Yes – Adobe Photoshop Elements 10 and Premiere Elements 10 are just out and now shipping!  Pretty much on the timeframe we forecast, both products are available on both Windows and Mac with the same features…  You can instantly download the free trials now as well (yes, they are available!), and the new software will work side-by-side with any previous release(s) of Elements you may own. If do you have an earlier version installed, you can automatically import and convert your work.*

And thus far the reviews for Photoshop Elements 10 have been pretty positive.

The prices remain US$99 for the full version of either PSE 10 or PRE 10, and $149 for the bundle package containing both complete products. To add Adobe’s Plus Benefits runs $30 more. Education customers can grab the Student and Teacher Edition for $119 for both applications (note that academic pricing is no longer offered for each one individually). The languages available today include English, French, German, Dutch, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, Swedish, and Japanese.

Adobe has also brought back the upgrade discount for owners of any previous version of Elements… This briefly disappeared in Elements 9, but popular demand has restored the lower pricing worldwide. This means if you are an existing user of any previous version of Elements (Photoshop or Premiere, back to version 1), you get a lower price from Adobe when upgrading to this new release.

Photoshop & Premiere Elements 10 will run well on 32-bit or 64-bit systems, and are designed for Windows XP, Vista, Windows 7, or Mac OS (see the full system requirements for PSE 10 on Windows or Mac; and PRE 10 on Windows or Mac).  Premiere Elements 10 now comes with a native 64-bit version for higher performance – in other words, the PRE Editor now runs native on both 32-bit and 64-bit operating systems. Photoshop Elements 10 continues as before, running native in 32-bit and compatibly on 64-bit systems.

For customers with both PCs and Macs, the Elements line is now sold as multiplatform software, meaning your single purchase can be installed on either operating system… If you buy a boxed copy of Elements 10, you will get both the Windows and Mac OS versions of the application(s) and a cross-platform serial number. And similar to other Adobe products, you may be able to put the software on up to two computers, subject to the terms of the license agreement.

Download the product overview sheet or free trials, or see the new online documentation that just went up, including the Photoshop Elements 10 keyboard shortcuts. Start learning right away with four hours of free video tutorials.

What’s new in Elements 10 – what are some key new features?

This is covered in detail in our companion “what’s new” article, but here are some quick highlights:

Elements is already the #1 selling consumer photo- and video-editing software.†  Powered by the same engine as Adobe Photoshop, the industry standard for digital imaging, and with these new features on top of the Spot Healing Brush (Content-Aware Fill) and Layer Masks added in PSE 9, this latest 10th-generation version of Elements is looking like a smooth and polished release.

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• Photoshop Elements 9 and Premiere Elements 9 are Out!

One of the most common upgrade questions you’re likely to see is what’s new, what’s different, what’s improved between the new Adobe Photoshop Elements 10 and version 9? Or more fundamentally, what are the key new features in PSE 10, versus PSE 9, 8, 7, or even version 6? We put together a quick list here of what’s changed since 9, but how about a version-by-version, feature-by-feature table? You’ll find this down below (or shortcut here), but first let’s take a close look at some of the biggest additions.

The before-and-after images pictured above are a demonstration of the new “depth of field” effect, where in just seconds you can produce the feeling of shallow focus (low f-stop) for the subject in any existing photograph you have.

From Adobe’s official press release:

Making Photos Pop with Innovative Tools

Powered by the same engine as Adobe Photoshop, the industry standard for digital imaging, Photoshop Elements 10 utilizes intelligent technology that makes it easy to give everyday photos a boost. Photoshop technology is brought to life through easy to follow steps for achieving stunning photo effects in an approachable way with new Guided Edits, which are very popular and successful. These include innovations such as creating a shallow depth of field or designing a fun layout of snapshots with Picture Stack, or even adding a dream-like diffused glow with the Orton Effect.

What’s the Orton Effect? It gives images a dreamy quality, and works well for candid portraits, landscapes, and photos of children or animals. Besides creating a fairytale feel, it can be useful for salvaging photos that you didn’t quite get in focus to begin with. This enhanced result was created in ten seconds with PSE 10:

More New Features

Also new are the text-on-a-path feature, a Crop Overlay tool, and some significant Organizer improvements:

New text functionality, which scrapbookers will especially love, allows users to add curving, flowing text to a photo that automatically follows the outline of a subject, custom path or shape. In addition, special crop guides [Rule of Thirds and Golden Ratio] now help users at any level easily achieve interesting, visually appealing compositions.

Object Search automatically finds objects within photos, such as a landmark, flower or pet. The Elements Organizer can even automatically detect duplicate or near-duplicate photos so users can clean up and delete the photos they don’t need and quickly group similar collections of photos

Probably one of the most-requested features, Photoshop Elements 10 sports three new Text tools for making lines of text follow paths you create… These new capabilities mean you can now place curvy, flowing text on a shape, on an object, or on a customized path – and then resize and reshape or add effects as desired.

The new “Smart Object Search” function saves time by making it easy to find almost anything in your catalog via searching by shape or color – and quickly detect and match together similar photos.

Here’s a one-minute video demo on how to create some of these new stylistic effects with just a few mouse clicks:

Comprehensive Version Comparison

What’s new in Photoshop Elements 10 isn’t perhaps quite as earth-shaking as what was introduced in version 9, which included the long-awaited Layer Masks, Style Matching, and the invaluable content-aware Healing Brush…  But there are still plenty of nice additions in PSE 10, including more we haven’t mentioned yet – like integration with your Facebook Friends list, saving creations to PDF format, 30 new Smart Brush patterns, a new Smart Pan & Zoom feature, automatic syncing between multiple devices, and more…

And thus far, the reviews for Photoshop Elements 10 have been pretty positive.

You can see a comprehensive feature comparison between the last five versions of Photoshop Elements below, for both Windows and Mac OS:

Importantly, Photoshop Elements continues to be multi-platform software, available with largely the same features on both PC and Mac (containing both discs in the box) – and installable on up to two machines. The fully-functional free trials are also now available and can install and run alongside any previous versions you may own, without interference. Adobe has also restored the discounted upgrade pricing that was unavailable for PSE 9.

For more details and information, including on Premiere, see our Elements 10 Release Guide. Or start learning right away with four hours of free tutorials for Photoshop Elements 10 & 9.

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• Photoshop Elements 9 and Premiere Elements 9 are Out!

It’s been a few months now since Adobe Photoshop Elements 10 was officially released, so let’s take a look at what the reviews out there are saying…

First, for a quick overview of the new version, check out our Elements 10 Release Guide, as well as What’s New in PSE 10 vs. 9, 8, 7, or 6?

And if you’re wondering which edition of Photoshop is right for you, see: What’s the Difference between Photoshop CS5 vs. Elements 10 vs. Lightroom 3?

OK, so now on to the reviews for Photoshop Elements 10:

PC Magazine writes, “If you’re mostly concerned about doing interesting and creative things with your images, but don’t want to invest the time and money in learning Photoshop, Photoshop Elements 10 is an excellent option… Competitors don’t come close to matching Photoshop Elements’ array of dazzling photo effects, organizational tools like face tagging, and sharing and output options. Photoshop Elements 10’s tools for perfecting your digital images are unrivaled, making it our Editors’ Choice for prosumer photo editing.”

About.com says, “Each new update to Photoshop Elements has always brought strong new features to the program. Photoshop Elements 10 is no exception… Elements remains an extremely powerful and useful photo editing program for anyone who doesn’t need the graphic editing feature of CS or its high price tag. Whether you are a beginner or ‘old hand’ at photo editing, Photoshop Elements 10 offers strong tools for a very reasonable price.”

Computer Shopper weighs in: “Photoshop Elements 10 remains a must-have tool for casual and hobbyist digital photographers alike. Overall, this is a super-solid consumer image editor, but it’s not a vast improvement over the already-excellent version 9. Many owners of version 9 will not find enough new here to justify the discounted upgrade price. But for newcomers and those who haven’t upgraded in a few years, the substantive features for both manual and automated photo editing make Photoshop Elements a heck of a bargain, whatever the cost.”

Notebook Review gives the software a 4½ out of 5-star overall rating and concludes, “Adobe Photoshop Elements and Premiere Elements are both mature programs that have worked well for consumers for some time now. Particularly with the enhancements in version 10, these products remain among the top contenders that we recommend.”

Macworld renders its verdict: “Over the years, Photoshop Elements has evolved from a de-featured version of its Photoshop CS cousin into a full-featured product on its own. In the brand new version 10, new features abound in the Editor as well as the Organizer, with a focus on enhanced creativity, mobile interconnectivity, problem solving, and simplicity… These features make an upgrade well worth the $80 price tag.”

Tech & Learning gives its overall rating: “Elements 10 provides ordinary users with a variety of digital touch up tools to adjust a picture, add a caption, change a color, and fix some red eye while working in a Photoshop-like workspace without being overwhelmed. The latest version adds several new features and enhancements, including adding text on a line, painting special effects on designated areas of a photo, and management tools for organizing photo sets, tagging, finding duplicate photos and creating online photo albums. As with earlier versions, changes are incremental rather than overwhelming. If you don’t already have a copy of Adobe Photoshop Elements for image editing and organization, it’s a worthwhile investment. If you own a copy of Elements 9, the new Elements 10 Text on a Shape tool enabling users to flow text on a rectangle, ellipse, polygon, heart, speech bubble or other shape is sufficient reason to upgrade.”

Renderosity writes, “Adobe Photoshop Elements is not only a powerful image editing program, it is also a timesaving tool for organizing and sharing your images… all at an affordable price. At first glance, the additions to Elements 10 seem minor; however, once you explore the program, you’ll discover numerous new features and enhancements that will spark your creativity. In conclusion, although Photoshop Elements 10 is not overflowing with new features, the functionality and affordable price make this a must-have program for all levels of photographers: from hobbyist to professional.”

The bottom line from PCMag: “Lots of powerful image-manipulation tools. Strong face- and geo-tagging. Excellent output options — printing, online, photo books. Good help with performing advanced edits. Bottom Line: Photoshop Elements continues to be the best way to get some of Photoshop’s coolest effects without requiring you to attend a night course. This version tweaks the program’s combination for success, adding some nifty new tools.”

Want more? Read 20 additional industry reviews for Photoshop Elements!

Adobe Photoshop Elements 10 will run on both 32-bit or 64-bit computers, and is designed for Windows XP, Vista, Windows 7, or Mac OS (see full system requirements). It can be installed side-by-side with earlier versions of Elements without difficulty or interference.

Want to try it out for free yourself? Just download a fully-working free trial and you can be up and running in minutes.

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We’ve previously covered 17+ hours of free video tutorials for Creative Suite 5, plus three hours for Lightroom 3 – so here are some brand new training resources for the just-released Adobe Photoshop Elements 10… Most of these tutorials also apply to Photoshop Elements 9, which shares the same interface but just doesn’t have as many features.

In these three courses the experts share how to get started, the basics of the software, new features, how to use key tools and functions, plus their favorite tips and techniques. In sum, there is over four hours of free content, with 46 separate chapters.

If you need a copy of Photoshop Elements 10 to get going right away, just download the free trial and it will work fully for 30 calendar days, which should be plenty of time to get through the classes.

If you prefer learning in written form, we’ve got the Adobe Photoshop Elements Guide – a free 95-page e-book you can download as well.

This extensive series is presented by teaching gurus Tim Grey and Chad Chelius, and was produced by video2brain.

For affordable live, interactive training on Photoshop Elements, we recommend the excellent online workshops given at Everyday Elements.

See what’s new and improved in PSE 10 – or see what the industry reviews are saying.

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[UPDATE (April 23rd) – CS6 is out!]

Creative Suite 6 is now available for instant download and direct shipping, and there are many important differences in this release compared to Creative Suite 5, including hundreds of new features added to the individual applications.

And after giving away CS6 Master Collection earlier this month, we now would like to focus especially on Adobe’s popular lineup of Digital Imaging Products. In particular, we want to give brand new copies of Photoshop CS6, Lightroom 4, and Photoshop Elements 10 to three of you, our amazing readers!

There will be one winner for each of these products, which are the commercial English versions for either Windows or Mac OS. The three winners will receive them in prize packages also containing Adobe/CS6 tee-shirts, pens, and other goodies. 1st prize is Photoshop, 2nd prize is Lightroom, and 3rd prize is PSE – with a total estimated retail value for all prizes of US$1000.

Sound good?  These are all brand new releases, so it may help to know what’s new in Photoshop CS6, what’s new in Lightroom 4, and what’s new in Photoshop Elements 10.

How to enter?  It’s easy to gain up to four chances to win…  The contest is open to residents of North America, U.K., Europe, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa – and to enter just do one (or more) of the following:

That’s it!  Each of these actions counts as a single entry into the drawing – so if you do all four, you would receive 4 different chances to win one of these software packages.  Be sure your email is correct so that we can contact you. One entry per reader for each method, but please do share and tell your friends and colleagues who would like the software as well. Thanks also go out to our friends at Adobe for helping sponsor this giveaway!

Submissions are open until 11:59pm EDT on Friday, May 18th, 2012. The winners will be drawn at random from all valid entries, and contacted via email – and we’ll announce the lucky recipients (first names only) right here the following week. If you’re one of them, then you’ll be receiving Photoshop CS6, Lightroom 4, or PSE 10 for free!

» Email this to a friend

Terms & Conditions

Contest is open to residents of USA, Canada, Mexico, Europe, United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa, with up to four entries per person as outlined above. The sweepstakes winners will be determined at random from all valid entries. The participants whose names are drawn must respond to email notification within 72 hours after sending. Estimated maximum retail value of all prizes is US$1,000, which will include the full, upgrade, or education versions as appropriate. By entering, all entrants agree to release ProDesignTools.com (the Sponsor), and its employees from all liability and claims relating to participation in the contest. No substitu­tions or transfer of prizes or cash redemptions permitted by winners. Sponsor reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to cancel, suspend or alter the rules and parameters of the sweepstakes. Sponsor also reserves the right to substitute a prize or prizes as Sponsor deems suitable in the event that prizes become unavailable for any reason.

All federal, state and local taxes, as well as any customs duties, other taxes, fees and/or sur­charges will be the sole responsibility of the prize winners. Winners under the age of 18 (as of winner announcement date) must have their parents’ and/or legal guardians’ consent to accept prize. By acceptance of prizes, the winners agree to release ProDesignTools.com from any and all liability claims or actions of any kind whatsoever for damages. Offer void where prohibited, regu­lated or restricted by law in a manner inconsistent with the purposes and rules hereof. This promotion is in no way associated or connected with Facebook or Twitter.

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The links given below go to the authentic and secure files residing on Adobe’s servers, are guaranteed genuine and will not change. They are especially useful when you are unable to download Adobe’s free trials via other means – often due to difficulties with the Akamai Download Manager (the Adobe DLM). With the links provided below, you can use your own browser’s download capability, or another download manager of your choice.

For setting up Elements on Windows (both PSE 10 and PRE 10), each program consists of two downloaded files: an .exe and a 7-Zip file (.7z). The .exe file will only work (and install) once the .7z file is fully downloaded and resides in the same location. For the Mac, it’s just a single .dmg file for each program.

[ Find out more with our Elements 10 Release Overview... or see what's new in 10 vs. 9. ]

Note: Very Important Instructions

You must have a free Adobe account and be logged into it to use the links below, as Adobe sets a session cookie on your browser that allows you to access the direct download links. Otherwise, you will receive an “access denied” or “resume your download” message prevent­ing the connection. So please follow these instructions carefully or the links will not work!

0. Adobe recommends temporarily turning off any surfing restrictions you might have running, like site or cookie blocking, firewalls or antivirus software.
1. Click «here» to visit this page to begin the trial process the normal way, and select the “Download Now” button at the bottom.
2. If you already have an Adobe ID, then please sign in with it (checking “Remember me“), otherwise take a minute to create one for yourself.
3. Now close or cancel any windows that have popped up.
4. OK, you’re logged in now at Adobe with the trials cookie set, so you can instantly download any of the software below. Just make sure you have enough disk space.
5. Download the files either by clicking directly on the DDL links, or by right-clicking and choosing “Save Link As…” on the popup menu – and save all files to the same place.
6. Then follow the product installation instructions here.

Adobe Photoshop Elements 10 (PSE 10) Direct Download Links

Photoshop Elements 10 – Windows (1.5 GB):   File 1   File 2

Photoshop Elements 10 – Mac (2.0 GB):   File 1

Adobe Premiere Elements 10 (PRE 10) Direct Download Links

Premiere Elements now comes in both 32-bit and 64-bit versions… 64-bit offers higher performance but choose the 32-bit flavor if you’re unsure what your system is.

Premiere Elements 10 – Windows 32-bit (1.4 GB):   File 1   File 2

Premiere Elements 10 – Windows 64-bit (1.5 GB):   File 1   File 2

Premiere Elements 10 – Additional Content – Windows (3.0 GB):   File 1   File 2

Premiere Elements 10 – Mac (1.8 GB):   File 1

Premiere Elements 10 – Additional Content – Mac (3.2 GB):   File 1

The additional content contains InstantMovie themes, title templates, DVD/Blu-ray menu templates, and music to enhance your movies created with Adobe Premiere Elements 10 software. Themed HD and SD content includes Birthday Party, Road Trip, Outdoor Wedding, Broadway, Kid’s Channel, Family Memories, Extreme Sports, News Reel, Comic Book, and more.

Product languages supported: The Elements 10 tryouts are currently available in English, French/Français, German/Deutsch, Dutch/Nederlands, Italian/Italiano, Spanish/Español, Portuguese/Português, Swedish/Svenska, and Japanese/日本語 – for Microsoft Windows and Mac OS. Adobe says additional language versions will be available soon.

Installation Tips

• You do not need to uninstall previous versions of Elements; some users prefer to keep the older, familiar version(s) around as they come up to speed with the new version’s features.
• Install with an account that has administrative privileges (not a Limited User Account if you are using Windows Vista).
• For the easiest installation experience, quit any open programs, including virus protection software, prior to installing Elements 10.
• Read the accompanying Photoshop Elements 10 Release Notes in English, French, or German.
• If you run into any difficulties, see the Elements 10 Installation Troubleshooting page.

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“What’s the difference between the different Photoshops?”

We’ve seen this question sooo many times, we just had to write a complete article about it.  With four different members of the Adobe Photoshop family, it can be confusing what is what and which to get…  And now that Photoshop Elements 10 has just been released, it’s a good time to look at this.

If you ask Adobe, they’ll tell you:

Q:  How do Adobe Photoshop, Photoshop Extended, Photoshop Elements, and Photoshop Lightroom software differ?

A:  Photoshop Elements 10 (US$99) is designed for people who are just getting started with digital photo editing, and delivers powerful yet easy-to-use options that help you organize, edit, create, share, and help protect your personal photos.

Photoshop CS5 (US$699, actually CS5.1) is the professional standard for creating and manipulating powerful images, and Photoshop CS5 Extended (US$999) delivers every­thing in Photoshop plus tools for creating and editing 3D and motion-based images.

Photoshop Lightroom 3 (US$299) addresses the workflow needs of professional and serious amateur photographers, enabling them to import, process, organize, and showcase large volumes of digital photographs quickly.

And indeed they do nicely summarize all the different versions on one page.

So that’s a good starting point, but let’s dig a little deeper. Here’s another way of looking at it, functionally:

• Photoshop CS5 – The latest-and-greatest “flagship” (or regular/standard) version of the breakthrough industry-standard tool – the world’s leading pixel manipulation program.
• Photoshop Elements 10 – A scaled-down, simpler version for hobbyists and home market, with fewer features, functions, and options – it offers “elements” of the full program.
• Photoshop Lightroom 3 – Not really “photoshop” or a pixel-level editor at all, but rather a non-destructive image workflow system for serious and pro photographers.
• Photoshop CS5 Extended – The “top of the line” with everything: it takes Photoshop CS5 and adds editing for both 3D and motion (video!) content, as well as image analysis.

That captures the essence, and we have in-depth comparisons below. But if just from reading that you’re unsure which one is right for you, Adobe offers free downloadable trial editions of all four editions which are fully-functional for 30 days. So you can get any one (or multiple, or all) for tryout to see which work(s) best.

But it’s not “either/or” – many folks actually end up buying two of these: Lightroom together with one of the CS5 editions (or Elements) – they are complementary and integrated to work well together, in fact Adobe offers a 30% discount when those products are purchased at the same time.

All four products are available for both Windows PC and Mac OS – and in fact all of them can be run on both platforms, with the ability to install on up to two computers for each tool. If you own a previous release of the same product, then you may qualify for the Upgrade version which costs less ($US79 for Elements, US$199 for Photoshop CS, and US$99 for Lightroom), otherwise you’d get the Full version.

Compare Photoshop CS5 vs. Photoshop CS5 Extended

OK, we’ve actually written a whole separate article on just that question – the differences between Photoshop vs. Photoshop Extended – so please see that related piece for more details there… 

Importantly, note that in almost all of Adobe’s suites, and in all of Adobe’s education versions for students & teachers, the edition of Photoshop is Extended.  That’s a good thing.

For the other three editions (Photoshop CS5 vs. Lightroom 3 vs. PSE 10):  What are some of the features in one version but not the other(s), or unique to each?

Compare Photoshop CS5 vs. Photoshop Elements 10

As mentioned earlier, most would say that Photoshop Elements 10 is a stripped-down version of the full Photoshop CS5 with significantly fewer features, options, and controls. On the other hand, PSE is targeted towards the consumer market and Adobe has designed it to be easier to get started with and learn to use.

There is a long list of features it does not contain as compared to the full Photoshop CS5. Here are a few that Photoshop CS has, but that Photoshop Elements does not have:

• Puppet Warp
• Pen Tool (vector drawing & selections)
• Content-Aware Fill
• 64-bit support (for performance)
• HDR Pro
• Paths Palette
• Vanishing Point Tool
• History Brush
• Curves
• Full 16-bit RGB
• Creating custom Actions (scripting)
• Full Layer Groups (Sets) and Styles
• Smart Objects, Filters, and Guides
• Color Balance and Match Color
• Channels Palette and Mixer
• Slice Tool (Web graphics)
• Automatic lens correction
• Warp Transform Tool
• 3D objects & text
• Pixel Bender plug-in
• CMYK and Lab color models
• Truer Edge detection technology
• Adjustments & controls for everything

That said, because Photoshop Elements is meant for home use, there are some features it contains that Photoshop CS5 does not have – for example, templates for photo books, slideshows, greeting cards, email, print calendars, scrapbook pages, and online albums, as well as drop-in frames, backgrounds, and artwork, plus online sharing options for Facebook, Flickr, etc.  Elements also offers more user assistance through aspects like Guided Edits and shortcuts like Quick Fix mode, the Smart Brush tool, and Cookie Cutter tool.

For keeping track of images, Photoshop Elements includes the Organizer to manage photos and videos, which is considered to be simpler but slower than the Bridge media browser that comes with Photoshop CS5. However, most users feel that Lightroom’s smooth library and cataloging functions are superior to both, and especially better and faster when you have a large number of images.

Note that for students and teachers, Adobe gives a much bigger discount on Photoshop Extended (80% off the regular price) than on Photoshop Elements (only 20% off).

Compare Photoshop CS5/Elements vs. Lightroom 3

So, how is Lightroom different from all of the above? Lightroom 3 an intuitive digital darkroom and efficient assistant designed for advanced amateur and professional photographers. LR3 lets you manage, edit, and showcase all your photographs – and do it quickly, powerfully, smoothly. It’s a complete photo and data management solution that was built from the ground up by Adobe to streamline workflow productivity for photographers.

Lightroom has the library and cataloging functions to work with a large collection of images easily and process them rapidly in groups or batches, with a sophisticated database for very fast search, keyword tagging, and previewing functions – even when your image files aren’t accessible on your computer. It has built-in RAW processing (also works with .JPEG, .TIFF, and .PSD images) and can make correc­tions based upon the camera and lenses you use.  LR has terrific tools for “developing” like correcting exposure, adjusting tone, lighting, white balance, contrast, color, saturation, sharpening, and noise reduction, which are state-of-the-art. There’s also a local adjustment brush for dodging and burning, graduated filters, and so on.

And all of it is nondestructive, meaning you can go back and simply undo or redo changes to any image at any time, even years later. This is much like film, where photographers can always return to their original negative – whereas in standard Photoshop, once you change and save an object, you permanently change the pixels.

Lightroom is not for performing detailed raster-level editing, creating images from scratch, compositing multiple images, using layers, cloning & healing, adding text (except for watermarking), drawing shapes, editing objects out of a photos, or many of the other capabilities Photoshop has.  However, many thousands of serious photographers use Lightroom very efficiently every day for 90% of their needs, and then pop out to tightly-integrated Photoshop for the rest (retouching and post-processing).

Lightroom is an end-to-end digital photography solution so it also includes features to showcase your work in customized print layouts, slide shows, and web galleries, and on popular photo-sharing sites.

So if you want the photographer’s workflow to manage thousands of images with ease then you’re talking about Lightroom, but you want to perfect a single image with the “gold standard” professional editing & finishing tool then you’re talking about Photoshop. The two products complement each other and together comprise a complete image processing system.

Adobe has an excellent FAQ on Lightroom and more on the differences between other tools.

This short video answers the question “What is Lightroom?” for new users of the product. Lightroom unites your digital photography essentials in one fast and intuitive package and gets you there with the tools you need to create great images, manage all your photographs, and showcase them with style and impact.

Adobe Camera Raw (ACR)

Interestingly, all products in the Photoshop family share the same underlying image processing technology to ensure consistent and compatible results across applications that support raw processing. This is called the Adobe Camera Raw (ACR) plug-in and it’s packaged in with Photoshop CS, Photoshop Elements, and Lightroom. This is the interface where support for new camera models and lens profiles is added, so Adobe updates this plugin on a regular basis (about every 3-4 months).

You can get access down to the powerful ACR features from within Photoshop CS or Elements, while Lightroom essentially takes Camera Raw and centers a full-featured application around it with all the streamlined workflow and cataloging benefits described above.

Free Tutorials and Training

Learn how to use these tools!  As mentioned above, you can download a free trial of any or all of them to get started, and then:

• Best Free Photoshop Tips, Tricks, Techniques, Training & Tutorials
• 4 Hours of Free Video Tutorials for New Photoshop Elements 10 & 9
• Three Hours of Free Courses on Lightroom 3, plus Other Resources

Have any other questions about the differences between these Photoshop products?  Just ask them below and we’ll answer!

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One of the most common upgrade questions you’re likely to see is what’s new, what’s different, what’s improved, what’s changed between the new Adobe Photoshop Elements 9 and version 8? Or more fundamentally, what are the key new features in PSE 9, versus PSE 8, 7, or even version 6? We put together a short list here and a longer list (with details) at our product page here, but how about a feature-by-feature, version-by-version table? You’ll find this down below, but first let’s take a look at some of the biggest new additions.

The two photographic “before-and-afters” on this page come from the new Elements 9 version just released. Do the images above seem familiar? They might – they were also in Adobe’s blockbuster Content Aware Fill “Sneak Peek” Video for Photoshop CS5… So for starters, this is very good news for the new release of PSE9.

From Adobe’s press release:

Another major new feature in Photoshop Elements 9 versus version 8 is Layer Masks. This is probably the single most requested capability that Elements has been missing since it first came out. Layer masks are a powerful feature for editing photos non-destructively and one of the most-used functions in the full Photoshop, so will be a big asset to Photoshop Elements.

Also important for Mac users is the Macintosh version of PSE 9 is now much the same as the Windows version, including key components like the Organizer. So Mac users will now get automatic analysis, quick photo fixes, people recognition, easy photo sharing, and all the other great Organizer features. Further, Elements 9 (like Lightroom 3 before it) is now multiplatform software, meaning you get both Mac OS and Windows versions with your purchase and can install and run on either (see How Many Computers Can You Install or Run Adobe Software On?)

There are plenty of other great additions in PSE 9, and you can see a comprehensive feature comparison between all recent versions of Photoshop Elements here, for both Windows and Mac OS (click to open):

Related Posts

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• Photoshop Elements 9 and Premiere Elements 9 are Out!

A special gift for our readers: For a limited time, we’re offering a download of the Adobe Photoshop Elements 9 Guide ebook, with 13 chapters and 95 pages of visual tutorials and feature how-to’s, completely free for personal use… And the vast majority of it will apply to the new Photoshop Elements 10 as well.

This e-book is a great overview and introduction to PSE 9, and covers a lot of helpful material for getting started with the product or learning more skills if you’re already familiar. You won’t find this book anywhere else.

The download is 4.7 MB in size, in PDF format (get the free and better Adobe Reader X, if you haven’t already).

If you don’t yet own Photoshop Elements 9, just download the fully-working trial from Adobe to run it for free for 30 days. Much of the training in the book will be relevant for older and newer versions of PSE as well.

See what’s new in Photoshop Elements 9 – including layer masks, photo style-matching, and even some content-aware fill functionality borrowed from Photoshop CS5…

If you currently have an older version of the software, you might be interested in a nice chart with the differences between Photoshop Elements 9 vs. 8 vs. 7 vs. 6.

Or, if you also like to learn by video training, check out these four hours of free video tutorials for Photoshop Elements 9, or alternatively for Photoshop Elements 8 or 7.

See also the free companion ebook download: Premiere Elements 9 Guide

Here is the table of contents and chapter descriptions for the free book… enjoy it!

Adobe Photoshop Elements 9 Guide

1. Overview of Photoshop Elements workspace
2. How to make selections
3. How to create shapes
4. How to rotate, level, crop, and size images
5. How to retouch a photo
6. How to quickly enhance a photo
7. How to apply filters
8. How to use layers
9. How to add and modify text
10. How to draw
11. How to create and share a slide show
12. How to create collages and photo books
13. How to export to print and web

1. Overview of Photoshop Elements workspace

This guide presents an overview of the Adobe Photoshop Elements 9 workspace including information on how to get started with Photoshop Elements 9.

Key terms: workspace

2. How to make selections

While in the Editor in Photoshop Elements 9, you can select an entire image or isolated parts of an image for editing. To select the entire image, use the commands in the Select menu. For more precise selections, you can choose from several selection tools in the toolbox.

Key terms: selections, image editing

3. How to create shapes

With the shape tools in Photoshop Elements 9, you can draw perfect geometric shapes, regardless of your artistic ability or illustration experience. The first step to drawing shapes is to select one of the six basic shape tools. You can add shapes to any file you can open in Photoshop Elements.

Key terms: shapes, layers

4. How to rotate, level, crop, and size images

You can make good photos look great with the editing tools in Adobe Photoshop Elements 9. You can easily rotate, straighten, crop, resize, and recompose images. Some of the tools for these basic edits are in the toolbox.

Key terms: rotating, cropping, resize, recompose

5. How to retouch a photo

If your photo requires more touch-up than you can achieve by using Quick Fix, you’re ready to use the photo retouching tools in Photoshop Elements 9. These include tools for removing small and large imperfections, eliminating distracting objects, cloning parts of an image, blurring and sharpening parts of an image, adjusting color and contrast, and a lot more. The focus of this guide is five of the photo retouching tools, including Spot Healing Brush, Healing Brush, Clone Stamp, Blur, and Sharpen.

Key terms: retouch, quick fix, color adjustments, healing brush, clone stamp

6. How to quickly enhance a photo

Adobe Photoshop Elements 9 has tools that let you automatically adjust the tonal range, color, and sharpness of your photos. You can also remove dust spots or other defects from your photos. You can accomplish these tasks in different modes, depending on your experience and needs.

This guide covers the following topics:

• Using Smart Fix and the auto enhance commands to apply auto adjustments to color, contrast, lighting, and sharpness.
• Fixing Red Eye.
• Using the Quick Selection tool to make changes to image selections.
• Using the Photomerge Style Match to auto-apply an image style to another picture.

Key terms: smart fix, red eye, quick selection tool

7. How to apply filters

You can use filters in Photoshop Elements 9 to change the look of your images. For example, you can apply special effects that turn an image into an artistic rendering of a photograph. You can apply filters to a selected area or to an entire layer.

Not all filters work on all images. You can’t use some filters on images in grayscale mode or use any filters in bitmap mode or index color mode. Many other filters will not work on 16-bit images. Once you have applied a filter, you can continue to reapply it to increase the effect.

Key terms: filters, layers

8. How to use layers

Layers are like stacked transparent sheets on which you can paint or place images, shapes, or text. You can see through the transparent areas to the layers below. You can work on each layer independently, experimenting to create the effect you want. You can adjust a layer’s color and brightness, apply special effects, change its opacity, and change its stacking order.

If you want to experiment with color, filters, or other adjustments, you can place an adjustment or fill layer above the image and see the affects without making any changes to the layer that contains your image. To remove the effects, simply delete the adjustment layer.

Key terms: layers, adjustment layers

9. How to add and modify text

You can add text to images in Photoshop Elements by using the Type tool. Once you add text, you can modify it by using the Type toolbar, by transforming the text box, and by applying layer styles to the text’s layer.

Key terms: text, modifying text, layers

10. How to draw

This guide is a basic introduction to drawing. After learning the basics, you can experiment with brushes to find the settings that work for you. When drawing freehand, you may prefer to use a tablet and pen instead of a mouse.

This guide covers three tools:

• The Pencil tool paints the current foreground color of an image and creates hard-edged lines.
• The Brush tool paints the current foreground color on an image and creates soft strokes of color.
• The Pattern Stamp tool paints whatever you have currently selected in the pattern picker.

Key terms: drawing, digital photography

11. How to create and share a slideshow

Slide shows are a fun way to share your pictures. With Adobe Photoshop Elements 9, you can customize your slide shows with music, clip art, text, and voice narration in the Slide Show Editor.

Key terms: slide show, slideshow

12. How to create collages and photo books

You can use your photos in creative projects, such as slide shows and photo books, and share them with family, friends, and colleagues.

Key terms: collage, photo books, digital photography

13. How to export to print and web

Once you finish editing your images or creating projects from these images, you can export images in formats for print (PDF) and the web (JPEG, GIF, or PNG).

Key terms: exporting images, print, web

Download this e-book for free now: Photoshop Elements 9 Guide

See also the free companion book: Premiere Elements 9 Guide

Plus: a free 172-page “CS5 on Demand” ebook covering Photoshop, Dreamweaver, InDesign, Illustrator, and Flash Pro.

If you like this post, please consider subscribing to our RSS feed or follow us on Facebook or Twitter… You can also just enter your email and have new articles sent directly to your inbox.

Note: This complimentary ebook is for personal use only and not for redistribution. However, please feel free to link to or share this original page with whoever or however you like.

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• Download Free 78-Page eBook on Adobe Premiere Elements 9

A special gift for our readers: For a limited time, we’re offering a download of the Adobe Premiere Elements 9 Guide ebook, with 9 chapters and 78 pages of visual tutorials and feature how-to’s, completely free for personal use… And the vast majority of it will apply to the new Premiere Elements 10 as well.

This e-book presents a nice overview and introduction to PRE 9, and covers a range of helpful material for getting started with the product or learning more skills if you’re already familiar. You won’t find this book anywhere else.

The download is 3.9 MB in size, in PDF format (get the free and better Adobe Reader X, if you haven’t already).

If you don’t yet own Premiere Elements 9, just download the fully-working trial from Adobe to run it for free for 30 days. Much of the training in the book will be relevant for older and newer versions of PRE as well.

See what’s new in Premiere Elements 9 – including easier import, terrific new audio tools, better sharing, and now available for Mac…

If you currently have an older version of the software, you might be interested in a handy chart with the differences between Premiere Elements 9 vs. 8 vs. 7 vs. 4.

Or, if you also like to learn by video training, here’s close to an hour of free video tutorials for Premiere Elements.

See also the free companion ebook download: Photoshop Elements 9 Guide

Here is the table of contents and chapter descriptions for the free book… enjoy it!

Adobe Premiere Elements 9 Guide

1. Overview of Premiere Elements workspace
2. How to import video
3. How to edit clips
4. How to add transitions
5. How to add video effects
6. How to add titles
7. How to work with audio
8. How to do podcasting
9. How to share video

1. Overview of Premiere Elements workspace

Get an overview of the Adobe Premiere Elements 9 workspace and learn how to get started using Premiere Elements 9.

Key terms: workspace, video editing, video production

2. How to import video

There are four basic methods for adding media to your projects: capturing from tape or live sources, importing files from other types of storage, adding from the Organize workspace, or recording narrations from a microphone.

When you add media files to your project, they are added to the Project view and the Organize workspace. Each file is represented by a thumbnail, called a clip. Clips, whether they contain audio, video, or still images, are the building blocks of your movies.

Key terms: import video, audio, images, clips

3. How to edit clips

Editing clips includes previewing and trimming them to eliminate unnecessary material. It could also include revising clip properties such as speed, direction, and duration. If you have media clips generated by other programs, you can also edit them in their original applications from within Premiere Elements.

This guide covers the following topics:

• Working with the Preview window
• Trimming a clip in the Monitor panel
• Removing frames from the middle of a clip in the Sceneline
• Editing clips on the Timeline
• Applying auto quality enhancements
• Editing multiple clips
• Using Freeze Frame to export images

Key terms: video editing, clips

4. How to add transitions

By using transitions, you can phase out one clip while phasing in the next, or you can stylize the beginning or end of a single clip. A transition can be as subtle as a cross dissolve or quite emphatic, such as a page turn or spinning pinwheel. You generally place a transition on a cut to include clips on either side – a double-sided transition, but you can also apply a transition to just the beginning or end of a clip – a single-sided transition.

Key terms: video editing, transitions

5. How to add video effects

You can use effects to add a creative flair to your movie, or to fix exposure or color problems, edit sound, or manipulate images. Adobe Premiere Elements comes with preset effects that let you quickly and easily apply a preconfigured effect to footage. You can use included presets, create your own presets, or adjust and animate values as desired. You can animate the effects that you add to clips, either with presets, which have predefined keyframe values, or with keyframes you create with custom values. Presets provide a quick, easy way to animate effects, whereas custom keyframes let you create more precise and complex animations.

Key terms: video effects, presets, keyframes

6. How to add titles

You can design custom titles and images with Premiere Elements. Titles are a valuable addition to a movie and can serve many purposes, from naming the people and places in your movie to providing movie-style credits at the beginning and end. You can create titles by using any font installed on your computer and create other graphic objects by using the title’s shape-creation tools. You can create images from any graphic or photograph on your computer and use them to further customize and enhance your movies.

Key terms: titles, graphics

7. How to work with audio

At least half of your movie’s impact comes from its use of sound. Adobe Premiere Elements provides the tools, such as the Audio Mixer and the Audio Meters, to create a high-quality sound mix. You can narrate clips or set beat markers while previewing in real time. You can add a soundtrack to your movie, and trim it to the proper length, or use SmartSound soundtracks, which you customize to exactly fit your project. You can set the overall volume levels of clips and the relative volume levels within and among them. Finally, you can remove unwanted noises and add effects to the sounds in your movie.

Key terms: audio editing, audio production

8. How to do podcasting

In Premiere Elements, you can create videos and podcast them directly to PodBean, a podcasting service. You can also create audio or video files to use in podcasts by exporting files you create in Adobe Premiere Elements.

Key terms: podcasting, music, vodcasting, audio production

9. How to share video

You can share movies, stills, and audio in a variety of file types to the web, mobile devices, videotape, Video CDs, and Super Video CDs. You can also copy and save projects for editing and storage. The Share workspace in the Tasks panel contains everything you need to save and share your finished project. You can save your project for viewing on the web, a mobile phone, a personal computer, DVD, Blu-ray Disc, and more.

You can start a new share by clicking any of the share options: web DVD, Disc, Online, Personal Computer, Mobile Phones And Players, or Tape. Each of these options opens a view in the Tasks panel that provides specific options and settings for sharing to the respective media types.

Key terms: video sharing

Download this e-book for free now: Premiere Elements 9 Guide

See also the free companion book: Photoshop Elements 9 Guide

Plus: a free 172-page “CS5 on Demand” ebook covering Photoshop, Dreamweaver, InDesign, Illustrator, and Flash Pro.

If you like this post, please consider subscribing to our RSS feed or follow us on Facebook or Twitter… You can also just enter your email and have new articles sent directly to your inbox.

Note: This complimentary ebook is for personal use only and not for redistribution. However, please feel free to link to or share this original page with whoever or however you like.

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• Free: 4 Hours of Video Tutorials for New Photoshop Elements 10 & 9

We’ve previously covered 17 hours of free video tutorials for Creative Suite 5, plus three hours for Lightroom 3 – so here’s a chance for Photoshop Elements and Premiere Elements… Below the experts share how to get started, the basics of the programs, new features, plus their favorite tips and techniques. Most of the lessons will work for either version 8 or 7. All together there is five hours of free content, spanning over 50 chapters.

The majority of the videos were produced by Lynda.com, which is another excellent source of online tutorials (some free, some paid), and just released a new app for software training on the iPhone.

If you need a copy of either Elements product for your work, just download a free trial.

For Premiere Elements, the set of videos isn’t as comprehensive, but there’s still some good material here:

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New discount offer: Save up to $50 on award-winning Photoshop Elements 10 and Premiere Elements 10 in the Adobe North America Store with coupon code, plus free shipping. Elements has been the #1 selling consumer photo- and video-editing software for many years, and these latest Elements 10 tools make it even easier to edit, enhance, and share photos and video clips… And here with this sale you’ve got a nice gift for dads and grads.

When using coupon code ELEMENTSMAY, you’ll save $50 on the full version of the Photoshop Elements 10 & Premiere Elements 10 software bundle (becoming $99), save $20 on the full version of Photoshop Elements 10 or Premiere Elements 10 by itself, or save $40 on the full version of the Elements 10 Student & Teacher Edition Bundle – plus free FedEx shipping. This offer is available when purchasing directly from the Adobe North America Store only, and you must enter with the coupon link above to receive the instant savings. The promotion code is valid for the download or boxed versions in the U.S., Canada (excluding Quebec), and Mexico from May 20th through May 28th, 2012, with one instant discount per customer.

Learn more about what’s new in Elements 10 and how you can create amazing images and incredible movies, and use them together in cinematic slide shows and more. We’ve also got a review roundup for PSE 10 summarizing the ratings, plus four hours of free tutorials for Photoshop Elements 10 & 9.

If you want to try out the software first, you can download the free trials of either or both products now and then just make your purchase before the offers expire.

Extra! Download Free eBooks for Photoshop & Premiere Elements

As a special bonus to our visitors, we are offering free downloads of two Elements visual learning guides that we put together, two e-books in PDF format at no cost to you… They will work well for any recent version of Elements software:

• Download the Free Photoshop Elements eBook – 95 Pages
• Download the Free Premiere Elements eBook – 78 Pages

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• Nice Deal on Photoshop & Premiere Elements – $99 After $50 Off
• Save 10% in Europe, Up to $449 in North America

Adobe is continuing its special “Deal of the Day” program and the next big deal is a huge 50% off their bestselling consumer product, Photoshop/Premiere Elements 10 with coupon code – just in time to use your 2011 tax refund and save today…

This means – for one day only – for either product Photoshop Elements 10 or Premiere Elements 10 you can pay just $50 instead of $99… and for the complete bundle containing both Elements products you can pay just $25 more: $75 instead of $149!

[ See: What's new in PSE 10? Check the reviews. ]

This isn’t an upgrade – it’s the full retail version, available for instant download on either Windows or Mac OS, in any available language (the boxed ship­ment is not offered at this low price).

But note, to take advantage of this deep discount you must activate the deal with this promotion code linked: ELEMENTS50.

The 50% off is available in North America – but in Europe and the UK, the offer is still nice: Save up to 30% on the Elements family of products, with free delivery included.

This incredible special doesn’t apply to the Education editions or for upgrades from older versions, there’s no additional break for those – but this price is lower than the upgrade price anyway so you still come out ahead…

The new release will work side-by-side with any previous version(s) of Elements you may own. If do you have an older product installed, you can automatically import and convert your work.*

This “One Day Deal” is available for purchases made directly from Adobe by retail customers on Monday, February 16th, 2012 only, before 11:59pm PDT. The discount will be reflected in the shopping cart just prior to checkout when coupon code is activated. Pricing is available only through the Adobe Store, one discount per customer. Education, OEM, and volume licensing customers are not eligible.

So if you’ve been thinking about making the jump to the #1 selling consumer photo- and video-editing software† , here is a terrific entry! If you prefer to try before you buy, you can immediately download the fully-functional free trial, and then just convert it before midnight to secure the lower price.

[ Compare the differences between Photoshop CS vs. Elements vs. Lightroom. ]

Bottom line, this savings will not be available anywhere else and is the lowest price ever offered for Photoshop and Premiere Elements, and that probably ever will be… Don’t miss out on this great oppor­tunity before it expires.

Check out our great free resources for Elements:

• Find out more about the Elements 10 release.
• Read a review & rating round-up for Photoshop Elements 10.
• What are the differences between PSE 10 vs. 9 vs. 8 vs. 7 vs. 6?
• Four hours of free online video tutorials for Photoshop Elements 9 & 10.
• Download the free 95-page e-book: Guide to Photoshop Elements.
• Download a full and free trial of Photoshop and/or Premiere Elements 10.

— CS6 Grace Period! Buy CS5.5 Now + Get Free Upgrade to CS6 When It Ships

— Adobe: CS6 on Track for “Late in Q2″ with Very Compelling New Features

— Sneak Previews of CS6: Dreamweaver, InDesign, Flash Pro, Illustrator & Premiere

— Win New Photoshop CS6 + Lightroom 4 FREE! ($1000 Giveaway)

— What’s the Difference Between Photoshop CS6 vs. CS5 – What’s New in Features?

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• Compare Photoshop Editions: CS5 vs. Elements 10 vs. Lightroom 3

Judging by the amount of attention that Adobe’s recent upgrade policy changes have been receiving, as well as our subsequent visitor poll on the company’s model shift to the new “Creative Cloud,” this is a big and important issue…

And while this cloud model is optional, two of the persistent questions so far have been: How are the Acrobat and Lightroom products affected by all of this?

Both of these tools have historically different release schedules from Creative Suite – and while Acrobat is included in the suites, Lightroom is not.  Looking back, CS5.5 launched in May 2011, Acrobat X in November 2010, and Lightroom 3 in June 2010.

[See:  When will Adobe CS6 be released?  When is Lightroom 4 coming out?]

So first off, we can clarify: both Acrobat and Light­room are currently slated to be included in Adobe’s Creative Cloud, at least according to this slide from a recent analyst presentation – although there is a disclaimer at the bottom which states, “list of included products [is] not yet final.”

[UPDATE (January 25th) — Adobe now says that Lightroom will not be included initially, but is "planned for a future release."]

The next question then is, will either of these two popular standalone products be affected by Adobe’s new upgrade policy?

Adobe tells us: No, these two applications will continue with their current policies of discounted upgrade pricing for up to three versions back, instead of the planned “one version back” for all of the CS6 products.

In other words, based upon what we are hearing now, both Acrobat and Lightroom will remain on their independent release cycles and existing upgrade plans.

Here is the exact statement they sent us (and we subsequently confirmed the same applies for Lightroom):

With the announcement of Adobe Creative Cloud, there have been many questions about how Acrobat will be treated.  Please note, the Acrobat upgrade policy has not changed, Acrobat customers may continue to upgrade to the current version from three versions prior (currently 7, 8, and 9 for upgrading to X). Details about this policy are outlined in the Acrobat Customer FAQ.

As an extra, we can also confirm for you that Adobe’s Elements line – Photoshop Elements and Premiere Elements – will also remain “as is,” with the separate version and upgrade system that exists today.

However, there is no word yet on the status or impact to Adobe’s Student & Teacher Editions (if anything)…  Hopefully they will continue with the current setup, whereby educational users can receive discounts of up to 80% off the regular prices (although with the limitations that these products cannot be upgraded to other academic versions).

So we hope that helps put these questions to rest!  Any others?  Please ask away below and we’ll do our best to answer…

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• How to Move Adobe CS6 Between Computers, or from PC to Mac

[UPDATE – Also see our new Photoshop CS6 Giveaway!]

We’ve given away a lot of products over the past couple years, but haven’t yet offered Adobe Lightroom…  So here, now, we’re giving away Adobe Lightroom 3 (value US$300) with a new camera bag!  Second prize is the Photoshop & Premiere Elements 10 Bundle (US$150), and for third place we have an Adobe-branded prize pack with T-shirt, pen, lanyard, and other surprises.

Actually, all three winners will receive one of those prize packs, so much the better. The free copy of Lightroom is graciously sponsored by Adobe, and should do nicely until Lightroom 4 is released. Photoshop and Premiere Elements 10 are brand new, out five weeks ago.

The goal of the contest is to learn from our readers worldwide:
What would you like to see in the next release of your favorite Adobe product?

It could be any one – CS6 (any application), Lightroom 4, Acrobat 11, Photoshop Elements 11, and the rest.  What do you hope for, want Adobe to add/do/change, what’s on your wishlist?
Just share it in a comment below and/or on Facebook, and you’re entered.  Please be sure to include the name of the future product you’re talking about (for example, “In CS6 I’d like …”).

To double your power and effectiveness, then copy and paste the same comment into Adobe’s Official Feature Request form to let them know directly.  Here’s your chance to make your voice heard, and win some nice products doing it.

Then, at the end of the month, we’ll choose the three best comments posted to receive these three prize packages. Multiple comments per visitor on different applications are okay, but be reasonable and be sure to share and tell your friends and colleagues who’d like a chance to win and express their feedback as well – it’s good karma!

Submissions will be open until 11:59pm EST on Wednesday, November 30th, 2011. The three winners will be contacted via email – and we’ll announce the lucky recipients right here in early December.  Good luck and please spread the word!

» Email this to a friend

» Download free trials: Lightroom 3 or Elements 10

» Many hours of free tutorials: Lightroom 3 or Photoshop Elements

» ”Sneak peeks” from Adobe MAX 2011: Photoshop – InDesign – Premiere Pro

Terms & Conditions

Contest is open to residents of North America, Europe, United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa. Participants whose comments are chosen must respond to email notification within 72 hours. The opinion of our judges is final. By entering, all entrants agree to release ProDesignTools.com (the Sponsor), and its employees from all liability and claims relating to participation in the contest. No substitutions or transfer of prize or cash redemptions permitted by winners. Sponsor reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to cancel, suspend or alter the rules and parameters of the sweepstakes. Sponsor also reserves the right to substitute a prize or prizes as Sponsor deems suitable in the event that prize becomes unavailable for any reason.

All federal, state and local taxes, as well as any customs duties, other taxes, fees and/or sur­charges will be the sole responsibility of the prize winners. Winners under the age of 18 (as of winner announcement date) must have their parents’ and/or legal guardians’ consent to accept prize. By acceptance of prize, the winners agree to release ProDesignTools.com from any and all liability claims or actions of any kind whatsoever for damages. Offer void where prohibited, regulated or restricted by law in a manner inconsistent with the purposes and rules hereof.

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[UPDATE – Also see our new Photoshop CS6 Giveaway!]

September’s here!  Labor Day, back to school, fall begins…  September also usually means the next release of Photoshop Elements – now version 10 – should be coming out soon…

Now, we can’t say yet what new features will be in PSE 10, but – true to form – we can start giving it away…

So as soon as it’s available, we’ll be shipping out five shiny new boxes for free – and one could easily be yours through the three ways to enter below.

Photoshop Elements is already the #1-selling consumer photo-editing software* out there, and this 10th edition is likely to inherit even more functionality from its big brother, Photoshop CS5 – which itself is slated to get a major upgrade to Photoshop CS6 next year.

If Adobe follows the same model of Elements 9, then PSE 10 would be available on both Windows and Mac (multi-platform) with the same capabilities – and work alongside any older release(s) of Elements you may have, with the ability to automatically import and convert your existing catalog.

This new giveaway is open to residents of North America, Europe, UK, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa – and all you need to do for a chance to win is the following three steps:

1. Follow us on Twitter and/or Like our new Facebook page – this will allow us to contact you if you win…  (move to the next step if you already do)
2. Retweet this post by clicking on the green “retweet” button just above, and/or Share this post on Facebook by clicking the blue “Share” button next to that.
3. Done.

There’s a third way to enter too – just leave your email for our free occasional Adobe Special Offers newsletter in the sidebar to the right… and you’ll add another chance, plus receive future notification of new Adobe deals and coupon codes (once in a while, never spam).
                                                                                                      ———————————————»

Each of these actions counts as a single entry into the sweepstakes – so if you do all three, you’ll receive a total of 3 chances to win one of 5 copies of Photoshop Elements 10. Please, one entry per reader for each method, but feel free to tell your friends and colleagues who’d like to win as well.

[UPDATE (Sept. 20th) — Photoshop Elements 10 is now shipping!  Check the new features.]

Submissions are open until 11:59pm EDT on Friday, September 30th, 2011. The prizewinners will be drawn at random from all Facebook fans and Twitter followers who have shared or retweeted this post, plus new newsletter subscribers – and we’ll announce this lucky recipients right here within one week from the closing date.

If you’re the one, we’ll ship you the shiny new shrinkwrapped Photoshop Elements 10 for free! The box will be the full, upgrade, or education version of PSE 10 as appropriate. (Or if you’ve already purchased your copy by that time, just send us the receipt and we’ll reimburse 100% of your cost via PayPal.) We’ll contact you via Twitter or Facebook or email simply to get your address for shipping, and then announce here with just your first name and hometown. That’s all there is to it!

In the meantime check out our great free resources for Elements:

• Download the free 95-page e-book: Guide to Photoshop Elements 9.
• What are the differences between Photoshop Elements 9 vs. 8 vs. 7 vs. 6?
• Four hours of free online video tutorials for PSE 9, and the same for PSE 7/8.
• See Adobe’s current coupons and discounts running for Elements.
• Consult the free online documentation/manual and the keyboard shortcuts.
• Review the best books available for Photoshop Elements.
• Download a full and free trial of Photoshop and/or Premiere Elements 9.

Good luck and spread the word!  To make things more interesting, you can also leave a comment below with what you plan to do with it if you win…

Or, let us – or Adobe – know what you hope will be in Photoshop Elements 10, and how you would use it… What new features are you looking for or wishing to see? More content-aware fill, addition of puppet warp, 16-bit picture workflow, native 64-bit support, more effects, more artwork/templates, more sharing options, performance or interface improvements, or others? Of course, we’ll have the full scoop on PSE 10 right here the moment it’s out…

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* Source: NPD Group/Retail Tracking Service (January 2007 to March 2011) based on units sold.

Terms & Conditions

Contest is open to residents of North America, Europe, United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa, with up to three entries per person as outlined above. Participants whose names are drawn must respond to email notification within 72 hours. By entering, all entrants agree to release ProDesignTools.com (the Sponsor), and its employees from all liability and claims relating to participation in the contest. No substitutions or transfer of prize or cash redemptions permitted by winners. Sponsor reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to cancel, suspend or alter the rules and parameters of the sweepstakes. Sponsor also reserves the right to substitute a prize or prizes as Sponsor deems suitable in the event that prize becomes unavailable for any reason.

All federal, state and local taxes, as well as any customs duties, other taxes, fees and/or sur­charges will be the sole responsibility of the prize winners. Winners under the age of 18 (as of winner announcement date) must have their parents’ and/or legal guardians’ consent to accept prize. By acceptance of prize, the winners agree to release ProDesignTools.com from any and all liability claims or actions of any kind whatsoever for damages. Offer void where prohibited, regulated or restricted by law in a manner inconsistent with the purposes and rules hereof.

Winners

UPDATE – Announcing our PSE 10 giveaway winners!  Congratulations to all five:

Surprisingly, no international folks on the winner board this time – but in previous contests quite a few European readers have walked away with the prizes…

Thank you all for participating, and please stay tuned for our next giveaway coming soon!

Related Posts

• New Giveaway! Win Photoshop CS6 + Lightroom 4 FREE ($1K Prizes)
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• Free: 4 Hours of Video Tutorials for New Photoshop Elements 10 & 9
• Win Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 3 or Elements 10 Bundle, Free!

[UPDATE (Sept. 20th) — Right on time, Elements 10 is out!  Check out the new features.]

With our recent posts for free e-books for Photoshop Elements 9 and Premiere Elements 9, it begged the question – when will Photoshop Elements 10 and Premiere Elements 10 be available?

Adobe historically ships a new version of Elements every year, in the fall – but when exactly? Let’s do some digging and find the release schedules for recent versions:

Funny things happened in 2008 with the launch of CS4 happening near the same time of year (September 23) – but if you exclude that occasion then the trend is definitely for the Elements release date happening in late September, just after back-to-school. Also, Adobe has shipped both Mac and Windows versions for seven out of the nine Photoshop Elements releases, and they have been increasing Mac support in other products, so we think we’ll be seeing both platforms supported again for Photoshop Elements 10.0.

So put it all together and we forecast that Photoshop and Premiere Elements 10 will ship on or about September 22, 2011, with PSE10 available on both the Windows and Mac OS operating systems. And reinforcing this prediction is Adobe’s new summer sale on Photoshop Elements 9, which runs until September 21, 2011.

[UPDATE (Sept. 20th) — Photoshop Elements 10 is now shipping!  Find out what's new.]

One question remains: what is likely to be in the upgraded products? Nobody can say for sure, and certainly Adobe hasn’t revealed any of the new features.  The current Elements 9 was largely inherited from CS4 and CS5 – and since that time there have been only minor updates to Photoshop (not CS5.5, but CS5.1)…  Meanwhile, Photoshop CS6 isn’t expected to be out until the middle of next year.

So this means we could see more Creative Suite 5 features moving down into Elements, like bigger and better capabilities from the “knock-your-socks-off” additions like Content-Aware Fill or Puppet Warp… Or maybe something brand new that we haven’t even seen in any version of Photoshop yet, although Adobe is most likely to save the biggest surprises for CS6.

What would you like to see in PSE 10 and PRE 10…?  Leave your feedback below and/or at Adobe’s “wish list” suggestion box.

To see the features added to each of the last four releases of Elements, you can compare the different versions of Photoshop Elements or of Premiere Elements. Or check out a couple of free ebooks you can download for Elements 9 – or four hours of free video tutorials online for PSE 9, and the same for PSE 7/8.

Check our track record for forecasting other major Adobe product releases like Creative Suite 5.5, Lightroom 3, and Acrobat X.

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• Photoshop Elements 9 and Premiere Elements 9 are Out!

[UPDATE – Save 30% on Lightroom 3 when purchased with Photoshop or any CS5.5 suite.]

New coupon deals out from Adobe: Take $100 off Photoshop Lightroom 3 with offer code, for a limited time – plus get free shipping. You don’t have to buy anything else to get the discount and will receive Lightroom version 3.4, which was released on April 26th.

The $100 instant discount is valid for the full commercial version of Lightroom (not upgrades, which cost $99), and you must use promotion code 5LT100M to activate the savings. The offer is available only on purchases made directly from Adobe by customers in North America, and ends on Monday, May 30, 2010, at 11:59pm PDT – so if you’ve been thinking about making the jump to the well-liked Lightroom, this is a pretty good entry!

If you prefer to try before you buy, you can immediately download the fully-functional free trial, and then just convert it before expiration of the coupon code.

This promo is not available for the Lightroom 3 Student and Teacher Edition, which actually costs $89. However, if you buy this Lightroom 3 education version together with any Creative Suite 5.5 (CS5.5) Student and Teacher Edition, you get an instant 15% off instead, plus the free shipping. This offer is valid until May 22nd for all academic customers in the Adobe North America Education Store with no coupon code necessary, and the discount will be taken just prior to checkout.

There are two more new offers. The first is for Adobe Photoshop Elements since Elements and Lightroom are often bought together, and the second is for education customers in Europe and the U.K. for Photoshop CS5.1.

Get an instant $10 savings on Photoshop Elements 9 or the Photoshop Elements 9 & Premiere Elements 9 bundle with offer code. Plus save an additional $20-$30 with mail-in rebate for up to $40 savings in total. You must use coupon code ELEMENT11, and this offer available only in the Adobe North America Store until May 31st.

You can also save in the Europe by taking an additional €30 or £25 off the Photoshop CS5 Extended Student and Teacher Edition with offer code PSHOPEDU15, plus ship free. This is on top of the 80% discount normally offered, and applies only in the Europe Education Stores through June 9th, 2011.

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Amazon.com just announced that Adobe Photoshop Elements 9, which was released in late September, is tops on their list of Most Popular Gift Products of 2010 in the Software category. Elements is already the #1 selling consumer photo- and video-editing software†, and Amazon’s latest ranking solidifies this latest 9th-generation version at the top of the charts:

Amazon.com Announces “Best of 2010″ Lists

SEATTLE, December 30, 2010 (Business Wire) — Amazon.com today released its “Best of 2010″ lists, which include the bestselling, most-wished-for and favorite gift products as determined by Amazon.com customers in 2010.*

Most Popular Gift Products of 2010

The following is a list of products most frequently purchased as gifts by Amazon.com customers in 2010:

Electronics: Kindle Wireless Reading Device (Wi-Fi)
Books: “Delivering Happiness: A Path to Profits, Passion, and Purpose” by Tony Hsieh
Kindle Books: “Decision Points” by George W. Bush
Movies: “Toy Story 3″ (DVD)
Music: “The Gift” by Susan Boyle
Video Games: Just Dance 2
Computers: Toshiba Satellite TruBrite 15.6-Inch Laptop
Software: Adobe Photoshop Elements 9 (Win/Mac)
Wireless: Nokia N900 Unlocked Phone/Mobile Computer
Home & Garden: Oregon Scientific Grill Right Wireless Talking Oven/BBQ Thermometer
Grocery: Numi Tea Bamboo Flowering Tea Gift Set
Health & Personal Care: Chia Obama Handmade Decorative Planter
Beauty: Jerdon Magnification Tri-fold Lighted Mirror
Toys: LEGO Ultimate Building Set
Baby: Vulli Sophie the Giraffe Teether
Clothing & Accessories: Kenneth Cole REACTION Men’s Passcase Wallet
Shoes & Accessories: BEARPAW Women’s Eva Shearling Boot
Jewelry: Sterling Silver Amethyst Butterfly Pendant, 18″
Watches: Casio Men’s G-Shock Classic Digital Watch
Sports & Outdoors: Zumba Fitness Total Body Transformation System DVD Set
Home Improvement: Black & Decker Ratcheting ReadyWrench
Automotive: Wagan Heated Seat Cushion

* Includes data from Jan. 1, 2010, to Dec. 15, 2010.

Learn more about Photoshop and Premiere Elements 9:

• See our overview of the new releases, including features, pricing, and requirements.
• What’s new in Elements 9 compared to 8 and earlier versions?
• Download a full and free trial of Photoshop and/or Premiere Elements 9 today.
• See Adobe’s current coupons and discounts running for Elements 9.
• Get started with four hours of free online video tutorials for PSE 9.
• Review the best books for Photoshop Elements 9.
• Check the free online documentation/manual and keyboard shortcuts.
• Read and watch the top 18 reasons to upgrade to Photoshop Elements 9.

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• New Adobe Photoshop Elements 10 – Review & Rating Roundup
• Compare Photoshop Editions: CS5 vs. Elements 10 vs. Lightroom 3

Continuing our history of providing the direct download links for major Adobe software such as Creative Suite 5.5, Lightroom 4, and Captivate 5, below you’ll find the direct links for the brand new releases of Photoshop Elements 9 and Premiere Elements 9. And for the first time ever, Adobe is offering both products for both Windows and the Mac.

The links given below go to the authentic and secure files residing on Adobe’s servers, are guaranteed genuine and will not change. They are especially useful when you are unable to download Adobe’s free trials via other means – often due to difficulties with the Akamai Download Manager (the Adobe DLM). With the links provided below, you can use your browser’s down­load capability, or another download manager of your choice.

For Elements on Windows (both PSE 9 and PRE 9), each program consists of two downloaded files: an .exe and a 7-Zip file (.7z). The .exe file will only work (and install) once the .7z file is fully downloaded and resides in the same location. For the Mac, it’s just a single .dmg file for each program.

[UPDATE (9/20/2011) — Elements 10 is now shipping - get the direct download links.]

Note: Very Important Instructions

You must have a free Adobe account and be logged into it to use the links below, as Adobe sets a session cookie on your browser that allows you to access the direct download links. Otherwise, you will receive an “access denied” or “resume your download” message prevent­ing the connection. So please follow these instructions carefully or the links will not work!

0. Adobe recommends temporarily turning off any browsing restrictions you might have running, like site or cookie blocking, firewalls or antivirus software.
1. Click «here» to visit this page and then select the “Download Now” button at the bottom.
2. If you already have an Adobe ID, then please sign in with it (checking “Remember me“), otherwise take a minute to create one for yourself.
3. Close or cancel any windows that may pop up.
4. Now that you’re logged in at Adobe with the trials cookie set, you can instantly download any of the links below. Just make sure you have enough disk space available.
5. Download the files either by clicking directly on the DDL links, or by right-clicking and choosing “Save Link As…” on the popup menu – and save all files to the same place.
6. Then follow the product installation instructions here.

Adobe Photoshop Elements 9 (PSE 9) Direct Download Links

Photoshop Elements 9 – Windows (1.75 GB):   File 1   File 2

Photoshop Elements 9 – Mac (2.01 GB):   File 1

Adobe Premiere Elements 9 (PRE 9) Direct Download Links

Premiere Elements 9 – Windows (1.19 GB):   File 1   File 2

Premiere Elements 9 – Additional Content – Windows (4.18GB):   File 1   File 2

Premiere Elements 9 – Mac (1.71 GB):   File 1

Premiere Elements 9 – Additional Content – Mac (3.66GB):   File 1

The additional content contains InstantMovie themes, title templates, DVD/Blu-ray menu templates, and music to enhance your movies created with Adobe Premiere Elements 9 software. Themed HD and SD content includes Birthday Party, Road Trip, Outdoor Wedding, Broadway, Kid’s Channel, Family Memories, Extreme Sports, News Reel, Comic Book, and more.

Languages supported: The Elements 9 trials are currently available in English, French/Français, German/Deutsch, Dutch/Nederlands, Italian/Italiano, Spanish/Español, Portuguese/Português, Swedish/Svenska, Japanese/日本語, and Chinese/简体中文, for Microsoft Windows and Mac OS. Adobe says additional language versions for Windows will be available soon. See also the minimum system requirements for PSE 9 and PRE 9.

Installation Tips

• You do not need to uninstall previous versions of Elements; some users prefer to keep the older, familiar version(s) around as they come up to speed with the new version’s features.
• Install with an account that has administrative privileges (not a Limited User Account if you are using Windows Vista).
• For the easiest installation experience, quit any open programs, including virus protection software, prior to installing Elements 9.
• If you run into any difficulties, see the Elements 9 Installation Troubleshooting page.

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