Adobe PS Elements 6 v CS4 (1 Viewer)

Would you see any difference in your images using these softwares.

Terry, please expand are you asking if your images would be improved by using these 2 packages or are you asking if they would perform differently?

I have and use PE6 and wanted to know if getting something like CS4 would improve my web images, at the moment I have no need to print out.

Nikon Kid said:

I have and use PE6 and wanted to know if getting something like CS4 would improve my web images, at the moment I have no need to print out.

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Terry

I really can't think of any reason to justify the cost of CS4 when the subject normally requires as little pp'ing as posible and the output is for web use.
CS4's benefits in my opinion are mainly for handling large numbers of images that require substantial post process work.
There is very little, on single images, that can't be done in elements compared to CS4, it just takes a bit longer and maybe needs a few workarounds or more done at the RAW processing stage.

If you are doing whole image adjustments on RAW files then CS4 offers little advantage over Elements. Especially if you use DPP for RAW processing. Where full Photoshop comes into its own compared with Elements is in the use of layer masks to add corrections to selective parts of the image, using Smart Objects you can even apply different RAW processings to different areas of the same image. Full Photoshop also lets you easily composite elements from multiple images into a single finished product. CS4 also allows you to do Content Aware Scaling, which can be great for web galleries, if you want all your images to be the same dimensions.

Whether this justifies the massive difference in price is up to you!

Thanks for the replies, Sometimes I look at some of the images in the gallery's and think that looks good, IE it looks really smooth and wonder how they get that type of image. I appreciate you have to take a good images first without any cropping to start with, but I look at some and think hes got a magic button on that software. I suppose its better to spend the money on glass. I would love a 300mm f2.8 say with a 1.4 instead of a 500mm and then maybe I should just get closer to my subject. Well we will see some fill the frame shots, when I go to the Farne Islands this coming Tuesday.

EDIT Now Paul thats what I am saying, look at your Reed Bunting just magic, how did you do that ?

Nikon Kid said:

Thanks for the replies, Sometimes I look at some of the images in the gallery's and think that looks good, IE it looks really smooth and wonder how they get that type of image. I appreciate you have to take a good images first without any cropping to start with, but I look at some and think hes got a magic button on that software. I suppose its better to spend the money on glass. I would love a 300mm f2.8 say with a 1.4 instead of a 500mm and then maybe I should just get closer to my subject. Well we will see some fill the frame shots, when I go to the Farne Islands this coming Tuesday.

EDIT Now Paul thats what I am saying, look at your Reed Bunting just magic, how did you do that ?

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Thanks Terry,

Assuming its me and the most recent pic in my gallery you are talking about

I'd say that the only things that gives that image an edge are how its lit, the sunlight diffused by the trees has caught the bird nicely, and the fact that its a tiny crop.

PP wise I don't think it had much done to it. a couple of levels adjustment layers to bring out the detail in the head and tone down the backdrop, a curves adjustment layer and then NR and USM applied to separate new layers.
Thats the only bit you can't do in elements because I use a layer mask and the brush tool to remove the NR from the bird and the sharpening from everything but the bird. However on a simple image like this its easy to use the eraser tool instead, or by making a selection to confine the Sharpening and NR to a part of the image. Using a layer mask is quicker, I think, but not worth 500 quid if you are only processing a small number of images!

And megabucks glass isn't a factor. It was taken with a s/h 300mm f4 and 1.4x!

Thanks for the reply Paul, I don't do anything with layers as I don't know how to use them. I did mess around a bit with the background layer I think on the last Barn Owl in my gallery trying to change the colour, i did but not quite get the colour background I wanted. I suppose like everything I do in my hobby's is self taught, and its a long learning curve, it would be nice to sit down with someone who knows what they are doing with the right software. I have come along way in a year, so by next year i should be 100% better.

A hearty Thank you gos out to everyone that has helped me in the past, and its nice to pass on what I have learnt to others as well.

Terry,

I'll try to explain simply how to use the basic functions of layers.

With an image open in pse6 make sure your layers palette is open and visible

Place the cursor over the background layer and drag it to the far left symbol just above the background layer(create a new layer)

Release the mouse and you now have an exact copy of the original file

Go back to the original background layer and click on the eye symbol to switch it off. This original image is now safe and any alterations you do won't alter it.

Go back to the row of symbols and click on the black/white circle (create adjustment layer) You'll see things like levels, hue/saturation etc which should be familiar.

Click on, say, levels and 2 things happen. In the layers palette a new layer opens, with a white square indicating the layer mask is active, and the levels histogram appears. To understand whats going on do a massive alteration to the levels so your image looks totally different to the original.

Click OK

Now in the layers palette go to opacity and move the slider from 100% to 0%. As you reduce the opacity the new layer fades away to reveal the original image underneath. This is useful and hopefully shows how the layers are working in relation to each other. However the opacity change is obviously working on the whole image.

Set the opacity back to 100%

In the tools palette click on the brush tool

At the bottom of the tools palette make sure black is the foreground colour and white the background.

Set the brush tool to a big soft brush with the brush opacity set to 100%.
By click and dragging the brush you will see that the top layer is removed to reveal the original underneath

in the tools palette click on the small symbol in the bottom left corner of the background/foreground colour to swap them

With dragging the brush you will now restore the top layer.

Alter the brush opacity to say 50% and you will see that the tool's strength is reduced

By playing around with the brush size, hardness and opacity you should be able to see how adjustments such as levels, contrast, saturation etc can be selectively applied to and removed from a part of an image.

If you don't like the effect a layer is having you can drag the layer to the rubbish bin symbol and start again with another adjustment layer

When you have finished applying your adjustment layers go to layer>merge visible and click. The layers palette will now show 2 layers. The top one will be your altered image, the lower one your original untouched file

Go to the background layer and click on the eye to swith it on.

Go to the eye on the top layer and click on it to switch it off. This will now show your original image. By switching the top layer on and off you can see if you like the alterations you have made, and by adjusting the layer opacity you can reduce the overall effect if necessary.

When you are happy with the image make sure both eyes are switched on and goto layer>flatten image.

You know have one layer which is your edited image. This can now be saved.

Hopefully that shows you how to work non-destructively on an image and also make adjustments to an image selectively using the brush tool on a layer mask.

Thanks for explaining that Paul, will try it out soon on a image, hope that also helps others.

I can recommend Adobe TV there's loads of useful tutorials on the site for both CS4 and Elements