Adobe Photoshop Elements

$89, Win, Mac

Teaches: art, creativity, design, graphic arts, how to use Photoshop

CTR Review

This is a powerful graphic editing and drawing program that is designed for home or small business use. It would be ideal for introducing an older child to a "real" graphic arts program, without the frustration he or she is likely to encounter with a professional version of Adobe Photoshop. So what's the difference between this program and the much more expensive Photoshop? For one, some of the professional features are missing, such as the ability to convert a picture to CMYK, obviously to encourage professionals to still buy PhotoShop. There is also a good deal more hand holding with Elements, including a set of step-by-step recipe cards, and one button access to more features. We especially liked the ability to make web-friendly graphics, including animated gifs. You'll want to know, however, that even with the extra tutorials, it is easy for a novice to get confused, especially when dealing with concepts like layers and clipping paths. Other differences include improved picture handling features that you won't find in the regular Photoshop, such as a feature that maximizes the use of expensive photo-quality paper by placing multiple copies of a photo on a single page. Note that French, German, and Japanese versions are also available.