As its name implies, Adobe Photoshop Elements 2.0 is based on Adobe's flagship product, Photoshop. Thanks to this relationship, Elements offers an impressive amount of state-of-the-art graphics technology while striking an excellent balance of power and ease of use.
Elements uses a similar toolbar and many of the same floating palettes as Photoshop. And the program employs the same technology to perform essential operations, such as gamma correction and hue/saturation adjustments. But Elements presents such high-end functions in a simple interface that is more comfortable for novices. For example, there are automated tools that can easily fix red eye, eradicate color casts, sharpen blurry images, and more. We especially like the Fill Flash and Adjust Backlighting commands, which use familiar photographic terms to perform tonal corrections.
Although Elements provides a lot of hand-holding for novices, it doesn't handcuff more experienced users. The Levels dialog box, for example, is still available for users who want complete control over tonal values. Elements also includes versatile layer technology, which supports blending modes and nondestructive adjustment layers. You can use the same cloning, retouching, and painting tools found in Photoshop.
Elements provides a full complement of special-effects filters, vector shapes, and editable text. You can embellish images with Layer Effects such as bevels, glows, and drop shadows. Layer Effects are more powerful than simple filters, because they remain editable. You can change an effect at any time by editing parameters, such as the angle of a drop shadow or the size of a beveled edge.
Other output options also emphasize convenience. When you attach photos to an e-mail message, Elements can resize the file. You can print multiple copies of an image on a single sheet of paper or log on to Shutterfly (http://adobe.shutterfly.com) to order prints, calendars, or greeting cards. We're particularly fond of its ability to generate a PDF slide show.
The Help feature includes hints about the currently selected tool, step-by-step recipes for common tasks, and a host of ready-to-use effects, such as photo frames and text styles. And mistakes are no big deal, thanks to a History palette that lets you roll back edits.
For basic image management, Elements offers an integrated File Browser, which displays thumbnails of the current folder sorted by predefined criteria such as date, size, and filename. The File Browser also supports batch file functions to rename, rotate, move, or copy multiple files.
During our testing, Elements accessed the images from a digital camera via USB without a hitch, and it even displayed EXIF data in the browser. The browser doesn't offer archival functions, however, such as keyword searches or catalogs of removable media. For advanced photo management tools, you can buy Adobe Photoshop Album ($49.99 direct).
Elements has a remarkable balance of usability and features. It's a very good choice for users with varying levels of experience.