5 comments about Roxio Easy Media Creator Suite 10.

1. I've been making mixes of my music since the days of lps and cassette tapes. I've used and researched many varieties of software for this, including earlier versions of Roxio. I have to say, with EMC version 10, Roxio seems to have really gotten it right!
   
   Some strengths:
   - EMC sees all your music, but doesn't force you into its single management system like Itunes or Windows Media Player. You simply drag and drop either from a master sortable list of tracks and artists or from your own file structure, into an album or project you can manipulate any way you want.
   - Making customized crossfades is a breeze! Other programs either make you use the same overlap or gap for every transition, or use a complicated sound wave editing format. EMC10 just lists the songs in your mix and includes buttons for the length of the overlap and the kind of crossfade.
   - When you make a mix with crossfades, it still retains track markers so you can jump between tracks, unlike some other programs that force the whole mix into a single mp3.
   - Important: automatic track volume leveling actually works! And you can manually adjust the volume of individual tracks without leaving your mix project, along with other effects like equalizing or eliminating clicks.
   - The mixes burn nicely on CDs and play flawlessly on CD players. You don't know how many coasters I've made over the years.
   
   There are other features if you want, sound editing and exporting to portable music players and such. There's a decent CD labeling program, although for some reason it doesn't provide a good way to list both songs and artists (you have to rename songs to include the artist name as well). And of course there's all this other stuff about photos and videos which I guess could come in handy but it doesn't get in the way.
   
   All in all I have to say Roxio has made my favorite hobby of making personal music mixes fun and fast so I can concentrate on the sound. Thank you, Roxio!



2. I not able to capture pictures from the DVD anymore after installing Easy Media Creator Suite 10. I can't make labels from the content of the DVD. Can I return it it's not any good.



3. Even with care to remove any competing or conflicting drivers, 2 gig of RAM, fresh audio and video cards, this product made my system crash. With this much negative feedback, this is apparently a problem with the product's design. Free upgrades to something that functions should be offered, and Amazon should remove it from their shelves. Sonic should be ashamed of themselves.



4. I have a brand new vista machine with all the latest drivers. When I install EMC 10, all I get is an expensive splash screen and machine hangs requiring a hard re-boot. Very disappointed. I've followed all directions regarding installation.



5. I purchased this product because I was trying to replace a My DVD program with an upgrade. While there are more features for this version of My DVD, it is more cumbersome to move about and to perform tasks than the prior version. I am spending alot of time trying to learn how to obtain the same results as I was able to do with the prior version with ease. Also, the program and the book that came with it do not provide much in the way of help in negotiating the program.

5 comments about Printmaster - Platinum Version 18.

1. THIS IS A GREAT UPGRADE FROM PM 12.IT IS MUCH EASIER TO USE & HAS MANY MORE FEATURES.IF YOUR LOOKING FOR A CARD MAKING PROGRAM THIS IS THE ONE!



2. I love this Printmaster program It is so much better than the version we last had.



3. Would not be a good review. Have used this product and featured it for more than 12 years in a Creative Graphics SIG and am DISAPOINTTED.
   Version 15 will do all that 18 can do except for two insignificant tools.
   Tools present in Parsons products you bought many ytears ago would be more worthwhile. Retriving templates and graphics may be more cost effective for you, but many senior users of your products are still on dial up and thyis is a real waste of time.



4. Great product. Has a lot of choices on projects with all the bells and whistles.



5. I had previously purchased the Printmaster Platinum 8 & 16 versions. The first came with the software CD's on in a fold open card to keep them neat. The 2nd came in a hard plastic case that kept them really well organized. This current version comes with 3 CD's in the little paper sleeves in the box. Alot of the pictures are online so if you do not have access to the internet alot of the clipart is not available. Once again they get you coming back for more and then give you less. OkK but not great. Next time I will try another company.

5 comments about Vegas Movie Studio 8 Platinum Edition.

1. The description on Amazon states nothing about 64-bit not being supported, and neither does the box. But it isn't, so beware. Sony refuses to support this product if you run it on XP or Vista 64-bit.
   I would be happy to take part in a class-action lawsuit, since I've just wasted a lot of money and Sony refuses a refund for their unsupported product.



2. I found this product to be stable, versatile, and easy to learn. I would recommend it highly. I would suggest that a potential user download, from Sony, the 30 day trial of this software. The trial software is fully functional.



3. After using Cyberlink (waste of money) and Ulead 11 (good), I was curious what to do when my son expressed a serious interest in learning serious film editing for a HS sports documentary he wants to make. Not wanting to spend hundreds or thousands of dollars on a professional package, I still needed something beyond the "kids and pets" home movie level. Sony Vegas Movie Studio was it, and Amazon had the best price I found. It is more at the Sony site.
   
   While it has some inexplicably missing features (AVCHD output, no support for bluray on regular DVD), its workflow is awesome once you get used to it. I love the audio controls which clearly show Vegas' audio editor heritage.
   
   Rendering speed seems to be slightly slower than Ulead on the SD samples I've tried so far, but to be fair, Ulead really shines when you make minimal edits with its MPEG optimizer.
   
   Vegas only gives you 4 video tracks instead of Ulead's 7, but you have more control over clip manipulation and the UI is much less sluggish or prone to crash. It uses about 20% less memory than Ulead during the editing process; I have not observed how different it is when rendering.
   
   The UI (toolbars, menus, dialogs, etc.) all look like the graphical designers were let go in the earlier parts of the decade (think Office 97), but that only bothered me for about five minutes. Once you get into the editing process and get used to the trimmer, audio envelopes, zooming with the scroll bar, etc., all that will seem superficial. I'd rather take a solid package that looks a bit dated but performs well than a snazzy modern-looking UI that crashes.
   
   I thought I was going to miss Ulead's storyboard feature, which does not exist in Vegas (at least not as far as I can tell or the documentation will reveal), but I have not.
   
   For viewing HD video on my **Sony** Playstation, I will have to continue to use non-Sony Ulead Video Studio to burn DVDs, and Ulead recognizes the pre-Vista video capture card that neither Vegas, Movie Maker, nor Cyberlink thinks is present. However, for editing, Vegas is the tool for me.
   
   I loved that Sony had a full-featured trial version on their site. One reason I have never tried, or will try, Pinnacle is that I couldn't seem to find a trial to use. Sorry, but flash-based demos don't do it for me. I've gone on to buy ACID and Cinescore, too, based on the trials.



4. I will make this simple. Make sure there is video editing and movie making software that can work with your technology. Not everything works well with MS Vista and hi def video camcorders.
   
   I had tried several products to make my son's football highlight film. My computer was running MS Vista with 2 gigs ram. Since I had never done this before I was looking for a product that was easy to use, could read all kinds of media (pictures, video provided by the high school via CD, and high def video from my Canon HG10). My goal was to create a video that was clean and simple with all forms of media mixed in. Plus, I wanted to add music if necessary and be able to create a video clip for a web site. This turned into a two month task with one software failure after another.
   
   My first choice was the software that came with the Canon HG10 (made by Corel). This product was really made for generating a simple movie from the camera only. So I purchased Corel Ulead VideoStudio 11.5 Plus figuring that Corel would be clued into my Canon camcorder. Everything started alright, but video was pixelating all of the time and would hang up when trying to cut the DVD (after spending weeks creating the video). I called Corel (which is a very tough task) and they only allow one support call (unless you give them your credit card). Corel emailed me a bunch of things to do and none of them worked. Getting smarter I decided to first get a free download, try the software and then perhaps buy. My third choice was Adobe Premiere Elements. This product was not stable and would bomb on a regular basis.
   
   At this point I am in survival mode. I've got to get this kid's video out within two weeks or it will hurt his college possibilities. I walked into a local chain electronics store thinking about changing some of my technology. When sharing my issues with an experienced sales rep (who makes movies) he mentioned Vegas Movie Studio 8 Platinum Edition. He said it was the best thing for MS based computers that he has used. I down loaded a copy and produced my film in 8 hours. I was so fantastic! I would plug in the hi def camera and it could actually read and import the video clips into the software. I would load a CD on to the computer and again the software would easily import the video. Pictures and music are no problem. I was in awe! Why couldn't the other products do this so easily? Not once did my computer hang up or need to be rebooted.
   
   Now Vegas Movie Studio 8 is not the easiest product to learn, but it does the job, has way more functionality than I will ever need, and there are support people who will gladly help you when you get stuck. I learned a long time ago in the software business that service is 50% of your decision. This experience has reminded me how important it is.



5. I've used several home video software products and have finally found the one that I like....it's easy to use, functions beautifully within Vista, handles my Sony video camera high definition files (AVCHD), and provides broad functionality to be very creative. I've now decided to upgrade to Sony's Pro version because I am so satisfied.

5 comments about Adobe Photoshop CS3.

1. The product is great, but the official Adobe customer service is lacking. It is based in India. I like the new fiber filter and brushes.



2. I used the free 30 day trial before purchasing, so I knew what I was getting ahead of time. I also have a friend who is an art director for a publishing company and he showed me what could be done. The only thing I would suggest is that the tutorials have some hands on parts in them like the quickbook tutorials. Other than that the turtorials are great, and the usability is realy outstanding. There is so much there that it takes a while to learn it, but if it didn't have all those features I wouldn't want it.



3. This new version of Photoshop can help build some amazing web sites! Adobe has taken the time to add some new features that make it easy to slice up your image and export the chunks. Photoshop will let you load photographs and use them as beautiful backgrounds on your web sites. Photoshop's layering system lets you add text and other elements. Adobe has upgraded quite a few of the program's features so you might be wondering why this is a 1 star review.
   
   If you are new to using computers to manipulate images, you might expect the industry standard Photoshop to be the best possible investment. It's practically a cultural phenomenon, taught in schools with countless books being written about it each year. My problem with the powerful Photoshop remains the very difficult and non-intuitive user interface.
   
   Version after version the folks at Adobe add features that most often are very helpful: text handling, browsing, filter previewing, and web-site creation just to name a few. While these offerings can help many computer users for various reasons I find it sad what is offered to the customer who wants to manipulate, manage, and print photographs. Photoshop is difficult to use, and remains sorely lacking in this area. Some very powerful features are absolutely hidden unless the end-user takes classes and buys extra books. Maybe "Photoshop" is simply the wrong word for it.
   
   The toolbar has a stale old feel that would be well served to be completely redesigned. Some tools are still hidden below other tools and are found after the end user holds down the left mouse button, or uses a hotkey. Powerful and completely elementary features, such as "crop", are still tucked away in the oddest places. A critical feature keeps its old but odd name "Stroke". In some areas Adobe has made features redundant, so new users can adapt to new ways, and old user can stick to their old methods. I can appreciate this, but I would prefer they just do it right, once. Stroke is still in the Edit menu. Crop is still in the Image menu. The fill-can still needs to be set to threshold 255 manually to make it simply fill. Wouldn't it be nice to not have to type the numbers 255 in the middle of your workflow?
   
   Recently Adobe has had great success with a new product called "Lightroom". The product shows potential and obviously must be catering the crowd of professional photographers who have been less than thrilled with what they get out of Photoshop. Perhaps Adobe just needs some fresh new energy when it comes to making user interfaces. With a dark room style workflow, Lightroom could turn into what Photoshop should have been.
   
   I feel there are a number of alternatives that should be looked at before buying Photoshop, studying Photoshop, or even caring about Photoshop. One new exciting tool for photographers is Nikon's Capture NX. Even non-Nikon users can now take advantage of this interesting and powerful photograph manipulation tool. At its price point photograph-software consumers should re-evaluate what they are buying and how much they are spending.
   
   What consumers need now are effective manipulation, management and printing tools for their newly found digital collections of tens of thousands of photographs. As I approach the 10,000 mark I find the need for software that makes my life easier. All I'm using Photoshop for anymore is web design, and it seems that's what Adobe wants. But let's be frank, is this kloogy program really worth $600+? Maybe, if you build web sites.



4. When I received my product it had obviously been opened and wasn't even the right product. I ordered, and paid for, a full version and got the upgrade version. Buyer beware!



5. The process was simple and the product came in a short period of time.
   Have had no problem with the product a good buy at a reasonable priceAdobe Photoshop CS3

5 comments about ColorVision Spyder2 Express Win/Mac.

1. I was a little weary of spending such a low amount on a calibrator. Glad I took a chance! The software is fairly straight forward, and the results are extremely accurate!



2. The Spyder express 2 is a great tool for anyone...especially a photographer. It was simple and easy to use...and it hardly took anytime to calibrate my monitor.
   I am totally satisfied with it and will suggest it to others I know.



3. The software is easy to install and calibrating is straight forward. Works with XP and Vista. Before I got this I used a calibration picture and thought I was doing pretty well but after using the Spyder2Express I was surprised to see how far off I was, not that it was miles off just that it was noticeably better.



4. Works as described - monitor never looked as good. Colors are bright and true.



5. Does what it is advertised to do, and does it pretty quickly and easily on both Windows and Mac clients. (I used it on my XP desktop and MacBook Pro Laptop)
   
   Biggest drawback is that you can't specify the white point. This is only available in $$$ version. But it certainly improved my monitor output and now the output from my monitor and my prints (printed at Costco using a profile for the local costco downloaded from drycreekphoto.com)are much closer than they have ever been. I wouldn't say it is exact, but much better.

4 comments about Corel Ulead VideoStudio 11.5 Plus [AMAZON.COM EXCLUSIVE].

1. 5 STARS for the ability to burn/edit/ watch in AVCHD.
   
   Well, I just got ULEAD VideoStudio 11.5 Plus software and the Sony PS3 yesterday. Although I prefer Sony Vegas Studio to do the editing, I bought the Ulead because of the claim that Hi-Def videos could be burned on standard DVDs and viewed through the PS3 in Hi-Def. I have a Canon HG10 camcorder and so far Sony Vegas Studio is incompatible with Canon AVCHD format. Editing and burning to a standard DVD is a benefit because Blu Ray burners cost around $400 and up, and Blu Ray blank media costs $10 PER DISC and up. Well, the software works well! If you tape,transfer, edit, and burn in the AVCHD format, the resulting DVD plays in (BluRay compatible) Hi-Def video. It looks fantastic!



2. I have successfully used Pinnacle's V10+ but this product seemed to include what Pinnacle/Avid wants you to buy as add-ons. The systems I use more than meet the highest requirements for the product.
   
   During install of the product AvControlSDK message stated error installing ikernel though the product seemed to install. The Corel web site said 'ikernel' was a problem with the installation program and pointed to a web site for a 'fix'. There was a VS11 'hotfix' also that I applied. But tryinig the sample program gave failures in hedocdll.dll, trying again it ran ok. Import of video from a dvd's gave 'import DVD failed 2396'. Couldn't get the DVD out of the computer, seems COREL IO manager that gets installed has a known bug. There was a hang trying to trim video. UVPL.exe caused a problem. DDE server stuck. etc ad nauseum. InterVideo Windvd kept trying to go online, seems it's a come-on product and you can buy a useful one for $80 or so more.
   
   Well, I uninstalled, manually uninstalled and reinstalled as suggested by their website 'help'. This time it seemed to install ok (left out Corel IO manager). You have to manually move over some files (though it's not real clear where). This time the sample program ran and rendered seemingly ok til it got done then Windows apologized again because VS11 had another problem. The rendered video played ok. But trying some real editing gave vstudio.exe failures dutifully logged and sent off by Windows.
   
   The help offered by COREL is either non-existent or very very difficult to get to.
   
   This would be a great product. It has an excellent interface. Seems much easier to use than Pinnacle's product. If it only worked!!



3. Not unlike the stereotypical male, I've never been one to give serious thought to cracking the owner's manual. However, I am not askadirectaphobic (the aversion to soliciting directional vectors for fear of appearing testostoceronically-challenged), but that's another story. My point is, this program is (mostly) intuitive and relatively easy to use, right out of the box. I was charged with the task of creating a 2 minute overview of a new product that would eventually be depoloyed to web. As a first-time user, I immediately discovered you could not only use layers of video, but you could transition back and forth using their canned library of lovely and diverse effects. And, as a proficient Flash animator, I was delighted to see it was easy-peezie-rice-and-cheesie to import .SWF files. This opened a 500-foot garage door of creativity to my new life as a video impresario.
   
   In all honesty, this software is great for newcomers to video editing. If you are an amateur looking for an intermediate and budget-friendly solution, this application goes above and beyond. For example, you want to make your family movies look big budget. Or, if you're like me, and need an occasional solution for minor presentations, but demand quality output, the program really delivers!
   
   If I had but one criticism, I would protest against it's flagrant and grotesque use of system resources. Even though I run a reasonably fast machine, there are times it performs as slowly as a Congressional debate. Okay, I exaggerate...NOTHING runs THAT slowly.



4. I'm still experimenting around with this. But so far I've made 2 videos and it's pretty good and fast. First I used the wizard to make a really short clip and then I used the Editor (more advanced but really easy to use with drag drop and simple interface). When I converting the file to SVCD using the Editor, I thought wow...it took so long, but then I didn't realize my Spyware program started running its usual scan on its own so it's slowing down the progress. Once I stopped the scan, it sped up real fast. Even the burning was quick. Since I had a regular Sony point and shoot digital camera (MPEG4 file), I think it couldn't take advantage of the high quality videos that could be produced because my SVCD quality wasn't that great. But I seriously do think it's more because of my camera than the software. I'm saving up to buy a real HD camcorder but this handheld digital camera will have to do for now.
   
   The manual is very easy to read with sufficient pictures to guide you. I actually could read it and I'm horrible at reading manuals so this says a lot. It has a lot of cool features I have yet to explore because it's so many. It's definitely designed for PC since the manual seems to be written in such way, so I can see how some people might find it frustrating to use with Mac.

5 comments about Parallels Desktop 3.0 for Mac (Intel Mac).

1. After having delivered my faithful old home built Windows 2000 computer to the recycling station, I found myself searching for its replacement still needing to run a few important 'legacy' apps. Learning of Parallels Desktop, my strategy was to recreate the Windows machine on an underused MacBook Pro. The software was on sale with free shipping so I bought a copy.
   
   My first installation failed on an upgrade notice that popped up while I was entering the activation key. The machine locked up hard but luckily I was a able remove the corrupted install. The second attempt went well after dismissing the upgrade notice. With Parallels running, I subsequently executed the upgrade.
   
   I created a virtual machine for the 'guest' Windows 2000 operating system and installed it and the legacy software from the original distribution media. That process was wrought with glitches and lockups but eventually everything worked. Still, the feel wasn't quite right.
   
   Fortunately I didn't write this review then; a Leopard compatibility release has been issued and this software now provides a performance level very much comparable to what you would expect with a native hardware machine.
   
   I also have a Windows XP virtual machine running. It installed from a bootable CD with no issues. It's response is excellent and it actually boots and shuts down faster than my native hardware machines. It's networked with my home WiFi connected Work Group. Email and Internet works properly and even a USB device works through it's Windows installed driver.
   
   I attempted interfacing Bluetooth device but haven't found a way to connect a Parallels serial port to the virtual Com port that OSX creates from the PowerBook Pro hardware. I'm thinking a USB Bluetooth dongle with Windows installed drivers might work.
   
   Parallels is developing into a slick program and I admire the intellect behind it. There are still some rough edges present but the Leopard patched version gets good marks and my recommendation.
   
   --- CHAS
   
   



2. This program is the reason I bought my Mac. I was thinking it would make the transition from my PC software painless. When it works, it works great. In theory, the Mac & PC are integrated almost seamlessly. The problem is that the installation keeps breaking. Parallels makes my late model Leopard based iMac just as buggy as my PC. It's capable of freezing up the Mac and forcing me to do a power-off to get the thing to reset. It also does not integrate well with my USB printer. After using it for two months I've finally given up on it and purchased the Mac versions of all my must have software.



3. I use VMware at work to run Windows Server 2003 with our control system so when I saw this Parallels software I had to have it. I am currently running OSX as my main OS and Ubuntu & Windows as guest OS's. What an amazing tool this is, no more rebooting everytime you wish to change operating systems, it's as easy as using a media player to change between mp3 files. Great investment, not my copy of Vista isn't totally useless since I switched to MACbook Pro, and ubuntu is second only to OSX. The best of all worlds on your MAC.



4. I use parallels pretty heavily. I work as a computer technician and there are certain things that just need to be done on a PC. Parallels makes this extremely easy. Before I had parallels I was using bootcamp and had to reboot every time. Parallels made it easy to take my bootcamp partition and run parallels on it.
   
   The only problem is that after a couple weeks of it working perfectly... My Macbook Pro froze and I had to power it off. Parallels has no safety feature to prevent this type of thing from corrupting your bootcamp partition. Long story short, The complete windows partition didn't work anymore and I had to uninstall parallels, wipe out my Windows partition, and do it all over again. There are some tweaks you can use to protect yourself from this happening... but parallels didn't mention this at first. Since I spent the money I decided to stick with it, but in the middle of getting everything working again (which took me about 3 days of troubleshooting) I was very tempted to go with VMware, which does bootcamp differently so this doesn't happen. I have now been using parallels for close to a month, again working and running perfectly. I'm just always frightened that the crash will happen again. It feels fragile.



5. I am a dentist and I have this running my office managment softward on my Mac and it works great. It took some effort to install the Practice Management into Parallels-as a Mac user, I didn't realize how difficult it is to get set up on a Windows network. I had to get our IT guy to come in and take care of that. However, now that he has, it runs great. Just as I hoped.

5 comments about Adobe Photoshop Elements 6 (Mac).

1. A great product. I am not a professional photographer and this does all I need.



2. and it was worth the wait.
   
   The program does have a couple things you need to know. First, if you are having trouble with your old plug-ins not loading you will either need to upgrade them or launch PS6 under Rosetta. (select PS6 and get info for the activation box)
   
   Next, running natively on an 2.8 GHz Intel iMac the program is wickedly fast. Amazingly fast. I can't say as I really care for the UI but it doesn't take long to get used to it. I miss a few features from Photoshop like LAB color and Soft Proofing but these are minor quibbles.
   
   All-in-all, this is a fine program that seems to do 80%-90% of what the full Photoshop CS3 does for a tenth the price. A great tool for the photographer.



3. Elements is all the photo product I need. I do a lot of photo work and it gets the job done.



4. Not being able to afford Adobe Photoshop CS3, I find Elements to be a great alternative. I am not a professional photographer and find that it does a great job meeting all my needs. The interface is a little too muted for my taste, but that is just cosmetic and is certainly worth overlooking. If you are new to Photoshop Elements, there are a lot of books that will help you quickly learn how to make the most out of the software.



5. I'm fairly new to Photoshop, so I can't really say if it is better or worse than previous additions, but I'm enjoying it. It works well with iPhoto. I was afraid I would have to start all over with this as my main photo program, but instead I can keep my photos in iPhoto, and bring photos I want to work with to Photoshop for digital scrapbooking, correcting, etc.

5 comments about Adobe Photoshop Elements 6 & Adobe Premiere Elements 4.

1. Adobe tech support was unable to fix my problem. Imported vob/mpg files from a dvd are being cut short (a video that is 12 minutes long is only showing 3 minutes of the video). The mpeg file works fine in Microsoft Movie Maker. Probably a decent program, but I'm sick of all the bugs and kinks not being worked out before release. That's pc's for you. What a waste of time and money.



2. Both of these software packages were recommended to me by my son; I have found them to be very satisfactory for editing my photos and videos and for creating videoclips to share with family and friends.



3. Locks up my computer. Not very user friendly. Looks like it does a lot if I could get to work. Adobe products are big and complicated. I new better than buy this piece of crud.



4. After thourough search via the internet, I selected the Adobe product as noted. The product has proved to be as described and an excellent value based on the features and ease of use. I considered going with the professional package, but am glad I did not as the software offers all I need, and is much easier to use.



5. Photoshop Elements
   
   I've been using Photoshop for years and I like Photoshop Elements for quick, simple edits (I use Photoshop CS for more complex edits). There is a definite learning curve to be able to use some of the more complicated editing tools, but this is a very powerful package for the price. The photo organizational tools and the ability to create albums are also nice and easy to use features.
   
   Premiere Elements
   
   Save your money and buy a different product. I've been trying to create a 5 minute video of my 2 year old son for 2 weeks and I've had it with this product. I have a 2.4GHz dual core machine with 4GB of RAM running Vista 32bit and have had nothing but problems. The software is great for editing 1 or 2 items at a time. I'm trying to put together 40 short clips into a coherent video and the product can't handle it. It was fine up to about 25 clips and then it started crashing. Also, if you're shooting high def on a new DVD, HDD or Flash camcorder, be aware that Premiere Elements does not support AVCHD. To be fair, the interface for the program is very intuitive and if it was stable, it would be a fantastic product. Unfortunately, it's not stable unless you're doing some pretty simple stuff. I'm doing home movies and I can't get it work without crashing.
   
   Bottom Line
   
   Photoshop Elements gets a solid 4 stars. Premiere Elements gets a solid 0 stars. Thus, a 2 star rating overall. My advice: buy the standalone version of Photoshop Elements and find something else to edit video.

5 comments about Adobe Photoshop Elements 6.

1. What you get for the money here is excellent! Most of the features you'll need from Photoshop are included in Elements. The only feature I was used to in Photoshop that I isn't in Elements is CMYK color mode. So if you're doing professional printing, this wouldn't be the right program for you.
   The major problem with this program is that it crashes constantly! I've had to redo so much work because it would crash before I could save. I don't want to be forced to save after every couple changes. If I'm spending one hour working in this program it will probably crash about 8-12 times.



2. Put your old versions of Adobe Photoshop Elements away! This is truly a great product! I have only had it a short time. The background is a pleasing grey shade, still has the same 'tabs'as the others, and has expanded into organizing and editing I have not tried yet. I have uninstalled my adobe photoshop elements 4.0; this (6.0)is pretty cool software! I look forward to future versions.



3. It's way over my head. It took control of all graphics on my computer and I couldn't have any control of what I was doing. I guess the program is just too advanced for my level of using graphics.
   
   I had been using a simple little program called ArcSoft and loved it for what I was doing. When I bought a new computer with Vista Operating System all hell broke loose as far as being able to use the programs that I had and was used to. I'm ready to put XP Professional Operating System on this new computer so that I can just be happy wth my old programs.
   
   I don't suppose I could get any kind of refund for purchasing a program that does me absolutely no good at all.



4. I used to be an avid picture taker of friends and family before the digital age and always kept my photos organized well in albums. It took a long time for me to get a digital camera and then once I did, I found that I rarely took it anywhere with me and when I did use it I would just put the pictures on the computer and never do anything with them again. I also found that I was so inexperienced with photo software that I would have several pictures in several different places. Photoshop has changed all of that. I've been able to get all my pictures together in one place, organized and am having a blast doing fun things with them and making them look better than ever. I am now using my camera more often and I have even purchased Photoshop Essentials 2 to go along with this.



5. This is an awesome program to use!, everything is perfect, and if you a begginner like me you should consider to buy The Missing Manual book to help you get the full potential out of this software!