Photoshop Elements

These days printouts aren't the only way of letting others see your photos, and the universal accessibility of the Internet makes Web output just as important. The File | Automate | Web Photo Gallery lets you turn a set of snaps into a fully functioning Web site complete with thumbnailed home page. However, Adobe's automated approach means that the images are awkwardly opened and resized before your eyes, and the level of customisation is limited.

An alternative to having your own Web space is to use one of the increasing number of free photographic storage providers on-line. Photoshop Elements offers an Online Services command where you should be able to choose from a range of providers, though in the late release reviewed this was limited to the US-based Shutterfly. Once you've signed up, it's simple enough to upload files as resized JPEGs and you can then view and share your images on-line.

Compared to Photoshop LE there's no question that Photoshop Elements is a huge improvement, not just in terms of all-round functionality but in terms of usability and dedicated PC photography features. Even so, I'm not totally convinced. I still think that many occasional users and beginners will end up hopelessly confused. To take just one example, many users will draw a shape on screen and then select a brush to begin painting only to be told that the 'layer needs to be simplified' - whatever that means. To the professional, the way that Photoshop handles vectors as clipping masks on styled layers leads to creativity, but for the occasional user it just leads to confusion.

While Adobe has done a much better job tailoring Photoshop to its new duties than it has in the past, it still isn't ideal. The beginner would be better off with a truly dedicated solution, such as MGI PhotoSuite, built from the ground up rather than cut down and retrofitted. The exception is for those enthusiasts keen to learn how Photoshop works, but unable to justify its cost. For these users, Photoshop Elements offers 80 per cent of Photoshop's functionality at 20 per cent of the price.

Author: Tom Arah