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<p><a href="http://thebeginnerslens.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/adobe-elements-8.jpg"><img title="Adobe Photoshop Elements 8" src="http://thebeginnerslens.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/adobe-elements-8.jpg" alt="adobe-photoshop-elements-8-software" width="260" height="377" /></a>
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<p>Packed with all the ADOBE Photoshop features, ADOBE PHOTOSHOP ELEMENTS 8 boasts of new tools and add-ons that digital photography enthusiasts will find useful in enhancing their photos. </p>
<p>Its simple and clutter-free interface is easy on the eyes and well-designed. It makes working on projects easier, as tools and tabs are very accessible.</p><p> Quick fixes really are quick, with one-step adjustment tools available at hand.</p>

<p>Newbies will also like the fact that Photoshop Elements 8 offers various help guides and tutorials available, though most of which would require a fee of $40/year. </p>

<p>Users of previous Photoshop Elements programs might find that upgrading to this new version may not be necessary, as it basically has the same features as Elements 7, with only a few new additions. The best reason to switch would be the Organizer feature that is very much useful for those with a vast collection of photos.</p> 



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<p>Let's get to the gist of it in the tabs below.</p>



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[tabhead id="1"]  Overview  [/tabhead] [tabhead id="2"]  Cheers  [/tabhead] [tabhead id="3"]  Jeers  [/tabhead] [tabhead id="4"]  Who is it for?  [/tabhead] [tabhead_last id="5"]  The Verdict  [/tabhead_last]  [tab id="1"]  [list style="orb" color="grey"]
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<li>Released in September 2009</li>
<li>Manage files easily with Organizer</li>
<li>Find photos quickly with Auto Analyzer tags</li>
<li>One-step photo adjustments like Touch Up Brush</li>
<li>Automatic Syncing and easy sharing</li>
<li>Successor to the Adobe Photoshop Elements 7</li>
<li>Launch price at US $99.99</p>
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[/list]  [/tab] [tab id="2"] [list style="orb" color="grey"]
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<li>Simple, easy to understand interface</li>
<li>New Quick Fix tools</li>
<li>Enhanced organizing with Auto Analyzer and People Recognition</li>
<li>Help guides and tutorials available</li>
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[/list]  [/tab] [tab id="3"]  [list style="orb" color="grey"]
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<li>Some templates and tutorials cost an extra $40/year</li>
<li>Only few major improvements from last version</li>
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[/list]  [/tab] [tab id="4"]  
 Proud beginner
<strong>√ Amateur hobbyist</strong>
 Advanced users
 Professional editors

ADOBE PHOTOSHOP ELEMENTS 8 is best suited for photography enthusiasts with a growing image database who would like to explore the world of photo-editing.[/tab] [tab id="5"]ADOBE PHOTOSHOP ELEMENTS 8 offers of new tools, content and template, the new interface, and the improved facility for file management makes for a promising program. As it features few essential improvements over the previous version, it does not call for an upgrade. But as a first time purchase, it's great tool if you have 1000 photos or more to manage.
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<p><strong>User interface: Simple, easy to absorb and clutter-free</strong></p>
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<p>ADOBE PHOTOSHOP ELEMENTS 8’s start-up screen is the most noticeable change in design from its last version. It has a well organized, simple to absorb interface. Clutter is kept to a minimum, so tools are accessible and easy to find. You can perform the most common editing tasks in a few clicks of a button.</p>
<p>Workflow tabs are located on the right side of the screen. Specific for Windows users is the Organize tab (Bridge tab for Mac, works similarly to iPhoto), which features new tools such as Auto Analyzer and People Recognition for fuss-free file managing. In the Edit tab are options Edit Full, for total manual edit; Edit Quick, for basic adjustments; and Edit Guided, for step-by-step tutorials. Under the Create tab you can produce photobooks, galleries, slideshows, and even design a CD/DVD jacket and photo labels. Finally, to share all your photos in web galleries or via email, just go to the Share tab.</p>
<p>The interface has grey as its predominant color, which is actually helpful in adjusting photos properly, as with other neutral colors. Most of the elements in the screen are also dark-colored, and this may cause some eye-strain as it blends in with the background, but that can easily be solved by a quick trip to the Preferences tab.</p>
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<p><strong>Ease of use: Accessible tools, organized files, guided tutorials make basic editing a breeze</strong></p>
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<p>With the well-designed, no-nonsense interface comes the convenience in using the ADOBE PHOTOSHOP ELEMENTS 8. Tools and workflow tabs are located in accessible areas, so you do not need to go deep into menus and options. Icons are well labeled, and not intimidating even for the newbie.</p>
<p>As soon as you start importing photos, this software’s Auto Analyzer begins to work automatically, applying Smart Tags to each image based on quality, exposure, contrast, and so on. This welcome feature makes for easy management of images, so you spend less time searching for photos and more time playing with them. You don’t even have to leave the Organizer mode for quick retouches. Auto QuickFix buttons such as SmartFix, Color, Contrast, Red Eye, etc. can handle the most common of editing jobs.</p>
<p>Another quick way to apply various changes to an image is by Adjustment Previews. You get to preview full-size images that showcase possible changes before picking the one that you want to take effect. Not only does it make editing a lot easier, you also get to learn in the process.</p>
<p>A beginner can also take advantage of guided tutorials available in the Edit Guided option under the Edit tab. Simply put, it will walk you through the process of editing and all you need to do is follow the instructions.</p>
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<p><strong>Editing performance: All the useful tools of previous versions, and much more</strong></p>
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<p>Generally, ADOBE PHOTOSHOP ELEMENTS 8 is an appealing upgrade to an already established software. For a long-time Photoshop user, you get all the basic features plus some new and improved ones; for a newbie, it’s all you need of a photo-editing program and much more.</p>
<p>Apart from doubling as an efficient image organizer, Photoshop Elements 8 gives you a wide room for tweaking photos to your liking. You can combine two or more photos of varied exposures into one via PhotoMerge Exposure and create that perfectly lit photo. With the Recompose tool, you can resize and change the orientation of an image without the key elements being distorted. Plus, you can choose which parts of the photo to keep and which ones to get rid of.</p>
<p>The program adapts most of the one-step tools its previous versions had, and some new ones, like the Touch Up-Brushes that can go from whitening teeth to making the sky bluer. Other features worth noting is the Surface Blur, which softens the surface of an image while keeping everything else sharp (perfect for hiding those wrinkles!) and a guided edit for the handy slimming tool.</p>
<p>As <a href="http://www.techradar.com/reviews/pc-mac/software/graphics-and-media-software/image-editing-software/adobe-photoshop-elements-8-644205/review?artc_pg=2">TechRadar</a>’s review says, “There are heaps more little effects to discover, such as pencil sketch and one to create old fashioned photos. It all adds up to the best Photoshop Elements ever.”</p>
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<p><strong>Output &amp; Sharing: Hassle-free sharing and uploading</strong></p>
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<p>Images processed in ADOBE PHOTOSHOP ELEMENTS 8 can be saved in various formats such as JPEG, GIF, Photoshop PDF, PNG, TIFF, and more. The program also allows you to create greeting cards, scrapbook pages, photo collages, and other creative projects via the Create tab.</p>
<p>Elements 8 allows you to sync photos between computers and share via iPhone, email, and web. You can directly upload images to web galleries, even networking sites like Facebook. Photoshop.com also gives users 2GB online storage space to share projects and access their photos anywhere.</p>
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<p><strong>Special tools of the trade: PhotoMerge, Recompose tool </strong></p>
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<p>Much like the HDR options found in new digital cameras, PhotoMerge allows users to create a perfectly exposed image by combining two or more similar shots with different exposures. No further need to tweak the Curves and Levels of your photo. However, if the auto mode did not get the layers quite right, you will have to align them manually and this requires very good hand-eye-cursor coordination.</p>
<p>Aside from combining images, PhotoMerge can also be used to enhance facial features by using elements from other images. <a href="http://photo-editing-software-review.toptenreviews.com/">TopTenReviews</a> notes that an example of this would be extracting the eyes, mouth, and nose from one photo and inserting those features on another photo. This would also work if you want to add or remove certain people in a photo.</p>
<p>Recompose tool is a new addition to Photoshop Elements 8. It allows you to resize photos and not lose significant visual elements like the background. What it does is identify important objects in the shot and scales everything else around them. The result is a correctly proportioned and resized image.</p>
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<p><strong>The Verdict (Extended version)</strong></p>
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<p>ADOBE PHOTOSHOP ELEMENTS 8 offers of new tools, content and template, the new interface, and the improved facility for file management makes for a promising program. As it features few essential improvements over the previous version, it does not call for an upgrade. But as a first time purchase, it's great tool if you have 1000 photos or more to manage.</p>
<p>The software is consistent with the Adobe Photoshop’s image as one of the top consumer-level photo-editing software. A very user-friendly photo editing software, Photoshop Elements 8 has the tools for every imaginable project and also makes sharing your finished product easy.</p>
<p>Moreover, this program provides beginners room for learning the tricks of the photo-editing trade and possibly produce professional-quality results. Current Photoshop users will also find the Organizer feature a good reason to upgrade, if only to have a better file management system for their image collection.</p>
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<p><strong>Review Digest</strong></p>
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<td style="border-width: 0px; border-style: solid;"><strong>SOFTWARE REVIEW WEBSITE</strong></td>
<td style="border-width: 0px; border-style: solid;"><strong>WHAT THEY HAVE TO  SAY</strong></td>
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<td style="border-width: 0px; border-style: solid;"><strong><a rel="shadowbox;width=1000;height=640" href="http://photo-editing-software-review.toptenreviews.com/photoshop-elements-review.html">TopTenReviews.com</a></strong></td>
<td style="border-width: 0px; border-style: solid;">“Adobe continues their legacy of developing the world’s best photo editing software in this latest release of Photoshop Elements. Once again they have produced a powerful photo editing tool that allows you to accomplish professional results without frustration. If you are looking for an easy to use solution and don’t want to sacrifice excellence, check out Adobe Photoshop Elements 8.”</td>
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<td style="border-width: 0px; border-style: solid;"><strong><a rel="shadowbox;width=1000;height=640" href="http://www.techradar.com/reviews/pc-mac/software/graphics-and-media-software/image-editing-software/adobe-photoshop-elements-8-644205/review?artc_pg=2">TechRadar.com</a></strong></td>
<td style="border-width: 0px; border-style: solid;">“There are heaps more little effects to discover, such as pencil sketch and one to create old fashioned photos. It all adds up to the best Photoshop Elements ever.”</td>
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<td style="border-width: 0px; border-style: solid;"><strong><a rel="shadowbox;width=1000;height=640" href="http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2353186,00.asp">PCMag.com</a></strong></td>
<td style="border-width: 0px; border-style: solid;">“If you're new to the worlds of digital photography and image manipulation, Photoshop Elements 8 offers everything you need, and much, much more. But users of previous versions are unlikely to find much in it a reason to upgrade.”</td>
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<td style="border-width: 0px; border-style: solid;"><strong><a rel="shadowbox;width=1000;height=640" href="http://www.pcworld.com/reviews/product/309367/review/photoshop_elements_8.html#review">PCWorld.com</a></strong></td>
<td style="border-width: 0px; border-style: solid;">“Photoshop Elements 8 is an appealing but evolutionary upgrade of a mature, well-established photo editing program, with greatly improved file and keyword handling.”</td>
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