Summary: Adobe Photoshop Elements 6 (11/2007)
    Enhancements and Visual Tour

    by Douglas Dixon

Features and Enhancements
Visual Tour -- Interface and Features

A summary of the new Adobe Photoshop Elements 6 -- 
    Key new features and enhancements, and a visual tour of the interface and functions.
    (See also Summary - Premiere Elements 4)

Adobe describes Photoshop Elements 6 as the No. 1 selling consumer photo-editing software, combining power and simplicity for consumers to find, view and easily infuse creativity and personality into their photos. This upgrade is designed to help consumers at all experience levels achieve outstanding results and provide interactive options for sharing unique creations via print and Web.

The pricing is unchanged: Photoshop Elements 6 is $99 list ($79 street); 
or $149 list ($135 street) bundled with Premiere Elements 4.
Photoshop Elements for the Macintosh is expected early 2008.

Find related Adobe articles in the Manifest Tech Blog

    Find Adobe Photoshop Elements 6 on Amazon.com
Find the Adobe Photoshop Elements 6 & Premiere Elements 4 bundle on Amazon

Features and Enhancements

    Key new features and enhancements in Photoshop Elements 6.

Easy and Intuitive Interface

• Easy import, tagging and retrieval
• New Streamlined interface - clean, uncluttered editing screens
      New tabs provide simple access to program capabilities
• Faster photo viewing and organization - library of thousands of photos
• New dedicated Project Bin
      Access to all open photos, photo book pages, and saved Albums
• New Smart Albums you can view all photos in group: camera, date, rating
• Tight integration with Adobe Premiere Elements
      Shared Organizer, with common database across both applications
• New Guided Editing mode walks through steps of improving a photo
      Three edit modes, geared toward different experience levels - beginner to expert
• New Quick Selection Tool single click select-and-adjust task - Refine Edge
      Brush selection, use sliders blend perfectly with background  - Enhanced
• Enhanced editing tools / photo cleanup

   
        Photoshop Elements 6 interface - Organizer tab - Organize and annotate
            - Optional folder list (left)
            - Resizable thumbnails (center) with optional photo information
            - Tasks panel (right) with Albums, Keyword Tags, Properties

Creative Effects

• New and enhanced compositing
• New Photomerge Group Shot - creates single cohesive group shot
      Combine best facial expressions and body language from series of shots
• New Photomerge Faces - smooth image-blending technology
      Combine the eyes, noses, and other features from different faces
• Enhanced Photomerge Panorama - horizontal or vertical panoramas
      Automatically stitch together multiple photos

Easy and Fun Sharing

• New Sharing Center - e-mail, online galleries, burn to CD
• Enhanced Online interactive galleries based on Adobe Flash
• Animated slideshows, e-mail and printed creations
• New assisted photo creations - scrapbook pages, cards and CD/DVD labels
• Enhanced photo book creation

Faster Performance

• 100% faster photo import than Photoshop Elements 5
• 30% to 70% faster search than Photoshop Elements 5

Top

Visual Tour -- Interface and Features

    A visual tour of Photoshop Elements 6 interface elements and associated features.

Welcome Screen

• Optional hub for major tasks
• Organize, Edit, Create, Share

Adobe Photoshop Downloader

• Runs at startup to monitor insertion of cameras or card readers
• Uploads to Premiere Elements Organizer
• Creates folders, renames, optionally deletes from camera memory
• Can automatically fix red eye on import

Organizer

• Find, organize, view, and share photos, make quick fixes
• Manage photos, video and audio clips, PDF files
• View and resize thumbnails
• View and tag images in full-screen, compare side by side
• Automatically organizes by date
• Sort and categorize by star ratings, stacking, assigning keyword tags
      people, places, events
• Search by attributes - find photos containing faces
• Albums - group related photos - drag to add
•             Smart Albums on Search criteria
• Tabs: Organize, Fix, Create, Share

Fix - Automated correction for entire photo
    Auto Smart Fix, Color, Levels, Contrast, Sharpen, Red Eye Fix, Crop

Editor

• Refine photos with guided or advanced editing
• Create printed and electronic projects
• Tabs: Edit, Create, Share
      Edit - Full, Quick, Guided
      Create, Share - same
      Create adds Artwork content and backgrounds

 Quick Edit - Auto fixes plus manual slider controls for adjusting entire photo

• General Fixes: Smart Fix, Red Eye Fix
• Lighting: Levels, Contrast
• Color
• Sharpen

        
        Editor - Quick Edit

Guided Edit - Step-by-step assistance to perform common tasks

• Basic Photo Edits - Crop, Rotate, Sharpen
• Lighting and Exposure
• Color Correction - Skin tone
• Guided Activities (touch up)
• Photomerge

   
        Editor - Guided Edit

Full Edit - Complete toolset and controls

• Adjust specific areas of a photo, darkroom tools
• Remove unwanted elements, brush away flaws, enhance with artistic filters and effects
• Tool bar, Effects, Layers

   
        Editor - Full Edit -Toolbar on left, Effects and Layers on right

Create - Physical and electronic projects

From Organizer or Editor

• Photo Book (order online), Photo Calendar, Photo Collage
• Online Gallery
• Slide Show - Can Sent to Premiere Elements to customize
• + More:
• Order Prints, Order Kodak Greeting Cards, PhotoStamps
• Greeting Card
• CD / DVD Jacket, Label
• VCD / DVD with Menu
• Flipbook

   
        Organizer - Create - Slide Show
            Layout on bottom, with transitions, audio
            Extras and Properties on right

Share - Personal and online

From Organizer or Editor

• Online Gallery - Animated Web gallery, template themes
• E-mail Attachments - Templates for backgrounds and captions
• Photo Mail
• Order Prints
• CD/DVD
• + More:
• PDF Slide Show
• E-mail to Mobile Phone
• Share with Kodak Easyshare Gallery, Send to SmugMug Gallery
• Send to CEMA Digital Photo Frame
• Share Video with Photoshop Showcase

   
        Organizer - Share

Top