Adobe Photoshop Elements

When it comes to organizing photos or making a few basic adjustments, you can find numerous applications on the Internet which provide enough features to satisfy your needs, but if you want to perform all possible editing tasks and manipulate any aspect of your pictures, you can use Adobe Photoshop. It is common knowledge that Photoshop provides endless possibilities when it comes to editing pictures, but taking advantage of the program's capabilities can be quite difficult. Adobe Photoshop Elements gives you access to the same type of smart features, but it is much easier to understand. You can say that it is a simplified version of Photoshop, which you can use to edit or adjust your pictures fast and share them over the Internet.

The setup package is quite large and it may take some time to download, but you can use the Adobe Download Assistant to make it easier. The available Adobe-developed programs are categorized on the Assistant's interface and it takes a single click to start downloading and installing a program.

Besides a user friendly image editor, Photoshop Elements includes a second application, with its own interface, for managing and sharing photos. You can choose between the editor and the organizer when you launch Photoshop Elements. The editor may be a simplified version of Photoshop, as previously suggested, but its features are just as smart and powerful as the original's. Depending on your experience, you can switch between quick, guided and expert modes. Each mode includes different options, which can be simple or a bit more complex.

If you opt for the quick mode, you will find a series of adjustment options, in a collapsible structure, on the right side of the interface. You can either click and drag a series of sliders, to modify the picture's exposure, color balance and other aspects or you can select various presets. While working in guided mode, the collapsible structure will be replaced with a larger number of options. When you select one, a series of written and illustrated instructions will be displayed in the same area. While the expert mode is selected, you will not find any options on the right side of the window, but you will find more tools on the left side. Regardless of the selected mode, applying and adjusting effects or making any other modification is quite easy.

While using the organizer, you will be able to sort your pictures and other media files, tag them and much more. Loaded files can be organized in separate folders, which are listed on the left side of the window, where you may create and populate albums as well. You can add new files by dragging and dropping them over the interface. When you add new files, the software will automatically place them in a new folder, named after the source directory. Moreover, the edited pictures are grouped with the originals, making them easier to find. You can add people, places and events to each picture. Most tasks are performed with simple click and drag actions or by clicking large, colored icons. For example, if you want to associate places with your pictures, you just need to drag and drop them on a Google-powered map.

You can bring up a series of options, on the right side of the window, to fix your pictures instantly. Just by selecting one or more pictures and clicking the appropriate icons, you will be able to sharpen them, adjust their colors and levels, remove red eye effects and more. Options for tagging or categorizing images can be displayed in the same area. In addition to editing and sorting pictures, Photoshop Elements can use your photos to create photo books, greeting cards, collages, labels, slideshows, movies and more. Furthermore, you can share your files via Facebook, YouTube, Flickr and other social medias.