Adobe Releases Photoshop Elements 5

[abrewer]

Adobe released Photoshop Elements 5 recently, and as usual there is a thirty day free trial available:

Adobe - Adobe Photoshop Elements for Windows : 30-day tryout

I'll be using it over the next couple of weeks and post my impressions of it vs the hot-rodded PSE3 I have here, PSE4, and Lightroom.

One warning: it is a long download, about nine minutes on my cable modem.

It's a nice opportunity to try the latest iteration of a very popular consumer choice for photo editing software...for free!



Thanks.

Allan

[albertwang]

actually 5 now includes curves!

What a major improvement... Masking is now a bargain with PS5.

[stunsworth]

Last time I looked it was Windows only.

[larry]

I've heard that the Mac Universal version (Intel/Power PC) will be released next spring.

Larry

[albertwang]

And just in time for the Mac version of CS3.

[chrism]

My understanding is that there will be a Mac universal version of CS3 released in the spring, but that there has been no announcement of Mac PSE5 at all. I hope it will be the same time, as using PSCS or PSE4 as rosetta apps on a MacBookPro is painfully slow.

Chris

[stunsworth]

Originally Posted by chrism

I hope it will be the same time, as using PSCS or PSE4 as rosetta apps on a MacBookPro is painfully slow.

Amen to that - my Macbook only has the shipped half gig of memory, and as you say it's painful.

[chrism]

Originally Posted by stunsworth

Amen to that - my Macbook only has the shipped half gig of memory, and as you say it's painful.

I'm afraid that adding more won't help this particular problem - I have 2GB ram and it's still slow.

Chris

[mhoutman]

Originally Posted by chrism

My understanding is that there will be a Mac universal version of CS3 released in the spring, but that there has been no announcement of Mac PSE5 at all.
Chris

let us remember the times when Adobe releases Mac versions first

[andybarton]

Originally Posted by chrism

I'm afraid that adding more won't help this particular problem - I have 2GB ram and it's still slow.

Chris

Let's not overstate this, guys.

On my iMac 20" with 1.5gig, it's the same speed as on my PowerBook 1.5GHz with 1gig RAM. (More or less, so's you wouldn't notice)

However, roll on Spring

[abrewer]

Some notes about PhotoShop Elements 5....

"File browser/bridge" has gone by the wayside. You now open a folder directly from navigation.

RAW conversion is quick, and 16-bit; but you have to convert to 8-bit to actually edit the file.

Curves function is two-tiered: the simple "click-on" presets yield to the sliders familiar from Lightroom in "Advanced".

This slider interface may be easier for a beginner, but I keep finding myself wanting to click over on the curve and adjust it directly (old habits die hard!).

New twist to sharpening (and same now as PS CS2) is the "Remove Blur" concept.

Basically, you do what it says--remove Gaussian, Lens or Motion blur--to make the image sharp.

One advantage of doing so is you can more accurately correct, in the case of motion blur, for the direction of movement that caused the blur in the first place.

The "More Refined" tab simply runs the sharpening action twice.

New feature is B&W conversion, using the Channel Mixer, offered as presets that you can alter by adjusting red/green/blue channels.

Layers can now be altered as to adjustment as well as to amount.

For example, you may change the layer type if you make a Levels layer and later want to convert it to a Brightness/Contrast layer. No more trashing the Levels and opening up a new B/C layer to take its place--just convert the Levels to B/C.

That's a subtle little improvement that is helpful in my opinion.

Finally, there is the "Magic Selection Brush" which would like to be the "Magic Wand" of masking....

This thing didn't work well at all for me. Every object I painted with it ended up in a huge over-selection.

Bug maybe?

Otherwise, it's still very much Photoshop Elements as before, with a little darker template and some additional slideshow and gallery-making enhancements.

Worth the upgrade? From PSE4?

Probably, just for "Curves" alone if you use PSE4.

Thanks.

Allan