Hi all,

It is said artists usually use adobe photoshop for image processing.
I found there is "adobe photoshop element 6".
http://www.adobe.com/products/photoshopelwin/

1. Are many functions of photoshop are removed in this "element" version?
2. Could Artweaver replace photoshop?

Thanks in advance
:)

Most of us use Photoshop for postwork and creating .png files, along with .psd files for products.

From the looks of it, Elements is for video and photographic editing, not what we do here.

I don't know anything about Artweaver but am doing a google search right now ...and it looks like it's a good but basic graphics program.  The biggest drawback that I can see is that it doesn't support layers which is an essential for most things we do here.

If you're just interested in using it for postwork, Artweaver should do fine but if you're interested in anything else that requires layers you should look at Photoshop, PaintShop Pro, Painter or any of the graphics programs that support layers.

I use Photoshop Elements 7.0, both at work on PC and at home on Mac. I know Victoria_Lee meant well, but her advice about PSE is - sorry - plain wrong!

Photoshop Elements is intended for artistic / design work just the same as the full Photoshop - it just does not include all the bells and whistles. It is great for hobbyists, and a good introduction to the full product if ever you might want to upgrade. It can open any .psd file that the full version can create, it supports layers, layer masks, adjustment layers, brushes, a whole raft of artistic filters and effects, masking and selection tools, RGB level adjustment, alpha channels..... need i go on, because I could!

Photoshop Elements is not designed for video editing, that is another Adobe product that I can't remember the name of.

Hi there, as far as I know there is no Photoshop Elements 7???? There is Photoshop 7.

The latest Elements is 6.

All the best.

Richard

I have PS Elements 3 . Its a cut down version of Photoshop. It will use brushes made for the full version , so you can use brushes and filters and stuff. It doesnt have all the tools and all the color correction of the full version but its priced less than $100 .

Paint Shop Pro is a good alternative , so Is Corel Painter Essentials.     PSP has full color tubes available which Photoshop sadly lacks .

There is also free paint programs GIMP and photofiltre are two nice ones . (ok GIMP is not that nice but its free :)   )

Photoshop is actually for Photo editing , hence the name , but it is a paint program too.

If you need video capability there is a bundle , Photoshop elements and  Premier elements . 

Adobe premier is the video application.

Beg pardon, my bad... Photoshop Elements V6. I was getting mixed up with Poser... 

PSE V6 for Mac was only just released a couple of months back, V6 for PC has been around a bit longer.

HI **IsaoShi, I thought I had missed a version of elements!!! Lol.

Elements is really a cut down version of Photoshop and there are various brush dynamics you don't get as with Photoshop 7.

If you want to do the normal things then use Elements, if you want to go a bit more advanced, then try to find a copy of Photoshop 7.

As mentioned, GIMP can use Photoshop brushes, so that mayalso be worth a look at before you go off and buy Elements or PS7.

All the best.

Richard

**

To be honest I use photoshop 'elephants' :o)  at home and PS CS3 at work. PS elements is easier to get to grips with and had most of the features you'll probably want or need. The other is its a lot cheaper.  You could always upgrade at a later date if you feel you need the extra bells and whistles.

check this page:
http://store.purplus.net/digitalimaging.html
PS elements 5 for $34

I use it all the time. It does layers, stylized layers and all that fancy stuff. Has a ton of filters. The only thing I find not good is that PSE3 that I use does not support the full color spectrum. It only has 256 color support. PS 6 does..not sure about 5.

I used PSE 4 on my Mac for a while, until 6 came out this year. I never noticed any reduced colour range support - it did 16-bit RGB, though I have no trouble working in 8 bit, which gives millions of colours (256 levels for each of the three colours). 256 colours (as in GIF files) is pretty basic and would give a really grainy effect in almost any photo or render.

Thanks a lot, Victoria_Lee,IsaoShi,paganeagle2001,markschum,pj1240,Dave-So.

2 more question:

1. Could Photoshop element 6 create custom brushes?
2. Besides color correction , could you give some more examples of these "extra bells and whistles" that not found in element version?

I didn't know the answer to Q1, but I just tried it and yes you can create custom brushes in PSE 6.

I'll have to leave Q2 to someone who has actually used both programs. I think there is a features comparison on the Adobe website which may also be useful.

Attached Link: PS / PSE

Here is a link to a feature comparison for PSE V5 and PS CS2. It is also not totally reliable - for example, I can create true layer masks in PSE 6, albeit with a third party plug-in action.

Hope this helps a bit - now over to the experts!

Not an expert, but I use PSElements, too. Some of the full CS features that make things easier are missing, like some of the automated mask functions, and layers lack some of the RGB controls. PSE is a good start, and you can use it to upgrade to full PS. I use PaintShopPro, too, and there are some things it does with less fuss, but the smoothing in the brushes is nowhere near that of the Adobe products, and I've come to prefer them. Video editing is Adobe Premier Elements, which I haven't used, but has been highly recommended by some very good artists.

Photoshop full version has features for color correction which elements doesnt. It also has a pen tool that I have never found in elements 3.

Considering the elements is under a hundred dollars and full version cs3 is over 6 hundred , there must be a pile of goodies that arent in elements .

I like Corel painter or paint shop pro for the full color brushes , you want a fairy in the pic , well pick a fairy brush and click, there it is . In Paintshop the brushes are one color , so its more work .

Hi all, the main thing I like about elements as oposed to Photoshop 7 is that in elements I can move things on different layers without having to click on the layer as in PS7.

So much easier for text positioning etc.

I still do 90% of my stuff in PS7, but E6 has nice features as well.

All the best.

Richard

Thank you for your infomation, IsaoShi, scanmead, Dave-So, markschum, paganeagle2001.
:)

Hi all,

Could photoshop element 6 use layers for drawing?

Thanks in advance

I just bought photoshop element 6 and it does contain layers!
Thanks.

I used photoshop 'elephants' 3 for ages, I really liked it. There were just 3 things lacking which finally caused me to buy CS3, namely:

1. More brush dymanics - CS3 gives you mountains of controls when creating custom brushes.
2. Pen tool - I needed curves
3. Alpha channels

I have PSP XI and Painter IX.5 and they have some cool features that CS3 doesn't have but they've both always felt a bit 'flimsy' to me, in the same way that  cheap plastic power tools feel flimsy even if they have nice features. Photoshop has always felt like the real deal, industrial strength, particularly when I need to work really fast.

Bear in mind if you know someone with 'big photoshop' you can create fancy brushes and layer styles on their machine and save them as presets to use in your 'little photoshop'.

Thank you for your tips, obm890. :)