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Adobe Adobe Photoshop Elements 6

83

Very Good

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8 User Reviews | add yours »

Pros
Great new edge-refining tool
More attractive interface
Cons
New editing modes add clutter
No photo-blogging conduits

$68.99
From 1 Merchant

User Reviews for Adobe Adobe Photoshop Elements 6

Reviewed by: irish14500

Duration of ownership: 2 Months

Strengths: runs some automated commands such as 'actions' found within Photoshop. Like the Edit, create and Share portion of the application.

Weaknesses: interface is a bit kindergarten-ish expecially the round startup credit circle. Would have hoped more textures and styles and layer styles would have been created for the application. OR just added a seperate layer style to the the toolbar like within Photoshop.

Overall Evaluation: I upgraded from version 2 and see really no difference other than the black interface and the ability to import .abr files from Photoshop 7 to CS 3. Loads slower than version 2 even with an external folder for all of my plugins.
Reviewed by: richardhein

Duration of ownership: 2 Days

Strengths: Functionality same as version 5: No noticeable improvements.

Weaknesses: Poor color choice for the workspace. The dark Charcoal grey color is hard coded in the software and cannot be changed by the user. Very hard on eyes.

Overall Evaluation: The Adobe design team did an injustice to the Organizer and Editor workspace color. The background is a very dark gray charcoal color which makes using the menues and tools very difficult to see. This dark charcoal background cannot be changed and is hard coded into the software according to the tech support team from Adobe. What is also disturbing about the new interface as dark as it is when switching to or from the help system which uses a very light background is very harsh on the eyes. After much discussion with the Adobe support team I was forced to return the product and revert back to my version 5 Elements that has a much more eye appealing user interface background.
Reviewed by: Andante51

Duration of ownership: 8 Years

Strengths: Much of the power of Photoshop in a more accessible package, especially in terms of price.

Weaknesses: A steep learning curve for many.

Overall Evaluation: As a long time Adobe PhotoElements user who loves using it, I do have to take issue with the reviewer of this latest Version 6 upgrade who seems to feel that the hand-holding Adobe has incorporated is rather a turn-off. They have probably done their market research and learned what I have observed firsthand during several years of teaching digital photo classes at a large suburban library -- that the vast majority of users very much need and want that hand-holding, and that if Adobe doesn't provide it, their market share will suffer. Free and easy to use photo editing tools like Picasa (a mere toy compared to PhotoElements) far better meets the needs of a vast horde of users. As long as Adobe provides we geeks the more robust editing tools we crave, I have no problem with them incoporating hand-holding modes to make the product more accessible to many.
Reviewed by: kgivens

Duration of ownership:

Strengths: Comes close to actual Photoshop in its power; more than enough for a serious amateur

Weaknesses: Crammed with features that you will never learn to master unless you get some actual teaching

Overall Evaluation: I like the charcoal-colored background when in "light table" mode, but beyond that cosmetic change, I don't see any earth-shaking feature upgrade compared to version 5. Still the most full-featured, widely supported and affordable alternative to Photoshop proper.
Reviewed by: s_scott_mcclure_1161660644

Duration of ownership:

Strengths: Much simpler user interface (compared to Elements 2.0); guides available to assist you with common image issues (red eye reduction, sharpening, etc.); Magic Extractor function is neat

Weaknesses: Runs more slowly than earlier version; still some complexity associated with certain program functions

Overall Evaluation: I bought Photoshop Elements 2.0 when it first came out and found that it was quite powerful but had a steep learning curve. With Photoshop Elements 6.0, Adobe has greatly simplified many of the program's more common functions to reduce that learning curve significantly. Adobe has really improved the functionality of Photoshop Elements, and I strongly encourage those of you who are still using PE 2.0 (as I was) to pick up this version. You won't be disappointed.
Reviewed by: brettlandman

Duration of ownership:

Strengths: Easy-to-use interface. Intuitive.

Weaknesses: Slow start-up time.

Overall Evaluation: I recently upgraded PC to Vista and, like everyone else, I was surprised to realize that I needed to upgrade all my software. This upgrade was relatively painless, though. This newest version of Photoshop Elements is quite similar to my previous 3.0 version. I am not a photo software expert. I purchased this primarily to enable loading my photos on my iPod. This program does fine in that respect and has more than enough functionality for what I use it for.
Reviewed by: stevenyc1

Duration of ownership:

Strengths: Best photo software in its category

Weaknesses: lacks user manual

Overall Evaluation: It is my first photo software and it seems to have about everything a home user would need and then some. However, since it is not really intuitive a user manual should have been included. Learning curve is quite steep. A separate manual beefs up the price by about 20-30 dollars, depending upon the place of purchase.
Reviewed by: vicar280

Duration of ownership:

Strengths: Good imaging editing options for the money.

Weaknesses: Online help files, some learning curve issues if not familiar with Adobe Photoshop.

Overall Evaluation: If you don't want to spend upwards of $600 for the full Photoshop product, but want some good image editing options, this is probably all you need. Integrates well with my Canon scanner software.

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