Adobe’s Photoshop Elements 2021 Released

It has been sometime since I last posted anything. One would think that with COVID-19 running wild, I would have more time to do this. Not so, it seems. I have been actively pursuing my photography to be sure. For one thing I have been busy beta testing the latest version of Photoshop Elements, PSE 2021, which Adobe just announced on Thursday.

Below is a link to where you can learn about this latest version, beyond what I can cover here. It includes several videos.

https://www.adobe.com/products/photoshop-elements/whats-new.html?trackingid=XFWLHJ9Z&mv=in-product

As I generally do, I am going to provide a short description of what is in the latest version. It includes performance improvements and some new features as well.

Here are some of the highlights:

In the Organizer there is a new Catalog database only backup command.

Three new Guided Edits, Perfect Landscapes (added a more dramatic sky in this example), Creative Dualtone Effect, and Move and Scale Object.

Moving Photos (2D and 3D camera motion) command in the Photo Editor.

Fix Face Tilt option has been added to the Enhance > Adjust Facial Features command. Note, the animated GIF here is just to give the idea of the results. There is no animation.

New Creation, Quote Graphic, which is accessible from both the Organizer and the Photo Editor, which has numerous templates, including animation.

Option to save photos to the Adobe cloud. You can also edit a photo stored on the cloud.

Use GPU to improve performance when using certain filters in the Photo Editor, for ezample, Liquify filter.

Adobe Camera RAW (ACR) editor was upgraded to the new look of Version 12.4 allowing the film strip of opened photos to be either at the bottom or the left.

In the coming weeks I will be demonstrating these and other improvements to Photoshop Elements 2021, as well as Premiere Elements 2021, which also had significant new features added this round. Stay tuned.

Until next time…

How Photoshop Elements has Changed Throughout the Years

As I read the discussions in various forums and Facebook groups, it is apparent that many users continue to use older versions of Photoshop Elements. Many users are even using older versions than PSE 11, released in the Fall of 2012. This version is significant, because Adobe changed the complete look and feel of the program in that version.

One of the most commonly asked questions from users of older versions is whether or not it is worthwhile to upgrade to the then current version. The answer for a given user depends upon their circumstances. It is often driven by changes in the computer they use, its operating system, and/or the camera they use.

Today, we are probably about half way through the product life cycle of PSE 2020. If history repeats itself, PSE 2021 will be released sometime this Fall. So the question many users ask is should I upgrade to the latest version. Adobe has a excellent table that compares PSE 2020 features with previous ones going back to PSE 15. You can access it at the link below:

For several years now I have maintained my own table. It is more detailed than the one in the above link and goes back to PSE 11. The link below is to my current version. It is an Excel spreadsheet. 

Feature Comparison PSE 11 Through PSE 2020

If you have been struggling to decide whether to upgrade or not, I hope you found this information helpful. If so please star-rate it or Like/Share the post. Also, I am always open to comments.

Until next time…

Addendum: Some were not able to open my spreadsheet. I have converted it to a PDF file. The link to it is below.

Photoshop Elements Feature Comparison PSE 11 through PSE 2020 PDF File.

 

Creating High Contrast Landscapes Images Using Photoshop

In this post, I am going to demonstrate how to bring out detail in landscape photos using traditional/legacy commands in Photoshop.

In more recent versions of Photoshop, we have new commands such as Clarity and Texture that essentially do this. But sometimes it is fun to revert to the old way. Besides, there is always that potential to better control the final result.

In this demo, I will be using Photoshop 2020, but the same techniques can be used using Photoshop Elements as well. I learned this technique from Dave Seeram in a magazine article he wrote several years ago.

Click on the figure below to view the tutorial.

If you found this AppTip Sheet to be helpful, please give it a star rating, or click on the Like or Share buttons at the bottom.

Until next time…

Photoshop Elements & Premiere Elements 2020 Released!

Adobe has released their latest version of Photoshop Elements and Premiere Elements. They have continued their march to add improvements each year to both programs that make organizing and editing your photos and videos easier.

Applying advanced techniques to your photos and videos that typically take multiple steps have been reduced to either a single click or a few well of well defined steps called Guided Edits. Photoshop Elements 2020 now includes 55 Guided Edits, and Premiere Elements has twenty-three.

In the coming weeks I will highlight some of the new features, but in the meantime, check out the Adobe website for multiple short videos highlighting the capabilities of both programs.

Click on the figure below and scroll down to see several videos describing new and existing features of Photoshop Elements 2020.

To see the features included in Premiere Elements 2020 click on the link below.

Check back here soon for additional demonstrations of the various new features in both programs.

Until next time…

Maintaining and Protecting Your PSE 2019 Catalog

In this post I will highlight some tips for maintaining and protecting your PSE 2019 Catalog. They are contained in the AppTip Sheet that is linked below. Over the years I have presented tutorials on how to use the Backup/Restore commands that our built into PSE. Even though these tutorials were written for previous versions, the steps and screens are virtually the same in PSE 2019.  

Click on the link below to open the PDF file that describes how to protect and maintain your PSE 2019 Catalog.

Using the tips described in the AppTip Sheet will ensure that you spend your time doing the fun things that PSE 2019 allows, rather than troubleshooting problems with your Catalog.

Until next time…

Postscript to PSE 2019 Auto Creations Video

A couple of weeks ago, I posted a video on the new hub and Auto Creations feature. You can review that post here.

Here are a couple of things I did not emphasize, but should have. To begin with, Auto Creations uses AI to analyze your photos and videos to automatically identify and create slideshows, video & photo collages, or even just selecting/extracting some interesting images from your videos.

When it is activated, as described in the video, it works in the background to produce these creations, even if PSE 2019 is not running. It can create a maximum of 40 of these editable creations, and then stops. You can delete any or all of these creations or incorporate them into the Organizer. Once the number gets below forty, new Auto Creations are produced. If the Catalog has not changed with new imports, they may be repeats or similar creations previously generated.

Here is how I use this in my workflow. I generally turn off Auto Creations, since it appears to impact the performance of my PC. It may not have any impact  on yours. I review and either incorporate/edit the Auto Creations generated, or delete them. I can do this either with the Auto Creations on or off.

Now when I take a new set of photos perhaps from an event or just a photo shot, I import them into the Catalog, and then I turn Auto Creations on again. After a time, PSE 2019 has produced new creations from my recent imports. I even get a Notification on my desktop in Windows 10 telling me that new creations have been produced. I review the new creations and then turn Auto Creations off again. This process works well for me.

I suspect that Adobe will enhance the Auto Creations feature in future versions of the program. I suspect one of those improvements will be to better identify the events and other information about the photos and videos selected for the creation.

If you found this and the original post helpful, please star-rate it and or share it with others. Thank you.

Until next time…

Using the New Hub and Auto Creations in Photoshop Elements 2019

Have you ever taken a series of photos and videos at an event of some sort and would like to quickly and effortlessly turn a few of them into a an interesting presentation? But you are fresh out of ideas, and maybe time.

Maybe what Adobe has added into the newest release of Elements is just what you need. PSE 2019 now comes with a new home screen or Hub, where you must start if you want to go to the Organizer, Photo Editor, or Premiere Elements, if you have it installed. Included in the Hub is Auto Creations. Built into the Hub is a new feature in PSE 2019, Auto Creations.

To give you a brief overview of the new Hub and what Auto Creations are all about, I have added a new YouTube video. You can find it at the link below.

PSE 2019’s New Hub and Auto Creations Video

As I describe in the video, you have the option to turn Auto Creations off, but not the Hub. This is Adobe’s version of Auto Creations, and I will expect it to improve and evolve in future releases. 

That’s all for now. Until next time,

Happy Holidays! 

New Webpage With Links to my Photoshop Elements Tutorials

Over the past couple of years I have been blogging tutorials on Photoshop Elements. When I started the latest version was PSE 15. When it was replaced with PSE 2018, I used screen shots from it for subsequent tutorials. I did the same when PSE 2019 was introduced.

Almost all of the tutorials are based on updated versions of my class handouts I used when I was teaching Photoshop Elements. The links are to PDF files for the most part which can be downloaded and printed if desired. There are also a few videos included. The tutorials cover both the Organizer and Photo Editing using Elements.

Click on the image below to go to the webpage that has the complete list.

Loading and Using Luminosity Masks in PSE 2019

A couple of months ago, I posted a tutorial on how to play back the sample Actions that have been a part of PSE for some time. A few years ago, Adobe made playing Actions easier, but they still can only be run. The Actions must be written by Photoshop in such a way as to use only those commands available internally in PSE or ones that are accessible by the user.

There are scores of Actions available online that can be loaded and played within PSE. In this tutorial, I demonstrate how to load and install a very creative set of actions by Tony Kuiper that make it very easy to apply Luminosity Masks in PSE for advanced photo editing. If you have been following photo editing topics, currently one of the most popular is using Luminosity Masks Now you can use this advanced technique from within PSE.

Below is the link to my PDF file of the tutorial that you can easily download or print. By the way, there is a lot of additional tutorials and other information available on Tony Kuiper’s website.

Loading and Using Luminosity Masks Actions

I hope you enjoyed the tutorial and found it helpful. If so, please Like  it, give it a Star Rating and Share with others who may also find it helpful.

Until next time.

Adobe Announces Photoshop Elements 2019

Today Adobe announced Photoshop Elements 2019 and Premiere Elements 2019. Introducing new versions of PSE and PRE has become an annual event in late September or very early October.

Since new versions are released annually, the improvements are generally incremental. Depending upon what new features have been added, upgrading ever year may not be necessary for everyone. That being said, there is enough new in the 2019 versions to warrant giving them a good look.

In this post, I will highlight the new capabilities added to PSE 2019. In later posts, I will cover PRE 2019, Adobe’s video editing program.

Photoshop Elements Organizer

• Adobe has incorporated a new and efficient installer that should simplify and speed up the installation for those downloading both PSE 2019 and PRE 2019 from Adobe’s website.

 

• There is a totally redesigned Start page or Hub. This page always opens first in both PSE 2019 or PRE 2019. There does not seem to be a way to avoid this and going directly to the Organizer or Photo Editor in one click, short of manually putting a shortcut to the applicable .exe file. However, the new Start Page has some interesting links that most users will find helpful.

In addition to links to the Organizer, Photo Editor, and Video Editor (PRE 2019), it previews Auto Creations, a brand new feature in PSE 2019

• Auto Creations is probably the biggest innovation added to the Organizer. Auto Creations examines your photos and videos in the Organizer and automatically generates slide shows, photo collages, video collages, and interesting photos extracted from your videos. Many may not really be what you are looking for, but each can be fine tuned within the program or even deleted. These creations may take awhile to generate, but the process runs in the background. Up to 40 creations can be generated, and as you delete some, others will be added as new photos and videos are imported into the Organizer.

• There is one take away. You can no longer share a photo directly to Facebook from the Organizer. As of August 1^st, Facebook does not allow direct sharing from any desktop app. I suspect this is part of their security improvements. Perhaps when some dust settles, the capability may return.

Photo Editor

• Adobe has added some new fun and useful Guided Edits to this version. This includes creating a Meme (humorous image/video or text), Partial Sketch, Text and Border Overlay, and Multi-Photo Text.

• Text Tool now includes custom Leading and Tracking.

• The Open Closed Eyes tool now can select the source photo for eye replacement from the Photo Bin. This added capability makes this excellent tool even easier to use.
• The new Apple High Efficiency Image Format (HEIF) for JPEG images is available on Mac iOS 10.13. HEIF images  can be taken by an iPhone 7 or later or  the iPad Pro.

New versions of both PSE 2019 and PRE 2019 are available from Adobe now at the link below.

https://www.adobe.com/products/elements-family.html?promoid=V2XYKZ3B&mv=other

So far, I have not seen the new versions offered on Amazon. However, it was my understanding that it would be available in stores on the release date.

In the coming weeks, I will post additional information and demos on both PSE 2019 and PRE 2019, so stay tuned.

Until next time…