Best for the price

Author's Rating:

Pros: Best at this price

Cons: A bit slow at times

The Bottom Line: 
Excellent photo imaging program, good value for the money.

Author's Review
I guess I would consider myself a bit of a photo imaging software buff, although certainly not an expert. I've tried just about everything out there, and I do mean everything. Before I even downloaded a trial, I researched, and read many write ups about Photoshop Elements 2. There were mixed reviews, some positive, some negative, but by in large the majority gave it a thumbs up. Before I fork out any money for software, I like to try it out. I mean if your going to shell out almost a hundred dollars or more(some places $58.00..see below), you want to know it's a decent program with no bugs in it. So far I have not found anything buggy about Photoshop Elements 2, other than I do find it runs a bit slow at times.

I have to say, one of the things I look at in any software program, is user friendliness. Basically, just how easy it is to understand and use. Adobe Photo software, can be a bit tricky to learn, and I'm certainly not the first to make that statement. I mean some older programs, like Photodeluxe Home Edition, were very simplistic and easy to understand. And for the most part worked great. Then there is the infamous PHOTOSHOP, which is an amazing and pricey program. To the average user it will seem all but impossible to completely master. Now there is a new kid on the block, that goes by the name Photoshop Elements 2, with most of the great features of Photoshop at a fraction of the price! $100.00 or less, versus $650.00. Truly, if you look at the interface of PSE2 and Photoshop, it's hard to tell them apart. Photoshop Elements 2, will do all but the most complex tasks. Personally, I don't do much artistic of anything, I'm not a professional nor am I aspiring to be one. For the most part, I just do basic image enhancement, with the odd project thrown in for good measure, and of course printing. I have to seriously wonder if anybody would ever use half of the features Photoshop CS offers. Why pay for something you will never use? Even Adobe tout that Photoshop Elements 2, is a scaled down version of Photoshop, more geared towards the average consumer!

Photoshop Elements 2, makes image enhancement very straightforward and easy to understand. The basic adjustment tasks, which you will find here are, contrast, color balance, saturation, sharpness (focus). These can either be done in the auto mode, or by adjusting them manually. If you choose to do it manually, you look at many different images on the same page. Some with say more contrast and some with less. You keep hitting the image and each time you hit it, the image changes in the preview box. It's nice the way it gives you a look before you decide what you want for the final choice.

This program uses quite a bit of memory. I have ample memory (512MB), but still I notice it runs a little slow at times. By comparison, when I use Jasc Paint Shop Photo Album 5, the processing is extremely fast. You just basically push OK or Apply, and presto it's done, well maybe not that fast.

One excellent feature with this program, is the ability to print multiple images on the same page. And the pictures don't all have to be the same either. You just click on the photo you want to replace, and browse for it, and insert it by double clicking on the image of choice. You can also create wonderful Panorama pictures. This is something that most quality software will do these days. One very important thing to remember when taking Panorama photo's with your camera, is to try and use a tripod and keep everything in a straight line. Overlap the images, so in the second picture you include part of the first one, vise versa for the third including part of the second. I believe you generally overlap 1/3 of the previous image. The software will do wonders, but it's not a miracle fix. Using a tripod is so vital to great panoramic results.

I must say, one thing I'm having a bit of a problem understanding, is whether or not there are different versions of this program? I've contacted Adobe on this matter, and they tell me there is just the trial version and the full retail. I am confused, here is why. It is available at Walmart for $58.00, and at Circuit City it's $99.00. I mean if you look on the outside of the box it appears identical to what's on the box at the competitors. All the system requirements are the same. So what's the deal Adobe? I feel they just use different codes for each store.

On the outside of the box are the system requirements, you are told you need 150 megs of hard drive space, and a minimum of 128 megs of memory. The second number in reality, is a little off. Ok a lot off. I would say you need at least 256 Megabits, possibly even as much as 512 Megabits. Memory is something any photo imaging software uses a lot of. Some more than others. Memory is so important, it cant be overemphasized. Especially when doing batch processing. I have seen people try to run high end software, like Photoshop Elements 2, with less than 128 megs. Let me tell you, it gets bogged down something awful. It takes forever to process. By comparison, I have 512 megs, and the processing is noticeably faster. It does make a big difference. You see that old progress bar flying across the screeen from left to right, instead of crawling.

Photoshop Elements, also lets you post images to the web, create web photo pages. E-mail your photo's. Create e-cards, put together photo collages.

I recommend anyone looking for good photo software, to give Photoshop Elements 2 a trial run. You can find the download at www.adobe.com. Do not just run out and buy it. It's your hard earned money your forking out. Try others out there as well, they all offer trials for at least a couple of weeks, some even a month. The thing to keep in mind is, once you buy the software and open it, you cant return it. Most stores are very strict on this policy, due to the obvious problem with piracy. The only exception is for defective discs, but even then they will only give you a swap for the same thing.

Personally, I like Jasc Paint Shop Photo Album 5 the best of anything out there(which there are no reviews for in here unfortunately), mostly due to it's simplistic design and ease of use. Photoshop Elements 2 comes in a very close second.

As any software, you really do learn by trial and error. No amount of reading can make you an expert. I've been at this for over 5 years, and I'm still learning. The more time you spend, the better you get at it. Somebody new to this kind of thing, might find Photoshop Elements 2 a bit daunting. But that's not to say you cant learn and master it. It's unfortunate, but the software that hardware companies give you, is nothing short of a joke. They do not work good for the most part and are very basic. It's wise to invest in a top quality program like Photoshop Elements 2, you wont regret it in the long run.

On a final note, I just want to make a comment on something I use with Photoshop Elements 2. It's called Focus Magic. It is a plugin, and it does a great job of focusing without leaving undesirable effects such as grain. The plugin also works with Paint shop pro 8. I will say, it definitely runs better with Paint shop pro 8, than with Photoshop elements 2. When I say better, I mean faster. Try this program, you will like it!