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Digital Media SIGPhotoshop Elements 4 |
| Posted by Administrator (admin) on Jul 12 2006 |
A Review by Bob Snow
With the arrival of iPhoto 6 the digital photographer now has a wide range of editing tools to improve snapshots. Basic tools such as red-eye removal, cropping, simple retouching, one-click enhancements, straightening and basic photo editing. iPhoto's major strength continues to be its ability to organize photo library and make slide shows. However, when it comes to advanced editing and special effects most photographers look to Photoshop and increasingly Photoshop Elements.
The newest version of Photoshop Elements offers most photographers all the tools they need to so some serious photo editing. I have used Photoshop for years, but more and more I find myself taking photos into Photoshop Elements for most of my photo editing work. PTSLUG recently received a review copy of PE Version 4, which I have had available for about a month and have found it even more useful than version 3.
If you prefer using a book rather than the extensive on-line help menu, you will appreciate the 118-page, well-indexed printed user manual. It contains two tutorials as well as all the basics on using PE 4. There are also some extra goodies that come with the program including a free sample issue of the magazine Photoshop Elements Techniques (8 issues for $49). Also once you register you can visit the Adobe web site and receive two complimentary online video training sessions.
When a software program update comes out most of us look at the new and improved features to see if it is worth the price of the upgrade ($60 list, but available for less on-line). There are a number of new features. You can now:
Quickly retouch specific areas of your photos
Get realistic skin tones
Easily isolate objects from backgrounds
Make quick fixes
Order prints on line
Fine-tune RAW files
Know where your photos are, and
Share photos online
The Magic Extractor. One of new features I especially like was the ability to isolate an objects from its background. This makes grabbing an image a lot easier than trying to draw around the edges with the Lasso tool or using the Magic Wand. You just draw or scribble and click with the Magic Selection Brush on the part of the photo you want to select. When you release the mouse PE 4 makes the selection for you. The more contrast between the object and the background the better job it does. Here is an example:
PE 4 also has a cross-platform application called Bridge (found in other Adobe applications), which is used to organize, browse and locate files. You can create new folders, rename, move, and delete files, edit metadata, rotate images and run batch commands. This is the Bridge window:
By clicking the new Quick-Fix icon you get a series of fast adjustment windows including auto and manual "Smart Fix", Red Eye Fix, auto and manual lighting level adjustments, contrast and color adjustments and auto and manual sharpening. These are similar to iPhoto 6's one-click adjustments but with more control.
Another new feature is the "Adjust Color for Skin Tone" selection and the Adjust Color menu. Clicking on this options brings up a window which allows you to click on a person's skin. PE will adjust the entire photo to improve the skin color. If you are not satisfied with the adjustment you can click on a different point or move the sliders to get the results you want. This is an especially helpful feature for underexposed photos or those taken with a flash. Here is an example:
Magic Selection Brush Tool. Similar to the Magic Extractor, this tool allows you to select portions of your photos then do a standard edit or a quick fix edit in the selected area.
Some other features include defringe (auto removal of the colored specs or halo around the edges of a selection), the straighten tool (to straighten and crop a crooked photo) and a WYSIWYG font menu (you can see what each font looks like in the font menu).
Some earlier features have been changed (improved) including the crop tool, the ability to create a block of text where the text inside the border wraps to stay within the boundaries, some new and improved embedded profile support for better color transition to your printer and an artifact reduction features which quickly removes noise caused by shooting in low light (you use the "Remove JPEG Artifacts" option in the Noise filter).
PE 4 and iPhoto 6 both have a feature which allows you to attach a photo directly to your outgoing email. In PE4 you just save the photo then select "Attach to Email" option on the File menu. Your email program is opened and the photo is attached.
The computer requirements for Elements 4 are:
• PowerPC G3, G4, or G5 processor
• Mac OS X v.10.3 or 10.4
• 256MB of RAM
• 750MB of available hard-disk space
• 1,024x768 16-bit (XGA) display
• CD-ROM drive
If you are using iPhoto 5 or 6 and need more advanced editing tools I can strongly recommend Elements 4. If you already have Elements 3 I personally found Photoshop Elements 4 well worth the upgrade price of $60. As of this writing there was no demo version to try out on the Mac as there is for the PC platform. However, you can visit the Adobe web site and get more information about this new Elements version. Check out the downloadable PDF document (Printable Overview) for many more details and also follow the link to the new features page, especially if you are an Elements 3 user and are considering an upgrade. Here is the url:
www.adobe.com/products/photoshopelmac/overview.html
Last changed: Jul 12 2006 at 2:23 PM
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