# Should I switch to Elements?



## PhilGF (Sep 11, 2013)

So I don't want the cloud and I'm using Lr 95% of the time.

I have Ps 5.5 and have been using Ps since 1999. Two years ago I used Elements at work and I was so frustrated going through the child-like interface that I felt it to be a time waster.
Maybe I need to get use to it but I'm wondering if the newest Elements has more to it now, in regards to some things in CS6 for photographers.

Can anyone link me to a site that shows the difference between the Latest Elements vs Ps 5.5?

Thanks,
Phil


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## Victoria Bampton (Sep 11, 2013)

PS 5.5 as in CS 5.5, rather than the original 5.5?  I'd carry on using that until it no longer runs on your computer, and then reconsider your options.

If you haven't used full Photoshop, Elements is great.  And the latest version is better, in as much as the expert mode allows you to turn off most of the child like bits, but I'd still miss full PS if I had to downgrade to Elements.


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## sdeleng (Sep 15, 2013)

I just bought Elements for exactly the reason above that I do not want creative cloud and PS5 was ageing.  I installed all the updates.  When I choose edit in elements from within LR5, elements opens, a tiff file is created within LR5 and there is no photo in elements!  Tried this various times.  If I try to edit the tiff file in LR5, it just creates another copy in LR5 and same thing - no photo in Elements.  Then Elements crashes..  I can only edit in ELements if Elements is open and from within Elelments I open the file.  If it the raw one, it does not apply my LR adjustments.   Feel like I have just wasted my money and am going to call Adobe tomorrow and ask for a refund.  Unless anyone can tell me where I went wrong?


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## GDRoth (Sep 15, 2013)

sdeleng said:


> I just bought Elements for exactly the reason above that I do not want creative cloud and PS5 was ageing.  I installed all the updates.  When I choose edit in elements from within LR5, elements opens, a tiff file is created within LR5 and there is no photo in elements!  Tried this various times.  If I try to edit the tiff file in LR5, it just creates another copy in LR5 and same thing - no photo in Elements.  Then Elements crashes..  I can only edit in ELements if Elements is open and from within Elelments I open the file.  If it the raw one, it does not apply my LR adjustments.   Feel like I have just wasted my money and am going to call Adobe tomorrow and ask for a refund.  Unless anyone can tell me where I went wrong?



I'm sure it's just a setting.................If you are calling Adobe, why not call the help line and solve the problem?  Sorry I don't have the answer.


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## clee01l (Sep 15, 2013)

sdeleng said:


> I just bought Elements for exactly the reason above that I do not want creative cloud and PS5 was ageing.  I installed all the updates.  When I choose edit in elements from within LR5, elements opens, a tiff file is created within LR5 and there is no photo in elements!  Tried this various times.  If I try to edit the tiff file in LR5, it just creates another copy in LR5 and same thing - no photo in Elements.  Then Elements crashes..  I can only edit in ELements if Elements is open and from within Elelments I open the file.  If it the raw one, it does not apply my LR adjustments.   Feel like I have just wasted my money and am going to call Adobe tomorrow and ask for a refund.  Unless anyone can tell me where I went wrong?


Are you saying the Edit-In function does not open Elements automatically or that PSE opens but no file is chosen?  Is PSE your default "Edit-In"External Editor or is PS still the default?


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## sdeleng (Sep 15, 2013)

"Edit in" opens Elements, but it does not bring the file into Elements even though I click on the raw in LR5, choose edit in Elements.  The only option given is edit a copy because the message says "Edit original is not applicable to raw or Digital Negative files" .  So it makes a copy as a TIFF and does not bring it into Elements.  I have to now go into Elements and open from there which is time consuming as the last time I opened a file it might have been in a totally different hard drive and I have to shift to the place this file is in.  This is worse than the message I was getting when I tried to import into PS5 which said "This version of Lightroom may require...blah blah" so you have to render using lightroom or lose your adjustments to the raw file.  At least it goes automatically into PS5 as a tiff-edit. And then if you open it again, which I do a lot to make a bw image too, it becomes a tiff-edit-edit.  This is annoying as I like to give my own names.  Hope this makes sense.


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## sizzlingbadger (Sep 15, 2013)

check you tiff is set to 8 bit,  Elements can't work in 16 bit which limits it somewhat.

There are better alternatives like pixalmator and gimp in my opinion.

My plan is to stick with CS5.5 until it doesn't work anymore, I expect it will be some years yet   Then find an alternative by which time there should be some nice choices now that Adobe have isolated a large user base and opened up a gap in the market. (I expect Adobe may fill that gap themselves with a decent version of Elements)


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## JulieM (Sep 15, 2013)

sdeleng said:


> "Edit in" opens Elements, but it does not bring the file into Elements even though I click on the raw in LR5, choose edit in Elements.  The only option given is edit a copy because the message says "Edit original is not applicable to raw or Digital Negative files" .  So it makes a copy as a TIFF and does not bring it into Elements.  I have to now go into Elements and open from there which is time consuming as the last time I opened a file it might have been in a totally different hard drive and I have to shift to the place this file is in.  This is worse than the message I was getting when I tried to import into PS5 which said "This version of Lightroom may require...blah blah" so you have to render using lightroom or lose your adjustments to the raw file.  At least it goes automatically into PS5 as a tiff-edit. And then if you open it again, which I do a lot to make a bw image too, it becomes a tiff-edit-edit.  This is annoying as I like to give my own names.  Hope this makes sense.



Sdeleng - 

It sounds to me that when you set up PSE as an additional external editor in LR Preferences, you directed LR to the wrong PSE file.  You have to choose the .app file - Adobe Photoshop Elements Editor.app.  On Mac OS X, the full path is:

*Applications>Adobe Photoshop Elements 11>Support Files>Adobe Photoshop Elements Editor.app*

If you don't select the one in the Support Files folder, when you send an image from LR to PSE, the application will open but the image won't.


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## clee01l (Sep 15, 2013)

JulieM said:


> Sdeleng -
> 
> It sounds to me that when you set up PSE as an additional external editor in LR Preferences, you directed LR to the wrong PSE file.  You have to choose the .app file - Adobe Photoshop Elements Editor.app.  On Mac OS X, the full path is:
> 
> ...


Thank you Julie,  That was the point I was trying to ascertain from *sdeleng. *If LR recognizes PSE as the ONLY Adobe external Editor present, it makes the association to the PSE executable and not the PSE Organizer executable.  The PSE Organiser does not automatically open the PSE app.


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## sdeleng (Sep 15, 2013)

ok - got it now, but all I did was add Elements through the prefs and did not have a guide as to what to do exactly as just pointed out.  So happy about that and thank you for the help.  And by the way Sizzling badger, it does open in 16 bit, but you can't use pro photo which is a shame.  It has been my choice for about 3 years now.


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## sizzlingbadger (Sep 16, 2013)

Your right!  I was thinking it couldn't but it just has limited 16bit functionality - apologies for the confusion, my memory is getting worse I'm sure.


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## LouieSherwin (Sep 16, 2013)

sizzlingbadger said:


> check you tiff is set to 8 bit,  Elements can't work in 16 bit which limits it somewhat.



Hmm...Didn't know of this limitation. It makes Elements not so attractive. 

-louie


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