Adobe Photoshop Elements is a raster image editing product. Targeted at hobbyists and consumers, it is sold at a fraction (roughly 1⁄6) of the cost of its professional sibling, Adobe Photoshop CS. It contains most of the features of the professional version but with fewer and simpler options. The program allows users to create, edit, organize and share images, all from the same product.
 | |
 Adobe Photoshop Elements 7 | |
| Developer(s) | Adobe Systems |
|---|---|
| Stable release | 11.0 / September 25, 2012 |
| Operating system | Microsoft Windows and Mac OS X |
| Type | Raster graphics editor |
| License | Commercial proprietary software |
| Website | www.adobe.com/products/photoshop-elements.html |
Originally introduced alongside Photoshop version 6, Photoshop Elements targets photography enthusiasts and thus lacks many features that make it useful in a proper print production environment.[1] For example, Photoshop Elements cannot export files in the CMYK color mode (without using a third-party plug-in), supports a simplified color management system, and excludes detailed soft-proofing. It also either eliminates completely or offers simplified versions of some of the more powerful plug-ins, and instead has a number of features aimed at non-experts (such as removing the red-eye effect or changing the skin tone in a picture). An example of a redesigned feature would be the Variations correction dialog. Some versions can, however, open, edit, and save PDFs.
Photoshop LE (Limited Edition) was Adobe's consumer raster image editing product prior to the introduction of Elements. Photoshop LE had similar limitations to Elements.
Adobe has also released a new free image editing web application, Adobe Photoshop Express, with many more limitations than Adobe Photoshop Elements.
Versions
| Version | Released for Windows | Released for Mac | Following Photoshop Version |
|---|---|---|---|
| Photoshop 4 LE | ~1996 | ~1996 | |
| Photoshop 5 LE | ~1999 | ~1999 | 5.5 February 1999 |
| 1 | April 2001 | April 2001 | 6.0 September 2000 |
| 2 | August 2002 | 2002 | 7.0 March 2002 |
| 3 | October 2004 | 2004 | CS October 2003 |
| 4 | October 2005 | 2006 | CS2 April 2005 |
| 5 | October 2006 | - | |
| 6 | October 2007 | 2008 | CS3 April 2007 |
| 7 | October 2008 | - | CS4 September 23, 2008 |
| 8 | September 2009 | September 2009 | |
| 9 | September 2010 | September 2010 | CS5 April 30, 2010 |
| 10 | September 2011 | September 2011 | |
| 11 | September 2012 | September 2012 | CS6 May 7, 2012 |