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Adobe Photoshop Elements (PSE), a powerful but affordable image-editing program for photography enthusiasts, is now in its 9th iteration—for both Windows and Mac. This means that, finally, Mac users have access to the same features as Windows users, most notably the Organizer module, which handles Elements cataloging and search functions. The other good news for Mac users is that Premiere Elements, PSE’s video editing sibling, is for the first time available for the Mac OS. The quick synopsis of this review is, if you’re a Mac user, it’s definitely time to upgrade to version 9. The decision isn’t quite as clear-cut for Windows users but we think that Elements 9 offers some enticing new and enhanced features as well.
Where to Buy
Photoshop Elements 9 and Premiere Elements 9 are available from our retail partners. Their prices are fair (with rebates until 12/30/2011) and you help to support Photo.net.
You can also download a free trial of both programs at Adobe.com.
Overview
Many of Photoshop Elements’ features and technology (old and new) have trickled down from various versions of its higher end sibling, Photoshop Creative Suite. While Adobe continues to incorporate more sophisticated features in each successive version of Elements, the application continues to have a gentle learning curve thanks, in part, to its built-in guides. Be sure to sign up at Photoshop.com for additional tutorials and help from within Elements as well as 2GB of free storage space. Better yet, upgrade to a Plus account and you’ll get 20GB of online storage, lots of extras including additional “how to’s” as well as artwork and templates delivered automatically.
In version 9 new and enhanced features are complemented by a fine-tuned interface. Higher contrast and larger fonts make Adobe Photoshop Elements 9 easier on the eyes when organizing and editing images. But the core of the program remains the same, with its basic modules: Organizer, Fix/Edit, Create, and Share.
Organizer
The Organizer module hasn’t really changed for Windows users but it definitely fills a gap for Mac users. As the name implies, it exists to help you get organized and manage your image files. Like Photoshop CS5’s Bridge, the Organizer is equipped with tools to import, sort, tag, rate and search for still images and video files. Beyond the basics, Organizer offers a couple of helpful features to automate the editing and asset management process.
Image 1: Organizer
The first, Auto-Analyzer, helps separate the good from the not-so-good pictures automatically and tags them accordingly. It can analyze criteria such as blurred images, poor exposure too dark, too bright) and more. You might not agree with the application’s decisions (or not mind a less-than-perfect image if it’s the only one you have of a special moment or subject) but Elements does a pretty good job and can be a real time-saver when you want to categorize your best photos.
People Recognition
The second feature we particularly like is People Recognition. Much like face recognition in digital cameras, Element 9’s People Recognition makes short work of identifying individual subjects. As expected, you have to take the first steps by assigning names to each person. After that, the application will match faces with the names you’ve entered. The technology has limitations and, like any face recognition feature, it works best when subjects are facing the camera straight on. Overall, however, it’s fairly accurate and certainly speeds up the process of tagging family and friends.
Fix/Edit
Although the Organizer opens separately, you can access the Edit features by clicking on “Fix.” From there you have a few different options. You can perform certain functions, including multiple automatic options (Auto Smart Fix, Auto Color, Auto Levels, etc.) from within the Organizer or you can choose to move into the Editor via the Fix drop-down menu. If you have Premiere Elements 9 installed, you can jump directly into video editing from the “Fix” drop-down menu as well.
Choose Full Photo Edit for manual features and the highest level of control. The workspace resembles Photoshop CS5, complete with many of the same tools and features. This is where you’ll find one of the most welcome additions to Elements 9—layer masks. By incorporating layer masks, Elements 9 has moved even closer to CS5 in its capabilities. To further bridge the gap between the two applications, Elements 9’s Spot Healing Brush Tool now has a content Aware Fill option, which removes unwanted objects by seamlessly replacing them with content from the surrounding area. This feature is also great for repairing old, torn photos that you’ve scanned.
Image 2: Layer Masks
Of course, the Full Edit Mode is best for experienced users with knowledge of photo-editing processes and terms.
The Quick Photo Edit option is a mix of automatic and manual fixes, with only a small learning curve. Here you’re given the option of apply an auto fix (overall, levels, contrast, color saturation and hue, white balance, sharpness) or manually adjusting the image via sliders. If you’re unsure about what each feature does, just click the lightbulb icon and a help page appears on the screen. This mode is a great way to get started and move your way up to the Full Photo Edit mode.
Photo-editing novices should probably start out with Guided Photo Edit, which is a great learning tool providing explanations and tips so that even first-timers can easily correct their images. In addition to a full complement of image corrections (exposure, color correction, sharpening, etc.), you’ll learn how to crop, recompose and straighten images as well as how to touch up scratches and blemishes and much more. There’s also a Photomerge section that helps users create panoramas from multiple images, as well as a new Style Match feature that merges the style of one image with the photo you’re working with. Adobe has included a handful of images for this purpose but you can select one of your own as well. Let’s say you have an image that you really like but the light is flat. By applying the style of a photo with sweet or dramatic lighting, you can bring more life to the original.
Image 3: Style Match
Guided Photo Edit also has an Action Player. While Adobe has included some actions to add borders for captions, to slim down your subjects and a few others, you can also create and add your own actions to automate repetitive tasks.
In addition to several special photo effects, Adobe Photoshop Elements 9 now offers a section entitled “Fun Edits.” Lomo Camera and Pop Art effects will add some creative interest to your photos, while Out of Bounds—which positions part of your image outside the frame—creates a faux 3D effect. Perfect Portrait is probably one of the more practical of the edits, with controls to smooth skin, enhance facial features, shave a few pounds off your subject and even add a “glow” to the photo.
The final Fun Edit is Reflection—the ability to create several different types of mirror image “reflections” of your photograph. Like everything in the Guided Edit section, this effect is easy to achieve and it looks as good (if not better) than some of the more labor-intensive mirror image processes I’ve used in the past.
Reflection: before
Reflection: after
Images 4 & 5: Reflection
When it comes to editing, Adobe has ensured that anyone can quickly and easily enhance their images regardless of their experience level.
Create
This module has a number of interesting and useful options. In addition to making prints (either at home or via the Kodak Gallery), you can order photo stamps online (and, yes, the Post Office will mail your letters using these stamps) and you can design and create your own photo books and albums and output them at home or order finished books online. Greeting cards, photo calendars, collages, DVD jackets and CD/DVD labels can also be designed and produced from the create section and, during the process, you can tweak them while using Elements 9’s edit tools.
Image 6: Create Calendar
Share
As the name implies, this is where to go when you want to share your images. You can create albums and upload them to Photoshop.com, send images as e-mail attachments or send them to a CEIVA Photo Frame (I wasn’t even aware that the CEIVA frame was still around). More importantly, you can post images to Kodak Gallery, Flickr, SmugMug and now to Facebook! I uploaded photos to my Facebook account as a test. The process was quick and easy—at least after you give Elements permission to access your account. You can create a new album or upload the pictures to one of your current Facebook albums (Elements takes care of the resizing, etc.). It was a much faster and easier process than using the Facebook uploader. After the images are uploaded, you can either go to Facebook to make sure they’ve been uploaded or return to Elements.
Additional options include burning your photos to a CD or DVD and creating a PDF slideshow.
Image 7: Elements upload to Facebook
Tutorial: Spot Healing Brush
One of the trickle-down features of Adobe Photoshop Elements 9 is the content aware fill technology of its older sibling, Photoshop CS5.
This magical technology doesn’t work on all images, though. You’ll have more success removing an object that is surrounded by random textures that can be repeated seamlessly.
In this image, a red object sitting on the grass is ideal for removal and replacement by the textured ground it’s sitting on. Let’s get started.
1. Open Adobe Photoshop Elements 9 and go into Edit>Full Edit.
2. Open your image and choose the Spot Healing Brush Tool from the toolbox on the left side of the screen.
Image 8: Tutorial Step 2
3. Check “Content-Aware” in the Options Bar along the top of the screen.
4. Use your keyboard’s right/left bracket [ ] keys to enlarge or reduce the size of the Spot Healing Brush. This object is relatively small, so I kept the brush just large enough to cover it in its entirety.
5. Click on or brush on the object you want to remove. It will be replaced with the surrounding pixels (in this case, the grass). Using the Content-Aware fill is quick, easy and—with the right image—works seamlessly.
6. I wanted to remove the photographer at the far right of the image. Unfortunately, the person is too close to the balloonist with the red bandana and using the Content-Aware fill simply reproduced the balloonist in place of the photographer. In this case, I would probably crop the image slightly to get rid of the photographer.
Image 9: Final Photo
Conclusion
Adobe Photoshop Elements is undoubtedly the most powerful and sophisticated image-editing program in its class. With additional features such as content aware fill and layers, more experienced users can easily justify the upgrade price.
Mac users, particularly those who have outgrown iPhoto and iMovie, will benefit the most from Elements 9. For the first time, Elements offers the same features and functionality for both platforms. Elements 9 is a great alternative to iPhoto and with the availability of Premiere Elements 9 for Mac, the bundled version of the two applications is an excellent option for those on the Mac platform.
Bottom line: A few years ago, I was concerned that Adobe was watering down the application by making it more accessible to beginners at the expense of the many photographers who were doing serious work with Elements. Fortunately, with Elements 9, Adobe has managed to provide ease of use for beginners while continuing to expand the tools experienced users need and want (albeit not as quickly as we’d like).
Pros: new advanced features such as layers and content aware fill; parity of Mac and Windows version; built-in step-by-step guides; efficient People Recognition and Auto-Analyzer
Cons: sluggish performance during some operations; automatic “fixes” occasionally produce poor results
Where to Buy
Photoshop Elements 9 and Premiere Elements 9 are available from our retail partners. Their prices are fair (with rebates until 12/30/2011) and you help to support Photo.net.
Theano Nikitas, a full-time freelance writer and photographer, has been writing about photography for the past 15 years. Her digital imaging reviews, features, “how to” articles and images have appeared in a wide variety of publications and on Websites including American Photo, CNET.com, Camcorder and Computer Video, DigitalCameraReview.com, Digital Photographer, FashionLedge.com, First Glimpse, Imaging-Resource.com, macHOME, PCPhoto, PC How to Digital Photography Buyer’s Guide, Photo District News, PopPhoto.com, and Popular Science. Although she loves digital, Theano still has a darkroom and a fridge filled with film thanks to her long-time passion for alternative processes and toy cameras. More »
Thank you. This was extremely helpful. I have Elements 5 and have been contemplating upgrading. I love the program so I havent been really interested in changing but i have had some different complications with it lately so I figured it was time. I just wanted to wait long enough for a program to come out that would be worth my "learning" time and money. This may be it. Especially with the video editing program. My daughter has just discovered the movie maker in herself and some editing software would be really helpful.
Shawnery,
Thanks for your kind words! And best of luck to your daughter and her movie making. Why not download the trial versions for a quick look?
Best,
Theano
I see that PE9 is available to US customers at $59.99 after a $20.00 discount. For us in UK, it converts to about £38 as of today. This is a better option than paying £58.92 to Amazon UK. However, I'm not able to purchase it using the photo.net link as Amazon US has restrictions in delivering to my UK address.
Is there an option for UK buyers to get a discount via photo.net (and therefore support the site as well)?
Are you able to purchase via any of the "compare prices" links? Thanks so much for checking in on this--every purchase via referral links helps photo.net.
Hi Hannah,
Thank you for your reply.
It seems that this offer is only available to customers from US, Canada and Puerto Rico. This is even if I go through the compare links.
In fact, I cannot buy it from Amazon US as they cannot send it to a UK address. Even that would have been cheaper than buying from Amazon UK (maybe not so cheap after VAT calculations).
The broader picture seems that we in the UK cannot use the links in photo.net to purchase stuff (at least software from Amazon). It would be great if photo.net could set up a similar rebate system with Amazon UK so that it could be a win-win situation for all.
Regards.
Hi,
I´ve been a regular user and fan of PE on Windows since the first version and up to v.6. A year ago I bought my first Apple computer, an iMac i7 with 27" monitor and 12Gb RAM.
At the same time I tried Apple´s Apperture 3 but quickly realized that I did not fancy it and went back to PE, this time PE 8 for Mac. It had the Bridge organizer which differed from the Windows version but apart from that all the familiar stuff that I had become familiar with and dependent on was there.
So, all was going pretty good until a few weeks ago when I decided to upgrade to PE 9 since the reviews were good and it was said that the organizer was now the same as in the Windows version which I thought had to be a Good Thing ™.
That turned out to be a big mistake. While the PE editor still works well the Organizer is close to unusable. Simple move and delete operations takes minutes and switching between different viewing modes takes forever.
I have created one album and when I try to go from viewing the album and back to "normal" mode with "Display -> Folder location" it takes about one minute and after that I still have to click "Show all" to see all files and not only those related to the album. And then it hangs forever and I will have to kill it and restart it to continue my work.
It says "Searching …" and it never ends… Why does it have to search to show the files in all my folders? Why does it have to search to show photos in my album?
Also, the "Back" and "Forward" arrow buttons at the top left just doesn´t work. NOTHING happens when I click them.
After turning off all the (silly!) features under "Preferences -> Media-Analysis" I noticed some improvement, but not dramatically. I also had a software update recently but again, no dramatic improvement in speed.
Unfortunately I removed PE 8 from my system after installing PE 9, or else I could have still used Bridge.
So my advice is to stick with PE 8 on Mac, and if you want any of the new features in the PE 9 editor and upgrade, keep the PE 8 Bridge organizer until you have verified whether the PE 9 Organizer actually works for you.
