What’s the difference between Photoshop Elements and Photoshop?
I always thought that it was because Photoshop Elements had less features but when I used computers which had Elements on it I found no difference between Elements and Photoshop except the fact that ImageReady wasn’t installed.
Could someone please explain this to me? If there is truly no difference then I’ll buy Elements over Photoshop.
I don’t want to argue with anyone, but there’s a whole lot more to it then the simple CMYK difference between Photoshop and Photoshop Elements.
Paths, better text options, channels, actions (even with Richard’s book, you’d still need a way to record your actions), editable layer styles and a hundred more controls for layers, brush engine is way superior in Photoshop then in PSE, making your own custom shapes, and countless other functions (like the ability to transform a selection, or a better batch command, etc.)
Richard’s tools do add some functions (guides come to mind, some masking), but not all. Vector mask and quick mask is still easier done in PS7 then it is in PSE. Not to say that it’s worthless, on the contrary, it does bring PSE to a high level. But not quite like PS7 (or PCS), unfortunately.
you can accomplish virtually everything you can in full PS with PSE
and I was speaking of end results, not necessarily of ease of getting to those end results. I will concede that I was thinking of photo retouching, not original art creation or special effects, when I said that, so I wasn’t considering text tools or shape creation capabilities. I would not want to work with PSE’s text tools or shape creation tools on anything other than a very occasional basis.
I would also be willing to wager that a significant percentage of people who shell out $600 for full PS never begin to approach what they could do with PSE.
Chris – Just two cents from an amateur — Unless you are planning on a career that requires Big Brother Photoshop, I’d really recommend that you start out with Elements; it’s a wonderful program with tons of features. And you can’t beat the price (under $100 compared to $600 for Big Brother Photoshop). When (or even IF) you feel later that you need more than Elements provides, then fork over the big bucks to get the added features mentioned in the earlier postings to your question.
Or, you might wander over to your neighborhood book store or library and scan through both an Elements book and a Photoshop book to see if Elements has the features you’re looking for (looking is free!)
Or, better yet, go to one of the Challenge# messages on this Forum, and click on the link there to the Challenge site. Then click on the Present and Past Challenges links. Look at the work that Jodi Frye does using only Elements Version 1, some plug-ins, and a mouse. It’s extraordinary! (BTW, most of the rest of us who post to the Challenge also use a version of Elements, but there are a few there who use Photoshop, too.)
Whichever you choose to go with, I hope you have lots of fun with it.
I bought a Wacom tablet for $139 Canadian and got PE Elements free with it as a package.
Ron
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What’s the difference between Photoshop Elements and Photoshop? I always thought that it was because Photoshop Elements had less features
but when I used computers which had Elements on it I found no difference between Elements and Photoshop except the fact that ImageReady wasn’t installed.
Could someone please explain this to me? If there is truly no difference
Thanks guys, I’ve worked with Photoshop at school and stuff so I know how to work that. I have never used the healing brush, since I haven’t really had a need for it. Neither have I ever had to use CMYK. I was planning on buying Photoshop to make website graphics.
Anyways, thanks. I think I’ll stick with Elements. If I get really big into this type of stuff I might consider getting "Big Brother" Photoshop. =P
