bit-tech Shopping: Adobe Photoshop Elements 6

• Intel Core Duo
• PowerPC G4
• PowerPC G5

Rating: 10

Time with product: 3 Months

Strengths: Ease of use, though a steep learning curve

Weaknesses: Lacks some of the more advanced Photoshop tool, but i sufficient for my use.

Summary: Works well and easy to use. Photo corrections are extremely easy and give excellent results. I have used Photoshop Elements for many years and this is the best version yet. It does everything I need in photo editing without the high cost of purchasing the full version Photoshop.

Rating: 8

Time with product: 3 Months

Strengths: Universal Binary, reasonable price, good features

Weaknesses: Dark colored interface (not totally Mac-like), bloated templates

Summary: I was finally happy when Adobe came out with a Universal binary version of Photoshop Elements for Mac. Once upgrading to Leopard, my old versions didn't work and I was sorely missing the basic photoshop tools I've grown used to.Apart from the long installation routine (not the simple drag and drop Mac installation), things went pretty well. The updater has some issues, but I haven't really troubleshooted them yet.Nonetheless, for simple image editing (colors, crops, red-eye, etc. etc.) this package can't be beat. I don't have the time to deal with the advanced features -- I just want to be able to make quick changes and resave files for the web. It does the job for my basic needs. Overall, it hasn't really changed that much over the years and it wasn't like I had to relearn a new interface. Edit/organization integration into iPhoto is good, but basic. I can edit photos and make changes show up as desired. I haven't yet had the chance to play around with Bridge. And I will probably never use any of the creative templates that are a mandatory install.Nonetheless, for amateurs, a well worth package when you don't need to spend $600+ on the full Photoshop version.

Rating: 10

Time with product: 4

Strengths: Fast. Lots of useful features. Great bargain because you get Adobe Bridge included.

Weaknesses: Bad interface. Steep learning curve because it doesn't come with a manual. Program is bloated with clip art and stuff I will never use but you aren't given a choice on what to install.

Summary: There's a lot to like. Adobe has added some excellent features from the full version of Photoshop like Quick Selection and Refine Edge. The new Color Curves feature is welcome too. Element's PhotoMerge options are incredible making simple to take the best parts of several group shots and seamlessly combine them to build one great photo. The addition of Smart Sharpen along with more control of Unsharp Mask gives excellent control of sharpening now. The three editing modes are well thought out. Guided mode is new and I initially thought I wouldn't bother with it. It can be useful for common editing situations. And it's a great introduction to editing for the newcomer to Elements. Quick mode is still helpful and of course, there's the regular editing mode that come close to the regular Photoshop way of doing Elements is also faster, finally Intel processor native. It opens a lot faster and runs faster. And Adobe has included Bridge with Elements 6, the same version that comes with the full Photoshop package. If you're moving up from iPhoto to Photoshop Elements it's great to be able to not have to deal with iPhoto's strange filing system and maintain control over where pictures are stored. Bridge itself is probably worth $$ that Elements costs. It's a great program in itself.

Rating: 8

Time with product: 2

Strengths: Much faster load time on Intel based macs.

Weaknesses: Interface is a little less professional than I would prefer.

Summary: This is the much awaited update of PSE for the Mac. It builds upon the previous version in most respects and runs considerably better on Intel-based macs. For the price, it performs well and offers most tools that an amateur or enthusiast may commonly need.