Dark Side of the Lens

Adobe have announced the upcoming launch of the next version of Photoshop Elements, version 7.

It is due to hit the shelves in October with an expected retail price of US$99.99 (with a reduced price for an upgrade) if purchased alone, or it is also being bundled with Photoshop.com Plus and Premiere Elements 7 (US$149.99).

Is it worth waiting for this new version if you are looking to buy Elements? Is it worth upgrading from an earlier version? From what I have read it sounds like Elements 7 is going to be a large improvement on previous versions, and let’s face it, Elements 6 is pretty swish anyway.

A major new focus for Elements 7 seems to be online photo sharing, an ever growing trend on the web. It is being bundled with a year’s subscription to Photoshop.com Plus.

Photoshop.com extends the reach of your photo editing by providing online storage (5GB for free members, 20 for the paying members at $50 a year, so not unreasonable at all for that much storage) allowing you to access your photos from anywhere.  The service will also provide templates and tutorials.

New features include a Smart Brush tool, taken from Photoshop CS3 and a Scene Cleaner has been added to the Photomerge tool.

Kathleen Cullen, from PC World, has a good review of the beta version of the product published on the Washington Post site, and there is also a comprehensive article at the Photography Bay.

So, do you wait to purchase? Do you upgrade?

Well, I admit I’ll be there knocking on the doors the day it goes on sale. Depending on your finances (hopefully better than mine, but I just can’t resist some things) I would strongly suggest that anyone looking to purchase Elements 6 waits just a little longer and opts for the new version.

If you are considering upgrading then, unless you are as impatient as I am, see if Adobe offers a 30 day trial (which I bet they will) and test drive it yourself to help you make your decision. From what I have been reading I suspect a taste will be all it takes to have you grabbing for your plastic.

Simon

http://darksideofthelens.com

Other links you might find interesting:

Adobe Photoshop Elements 7 – Adobe.com has recently announced the new Adobe Photoshop Elements 7 which gives you the ability to edit photos and add effect to your photos easily and in a professional way. The most interesting that Adobe is providing a memebrship in …

Photo News Today » Blog Archive » ADOBE UNVEILS PHOTOSHOP ELEMENTS … Adobe Systems Incorporated (Nasdaq:ADBE) today announced Adobe® Photoshop® Elements 7 software with new Photoshop. com membership, a milestone release of the No.

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This entry was posted on Thursday, August 28th, 2008 at 4:51 am and is filed under News and Events. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.