review photoshop elements 8

Review of Adobe Photoshop Elements 8

I am concurrently reviewing the bundle that contains both Adobe Photoshop Elements 8 and Premiere Elements 8. Thus, both are on my computer. While I will review each program separately, it is important to know that when you have both installed, they work together. For example, they can both share the same Organize panel as well as work together in different ways. This does not mean that you cannot purchase each separately and use them as independent programs, but there is a definite advantage to buying the bundle.

Last Year I reviewed Photoshop Elements 7. Each year new features are added and some are modified. This review will mainly discuss those features new to Photoshop Elements 8. However, a brief description of the program is necessary. As I stated in my earlier reviews of Photoshop Elements, it is much more than just an image editing program. It gives the user the ability to Organize, Edit, Create, and Share. While Adobe Photoshop is more advanced with more options and costs a lot more, Adobe Photoshop Elements is basically a steal for the price. In addition, in certain ways for the basic user it offers a lot more because you can edit using difference skill levels, organize your work and tag it to find it easily, and create and share projects. In my opinion it is a 10/10 program.

The format of Photoshop Elements 8 is similar to 7. However, you will notice a few changes such as the Welcome Screen.

One of the aspects of this program that makes it so unique is that a beginner as well as a much more advanced user can find their own niche. In the Edit section you can work in either of three modes: Quick Fix, Guided Edit, and Full Edit. Thus if you are new to image editing, you can have the program do most of the changes for you automatically. Below is an example of some new additions to Guided Edit.

Changes have been added to the Quick Edit menu and procedures have been arranged differently. Notice that the Touch Up tools are now a part of the Tool Bar. The panels are moveable and can be positioned in different places on the screen.

To the left of all the controls you will notice a grid. When you click on the grid, you will see nine options. Below I clicked on saturation. You can click on the image in the grid that looks like the effect that you want. This will bring it onto the main screen. Then, you can fine tune it there.

While the tools in Full Edit mode seem the same in both Photoshop Elements 7 and 8, tools have been added to version 8 such as the Recompose tool found in the fly-out of the Crop Tool, which one sees by default. Using this powerful tool you can recompose an image making sure that key elements are kept as they appeared in the original photo and are not distorted. Those you want to protect, you highlight using the Protection tool (green). You can also mark parts of an image with the Removal tool (red). This tool is excellent for both scenics and portraits. When you access it, you have the option to see a video tutorial. I highly recommend that you do.

You can use the Recompose tool to make images fit when creating scrapbook pages, photo books, and cards.

Photomerge Exposure is new to version 8. If a picture is unevenly lit, you can take a number of shots and then merge the areas that are properly exposed. You can do this automatically or manually. The bottom image (below) was created automatically without any fine tuning.

Another new feature is the ability to open multiple images in the Edit Screen. Notice, all the various arrangements.

The Organize screen allows for many formats to be shown such as Camera Raw (5.5).

When you open images in the Organizer, it will automatically scan the images for best photos and add "Smart Tags." You can click on the individual Smart Tags and see what images have those characteristics.

A shows a list of the Smart Tags. B and C show how the individual tags are applied to the images when automatically analyzed. D shows how you can click on a Smart Tag to see if any images in the Organizer screen have that characteristic. You can, also, tag images and, then, when Photoshop Elements 8 analyses them, through people recognition, it can identify the same person in different images.

You can now backup catalogs so they appear on more than one computer. When you are logged in to your account on Photoshop.com, you can see the backup preferences available.

The Create section has been enhanced. If you are making a greeting card, for example, you have choices such as print with your own printer, use Shutterfly, etc. When creating a greeting card or anything else that needs to be resized, there are a number of tools available to accomplish this.

The Share section has also been enhanced. Many people use flickr and with Photoshop Elements 8 it is easy to upload to flickr. All you do is choose your photo and authorize the upload to your flickr account.

I sort of stumbled across a nice feature when searching the Help menu. It's called Adobe Help Viewer and you can download it to your desktop. The Help menu has a lot of options, so you can basically find out how to do anything that you like.

In addition, there is help on Photoshop.com and Photoshop.com Plus. Below is a screen capture showing some of the differences. If you are not aware of Photoshop.com and Photoshop.com Plus, it is a service that provides tutorials, space for backing up your images, and for sharing them. In addition, the fee based Photoshop.com Plus offers additional content and more options than the free Photoshop.com. The screen below applies to both Photoshop Elements 8 (PSE) and Premiere Elements 8 (PRE).

What follows is a list from Adobe of those features that are new in Adobe Photoshop Elements 8 and those that have been enhanced. (The latter are in italics.) I have already commented on most of these new features and given examples:

Organize With Ease:

Quickly find your best photos—No need to click through dozens or hundreds of shots to find the good ones. The Auto-Analyzer automatically tags your media so you can easily find your most interesting, highest quality photos and video footage.Find specific people in a flash—Quickly find photos that feature specific friends or family members thanks to People Recognition, which automatically identifies the people in your photos.
Get the big picture—See the full effect of your photos and video clips from within the Organizer with new full-screen previews, which let you make quick edits to photos while viewing them.
See the same photos and video clips on every computer—Forget trying to manually maintain your photos and video clips across multiple computers. With automatic syncing, media added or edited on one computer will automatically be synced to another.
Enjoy support for Windows 7—Photoshop Elements is 100% compatible and logo certified, allowing you to take full advantage of the new Windows 7 platform.
The ultimate media management hub—Bring all your photos and video clips together in the easy-to-use, fully featured Organizer—now a more powerful hub for your photo and video experience. It’s easier than ever to find, view, and protect all your photos and video clips with automatic online backup and 2GB of free storage—and access them virtually anywhere you are. Increase storage to 20GB with Plus.
Get the big picture—See the full effect of your photos and video clips from within the Organizer with new full-screen previews, which let you make quick edits to photos while viewing them.

Edit and Enhance:

Recompose photos to any size—without distortion—Want to change the size or orientation of a photo to fit a certain frame? Now you can quickly resize—even go from landscape to portrait or vice versa—without distorting key subjects like people or buildings.
Get the best exposure—Want to capture all the details in a scene that includes light and dark areas? Snap one photo with flash on and one with flash off, and Photomerge Exposure will combine the shots into a single, perfectly lit photo.
Choose the best result—Perform a full range of common photo adjustments—including color, contrast, and lighting—with just one click. Then choose the best result from a group of adjustment previews.
Get help at the right time—Get lots of help bringing your ideas to life with relevant tutorials that appear just when you need them. New tutorials help you explore creative possibilities. Ongoing delivery of tutorials with Plus.

Create and Inspire:

Finish off your page with the perfect embellishment—Quickly browse hundreds of frames, themes, backgrounds, clip art, and effects in the Artwork palette, which includes all-new artwork.
Show off your creativity with flexible layouts—Make amazing printed photo creations—like scrapbook pages, photo books, and cards—that you can customize to get exactly the look you envision. Get fun, fresh looks with new artwork and templates. Ongoing delivery of artwork and templates with Plus.

Share Everywhere:

Share experiences in fresh, exciting ways on the web—Showcase your photos in one-of-a-kind Online Albums with your choice of animated templates, including several all-new options for sharing photos and videos together. Adobe Flash® technology lets viewers interact with your media for an entertaining experience. And share via public or private galleries; friends and family won’t have to register to look. Ongoing delivery of Online Album templates with Plus.

System Requirements:

• 1.6GHz or faster processor
• Microsoft Windows XP with Service Pack 2 or 3, Windows Vista, or Windows 7
• 1GB of RAM
• 2GB of available hard-disk space
• Color monitor with 16-bit color video card
• 1,024 x 576 monitor resolution at 96 dpi or less
• Microsoft DirectX 9 compatible display driver
• DVD-ROM drive
• Web features require Microsoft Internet Explorer 6 through 8 or Mozilla Firefox 1.5 through 3.x

You can download a free trial of Adobe Photoshop Elements 8 and I always recommend that people do so if they are considering buying a new program or upgrading from an earlier version.

http://www.adobe.com/products/photoshopelwin/?promoid=BPDEM is the website to go to to find out how to download a free trial and find out more information about Adobe Photoshop Elements 8.

The cost for Adobe Photoshop Elements 8 is US $79.99 after a $20 mail in rebate. To, also, subscribe to Photoshop.com Plus, the cost is US $119.99 after the rebate. A great deal can be had if you purchase Adobe Photoshop Elements 8 and Premiere Elements 8 together because the final cost after the $30 rebate is $119.99. One can also purchase the bundle - Adobe Photoshop Elements 8 & Adobe Premiere Elements 8 Plus. The rebate is time sensitive so go to: http://store.adobe.com/store/en_us/popup/software/pse8pre8/rebateterms.html for information and rules.

Even without any rebate, Adobe Photoshop Elements 8 is a fantastic deal and worth every penny and more. Obviously, I highly recommend it.

As a note, if you have an earlier version, I always suggest people look at the new features and decide if they will be utilized in their particular work flow. This chart from the Adobe website should be useful.

Adobe Photoshop Elements 8 and Premiere Elements 8 share many panels, screens, and functions. To get the most out of the programs, I recommend that you purchase the bundle. The number of projects you can create and share seems to be endless.

For information on more Adobe products, go to: http://www.adobe.com.

Click to see a review of Premiere Elements 8.

Update 02/08/13: This article was translated by Vera Djuraskovic at her request into Serbo-Croatian. http://science.webhostinggeeks.com/adobe-photoshop.