Adobe released Photoshop Elements 6 and Premiere Elements 4 today, giving a facelift to its programs aimed at consumers for image and video editing. They can be purchased individually but work increasingly well together; there’s a discounted update price at the Adobe web site if you own previous versions.
There’s no hands-on reviews yet but there’s a bit to learn from the screenshots and press releases. Adobe has added features without making huge changes to the interface, so neither program will be noticeably easier to use. Both programs are as easy to use as they can be, given how much they can do, but some people find them daunting. (If you get a new Vista computer, don’t overlook the built-in Photo Gallery, which presents an attractive thumbnail view of your photos and simple editing tools for cropping, redeye removal, and lighting changes – it’s adequate for many people and far easier to learn than Adobe Photoshop Elements.)
Actually, there is one interesting change in the programs – Adobe has given the programs a dark background, first introduced in Adobe Photoshop Lightroom, its toolbox for professional photographers. Here’s an idea of what Lightroom looks like. It’s a simple change but hey, it makes photos pop out and look fabulous.
