Yes, that’s right, I just bought Photoshop Elements 8! It came out today, and I have been waiting for it. My Photoshop CS2 has “issues” with my 64-bit Windows Vista. It does weird things, like…. my project will disappear from the workspace, making it appear as if I wasn’t working on something. It’s a pain to deal with that, to say the least!
Not only that, but it really comes down to the fact that I LIKE point and click, drag and drop. I am passably proficient with basic Photoshop functions, but that’s about all. I downloaded the trial version of Elements 8 18 days ago (I know this because it says I still have 12 days left on my 30-day trial), just to see if I would miss all the functionality of CS2. The only thing that was almost a dealbreaker for me was shadows. It took me a week to figure out how to adjust drop shadows. It turns out that any effects can be adjusted the very same way as the shadows. If I hadn’t been able to make adjustments to my special effects then I would never have gone any further with it, that’s for sure! So far though, I REALLY like it. I wish I could change the color scheme of the workspace, because I really don’t like the dark gray, but that really isn’t critical to my use the program. 
So today, I went out and bought it. I have a $20 rebate to mail in too, so that makes it all the better! BTW, I created my background layout and header with PSE8. 
For my uses, this program can do everything I was doing with CS2, with less clicking around.
I bought mine at Costco, and it came with an instructional DVD by Linda Sattgast of The Scrapper’s Guide, “Learn Digital Scrapbooking with Adobe Photoshop Elements 8″. It has all KINDS of neat tricks and techniques on it! You can also get it through Amazon.com or through Adobe’s website, minus the DVD. Happy creating!
Ooooo NICE! Have you played with it yet?
.-= Michelle`´s last blog ..Collecting Cast Iron =-.
Yes, because I’ve had the trial for the past two weeks. I really like it! Honestly I haven’t even entered my product # yet (to make it officially mine) because I got it right before dinner, then made dinner, ate, and watched a few chapters of the DVD. I have already learned a lot of useful things about it that I wouldn’t have learned except maybe by accident.
But so far, I REALLY LIKE PSE8!!
I simply MUST learn PhotoShop. I hear so much about it, but have never tried it out. It’s on my to-do someday list!
Photoshop Elements is MUCH easier to use than the full Photoshop program! I can use Photoshop, but it is capable of SO MUCH MORE than I use it for, that really this is perfect for me. It does EVERYTHING I need it to, and it even processes RAW images, which my Photoshop CS2 CANNOT do. (CS3 and CS4 can, but I don’t have the ca$h for those!) I still have CS2 and will use it for drawing vectors and things but otherwise I’m LOVING this PSE8. It’s also a fraction of the price of CS4.
Congrats on getting PSE8! It’s a GREAT program! I’m glad you’re enjoying my DVD-ROM that came with PSE8 at Costco.
Sounds like we have a lot in common—I’m from the Northwest (Portland), I homeschooled my kids (they finished college and now work with us in our business), and I’m a Christian.
I’ve always thought scrapbook training would make a great subject for homseschooling—having one’s teens create a yearbook and learn Photoshop skills at the same time. If you ever do that, let me know!
Linda Sattgast
.-= Linda Sattgast´s last blog ..Blowing It Out =-.
Welcome Linda! Wow I feel like a celebrity visited me!
I really like the DVD. It has been SO helpful and I’m learning a lot from it. I have no idea how you found me, but thanks for the visit!