4 stars (Best photo editor in this price range but not worth upgrading from 3.0) - I read many reviews for software. I always read the worst reviews first and take what people say with a grain of salt. In reading reviews for Photoshop Elements, I see many people giving this program lackluster reviews. Not based on the software's capability, but based on its lack of additional features over previous installments or the program's speed. I hope to address what others have said and help you make a decision on whether to buy this program based on its attributes and your needs.
Let me make it clear by saying that Elements is an excellent, if not the best photo editor in its price range. Although the price and features in this program may be more than the average person with a digital camera may need, I feel this program is an excellent choice for all types of users. Be advised, this program has a steeper learning curve than many other photo editors. In addition to that, expect to spend $30-$40 for a book to learn how to use many editing features in Elements if you are not already familiar with it.
Adobe has included it's excellent Photo Organizer in Elements 3 & 4. What's important to realize is that the organizer is a nice way to keep track of and view all your photos, but it's not what you would want to use for quickly viewing an occasional photo here and there. (When I double click an image file I want it open within a second or two.) It takes approximately 10-15 seconds for the elements organizer to load on my laptop if it's not resident in the computers memory. (Longer or shorter based on computer's hardware of course, but probably not too much shorter.) This is why many people complain about the speed of the program and the reason I don't recommend associating elements with many of your image file types. Use a viewer to view and elements to organize and edit! I don't have an issue with loading time because I only use it to organize and edit. When I open elements I am usually in there for awhile.
I have noticed some version 2 reviewers disappointed about versions 3 and 4 taking longer to load. Another major reason of some poor reviews from Elements 2 users, is the facelift given to version 3 to look more like it's big brother Photoshop. Change is usually not welcome when people are already familiar with the program's interface.
As far as whether to UPGRADE from elements 3, I recommend saving your money unless there is a certain feature in version 4 you must have. I really can't believe Adobe added so little over version 3. The magic extractor and selection brush do work very well and are convenient on tougher selections but they are not the universal answer. The additional features in 4 are nice but not worth the $60-$80 price of the program. I own Photoshop Elements 3 and 4. The worst part is, I bought version 3 about two months before version 4 came out. Am I upset about that? Yes. However, I still went ahead and purchased the new Elements/Premier bundle when it released from Amazon since I did not have Premier Elements. I read some reviews stating that version 4 was slower than version 3. I have both installed on this laptop and would say that 4 is a little faster. I can also say I have no problems with the program crashing or conflicting with anything else on my computers.
Some cons of Elements 4 are the removal of the file browser and many 3rd party tools and add-ons that worked in version 3, do not necessarily work in 4.
If you do not own this program and are looking for an excellent organizer/editor and are up to the challenge of learning many of the editing features this program offers then take the plunge. The creativity options are endless. You will be amazed at what this program can do if you know how to use it.
1 stars (Nonexistent customer service--and another awkward interface) - Adobe has the most inaccessible customer service on earth, even when you're trying to provide a bug report. It amazes me that they don't go out of business, with such lousy customer service. You won't get any free help with this product, no matter what the problem. If you buy this, you'd better prepare to buy several books just to figure out the changes.
It makes no sense why Adobe keeps changing the Elements interface. I thought nothing could be more annoying than the Elements 3 interface, but Adobe has outdone itself. I've bought every upgrade since Elements 1, and this is the last one for me.
1 stars (Slow, Buggy, Non-User Friendly, Expensive upgrade, YUCK!) - Let's just say that after using this program I ended up uninstalling it and reinstalling Photoshop Elements 2! The upgrade was not worth it - not only does Adobe not give loyalty incentives with much of an upgrade discount, the new version is slow and not user friendly.
I purchased it for some of the new tools - the automatic red eye fixer takes way too long, I can do it myself in a quarter of the time. Also, the automatic registering of red eyes is quirky - one photo of a woman with a GLOWING red eye came back with an error "no red eye detected!".
Finally what got me to uninstall it was that it became non-functional because when I opened the program it kept looking for supposed missing files and after I throughly followed the directions from the HELP section it would continually tell me it had an error and needed to shut the program down! ARGH!
The photo organizer is not easy to view and use and the lack of a photo browser is a big deal.
I wish I had read these reviews before I blew my $89 bucks. Adobe is dangerously on the cusp of losing their respect and competitve edge with imaging software after this release! |
