For a long time, Photoshop Elements has been the lesser cousin of the main Adobe Photoshop line. If you’ve purchased the Adobe Suite, Elements is generally the one program that sits unopened. However, Elements has grown quite a bit in the past two iterations. It might not be close to what Photoshop provides, but for certain designers, you shouldn’t automatically scoff at this option.
One facet of Elements which should provide a reason to make the switch is – ‘speed‘. The tools provided in Elements allows for much quicker image editing, from opening the image to saving it and uploading it to the web.
Here’s a list of features which designers could put to good use:
- A smart paint effects tool which allows you to paint up to 100 various effects and patterns onto a certain portion of a photo.
- A faster, and easy-to-use effects tool which is as simple as sliding a button.
- Easily upload photos to Facebook, and tag faces faster.
- Manage photo libraries, and search for photos which contain certain objects. Group or delete duplicate photos using this tool.
Designers who have to deal with more complex forms of editing are scoffing at this list of features. They rightfully should be, as Elements really doesn’t provide enough complex features in this go around to compete with Photoshop. However, for designers who don’t have to deal with extensive editing, Elements provides tools which allow for a faster experience.
The organization tools are easily the highlight of the program, as you can find similar photos and libraries quickly. The photo editing itself is a much faster experience, compared to its more fleshed out counterpart. Also, for those who use social media on a regular basis, you can more easily upload photos to Facebook.
Elements is a more cost effective solution for those who are conducting simple image edits. As designers, don’t be off-put by those who come down on this product. Yes, Photoshop CSS is a tool which provides just about every image editing option imaginable. However, most web based images simply require the tools in Elements. It might be time to take advantage.
