Photoshop Elements 6 is the casual user's version of Photoshop, Adobe's professional image-editing program. Photoshop Elements wraps Photoshop's most popular image-editing tools in an easy-to-use interface and offers manual tools as well as one-button fixes that can turn a marginal photo into a keeper.

Photoshop Elements is organized around four practical functions: Organize, Fix, Create and Share. In addition to collecting, storing and organizing images by various categories, the Organizer can display thumbnails of images. The Organizer also lets you add searchable metadata to images, making it easy to quickly locate a specific image. We also like the Stacks feature, which lets you combine similar images into a single stack, with the best image on top.

The Fix function can perform six automated edits that can fix a number of common photo flaws, including color, contrast and sharpness. The Auto Smart Fix feature attempts to correct all of the common problems in a single pass. The Auto Red-Eye fix eliminates the demonic eyes that are characteristic of photos of people or pets taken with a camera flash.

Three manual edit modes are also available. Quick Fix provides the same editing functions performed by Auto Smart Fix, but allows you to make the decisions. Full Edit provides access to all effects, filters and layers. The last edit workspace, called Guided, is similar to Quick Fix, but with instructional text that guides you through the process of adjusting an image.

The Create feature is a project-oriented workspace that can help you create photo albums, calendars, online galleries and slide shows.

The Share feature makes it easy to attach an image to an e-mail message, order prints or create a CD or DVD of your favorite photos.

Photoshop Elements 6 provides all of the basic image editing and organization tools most casual users will ever need in a single easy-to-use package.


Pros: Easy-to-use image-editing tools, one-button fixes can do the work for you, included image organizer supports metatags
Cons: Create and Share features seem to have been added more for marketing purposes than for practical reasons

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