Elements 5 vs. Elements 2

[hafdome]

How much better is PS Elements 5 as opposed to Elements 2? I see Elements 5 for 60$ and am wondering if it might be worth the upgrade. I am shooting with a D-Reb 350 and at some point would like to start shooting RAW files in addition to JPEG. Is the 5 version more user friendly as far as the learning curve? Thanks for your time everyone.

[djwixx]

I'm using versions 3 and 5. I mainly use 3 because that's what I'm used to. If you're going to switch to RAW then version 5 maintains the exif in the resultant JPEG, version 3 doesn't. The grouping of common functions is better in version 5. Personally I'd also recommend buying a good book on your chosen version to get the most out of it. Look for anything that suits your version by Scott Kelby and the Missing Manual books are also excellent.

You just prompted me to try to it again and I think I might need to break my habit of sticking with version 3. It's a lot quicker loading, the cursors are more easy to see within an image and the icons are better placed. Loading RAW shows the RGB histogram etc etc.

All in all I'd say get it.

[road_runner]

I use Elements 3, and was thinking about upgrading but I have plug-ins that eliminate the need. I am going to use DXO to process Raw files as a batch and save the images in TIFF. The raw files I just copy from my camera CF card and paste to the External Hard Drive.

If you are making the first plunge into Elements, you should get Elements 5. Version five has Curves adjustment, good isolation tool, better Black and White conversion abilities and operates a little more quickly.

If you get it, subscribe to photoshopelementsuser,com to learn all the great processing shortcuts. It is worth the $49 a year. They have videos, instructional PDF files and a gread forum for getting specific questions answered. They also send you about six publications a year with tips and tricks. I guarentee your images here on Pbase will realy improve.

I use it for my Microstock processing all the time. If you do not have the $500 U.S. or more to paay for the full Photoshop, Elements 5 should take care of 90% of your needs.

Good Luck
Roadrunner

[djwixx]

I use Elements 3, and was thinking about upgrading but I have plug-ins that eliminate the need. I am going to use DXO to process Raw files as a batch and save the images in TIFF. The raw files I just copy from my camera CF card and paste to the External Hard Drive.

If you are making the first plunge into Elements, you should get Elements 5. Version five has Curves adjustment, good isolation tool, better Black and White conversion abilities and operates a little more quickly.

If you get it, subscribe to photoshopelementsuser,com to learn all the great processing shortcuts. It is worth the $49 a year. They have videos, instructional PDF files and a gread forum for getting specific questions answered. They also send you about six publications a year with tips and tricks. I guarentee your images here on Pbase will realy improve.

I use it for my Microstock processing all the time. If you do not have the $500 U.S. or more to paay for the full Photoshop, Elements 5 should take care of 90% of your needs.

Good Luck
Roadrunner

Excellent info - Thanks.