Announcement of new release of Elements

[estherf]

Adobe announced the software release today. Here is a link to the complete features list:
http://www.adobe.com/products/photoshopelwin/features/allfeatures/index.html#item1

[troush]

Here's another link:

http://www.adobe.com/products/photoshopelwin/

PSE 6.0 is out.... At least for Windows users.

-Trish

[Wendy]

Hi Trish ...

The press release mentions that a Mac version is expected early in 2008 :)

Wendy

[troush]

Wendy,

Let's hope they keep that promise. I'm not sure I need to upgrade this time around, though. Nothing is really jumping out at me as a "must have," yet. I wonder if they're going to offer the 30-day trial.

-Trish

[Wags]

While 6.0 might be a good upgrade for those still using 3 or 4, it doesn't seem like a big improvement for those who already have 5.0 and especially not for $80! I skipped 4.0 and there is a 99% chance I will skip 6.0 too.

[estherf]

I bought the upgrade bundle early today....not waiting for reduced prices...because I am hoping they have gotten rid of a error created by moving a slide show to the video editing software. The promise of a better interface between the two had me from the first hint of upgrades coming. I do a lot of video editing using combination of stills and videos. I like the easier pan/zoom effect in Elements over the contrived keyframes in Premiere. I also am hoping that capturing video without dropped frames will be better with the new choices offered there. Well, I guess I will see what happens. You might hear a volcano going off in central California if this doesn't happen!:eek:

[sueboop]

Wendy,

Let's hope they keep that promise. I'm not sure I need to upgrade this time around, though. Nothing is really jumping out at me as a "must have," yet. I wonder if they're going to offer the 30-day trial.

-Trish

I just went to this page at Adobe: http://www.adobe.com/downloads/
and if you do the drop down menu for trial versions, it shows PSE6 for windows, but when you click to get it, it shows up as PSE5. It must be coming, but it is not available yet.

[Jan]

I'm keeping my fingers crossed that they reinstated the Undo/Redo button. SO much easier than using the history palette, IMHO...

[estherf]

I'm keeping my fingers crossed that they reinstated the Undo/Redo button. SO much easier than using the history palette, IMHO...

It is definitely in Premiere V4, but can't remember seeing it in Elements when I was looking at the various sites.:eek:

[Wendy]

Jan ...

Your wish is granted :) :)

Wendy

[Wendy]

Hi Sue ...

It usually takes a little while for them to get a demo version on the site ... I seem to remember that it was quite a few weeks last time :)

Wendy

[MidnightChardonnay]

Wendy,

Let's hope they keep that promise. I'm not sure I need to upgrade this time around, though. Nothing is really jumping out at me as a "must have," yet. I wonder if they're going to offer the 30-day trial.

-Trish

On the screen where you enter your registration code there is a radio button which enables you to try Elements 6 out for 30 days before buying. However, to get to this you have to buy the product first !!

Anyway, don't be too disappointed as there's very little in Version 6 to excite even a half-experienced user of Version 5. I expect many people will decide to give 6 a miss if they can wait for a trial version first.

Now, if you want a really feature-filled image editing piece of software at a very affordable price then take a peek at Paint Shop Pro X2. IMO it gives Elements 6 an absolute thrashing - it is a veritable Photoshop CS in disguise.

[tzigane70]

just got the pSE 6 i had 3 bought the wacom in feb 2007,i skipped 4,5 butcould not pass 6 i wanted the extraction tool so bad.I see the cookie cutter is back.

[Sonita]

I agree with Shanwick. I won't be missing much. Seems it's mostly organizer changes and I don't use it. The rest doesn't interest me either. I have 4 and 5 and that is good enough for me.

[scrapperjlc]

Hey Wendy,

Do you know if they added back in the option to turn off Global Lighting? That is the one thing I really miss from version 4 to 5.

Thanks,

Jodi

[patk]

This site shows a quick list of differences in 5.0 & 6.0
http://www.adobe.com/products/photoshopelwin/upgrade/

[troush]

Jodi,

Global Lighting has completely gone away. You can set the lighting angle individually for each layer.

-Trish

[stephaniej62902]

I recently bought 6.0 and overall, I love it! I had been working with 4.0. For me, the biggest plus is being able to change the inside/outside glow, bevel size, as well as the shadow size, distance, and opacity. I couldn't do that in 4.0. Not sure if that was available in 5.0. In 4.0, if you applied a drop shadow to something, you could only change the shadow distance. Now you can change everything!

I only have one gripe about the interface. The brush thumbnails have a dark gray background, which makes it really hard to see the brushes you've got loaded. Even in the large thumbnail sizes.

[troush]

Thanks for the review, Stephanie.

-Trish

[terriscrapper]

I just viewed the webinar for PSE 6. I use PSE 3...I've wondered I have to put my photo in Cascade mode to crop or it rolls...does anyone know if this has been corrected along the way? Also, I never used organizer...it was so SLOW going back and forth...assume this has been corrected...I know the Shift Click feature that Linda uses on all the layers to merge & Link seems nice. The Photo merge has some interesting ideas...saves alot of work. Someone above mentioned about 6 having an extraction tool...I didn't hear anything about that...just a new selection tool...that uses color similarity.I'm still trying to use extractions with a mouse...I have found that the Polyganial tool works the best for me...when I use the Lasso tool I get a squiggly edge. If PSE 6 had an extraction tool that worked I'd buy it in a minute!!! I'm afraid I'm going to have to break down and get a Wacom tablet!! I don't know how Wendy does it with a mouse???? I can't keep a straight edge...I have a question...how does the Pen tool in Photoshop work? Is it just more comparable to using the Pen in a Wacom tablet???

[Wendy]

Hi ...

The Pen tool isn't like a pen at all and it takes a little time to get used to ... it actually works by clicking one point then you click on another nearby, a straight line is drawn between the two then you have handles to bending the line to go around a curve. (Thats the simplified version of what it does)

Its one of those things that you either love or hate ..,. and yes you guess it. I love it !! The other selection tools are pixel based so you can get jagged edges but the pen tool is vector based (like custom shapes are) ...

It makes the most wonderful crisp edged selections and its the one tool that I couldn't cope without :)

Just give me the pen tool and a mouse and I am happy :D :D

Wendy

[terriscrapper]

Hi Wendy! You must use Photoshop then I take it! Yes, someone showed me how easy it was to use!! I bet that's why I like the Polyganal tool...because I can click and get straight edges...except obviously you can't bend it so I'm clicking up close to a point and making direct lines around. I'm glad that you explained the selection tools being pixel based!! I assume then that a pen in a Wacom tablet is pixel based? And you meant that it's nothing like the pen tool in Photoshop??? I am pretty critical on my extractions...maybe I need to step up to something a little more powerful!!

[Karin]

I was yesterday in the webinar too and tried to ask a question about the
metadata-thing, if there would be possible to put some text to the photos, not just tags.

My laptop naturally freezed and I had to put it down and I think within just then the questions were answered?

Anyhow do someone know, is it there a possibility?

What kind of picture you did get, who were listening and watching the program yesterday?

I am not sure, if it would be worth of buing?

Is there for a scrapper something really something better, if you are using
number 5 already?

bye,

K, who really have had a vacation from scrapping as I told in June after making two photobooks in Shutterfly

[Wendy]

Hi ..

Yes the pen tool with a tablet does pixel based selections too ... that is just like a normal pen and you have to draw around around that shape you want to select (its a bit like tracing).

Wendy :)

[troush]

I was yesterday in the webinar too and tried to ask a question about the
metadata-thing, if there would be possible to put some text to the photos, not just tags.

My laptop naturally freezed and I had to put it down and I think within just then the questions were answered?

Anyhow do someone know, is it there a possibility?

What kind of picture you did get, who were listening and watching the program yesterday?

I am not sure, if it would be worth of buing?

Is there for a scrapper something really something better, if you are using
number 5 already?

bye,

K, who really have had a vacation from scrapping as I told in June after making two photobooks in Shutterfly

Karen,

There are Captions already in PSE 5.0. I don't know if there is a way to have them automagically show up with the images when you do a scrapbook page.

As far as new features:

1. The new selection tool - it looks very good. You can drag across a color and it will try to select by color.

2. Photomerge - they took the Photomerge tool from Photoshop CS3. If you do a lot of panoramas, or take group shots and have to merge photos, then that is a great addition.

3. He showed some stuff with the "Photobooks" - but I'm pretty sure that is tied to Kodak.

4. In the Organizer they now have Albums instead of collections. Smart albums that can be created on metadata.

5. He really pushed the photo downloader (color me unimpressed, thank you).

6. He said a trial download should be available in about 10 days. I would wait for it and try before your buy.

Other issues:

Over at the PET forum, some people have been complaining about how you can't drag up from the photo bin (it's now called the project bin) - so it's a new way of working. You have to use File->Place or something else.

Over at the Adobe forums, someone is having a problem with layer styles: as soon as they add a layer style to any layer, they can no longer use the arrow keys to move an object around. Still not sure if this one is reproducible.

-Trish

[armybrat]

I watched the webinar too. If "6" was perfect and bug free I "might" consider going from 5 to 6.

I hate the new black background. Absolutely hate it. Then there is the problem with layer styles, not being able to drag from the photo bin, etc.

The only thing that even interested me was the new selection tool.

I guess I will wait for "7".

Judy