Photoshop Elements 5

Is the re-made budget version of Photoshop for consumers only?

Anyone expecting Photoshop Elements 5 to be Photoshop CS2 Lite is in for a shock. Most of the tools are shared between the two, including basics such as the Raw converter, selection and layer tools, and the filters, which are fully compatible. But where Photoshop CS2 throws you in at the deep end, Elements 5 goes out of its way to hold your hand.

This would be a good thing if it wasn’t quite so intrusive about it. There’s an entire section devoted to cutesy card-making, slideshow creation and photo-album printing. Under the surface the feature set is good, and you’ll find many useful possibilities, such as archiving and CD/DVD burning and support for mobile phone formats that aren’t available in CS2.

But sadly the interface suffers from the common complaint that the more consumer-oriented a product is, the less streamlined the workflow. For example, the Organiser, which is equivalent to CS2’s Bridge, includes many of the same tagging and rating features, plus a few extra. But it’s unwieldy and slow.

Elements 5 remains a good buy for casual photographers, dabblers and possibly also a good Christmas present for the 8-13 age group. For students and those on a tight budget it’s a harder sell, because it’s so different from the larger version. You can try the demo and decide for yourself, but if you’re serious about creative Photoshop, we’d recommend getting the full version if you can.