Photoshop Elements 6.0

All articles on this site are by Harry Skevington unless otherwise noted with another byline

December 6, 2007

PhotoShop Elements 6.0 and Premiere Elements 4.0
We have been visiting our daughter for the last 4 weeks and are now home. I was able to use the Adobe Elements 6.0/Premiere 4.0 package during the visit. A grandson was born during that period and we took many photos including a number that needed help in the form of corrections. I also took some video at the hospital before and after the birth as well as some in their home. I needed to quickly create a movie that could be given to the various visiting relatives. How did that work out for me?

I have been using PhotoShop Elements since its first version so have a fairly good working knowledge of most of its basic functions. I am by no means an expert. This was my first time working with any version of Premiere so it was a new and interesting experience. I have used and tested various video editing products in the past so did understand the basics. PhotoShop Elements 6.0 held few surprises. Both seem to be up to the usual good standard of Adobe products. Premiere gave me a few challenges since it was completely new to me. I will be covering that more completely in another article.

If you need Photo and Video capabilities this two part package will save you some bucks at a total of $149.99 versus buying them separately at $99.99 to purchase or $79.99 to upgrade from the previous version for PhotoShop Elements 6.0 and Premiere Elements 4.0 at $99.99 to purchase or $79.99 to upgrade from the previous version. You can also try before you buy with Adobe’s free trial program.

Adobe PhotoShop Elements 6.0
Since Elements has been around for some time I will concentrate on the improvements and additions that make 6.0 worth the price. I loaded both Elements 6.0 and Premiere 4.0 on the Lenovo ThinkPad with no problems. I also have Elements 5.0 on that system. There was no conflict between the different versions but you must close one before opening the other on the same computer.

The welcome screen seemed to open faster than version 5.0 or any previous versions for that matter. That screen gives you a choice of Organize, Edit, Create, or Share. Skipping the welcome screen is easy. Just set one of the above four choices as your default option and make quicker to get to your work area. Once into the program you are able to move between the Edit, Create, and Share options anyway.

Elements 6.0 opened with a completely BLACK background and white text (some very tiny) in all menus. That threw me at first but I grew to like it. I find the black background gives greater contrast to the colorful Icons. Your photos also seem brighter against this background.

I chose not to use the Organize photos/videos option as I have a large photo/video collection that is organized by topic already. I am sure there are advantages when using the Organizer that might appeal to others. (Read further to see that I was wrong to think I could work well without the Organizer.)

When working with photos in the edit area those who are just beginning can click on a GUIDED link and be shown a list of options that assist step by step through each of operation. In a hurry? Try the QUICK option. This will give you General Fixes like SmartFix and Red Eye, LIGHTING such as Lighten Shadows, Darken Highlights, or Midtone Contrast. Other option sets include COLOR and SHARPEN. There is a light bulb next to each group of options that, when clicked, will open an in-depth help area. The program defaults to FULL controls and you can go back to that at anytime by clicking the FULL tab.

I suggest you go through some of the tutorials Adobe provides if you have never used a photo editor. You might also want to go on the web to www.photoshopelementsuser.com and view some of the tutorials in their learning center. Although this is a subscription based site they do not seem to be taking subscription right now. The free information that is available to non-subscribers on this site is very helpful. You can add your E-mail to their mailing list to get recent updates.

Default settings for editing image size were preset to link height, width, and resolution. I often change the height or width proportionally and then increase or decrease the resolution before clicking OK to close that box. I easily changed the defaults to make resolution a separate option.

Here is a sample of photo correction using only auto correct options
PRIOR TO CORRECTION AFTER CORRECTION

Santa using auto correct and auto sharpen

I spend almost all my time in EDIT as I do basic correction of photos as well as change size and/or resolution for web use, print versions of photos to complement marketing articles for several companies, or just family prints for hanging on the refrigerator. I think there is a point where you can overcorrect by trying to fix spots and lighting. Always print a sample of your work. It may look good on your monitor but in print these correction attempts can become very distracting. I am not saying that a professional can’t make it look great. I am say most of us will not. That includes me.

Sometimes I need to create a sign, business card, Logo or a website banner from a blank canvas. I find PhotoShop Elements works quite well for those.

The Create option in Elements 6.0 is to provide assistance for those who want to make a Photo Book, Calendar, Collage, an on-line Gallery or a slide show. I created a Baby Photo Album using the wizard and it was very simple and easy to understand. I clicked “Order” to order the Album and, after the Album is created by PhotoShop Elements, a web page opened up that said “Welcome to Adobe PhotoShop Services Provided by Kodak EasyShare Gallery.” You will need to create an account if you don’t have one already.” There is a 25 percent discount coupon for new users. I did not continue at that point. I just saved the Album and used it in other ways. Here is a PDF of the Album.

The slide show option is great for quick work. I did have a lockup when I attempted to make a DVD. Luckily I had saved the slide file before trying to do that. I closed organizer and reopened it. I tried again and it worked fine. After saving the WMV file to the drive PE 6.0 opened Premiere 4.0 and I was walked through the DVD burning process. See the short slide show - Africa on YouTube

I was sometimes confused as to where I was when working on things that required moving from Premiere Elements 4.0 to PhotoShop Elements 6.0 and back. I am sure time and practice will get me grounded in the way operations are shared. I did find it impossible to ignore the Organizer as it is a vital part of the entire matrix. It is Tag based so I have much work to do if I plan to use it often.

I mentioned in the earlier PhotoShop Elements 5.0 article that Elements is all most of us need. This is even more evident in Version 6.0. It is packed with many great tools and continues to be a best choice for photo editing for all but professionals. If you already own one or both of these in a previous version you should decide about moving up on the basis of how many of the new features will help you.

As mentioned above I will be doing another article on Premiere Elements 4.0 in the next week or so. I had a hard time finishing this review as I became too involved in all the many things that can be done with these two products. Shame on me <(;-)


	Harry Skevington has been involved with electronics since 1981. He has taught, written for, and provided support to, computer users since 1985. Information that will help consumers with buying decisions is more important than ever due to the current convergence of computers and other consumer products . Harry attends CES (Consumer Electronics Show) in Las Vegas on assignment as a working press writer each year to find and write about emerging technology that seems to fit the needs of his readers. Contact Harry

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