My Amazon Review of:
Adobe Photoshop Elements 4.0
Plus Premiere Elements 2.0
11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars - Big bang for the buck, July 16, 2006
I probably should have only given it 4 stars because: 1) it's not perfect, and 2) this is my first video editor, so I have nothing to compare it to. But I gave it 5 stars because I'm just so impressed with what I've been able to do. I highly recommend this software, ...but ONLY if you have a computer than can handle it.
This software needs a lot of resources. I have a Dell E510 3.0GHz, 160GB HDD, 1GB RAM w/ separate video card. It has been adequate, but frankly, I wish I had more. Even relatively short (12 minute) slideshows take an hour to encode and burn onto a DVD. And I thought 160GB would be more than I would ever need, but I'm already looking for a second HDD just for video editing. You even need SP2 (WinXP). In short, you'll need a pretty decent computer to run this.
PHOTOSHOP ELEMENTS 4.0 (PSE): I've been a big digital photography fan since Photoshop 3.0, all the way to CS. I recently switched to Elements at home mainly because of the price, and I have not been disappointed. PSE has virtually everything a hobbyist needs, plus several consumer-oriented features that the professional version doesn't have.
It has taken me some getting used to (from the professional version), but I really like what PSE can do. It is easy to organize and "quick fix" still images. I did my first slideshow completely in PSE, and it came out great - fades, titles, music, audio commentary, and pan & zoom effects. ...All without needing the manual or help section.
PREMIERE ELEMENTS 2.0 (PE): This is my first experience with a video editor. It is not nearly as intuitive as PSE is (at least to me), especially the pan & zoom effects. However, the more I use it, the more I realize just how much it can do above & beyond PSE. (NOTE: As some people mentioned, the Adobe manuals are virtually worthless, and help is only a little better. You have to go to the Adobe Forum to get your questions answered.)
I do not own a video camera. I simply wanted PE to integrate QuickTime movies (taken with my Nikon CoolPix 7600) into my slideshows. And now my slideshows will never be the same - movie clips, animated titles, music, and great control over tying everything together. Plus many of the features we've come to know and love (and need) in Photoshop (filters, adjustments, etc.) are now available for our videos in PE. I even used the posterize & spherize filters on a QuickTime movie. I've only just begun and my slideshows are already knocking people's socks off (OK, maybe just one sock, but I'm still learning. ...And I have MUCH to learn).
Finally, both programs integrate well with each other. I do the still image editing and organizing in PSE, then exported it to PE for the movie editing, soundtrack, pan & zoom, and titles. From there it's right to a DVD, then to the TV. No more slide projectors to lug around - a DVD is much easier to carry (and if someone doesn't have a DVD player, get one of those 7" portables to show it on). I was so impressed by the finished product, I found myself applauding when the "THE END" faded in. I think you'll love this software.
