Free Adobe Photoshop Elements Tutorials: A 3-Hour Video Course
We’ve previously covered 30 hours of free video tutorials for Adobe’s Creative Suite 6, as well as four hours for Lightroom 4 – so here are some helpful (and free) new learning resources for the just-released Elements 11 product line…
Because Elements 11 has an all-new intuitive editing environment with a revamped Organizer plus other new features, the content here doesn’t carry well to older versions of Photoshop Elements. However, we do also have a page still available with several hours of free tutorials for PSE 10 & 9 and earlier.
In the brand new course given below, the experts share how to get started with Photoshop Elements 11, the basics of the software, new features, how to use key tools and functions, plus their favorite tips and techniques. In sum, there is nearly 3 hours of free training video, with 33 separate chapters.
Most modern cameras now also take great videos in addition to photos, so Photoshop Elements is well-integrated with Premiere Elements for video editing – and since many people use the tools together, we’ve also included links for over two hours of free tutorials for learning how to use Premiere Elements 11.
If you need a copy of Photoshop or Premiere Elements 11 to get going right away, just download the free trials and they will work fully for 30 calendar days, which should be plenty of time to get through the classes. Note at the bottom of this page, you’ll also find quick demos of the two programs.
What’s the Difference: Photoshop CS6 vs. Photoshop CS6 Extended?
[UPDATE (May 2013) – The new Photoshop CC release is always Extended – in other words, PS CC has new features that CS6 doesn’t, and also includes all of the Extended/3D capabilities from CS6… It’s available via the $10 Photography Plan or the complete CC membership.]
It’s a question that’s been around a while, yet we still see it asked a lot… What is the version comparison difference between Adobe Photoshop CS6 and Photoshop CS6 Extended? The Extended release is Adobe’s top-of-the-line Photoshop product, and they have one page on their site comparing the editions and feature differences, but the link is hidden in a corner and not obvious to find.
Save 30% on Adobe Lightroom 4 – $99 sans Coupon or Promo Code
[UPDATE – See all of Adobe’s current deals & discounts!]
Adobe recognizes that many people use both Lightroom and Photoshop in their workflows, and so is offering a special deal where you can save 30% off the full version of Lightroom 4 if you purchase it together with the new Photoshop CS6 in any form. This means if you buy Photoshop CS6, Photoshop CS6 Extended, or any CS6 suite edition (which all contain PS), you’ll get 30% off Lightroom when you buy them at the same time.
And it works for either buying the full version or upgrading from an older version of Photoshop or the CS suite… So if you are buying Lightroom for the first time, you’ll get 30% off the price of the full version (normally $149/€109/£87) – and in the U.S. they round this down to just $99. No promotion code is required to activate the discount, which will be reflected in your shopping cart just prior to checkout. This offer is valid worldwide until December 31st, 2012, but pricing is available only through the online Adobe Commercial Store (in other words, Volume and Education customers are not eligible, perhaps because the LR4 student edition is already US$79).
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New Giveaway! Win Photoshop CS6 + Lightroom 4 Free ($1K Prizes)
[UPDATE – Also see our all-new Creative Cloud 2021 Giveaway!]
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:
One Day Deal: Save 50% on Photoshop & Premiere Elements 10!
[UPDATE – See all of Adobe’s current deals & discounts!]
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.
What Are the Differences in Photoshop CS6 vs. CS5 — What’s New?
[UPDATE (May 7th, 2012) – CS6 is now shipping!]
At Photoshop World last week, we had the chance to sit down with Adobe Senior Product Managers Bryan O’Neil Hughes and Zorana Gee for hours of in-depth walkthroughs of the new Photoshop CS6 release. And all we can say is – on top of what we already knew and experienced – this is the Photoshop version you’ve probably dreamed about…
And with over one million downloads in record time, clearly we’re not the only ones thinking that. The reviews are in: Gizmodo calls it, “The best update in recent memory, I’m in love” … PC Magazine says, “The future of creative image editing is upon us – this new version will thrill nearly all categories of users, from photographers to designers” … USA Today writes, “Having lots of fun with the new tools – the beautiful and streamlined new interface is a huge improvement, and the images really do look sharper and more pronounced.”
For expediency we put together a quick “cheat sheet” below of the top differences and new features in Photoshop CS6 as compared to PS CS5. Naturally if you’re still on CS4, CS3, or earlier, then you’d also need to add in the differences between CS5 vs. those older versions.
But really, it’s also a fit and polish thing – with two years since the last major release (and having no architectural challenges to worry about), the Photoshop team had plenty time to hone this into a smooth and polished product. This is reflected in the 62% more new features added in this cycle contrasted to the previous one, and nearly twice as many JDI requests (user-focused “Just Do It” items) addressed.
Photoshop CS6 Beta Release is Out! Free Download Now Available
[UPDATE (May 7th) – The final Creative Suite 6 is now shipping, with free trials available!]
NEWS FLASH – Earlier today Adobe surprised everyone by announcing a free public beta release of the eagerly-anticipated Photoshop CS6… The company has slipped out 8 different sneak peeks of the upcoming product since January – and considering there are now about two months left before CS6 ships, the timing for a beta was right.
“The world’s best digital image editing software is about to get even better. Explore Adobe Photoshop CS6 beta for a sneak preview of some of the incredible performance enhancements, imaging magic, and creativity tools we are working on. Discover for yourself why Photoshop CS6 will be a whole new experience in digital image editing.
This is a release where we took a more proactive stance on architecture, widespread use of the GPU, and a renewed emphasis on UI and design. We also took some time to revitalize existing feature areas, increase our focus on quality, productivity, and stability – and of course, continue innovating and incorporating your feedback.
You can probably tell from the number of “sneak peeks” we shared with you that we’re proud of Photoshop CS6, and excited by the opportunity to get this beta into your hands now, as an advance preview.”
8 Photoshop CS6 Sneak Peeks – New 3D, Video, Depth-of-Field Tools
It’s no secret that Adobe lately has been slipping out little sneak peeks of “a future version of Photoshop” – presumably Photoshop CS6, when it comes out…
What’s surprising is that over the past two months we’re now up to 8 (eight!) different videos released in total, to date.
The first 5 previews arrived in January and February, and now we’ve got 3 more so far in March…
This latest set shows off new capabilities for working with 3D and Video, as well as easily creating shallow depth of field in any image (a.k.a. the bokeh effect, the technique of aesthetically blurring the background).
Photoshop’s new “Blur Gallery” including the Iris Blur Filter can quickly add selective blur to any image without masks, layers, or depth maps – making it very easy to “pop out” a photograph’s subject with the appearance of shallow focus:
Become the Next Photoshop Evangelist and Win CS5.5 + Free Trip
[UPDATE – Also see our all-new Creative Cloud 2021 Giveaway!]
If you like Photoshop and want a free paid trip to Photoshop World plus a CS5.5 suite, check out Adobe’s Next Photoshop Evangelist contest… All you have to do is create and upload a 1-2 minute video demonstrating your favorite “Hidden Gem” in Photoshop CS5.
What’s a hidden gem? Essentially, it’s just a lesser-known feature or workflow of the product that you find valuable – perhaps using a function or tool in a way that Adobe didn’t imagine… For some great examples, check out this helpful series of Photoshop Hidden Gems that Adobe produced.
The top 5 videos will be selected and voted on, with the winner receiving a $4,000-$6,000 prize package including a trip to the PSW Conference either in Washington, D.C. this spring, or in Las Vegas this fall – plus a full copy of CS5.5 Design Standard. The trip includes roundtrip airfare, lodging, event admission, and spending money – plus meeting Adobe’s Photoshop Product Team personally and the opportunity to demonstrate your hidden gem live at the show. Four runners-up will get a free $1,000 copy of Photoshop CS5 Extended.
Photoshop CS6: New Content-Aware Move, Patch, and Extend Tools
We’ve seen a few sneak peeks already of what Adobe’s working on now in Photoshop – but this new one is the best to date, it’s pretty incredible… They don’t say which release these capabilities could make it in (or when), but presumably it’s Photoshop CS6.
This new demonstration takes the much-praised concept of Content-Aware Fill that was introduced in Creative Suite 5 and carries it much further with new Content-Aware Move, Extend, and Patch tool features. It’s hard to explain but you can see how it works with the 2½ minute video below.
Last month we actually put together a guide to getting the best results with Photoshop CS5’s Content-Aware Fill, but these new tools clearly make the work much faster, simpler, and more flexible… and dare we say magical (see the “before and after” screengrabs below the video).
See more advanced features of Photoshop Content-Aware technology. Straight from Photoshop Senior Product Manager Bryan O’Neil Hughes, this video shares how to seamlessly move, extend, remove, or patch an object from an image.