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11/01/2004 10:04:48 AM · #1 |
| I just got Photoshop Elements 3.0. This is my first photo editing software. Does anyone have any opinions/tips on this software? |
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11/01/2004 10:13:34 AM · #2 |
Originally posted by lonewolf:
I just got Photoshop Elements 3.0. This is my first photo editing software. Does anyone have any opinions/tips on this software? |
I haven't upgraded yet, but plan to right away. Elements 2 is great, unless you absolutely need the power of Photoshop CS. But as Maximum PC once put it, PSE gives you 90% of the power of PS7 for 10% of the price.
The only thing I've been missing from PS in PSE is 16 bit editing, and raw file handling, which apparently PSE3 has! (Though in talking to others on this site, I think the history brush, and masks on regular layers--pse only supports them on adjustment layers--would be nice.)
But when you get into it, can you tell me: does it support JPEG2000 (JP2 file format? Might also be called J2K). I couldnt find that, and it's a better choice for high compression than JPEG. (And it also maintains 16 bit data.)
Message edited by author 2004-11-01 10:27:37. |
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11/01/2004 11:11:55 AM · #3 |
I just ordered PSE 3.0 yesterday, looking forward to it arriving.
Here are the 2 most helpful things I did to learn PSE 2.0 -
Bought this book at Amazon.com, and took advantage of a Video Professor intro offer that allowed me to order a 3-CD class for $70, and return it with x days (10, I think) for a full refund. The title I ordered was Photoshop, and I enjoyed the lessons so well that after I got my $70 refund, I joined their on-line training site for other programs.
Bottom line is that you just have to dive in and learn it. It has immediate rewards when it comes to Levels, sharpening tools, and resizing & cropping. Have fun!
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11/05/2004 08:31:10 AM · #4 |
Sorry it has taken me so long to get back to you, work always gets in the way...hahaha. nshapiro, I think that during installation of the software it gives you the option of what all formats you want to be able to use(there are alot) and yes JPEG2000 is one of them, I selected all of them to cover all my bases.
As I said in my orginal post, I am fairly new to digital photography. I have had my camera for a few years but have not gone very deep into learning about what it can do or how software is a digital darkroom. Now that I want to get serious about photography finding this website has been the greatest. There are sooooo many smart, creative people on here to learn from. I have learned so much in the little time that I have been reading the threads. I am now filling my hunger for knowlege, I am addicted to DPC.
So far I really like Elements 3.0. The auto fix functions for levels, contrast etc... have really helped me learn what they do and let me learn how to adjust them on my own without just using the auto functions. I can\'t wait to get deeper into it.
wkmen I am going to check out the books and courses you mentioned.
Thank you both very much for your input. |
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11/05/2004 09:09:33 AM · #5 |
Thanks for the info about JP2000 support. I believe what it must have asked you in the beginning is what "fow which formats do you want Elements to open by default". In other words, to be associated with in Windows.
I've gone ahead and ordered it too. I was tempted to get the student edition of PS CS instead, since we do have students in the house, but I still have a few years to change my mind and still get it at the discount.
Definitely get the book that wkmen recommends. It's not a tutorial for using Elements, but rather a cookbook of ways to fix and improve your photos using Elements. Highly recommended for users at all levels (even if you know how to do "everything", there's always several ways to do it, and the ways suggested in the book might even work better than yours. |
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11/05/2004 09:23:45 AM · #6 |
Originally posted by nshapiro:
I've gone ahead and ordered it too. I was tempted to get the student edition of PS CS instead, since we do have students in the house, but I still have a few years to change my mind and still get it at the discount. |
If you've never used Photoshop then I think first buying Elements is an excellent way to introduce yourself to the interface and the bulk of the techniques and tools. When you upgrade (and you probably will eventually), think of it as having enrolled in a shop class, where you get to build real projects while you learn the skills ... money well-spent I think. Have fun! |
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11/05/2004 10:10:50 AM · #7 |
Originally posted by GeneralE:
Originally posted by nshapiro:
I've gone ahead and ordered it too. I was tempted to get the student edition of PS CS instead, since we do have students in the house, but I still have a few years to change my mind and still get it at the discount. |
If you've never used Photoshop then I think first buying Elements is an excellent way to introduce yourself to the interface and the bulk of the techniques and tools. When you upgrade (and you probably will eventually), think of it as having enrolled in a shop class, where you get to build real projects while you learn the skills ... money well-spent I think. Have fun! |
Thanks, I've been using Elements 2 for over a year maybe closing on two. I guess I just refuse to graduate ;-)
Actually, the main reason is that PS is just too expensive. PSE as an upgrade is half the price of the student edition of PS CS. And I was a bit wary of the student edition as far as getting upgrades. Since it now supports RAW format and JP2000, the only thing I think I would be missing is masks on regular layers and the history brush (and actions). Is there anything else that sets CS apart?
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11/05/2004 10:22:34 AM · #8 |
I use Curves as my primary method of tonal adjustment; Elements restricts you to the less-versatile Levels command.
PS allows you to convert to CMYK mode -- important in the graphic design world for creating separations for offset printing, but largely irrelevant in straight photography.
I actually use a very old version of PS (5.0) because -- especially for photography -- I don't need all the new-fangled additions and complications. The only thing I really need CS for is the newer upsampling algorithms -- supposedly far superior to the original Bicubic -- and I can do that at work, where we get all the latest versions of Adobe's major products.
If PSE has the newer upsampling, then I still say you've made an economical choice. |
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