Adobe Photoshop Elements Review

If you're looking for an affordabe photo editing software that is easy to use and that can also be used to create simple graphics, Adobe Photoshop Elements may be right for you.

Essentially, Elements is a stripped down version of the powerful Adobe Photoshop Creative Suite.   If you're a professional photographer or designer, the CS may be your software of choice.  If you just need to edit, re-size or add effects to photos Elements is a good place to start. 

While Adobe Photoshop Elements is known as photo-editiing software, it can also be used to create graphics and logos with or without photos.

I use it to create report covers, header graphics for my Wordpress sites, buy or subscribe buttons, and to edit photos. You can even make line drawings from photos, which could be used to make a coloring book page!

Version 9.0 adds a handful of features not in Adobe Photoshop Elements 8.0 including:

• Social Media Sharing - you can share photos and videos on Facebook.
• The Power to Create - print calendars, cards and photo books on your printer
• Improve Photos - more effects and repair remedies

Both versions have online backup for your photos.

Photoshop Elements is also bundled with Premiere, for those who want video editing software.

You can download a 30-day trial version of Adobe Photoshop Elements 9.0 from Adobe. That's a great way to test out the program and see if it will do what you need it to do.

A few things to consider:

The price of the Adobe Photoshop Elements program is a little cheaper at Amazon than it is on the Adobe site. You can get a $20US rebate on the Adobe site for those how live in the US, Canada or Puerto Rico. Read the details as it can't be used on purchases from some stores and sites.

If you order from the Adobe site, you receive a downloadable version. If you want a physical version you'll need to pay extra for shipping costs. For Canadians, Amazon is a much better option due to the shipping costs.

If you buy the software from Amazon you'll need to uninstall the digital version you received as a trial and reinstall the physical version from the disk. If you do order the physical version remember to time it so that it arrives before your trial version runs out!

Price Saving Tip: If you don't need the new features in Version 9, consider purchasing Photoshop Elements 8 - as it will be cheaper.