Adobe Photoshop Elements 2018
Entry-level photo editing software gets its yearly refresh
£86.56 FROM Adobe, adobe.com needs OS X 10.11 or later, internet connection to activate
Photographers can set their watches by Photoshop Elements’ yearly update – Adobe has clearly nailed some complex logistics.
More complicated: coming up with an annual refresh that appeals every time. Photoshop Elements 2018 is either an £70.91 upgrade from an earlier version, or an £86.56 purchase if you don’t have it already. So what has Adobe added to keep photographers tempted?
There are no huge interface overhauls here, something that has been true for the last few updates of Elements, and it’s starting to make the software look and feel dated, particularly since Apple’s Photos app has been given a new lease of life in macOS High Sierra. All of Elements’ existing appeal is there, though – the clean interface, and easily enough tools that if you’re unwilling to try Photoshop CC, you’ll be able to get started fast with Elements.
There are new guided edits – effectively interactive tutorials to help you do things, such as creating layer masks with shape Photoshop Elements’ new eye-opening technology can work well, but we encountered a few issues with it. overlays, or double exposures. Both of these, and a few others, are new and work well. New features There are a few new features. Auto Selection tries to isolate a subject when you draw a marquee selection around it, while Open Closed Eyes attempts to save images where your subject has been caught mid-blink. The former works reasonably well, providing rough and ready cutouts, and readying a selection for the Refine Edge dialog faster.
Opening closed eyes requires two photos – one with a subject blinking and another where they aren’t. We had trouble with this – ‘No face found’ is a common error message. When it does work, on virtually identical images where closed eyes are the only difference, it works nearly perfectly. It’s ideally suited to group photos, enabling you to rework multiple flawed photos into a single good one.
If you’re not already an Elements user, this is a powerful photo editor and a worthy alternative to a Creative Cloud subscription, although the Photos app may serve you just as well. For upgraders, this is one to miss.