Rating: 
Summary: PhotoShop LE
Review: Adobe PhotoShop Elements seems just like LE. The claim is that they added all the functionality of PhotoShop to an affordable graphics design package, but in truth the only viable feature is the ability to merge. I know of at least 3 other image editors and graphics design packages offer so much more than Elements. While Adobe is a household name, Elements will not be.
Rating: 
Summary: WARNING: ships configured for Mac
Review: I got this program bundled with a pen tablet and thought "Cool, an upgrade to my PhotoDeluxe". I immediately installed it and used it for about a minute before it crashed. I did a bunch of internet searches (including Adobe's site) to find out if anyone else experienced this...nothing. Fast forward about six months: I decided to open the program once again and narrowed down the problem to the "eyedropper" or the "color picker". After checking the help menu, there is a tiny paragraph tucked away that says something like "If you're using a Windows machine, change the default Adobe "color picker" to the Windows "color picker". Sure enough, the Abobe color picker was causing the program to crash on my WinXP machine! Seems to me, that there should have been a note somewhere on the outside of the CD warning about this, considering Windows machines are used by at least 80% of the world. Then...it also took me forever to figure out how to go about outlining objects/selections. Instead of keeping the name "Outline" (like in PhotoDeluxe), Elements changed it to "Stroke" and took it out of the effects list (it's now banished to one of the other drop down menus). Why? Other than that, it's a great upgrade to PhotoDeluxe that includes a GIF animation maker, a "liquifier" effect (same thing as Kai's "Goo") and tons of other stuff you'll probably never use.
Rating: 
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: Photoshop for Dummies
Review: Usage-wise, it deserves 5 stars, but Adobe gets docked a point for marketing this as an entry-level program. It is Photoshop stripped of expensive features, not Photoshop simplified for novice users. This is a program targeted at a mid-level graphics enthusiast. If you've only used programs like PhotoDeluxe in the past, expect a huge change. Comparing the two is a bit like comparing apples to oranges. PhotoDeluxe is designed for quick, easy editing of photos with lots of automation and "smart" tools. Photoshop Elements is designed for creating graphics, and there aren't a whole lot of automated functions. You *will* need to fiddle with settings. A lot of tools and options are hidden in flyout tabs, or in keyboard controls (alt/shift/ctrl are quite necessary to do certain things). Not particularly intuitive, but it doesn't clutter up your screen space and it only takes a few clicks or keystrokes to change tools or settings. It's a good feature if you work on a lot of large images or don't like to interrupt your creative process by dealing with menus and dialog boxes. I'd highly recommend this program for people who are interested in learning how to create good computer/web graphics and don't mind putting some time in. The help files aren't the greatest, but there's a wealth of tutorials on the Internet for those who are more ambitious. You'll also get more use out of the help files if you take the time to note the specific names and terms of the various tools and functions (mouse over the tools to see the titles). There's a nice window whose sole purpose is to explain a bit about the tool you have selected. The transition from Paint Shop Pro was pretty straightforward. Most times I would have both programs open and copy images back and forth to get the best of both worlds. There is no layer masking in Photoshop Elements, which can be annoying. However, the painting and selection tools are a bit better in Photoshop Elements, and the "Save for Web" option will give you better output with less effort. If you're considering this because you can't afford Photoshop, I'd say go for it. You get a lot of bang for your buck, and it'll ease the transition to from lower-end graphics applications. However, don't give up saving for the real thing! In a nutshell - Serious hobbyists or aspiring professionals should look into buying this program. Casual users looking mainly for an easy photo solution should shop around for a while longer. You probably won't use most of the features Photoshop Elements has to offer.
| 
