Adobe Photoshop Elements 6 Review

Adobe Photoshop Elements 6 Review

Adobe Photoshop Elements 6 Rating: out of 5. Based on features, easy-of-use and value for the money. Benefits: Easy to use, comprehensive features, new Photomerge combines the best parts of several group shots, new Quick Selection tool. Cons: Switching between Editor and Organizer interfaces may be confusing

System requirements: Intel® Pentium® 4, Pentium M, or Intel Centrino® 1.3GHz processor Microsoft® Windows® XP with Service Pack 2 or Windows Vista® 256MB of RAM (512MB recommended) 1.5GB of available hard-disk space Color monitor with 16-bit color video card 1,024x768 monitor resolution at 96dpi or less Microsoft DirectX 9 compatible display driver CD-ROM drive Web features require Microsoft Internet Explorer 6, Netscape Navigator 7.0, or Mozilla Firefox 1.5

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With the ideal blend of power and usability, Adobe Photoshop Elements 6 is a delight to use, for both novices and seasoned photo enthusiasts.

As with the prior version, Photoshop Elements 5, there are two work areas. The Photo Editor, for modifying and enhancing images, is integrated with the Photo Organizer for, you guessed it, collecting and organizing your images. Photoshop Elements 6 has improved the editing interface with uncluttered screens and new tabs that give you easy access to various features. Adobe has enhanced its assistance function to walk you step by step through the editing process for such tasks as blemish removal or removing scratches.

New Features

Adobe Photoshop Elements 6 offers users three edit modes geared to beginner, intermediate and advanced skill levels.

One of the best new features is Photomerge. There are three types; the best one is Group Shot, which lets you copy and paste faces from different images into another one. So if you take multiple shots of a group and someone has their eyes closed in one, and someone has a weird facial expression in another, you can take the best shot of each person and combine them into one photo.

Panorama is another Photomerge option. It automatically merges multiple files into one large composite picture. The Faces Photomerge feature lets you copy and paste specific features like nose or eyes from one image to another.

Quick Selection Tool

In the past it has been difficult to select adjacent areas with similar color. It can get pretty tedious to get it right. Elements' new Quick Selection tool makes is much easier. Now you can do fun things like select the blue shirt someone is wearing, with all shadows and nuances, then easily change the color.

Sharing and Distribution

Adobe Elements 6 features new online galleries based on Adobe Flash® with a variety of settings and themes for an interactive experience. Other features include animated slideshows, e-mail, and printed projects such as cards, photo books, scrapbook pages, and CD/DVD labels.

Organizing

The organizing features in Elements 6 remain strong. You can tag your images in multiple ways, including name, dates, places, and events. These tags are great for searching and finding specific images, though it can take a lot of time to tag all your images. I never seem to quite get around to it. New Smart Albums automatically groups photos based on up to 10 search criteria that you can designate.

Should you buy it?

The very cool Group Shot PhotoMerge feature is reason enough to buy or upgrade to Elements 6. There is some crossover between creating and sharing projects, which can be a little confusion for beginners. For instance, sometimes when you click on the Create button in one program it switches you over to the other program. Other than this minor issue Adobe Photoshop Elements 6 is an excellent photo editing and organizing program that you will be happy to own.

Resources for Buying Photoshop Elements 6

Adobe Photoshop Elements 6 comes standalone or you can buy it from Adobe bundled with Adobe Photoshop Premiere Elements video editing software at a discount rate. The software is available in Windows; Mac version is coming in early 2008.

Download Adobe Photoshop Elements 6 from Adobe - either instant download or boxed version available.

Find all current special offers on Adobe products.

Adobe Photoshop Elements 6 from Amazon.com - boxed version only.

Books About Photoshop Elements 6

The Photoshop Elements 6 Book for Digital Photographers (Voices That Matter)

Photoshop Elements 6: The Missing Manual (Paperback)

Adobe Photoshop Elements 6 Classroom in a Book (Paperback)

Photoshop Elements 6 For Dummies

Adobe Photoshop Elements 6 Maximum Performance: Unleash the hidden performance of Elements

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