Product Reviews

The latest version of Adobe's low-cost photo-editing program has a number of powerful new features, but to describe Photoshop Elements 3.0 as an upgrade is to miss the point. The entire program has been so completely overhauled that it's virtually a new product.

The first thing you'll notice is the new Welcome screen, which has been redesigned to provide instant access to all the main options. The first option is to browse or organise your photo collection by switching into Organizer mode. The Organizer is, in effect, a bundled copy of Photoshop Album, the photo-management program that previously had to be bought as a separate product.

The integration between the two programs is a little untidy as the Organizer - also confusingly referred to as the Photo Browser in some places - opens as a separate window. This means that it's really a standalone application that runs alongside Elements, rather than a replacement for the integrated File Browser window, which is still available. Even so, it's a welcome addition.

The Organizer has also been updated with options such as the new Photo Compare mode. If you've got a batch

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of photos that are similar, this option allows you to view pictures side by side onscreen so you can quickly decide which ones you want to keep. There is also a Slide Show Editor, which provides simple tools for creating slideshows complete with transition effects, voiceover and audio tracks.

The next option in the Welcome screen is the Quick Fix mode. Instead of bombarding you with Elements' full range of editing tools, the Quick Fix mode provides a preview of your photo along with a small set of basic editing controls. There are options for colour balance, shadow adjustment and image sharpening, or you can use the new Smart Fix button to let Elements automatically apply all these controls at once.We also like the ability to view before and after versions of your photos alongside each other.

If you're feeling a bit more adventurous you can switch into the main editing mode, which is about the only part of Elements 3.0 that looks anything like its predecessors.

There are new tools here as well, though, including the powerful Healing Brush, which allows you to remove blemishes such as wrinkled skin or moles quickly from portrait photography. We also like the new Image Bin, which displays thumbnail previews of all your open files in a strip along the bottom of the screen. The Image Bin is copied from Microsoft's Digital Image Suite, but it is one of the few areas where Elements 3.0 is playing catch-up with any of its rivals.

The real achievement of this upgrade is that it makes Elements both more powerful and easier to use. That combination will probably ensure that Elements 3.0 continues to dominate the consumer market just as its big brother, Photoshop, dominates the professional market.