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Summary: Adobe Nirvana
Review: Adobe Photoshop is, I believe, about 3 upgrades away from replacing every publishing application available. I've been using the program since version 2.5, and you talk about keeping up with changes ....!For the uninitiated: Adobe Photoshop is the industry standard image editing tool. There is nothing you will see in print or online that has not gone through the Photoshop process, with color correction, layer/collage composing, filter effecting, web image optimizing .... and now, TEXT. I thought Illustrator was going to be Adobe's ultimate breakthrough, with its new transparency support. Then I hear from an ad designer friend that she does ALL of her ad layout in Photoshop; she doesn't even touch Quark or Pagemaker. I can't even describe how exciting it was to be able to FINALLY just type right onto an image in this program, without the usual detour into palletland. A few cautionary notes, of course, as is the case with any upgrade. Though it is easy to learn, there are some small changes to get used to, ie: to rename a layer is now option/double-click - the old way just takes you to MODE mode. Also, when I first installed 6.0 I couldn't figure out why none of my tools were functioning. Twas a Mac system thing, as it turned out ..... had to go into Extensions Manager and make sure Contextual Menus was enabled (all those little things we never think about!). Also also, 6.0 is designed to function most optimally on the G4, particularly the multi processor models. Me, I'm stuck with one of the first beige G3s, though so far I haven't noticed significant retardation of function. Cautionary notes aside, Photoshop 6.0 is probably the most exciting software event, the most liberated version of the program yet, and I've barely scratched the surface. I put it to the test the other day, printed out some text at 8 points, and sure enough, on a postscript printer it is as clear as if it was done in Illustrator. And just for fun, they have thrown in goodies like the Liquefy function, a sort of mini version of "Goo", and if that weren't enough, the new Layer Styles (formerly "Layer Effects") have so many tweaks available to them they are practically programs in themselves. Congrats to the wizards at Adobe for taking an already outstanding creative powerhouse application to a whole new level. The only thing I'm wondering is, what will they call it once Photoshop really CAN do everything?
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Summary: Adobe Photoshop Elements
Review: I bought Photoshop Elements about a year ago, after running Adobe PhotoDelux for years. I tried it and did not like it at all. It's much more complex than PhotoDelux and required different commands to do the same operations. I did not want to learn a new photo software editing package. So I stopped using it about a year ago. However, a month ago, I got a new computer (2.8Ghz) running WinXP; unfortunately, XP will NOT run PhotoDelux and Adobe no longer supports it. So I was forced to get out the Photoshop Elements and loaded it on the XP machine. Now I have to learn photo editing all over again. The software runs much faster, which takes some of the pain out of the process, but it is hard to do things that were simple in PhotoDelux. They changed all the keyboard shortcuts (WHY, WHY, WHY did they have to do that??!!!). Some tasks no longer have shortcuts at all and tasks that were one keystroke with PhotoDelux now take many mouse clicks. Some tasks that PhotoDelux did easily, Photoshop Elements does not do at all. For example, it places no free space gutter around pictures, which makes it hard to work on large blow up images at the pixel level. Does not do drop shadows with the shadow as an adjustable layer like PhotoDelux. The list goes on and on. If I had it to do again, I'd probably go with some other software, since I'm having to learn photo editing all over again anyway.
Rating: 
Summary: Love it
Review: I just got this book and I love it. I don't know why the manuals that come with the programs can't be as informative. I have only read the first two chapters but I have already learned things. The "Oh, yeah" moments, "why didn't I think to do that?" Some of the things I have learned from this book are things I had gone to Adobe's help site and researched without really "getting it". I really recommend this book. It will really help to make using Elements a lot less frustrating.
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Summary: Great for the person who isn't a professional
Review: Got this program when it was first out when there was a special deal locally. I figured for [$$]it was worth a try. I use it OFTEN and REALLY LIKE the feature that let's you save an image for the Web. It's saved me much grief and lots of hassles. Unfortunately the help on the program stopped working and a fresh installation didn't fix the problem. Now the crop box no longer follows the cursor. (NO, I don't have a virus present.) I'm hoping that if I update the V 2.X these problems will disappear but not counting on it. I recommend this program if you want some reasonable power and ease of use.
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Summary: Adobe has done it again
Review: Photoshop Elements was specifically designed to help you create high-quality web graphics. Although its environment looks a lot like Photoshop and it has many of Photoshop's same powerful features, Elements is easier to learn and use. Before Elements, I used PaintShop Pro v. 7 and was very satisfied with it. However, Photoshop Elements has become my program of choice. Most of Adobe's products are well worth the investment...this one is no exception. If you're designing any graphics for use on the web, you'll be pleased with this program.
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Summary: Great program for all levels!
Review: This program is very easy to work with, and our whole family --- from teen techie to old mom and dad --- have found we can use it.
Great price, great program.
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Summary: Has most of the Photoshop power you probably need
Review: I have used Painter 6.0, Painter Classic, Ulead, and a few other image processing packages that are typically bundled along when you buy a scanner or other digital device. So I am not a complete novice at graphics. From what I can tell, Photoshop Elements is not exactly novice-level because I used some previously acquired knowledge to tweak a photo. And I still had to check the help file to figure out a couple of things that weren't obvious. However, it seems a lot simpler than Photoshop full-version and it wasn't all that hard to get started. You can do dodging, burning, stitching (putting pictures together, such as panorama sequence shots) and equalization with very much ease. The tool set is not hard to use. The adjustments to the brush sizes are quick and easy--just pull down a size palette and adjust your dodging, blurring or other tool in one click. Most of the features I would normally use are here, plus the ability to do some artsy stuff like converting a picture to a colored-pencil drawing, adding plug-ins (third party software for effects) and more. If you are willing to put in a bit of time, maybe get an accessory how-to book, I think this software is a pretty good deal. It is probably most of the Photoshop power most people will need unless they go full-bore into digital imaging. For me, it is more than adequate and I really like it.
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Summary: Elements is crippled for left-handers
Review: I bought the program because I liked Photoshop Deluxe which came with my scanner. I wanted more features. Elements does have nice features but beware if you're left-handed. The Quick Start menu, the Recipes Palette, for starters don't work unless you change your mouse settings to right-handed. This is something Adobe could have easily corrected with a patch. I searched all over the Adobe web site, but alas! there doesn't seem to be a patch. It may be corrected in version 2.0, but if you already have version 1.0 you'll have to buy the newer version to get the fix, if there is one. None of the books about Photoshop Elements including the book that comes with the program mention the left-hand problem. I spent hours installing and re-installing the program until I found out about the leftie problem in Adobe's knowledge base. I will probably keep the program but I don't have kind thoughts for Adobe.
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Summary: Photoshop for Dummies
Review: I found this program very easy to use and the instructional manual clear and concise. Graphic quality is exceptional and cropping and editing have never been easier. My one problem is the ...dollar rebate. Amazon never tells you what products you must own prior to purchasing this program. I was just lucky that I had what Adobe required for the rebate. Otherwise, I would have just kept using what I normally do.
Rating:
Summary: love it
Review: Great program for the price. I had experience with Photoshop LE so it was easier to use than it might be for a beginner. Online help not very good.
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