Photoshop Elements 6 for Mac First Impressions
However, Adobe has kindly supplied me with a pre-release beta build of PSE6 for Mac, and I've started getting up to speed on it. I'll be posting a full review when I receive the final build.
The install and registration process for the beta took me the better part of an hour on my 1.33 GHz G4 PowerBook and poky dialup internet connection. I'm sure it wouldn't take nearly that long on a MacIntel machine (with version 6, PSE is finally a Universal Binary application) over a broadband connection, and I also suspect that the installation may be streamlined somewhat in the final, commercial release. The good news is that everything went smoothly with no hassles or glitches, and Photoshop Elements 6 eventually opened in its new interface glory.
I didn't do any timing comparisons yet, but PSE6 seems to start a bit more quickly than PSE4 does, although it's still far from instantaneous, at least on this middle-aged G4 box.
First impressions at startup were that the opening splash screen is very attractive, followed by a "I don't think we're in Kansas anymore, Toto" reaction to the new PSE user interface appearance theme. It appears that the Pixelmator folks have started a trend with their dark (in Pixelmator's case, translucent black) interface windows and backgrounds motif. PSE6 goes with more of a dark gray, which I find less aesthetically arresting than Pixelmator's Darth Vader jet-black, but the more conservative approach Adobe has taken is more functionally practical, and I found its tools easier to distinguish.
Happily, may favorite features from Photoshop Elements 4 are carried over and still where I expect to find them, and they work just as nicely.
Photoshop Elements 6 also has some new features based on proprietary Photomerge technology let users combine the best facial expressions and body language from a series of shots to create a single, perfect group shot. A new Quick Selection Tool reduces a once time-consuming select-and-adjust task to a single click, and you can now combine horizontal or vertical panoramas using Photomerge Panorama technology to automatically stitch together multiple photos.
There are now three photo edit modes, each geared toward a different user experience level. The new Guided Edit mode walks users through the steps of improving a photo.
Other enhancements include an improved conversion tool that converts color images into nuanced black-and-whites.
Customizable layouts let you create scrapbook pages, photo books, greeting cards and burn to CD/DVD, while other sharing options include ordering prints, creating personal online albums for sharing photo creations on the web, and printing photos into real U.S. postage stamps.
New In Elements 6 for Macintosh
• Streamlined interface
• Guided editing
• New and enhanced compositing
- Photomerge Group Shot
- Photomerge Faces
- Photomerge Panorama
• Quick Selection Tool
• Color Curves Adjustment
• Batch RAW editing
• Support for RAW formats from newer digital cameras
• Black & White Conversions
• Lens Distortion Correction
• Flexible layouts for scrapbook pages, photo books, greeting cards, CD/DVD labels
• Backgrounds, frames, clip art & effects
System requirements:
Adobe Photoshop Elements 6 for Macintosh will run on Leopard, (Mac OS X v 10.5), as well as previous versions of Mac OS X starting with 10.4.8
• PowerPC G4 or G5 or multicore Intel processor
• Mac OS X v.10.4.8 - 10.5
• 512MB of RAM (1 GB recommended)
• 64MB of video RAM
• 1 GB of available hard-disk space (additional free space required during installation)
• 1,024x768 minimum display resolution with 16-bit video card
• DVD-ROM drive
• QuickTime 7 software required for multimedia features
• Internet connection required for internet-based services
PSE6 is now available for pre-order at:
http://www.adobe.com/go/buyphotoshop_elements_mac
Estimated street price is US$89.99, which I consider one of the biggest bargains in the commercial software market, considering that PSE continues to pack in most of the power and features of the professional standard Photoshop CS that I would ever use a small fraction of the full-featured Photoshop's price.
For more information, visit:
http://www.adobe.com
Charles W. Moore
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