Photoshop Elements 9 reduced on Amazon UK

[Clair]

Just in case someone is interested in Photoshop Elements 9 (the latest version):

Amazon UK have been doing special offers all week (Black Friday Deals, they call it on their front page) and today is the last day.

I managed to snag Photoshop Elements 9 for £22.50 (usual price anything between £60 - £99).

The offer is repeated tonight at 7 pm (UK time).

The quantities are limited and they go like hot butter croissants!

If interested, go to the offer page a couple of minutes early, select Software from the drop down menu, and prepare to click on the left of the "Prime" logo, where the "Add to basket" button will appear as soon as the offer becomes live at 7pm.

[Bob T]

But if you don't want to spend that much then download GIMP for free. Many people find that it is just as good for their needs.

[Will]

Thank you Clair, that looks very useful. Photoshop (including Elements) has features that you don't get in the free programs, and is more straightforward to use - I need these features.

[cooperlola]

Great stuff, Clair.  I have the original version of Elements but an upgrade would be good at that price!

[Clair]

Just make sure you complete your purchase before midnight, as the prices revert to whatever after that, even if the item is in your basket at the offer price.

Like Coops, I have been using an older (very old [:$]) version of Elements; even as an upgrade, this would be too good a deal to ignore, but for the full program, it's a bargain!  [:)]

[Bob T]

[quote user="Will"]Thank you Clair, that looks very useful. Photoshop (including Elements) has features that you don't get in the free programs, and is more straightforward to use - I need these features.[/quote]

I find that statement interesting. Can you tell us what PS elements has got that GIMP has not Will? I know a professional photographer who uses GIMP and would like to know what he is not able to do.

[Will]

I have been using version 5, but recently got hold of v7 which was quite an improvement, and works properly with Vista which 5 didn't always. I also have a fairly old version of the full Photoshop program, but tend to use Elements because it's easier and will do just about everything the full one does apart from save in CMYK format. But I have an easy way round that.

The chance to get the current version was too good to miss, so thanks again Clair.

The main difference for me is that PS in its later versions allows cropping to pre-determined aspect ratios. Microsoft Office Picture Manager has that feature (but is rather limited in its editing abilities), but none of the free programs does as far as I know. I also like the way PS handles CMYK images and RAW formats, and above all I find it, as a non-techy person, much easier to understand and use, but that's probably as much from familiarity as anything else. My interest in it is for publishing rather than photography.

 

[cooperlola]

Dunnit.[:)]

When I told my o/h, he said he has been looking at this on line and hadn't found it even as cheap as the Amazon UK price elsewhere.  I was awarded another glass of fizzy Saumur which by rights is yours now, Clair![B]

[Clair]

[quote user="cooperlola"]

Dunnit.[:)]

When I told my o/h, he said he has been looking at this on line and hadn't found it even as cheap as the Amazon UK price elsewhere.  I was awarded another glass of fizzy Saumur which by rights is yours now, Clair![B]

[/quote]

OK, my address to follow and ask him to make it a bottle! [;-)]

[cooperlola]

[quote user="Clair"][quote user="cooperlola"]

Dunnit.[:)]

When I told my o/h, he said he has been looking at this on line and hadn't found it even as cheap as the Amazon UK price elsewhere.  I was awarded another glass of fizzy Saumur which by rights is yours now, Clair![B]

[/quote]
OK, my address to follow and ask him to make it a bottle! [;-)]
[/quote][:D]

His response : "I do admire a practical woman."[:)]

[Clair]

These things go over my head in technical terms, but Mr Clair is a professional photographer (though doing it for pleasure nowadays, rather than for business) and is used to Photoshop commands and tools.

Me, I just like a bargain! [:P]

[Clair]

The price is now £57.90, reduced from £77.50, so a saving of £55 with the offer yesterday...

[Will]

The price I paid at 7pm yesterday for v9 is almost the same as I paid on ebay recently for a new, sealed v7 disc. So I'm well pleased, and I hope Judie will be too if I put version 7 on her computer while she is in France for the weekend [:D]

Thanks again Clair

 

[woolybanana]

Bobo but you spoil her, Will!!

[Bob T]

As no one could give me an answer to what Photoshop Elements has got that GIMP has not, I did some research myself. I came up with this website.

It seems that they are not very different except that GIMP is free, and so are the updates to the latest version.

[Clair]

This might help:

http://thediscerningphotographer.com/2010/02/18/photoshop-alternatives-part-ii/

[Will]

The captioning function mentioned in Clair's link is something in PSE which I use and that the free programs lack. As with the cropping to standard aspect ratios and the way it handles CMYK and RAW which I mentioned in a previous answer. PSE can also be installed in multiple languages, so you can have it in French if you want. As I said before, my personal use of the program is for publishing, not photography.

So if you don't want those things, you aren't bothered about simplicity of use and installation, and you begrudge paying £22.50, then by all means stick with the free programs. Otherwise PSE is highly recommended.

 

[Bob T]

Not sure about the link, it seems to be one persons opinion rather than a comparison.

Will, my photographer friend also likes the way GIMP handles CMYK and .raw images too. She is not interested in multiple languages though as she only works in English.

[Mr Coeur de Lion]

From what I know of GIMP is that it is more like Photoshop than Photoshop Elements.

Elements is a watered down version of Photoshop with less control over what you can do and there are many batches and scripts that automate effects etc.

Photoshop and GIMP enable you to do things from scratch and are more for professional use.

[Will]

PSE9 special deal ordered from Amazon Friday evening, with standard (free) delivery. It has just arrived. That looks like excellent service.

All software is really a matter of personal choice. I have a full version of Photoshop, albeit quite old, but still prefer Elements for its ease of use (and I'm talking about professional use, not hobbyist). There's very little I need which Photoshop does and Elements doesn't do - the only significant difference for me is that Elements won't save in CMYK mode, but a simple comversion program will handle that. Whereas Elements has features useful for my needs that aren't available (at least not easily) in most other programs. I don't personally like any of the other programs I have tried, and I think I have trialled most of them - including the Windows and MS Office add-ons - looking for a good low-cost package for the editorial and web-inputting staff in our company to use. But I quite understand that a lot of people prefer other programs and I have no problem with that.