package:

Photoshop Elements 6:

At first glance I was disappointed and thought I had made a big mistake as the default interface is fairly simplistic (which is a GOOD thing for most users). Being used to the some of the more advance features (such as "Curves") and the ability to load in templates, the one click tools (while great for the casual user) were a little underwhelming. Not to fear though, the more powerful tools are still available by getting into a different editing mode, which I would have found faster if I had read the somewhat skimpy manual. All in all, it is nice to be able to "one click fix" all of my family photos, and still have the ability to get more powerful tools for the work I bring home with me. This is a fantastic value for the money!

Premiere Elements 4:

Since most of my editing is done on higher dollar packages at work, I was just looking for a home software package to quickly assemble clips, make photo slide shows, and to convert clips for upload to YouTube. This package surprised me with it's drag and drop ease of use. It is fantastic for the home user and does exactly what it says it is going to do. One note about the YouTube integration, it is nothing short of fantastic! I had a clip that was just too big to upload and my expensive work software just was too hard to get the file size and quality they require. Using Premiere Elements, I was able to drop in the large clip, indicate it was for YouTube, and the software did the rest...Including logging in and uploading it to my account right from inside the program. No muss, no fuss, just as advertised!

All in all, I think this is one of the best home user packages available. Simple enough for the basic user with access to the more powerful tools if needed.

This software bundle is primarily for people that want to do video editing, because that's how the product synergy goes - Photoshop Elements is extremely useful for making DVD menu templates and still images that can be used in Premiere, but Premiere Elements offers very little to those primarily working with still images (the still images Premiere can pull from videos tend to flicker and be of low resolution).

So, if you're looking to buy this bundle, you need to ask yourself this question: are you interested enough in video editing to pay roughly $50.00 extra for such a program when Windows users get a basic video editor for free (most versions of Vista and XP come with Microsoft Movie Maker, but most people don't realize that they have it installed)? If you've used Movie Maker and you want something more powerful, then this package is a great deal. If not... why not try the free option first before investing in both programs?

As to the individual programs... Longer, more detailed reviews for each can be found on their individual product pages. For those that don't feel like searching, though: Photoshop Elements 6 is one of the best versions of the software I've used in years, and I highly recommend it; Premiere Elements 4, on the other hand, is much less stable than the previous version, and ended up being a disappointment. I can still recommend this bundle, but those purchasing it should be aware that Premiere Elements currently has some issues that Adobe needs to address with a patch (a patch that was not available at the time of this writing).

Note about system requirements: Premiere Elements is listed as requiring an Intel Pentium 4 or Celeron 1.7GHz (or compatible) processor (note the lack of support for AMD). RAM for XP is 512MB, 1GB for Vista. Photoshop Elements' requirements are slightly less, and are listed as only needing an Intel Pentium 4, Pentium M, or Intel Centrino 1.3GHz (or compatible) processor. Photoshop Elements also requires less RAM, and is listed at 256MB minimum.

Please be aware that Premiere Elements 4 will NOT run on any computer processor that does not support the SSE2 Instruction set. The following comes from an Adobe Tech Note: Important: The following CPUs do not have SSE2 support and will not work with Adobe Premiere Elements 3.x: Intel Pentium III, AMD Athlon, AMD Athlon XP, or AMD Athlon XP-M.
Elements 6 does NOT have this limitation. The bundling of the two products would cause one to assume that the requirements for each program was identical.
Elements is a super program. The cost to upgrade from Elements 5 to 6 is questionable. However an upgrade from any other version of Elements is worth the cost. I cannot comment on Premiere since it would not run on my HP computer.
Amazon refunded my money. Adobe ignored my protest that the limitation should appear in bold letters in the advertising literature.
Hurray for Amazon. Shame on Adobe!

I just received the new updates today and love what I see so far. I've used Photoshop Elements since 3.0, but have never used Premier Elements. So far, everything is working better than expected and I finally feel like I can edit videos now since Premier Elements has the necessary features and is easy to use. As time goes on, I will probably find some things I feel need improvement but right now both products have exceeded my expectations.

I have been using Adobe premiere element software for some time now. I just upgraded it to the new version.Adobe Photoshop Elements 6 & Adobe Premiere Elements 4 As far as the video editing goes it is one of the best software available. It is very ease to use. I highly recommend it for the first timer user. If you are just starting out, read the manual or help full books on this product. Do not pay attention to manufacturer's PC requirements for this product. You need pretty fast PC to do any video editing. I have built my own PC so I know exactly my components' capability. This software is pretty simple but video editing is not like using word application. It is pretty involved and if you are stuck then you must troubleshoot it by yourself as the adobe support is minimalistic. It is recommended that you join user forum if you are serious about this product. The installation is fairly straight forward and you must have plenty of space on your HD. Also, defragment as often as you can to speed up the process. Make sure that you have at least 2G of RAM and choose 500G or higher HD as video files are very large. Use the firewire 400/800 interface as it is robust. Your graphic card needs to have 256 of memory and set the slot cycle on DA type. It will save a few PC cycles which helps. I do not use premiere for capturing as it is not stable. I use either Window movie make or use camera manufacturer software to eliminate any drop frame scenario. I have sony HD camera and its software works flawlessly. For the video editing you cannot buy a better software for the price it works very well. Editing the clips and setting key frames is a breeze and pretty robust. For the home movie enthusiastic the transitions and video effects are plenty full and will give you professional looking results. The DVD titles templates are very good and plenty to choose from. You can also create you own using Photoshop. The part which really sucks is the adobe DVD burning software. I could never make it work right. The best software that I know of which works flawlessly is NERO. I troubleshot every bit of DVd burning issues and still I do not get a reliable burning. To work around it I create the VOb files on the HD and use NERO to burn it. It works every time flawlessly. I also have had drop frame and sync issues with premiere for capturing my older analog tape. The best product which works flawlessly that I use is the ADVC 300 (Advance DV converter) from Canopus (Grass Valley Group). It is a professional product at a consumer price and canopus technical support just rocks.

PRO: Very good for video editing provided you have a PC with plenty of Horse Power.
COn: Manual sucks, DVD burning software is a real problematic. Save your sanity and use a third party software to burn the media. video editing is not for everyone because program crashes often and you have to troubleshoot the issue yourself and it could be pretty frustrating. I know I have been thru it many times. Always check and download the latest drivers and patches. It will fix all the known bugs for you.

I am coming from Adobe Photoshop Elements (PE) version 4.0 and Adobe Premiere Elements 2.0 and this review reflects that. Most of this review will be for PE 6.0 since I have spent most my time editing photos. I would not call myself a power user, but perhaps I am approaching an advanced user. As such, I hope this is useful for those with similar experience. There is no getting around that PE has a tremendous amount of power for the cost of the program.

In a nutshell:
An upgrade from PE 4.0 is highly recommended.
From my understanding of PE 5.0, there are not enough new photo editing features to warrant an upgrade.

Many of the small nuances in PE 4.0 have been smoothed out and there are a number of added features. Some of the more important features for photo editing include a better RAW conversion routine and a CORRECT CAMERA DISTORTION routine (although a lighter version than in Photoshop CS). These by themselves probably make version 6.0 a worthwhile upgrade from version 4.0. I also found the new ADJUST SHARPNESS tool easy to use with minimal edge highlights, although I have been using a third party sharpener that seems comparable. The new curves routine is really not very useful since it is not in an adjustment layer. This was disappointing and you would be better off downloading a third party curves plug-in of which there are several - both free and fee types. You would then have the full benefit of curves outside of an adjustment layer. However, I think all these tools were available in version 5.0. Also, and apparently beginning with version 5.0, Adobe has made it more difficult to install "Hidden Power" tools (authored by Richard Lynch - do a search). I use some of these tools extensively and probably would not upgrade PE if I were not able to install them. However, I was successful in installing them in version 6.0 using methods similar to version 5.0.

Version 6.0 has a darker gray background. I have mixed feelings about this. At first, I found my pictures to "pop" and easier to view. However, after using it for some time, I don't know that it really offers much benefit. In fact, it can make your pictures appear brighter than they really are. Thus, it is even more critical to use the histogram (Personally, I thought it beneficial to use the middle gray that cameras expose for resulting in a good visual for a photo that is supposed to be a little darker or a little lighter. The background in the photo editor of version 4.0 was middle gray.). The second thing I don't care for is the coloration of the tools. They are very distracting. If Adobe darkened the background to be less distracting, why would they color the tools? Also, the various versions of a tool are no longer represented in the tool bar. For example, in version 4.0, when the BURN tool was clicked on, both the BURN and DODGE appeared in the toolbar. Now you have to right click on the tool to get the option (I guess power users would just use ALT-CLICK ;) ). Finally, it is clear that Adobe has spent some effort in trying to make the program run faster. I think in some respects they have succeeded. Unfortunately, they continue to offset the speed by bulking the program up with gimmicks. I guess they have done their marketing research and that is what people are asking for. I don't care for them but can understand that Adobe wants to reach a wider audience. Beginners will appreciate the "Guided Edit" to help them learn editing steps and there is a more extensive set of photo sharing tools.

As far as Premiere Elements goes, the same dark background is used which sometimes makes the text difficult to read. From the little I have used it so far, the program seems more stable than version 2.0. One issue that you might come up against, as I have, is that not all the pre-made frames from version 2.0 were included in the new version. When I loaded some of my previously made movies, an error box came up asking where the frames were. Finally, Adobe replaced many of the markers such as the "In Point" and "Out Point". I preferred the older markers as they mimicked professional equipment that I have seen. Anyway, they will take some time getting used to.

In spite of these minor nuances, the package easily gets a 5 star rating.

Photoshop Elements

I've been using Photoshop for years and I like Photoshop Elements for quick, simple edits (I use Photoshop CS for more complex edits). There is a definite learning curve to be able to use some of the more complicated editing tools, but this is a very powerful package for the price. The photo organizational tools and the ability to create albums are also nice and easy to use features.

Premiere Elements

Save your money and buy a different product. I've been trying to create a 5 minute video of my 2 year old son for 2 weeks and I've had it with this product. I have a 2.4GHz dual core machine with 4GB of RAM running Vista 32bit and have had nothing but problems. The software is great for editing 1 or 2 items at a time. I'm trying to put together 40 short clips into a coherent video and the product can't handle it. It was fine up to about 25 clips and then it started crashing. Also, if you're shooting high def on a new DVD, HDD or Flash camcorder, be aware that Premiere Elements does not support AVCHD. To be fair, the interface for the program is very intuitive and if it was stable, it would be a fantastic product. Unfortunately, it's not stable unless you're doing some pretty simple stuff. I'm doing home movies and I can't get it work without crashing.

Bottom Line

Photoshop Elements gets a solid 4 stars. Premiere Elements gets a solid 0 stars. Thus, a 2 star rating overall. My advice: buy the standalone version of Photoshop Elements and find something else to edit video.

This is simply the best bang for buck package in the photo and video editing consumer market. There is a learning curve for the advanced features, but man you can do some awesome things once you learn. This package really makes most of the functionality of the super-expensive full versions accessible to the home user.

The only problem is that these programs are very buggy (premiere more so than photoshop). There is a lot of frustration the first few weeks as you spend a lot of time losing and repeating work due to crashes. You eventually learn where the bugs are and develop the habit of saving after every edit you make.

Adobe would be well advised to simply focus on bug fixes and polishing the product for an entire release. They keep losing folks, not because the user interface is too complicated, but because the program keeps crashing.

Photoshop Elements 6 is a great program. Adobe Premiere Elements 4 was (for my circumstances) a big disappointment. Premiere will simply not handle my video files (*.mod aka mpeg2) without crashing. Every time. Spent some time on the Adobe forum both looking for similar problems and posting my own problem and the general consensus is that Premiere is most reliable with DV-AVI file types and that other file types (certainly mpeg2 and it's derivatives such as my JVC camera's *.mod types) are very problematic. I am looking into a format converter but, meanwhile, using another movie editor. My computer is an HP with a AMD Athlon 64x2, 3 GB Ram, 400 GB of harddrive and Windows XP Media Center so it should have plenty of horsepower.

Let me start by saying that I'm very computer savvy. I've been working as a software developer for 20 years.
I recently purchased this product because I thought it was a step up from the current program I'm using, Picasa. Picasa is FREE product supported by Google.
I agree that PS Elements is a powerful tool....if that's what you need. Do you plan to create artistic masterpieces? Do you plan to take photos apart and mix and match the pieces? Do you want to learn everything about file formats, overlays, and digital images?
If the answer is YES, you're probably a professional and this is a good product for you.

If you just want to organize your photos, touch up photos and create 'tags' so you can search through them, then I think you will be very disappointed at the STEEP learning curve presented by this product.
First of all...the interface is not intuitive at all. If you're used to a standard Windows functionality it won't help at all here. Also, the only written documentation provided is a small, 18 page pamphlet called the "Quick Start Guide".

The product is divided into 4 areas which all function as individual products: Organize, Edit, Create, and Share. This are Tabs on the right side of the page. When you are in the organizer and want to edit a photo it opens another separate window as though you had 2 applications running. It looks like they developed different applications and then just linked them together.

The organizer is terrible! It is very cumbersome has limited drag and drop functionality. For example, you can create albums and copy photos between them, but you can't MOVE them. You have to go back and delete if from the original album. Also, you can't drag one album to another and have Elements create a sub album. You have to create sub-albums manually.
There is no in-place editing of dates. You have to open pop up windows (2 deep) to get to the change date area.

I have several hundred photos which I scanned as JPEGs. Picasa was able to "Auto-correct" the color beautifully. When I tried to use the "Auto Smart Fix" in the Elements editor, the color was way off and I have blue circles around everyone's eyes.

Thinking I was just doing something wrong, I bought a book which may help me learn how to use this product. Now I'm beginning to wonder if it's worth my time.

Adobe has a history of creating products which require the users to adapt to their terminology and their way of doing things. This is just the kind of thinking that was the demise of Lotus 1-2-3 and Word Perfect. I wonder how much longer it will be before Microsoft comes out with a similar tool that is easier to use.

As for me....I'm going back to Picasa. I just don't have the time to waste on this one.