Essentials 2

[mhstein]

I just purchases Elements 6.0 and i was wondering if anybody has ever tried the additional software that can be purchased called Essentials 2 from a company called ONONESOFTWARE.

Does it really make a big difference with the final results after using Elements 6.0.

[epaul6]

Yes I have tried a couple of the 4 add-ons in essentials 2 by OnOne. I use the make it better feature which is like taking an eye test. It presents 2 pictures and you click on the one you like. It then keeps that one and gives you another one to choose from. At the end it shows you the original and lets you select the new one or the original. I tried cut it out and even watched the tutorials but have not been able to make selections I like. I usually use the magnetic lasso and follow up with the selection brush which works fine for me.

My favorite feature however is the rnlarge it add-on (or whatever they call it). I made a family collague which had 13 pictures on a 20 by 30 background. I guess my computer could not handle that many pixels at 300 ppi so I had to reduce the resolution to about 150. The Costco said not enogh pixels to print so I tried enlarge it. It worked great. I also tried some of the frames which are fun. Tons to choose from.

All in all I am happy with it. I want ot work on my cut it out technique as the tutorial is amazing.

[efarnstrom]

Here is an example of the "make it better". A few clicks and it does make it better!!

http://www.pixentral.com/hosted/1rbOgFr7WgzAVtGebKK2zIW3wJeCT1_thumb.jpg (http://www.pixentral.com/show.php?picture=1rbOgFr7WgzAVtGebKK2zIW3wJeCT1)

[Wendy]

Wow Esther ...

That really has made a hugh difference :)

Must admit that I have been thinking about getting this software but seeing your results has made me think that I really should get it soon ..

Wendy

[Inspeqtor]

Esther,

I tried the make it better on a photo that was greatly yellowed, but I did not get the results you did. I saw very little improvement unfortunately :(

[efarnstrom]

Esther,

I tried the make it better on a photo that was greatly yellowed, but I did not get the results you did. I saw very little improvement unfortunately :(

Some of them turn out well and others don't. In fact, some taken that same day were not nearly as good as this one. Even so, those were better than I could get with my {limited} knowledge of photo improvements. It might be the subject matter...this one had definite lines between the colors.

The other sections of the program have merit. The selection tool looks better than the new one in v6. The frames are so/so. I tried the enlargements and got good results. They permit an enlargement up to 400%. Of course, you can stretch that to another 400% of the first enlargement, etc., to see what it does. Since I only print standard size paper, I took a 4"x6" up to full paper size and was impressed with the result.

[epaul6]

Whenever I have a color cast as the example shown I try Matt's method
Duplicate background (Cntrl J) ---On the duplicatedlayer choose:
Filter>Blur>Average then
Filter>adjustment>invert (cntrl I)
Change blend mode to Overlay
You may have to lower the opacity but in this case in my little test I duplicated the layer again then lowered that layer to 50% opacity.

[BigJohnDoe]

Can Essentials make your pictures look better? Absolutely.
Does it do anything that can't be done in the Photoshop Elements core product? I don't believe so.
Would I recommend Essentials 2? Yes. If you're the impatient type like I am, and you want to improve your pictures as fast as possible, Essentials will significantly reduce the time it takes to do that.

[efarnstrom]

Whenever I have a color cast as the example shown I try Matt's method
Duplicate background (Cntrl J) ---On the duplicatedlayer choose:
Filter>Blur>Average then
Filter>adjustment>invert (cntrl I)
Change blend mode to Overlay
You may have to lower the opacity but in this case in my little test I duplicated the layer again then lowered that layer to 50% opacity.

Thanks for the helpful information. I will try that on those stubborn photos that just won't do what I want them to do!

[GaryK]

Esther

I like the frames in E2.. mind you, my frame making is sub par so this is a good way to go for me.:D

[efarnstrom]

Esther
I like the frames in E2.. mind you, my frame making is sub par so this is a good way to go for me.:D

Thanks for giving me the incentive to go back for a second, more complete, look at the frames. You are absolutely right, there are scads of different effects that outdo anything I can manufacture.

[GaryK]

Esther

there are a ton of frames to start .. then you can scale/colour/shadow/glow
..Lots of different things you can do.:D

[BillandCat]

I find that the "cut it out" which is selecting, is super when there is a sharp contrast, such as leaves against a clear sky. Other than that, as far as selecting goes, I jump back and forth from elements and essentials. Love the frames- haven't really tried the other two functions. My comment---I like it and use it' BillandCat

[GaryK]

Bill

I haven't tried the cut out or the make it better. I love the frames as well and the blowitup seemed to work but I had a really poor photo to start with so there was some noticable grain.:)

[Quag]

I'm curious as to how this Essentials ties in with PSE.

How do you get your photos to this program? Is it like clicking on a photo in the Organizer and instead of clicking on the Editor you click on this software's icon?

And when you are done with the photo is it saved as a PSD file and automatically returned to PSE's Organizer? Are the edited files stored in PSE's catalog?

Just wondering if it's worth investigating and whether going back and forth to PSE is simple enough.

Thanks for any input.

Quag

[sarch99]

OnOne Essentials 2 is a plugin. I haven't used it from Organizer, but I access it from within Editor. It has its own palette. I just duplicate the background, click on the OnOne feature I want to use, and OnOne opens in a separate window. When I am finished, I hit apply, save, ok (whatever it is - I'm not in front of it), and you are returned to Editor with the revised image. If you get it, I highly recommend printing the instructions off the CD, particularly the Cut It Out instructions. I couldn't figure out Cut it Out until I read them...imagine that! :)

[Quag]

Thanks for your input sarch99.:)