Elements 4 and levels

[malcom]

I don't have this version yet. I am using an old version of photoshop LE (Came free with a digi cam 5 years ago.)

Simple question. Does elements 4 like photoshop LE have "Levels" both manual and auto!! Also does it have curves. I have not been able to locate a full specification of exactly what functions Elements 4 has......If anyone can point me to a web site/page that has a break down of exactly what Elements offers it would be useful. Regards.....

[troush]

Elements 4.0 does NOT have curves, and they have disabled the secret (or not so secret) back-door access to it. Elements 3.0 DOES have curves if you get Richard Lynch's book (Hidden Photoshop Elements 3.0). They both have levels adjustments.

-Trish

[kayser]

Malcom- Also, you might want to download the trial version and see what you think; it's available on the adobe site.

There's also some background info on PSE4 features in the learning center here:


http://www.photoshopelementsuser.com/learningcenter/

[MikeH]

Does elements 4 like photoshop LE have "Levels" both manual and auto!! Also does it have curvesPSE4 (and PSE3 for that matter) has Levels, both manual and Auto, including for individual R,G & B channels.

Elements 4.0 does NOT have curves, and they have disabled the secret (or not so secret) back-door access to it. Elements 3.0 DOES have curves if you get Richard Lynch's book (Hidden Photoshop Elements 3.0). They both have levels adjustments.Curves can be added to PSE3 by installing Grant's Tools - which are free:

http://www.cavesofice.org/~grant/Challenge/Tools/index.html

There is a Curves plug-in for Windows versions of PSE at http://www.mehdiplugins.com but it only has 8 presets, so it won't work like Photoshop.

Mike

[Wendy]

Hi Malcolm ..

... and welcome to the forum :)

Wendy

[malcom]

Many thanks for the welcome and info. I suppose it would be ok to have both my old version photoshop LE and Elements 4 on my system!! Or would there be a software clash!!!??

I had thought of downloading a trial version of Elements 4 however i am almost ready for updating my computer to replace the very very poorly one I have at present. :D .

I recently tried downloading some Epson free software and my system crashed big time...So I won't risk finishing it of with another software download.

I have just treated myself to a Nikon D50 so when I have updated my sysrem no doubt I will be talking with you good people in the near future. Regards.. malcom..

[Wendy]

Hi Malcolm ...

Quite a few of us have more than one version of Elements and/or Photoshop on our computers and there doesn't seem to be any clashes :)

In view of your computer problems it probably is a wise move waiting until it is sorted out before downloading the demo ..

... how are you liking the new camera?

Wendy

[Daviskw]

Hi Malcom

Just an additional commit.... Adobe support says it is ok to have PE3 and PE4 on your system at the same time but they recommend not running them at the same time. I guess that should also apply in your situation.

Butch

[malcom]

Thanks again...So two pieces of photoshop software it will be.

@ Wendy. Only had the D50 for a couple of weeks. First impressions. "Fantastic". Not done a proper session with it yet partly because of my comp which is struggling to process photo files.....It took 20 minutes for a RAW file to convert to JPG and that was in between crashes. As things are the system is only good enough for a bit of internet browsing and even then it crashes.

In the past I have dabbled as a pure amature with the now I regard old fashioned colour printing with film and chemicals. Frankly I am one who is glad to see the back of the old technology and think digital photograph is "Fantastic" with the creative flexibility that is at hand compared to "smelly" chemicals. :D So as you see unlike some photo traditionalists i am a convert to digital.

It's only recently that Digital SLR's have come into my price bracket. The D50 being regarded as "entry level" is for my amature and enlargement needs just ideal......Regards. Malcom.

[Wendy]

Hi Malcolm ...

I have the Canon Rebel and have loved it from the moment I picked it up ...

I was so fed up with film that I gave up taking photographs for quite a while then my husband bought a small Kodak Digital camera and I was hooked. Wasn't long before I bought the Canon :)

Wendy

[malcom]

In my film SLR days I have had and still have the canon A1 camera. Now a very old beast with no auto focus. A few years ago I got the Nikon 995 digi cam. Nice camera but compared to an SLR i never really felt like I was holding a camera. It has not had a great deal of use...Instead i have been busy scanning years of negs and slides (Mainly family stuff) into my computer and restoring and enlarging etc which took an eternity to complete. No wonder my computer has gone into convulsions now on a regular basis. :D

[troush]

Malcom,

I have the D50 and love it. Have you been to nikonians.org? Be careful, or you'll get NAS (Nikon Acquistion Syndrom)...

The computer upgrade will definitely help.

-Trish

[TonyW]

Hi Malcolm: If that really is the original Photoshop LE that you have then I suspect that once you try Elements you won't want to keep LE around - as I recall LE became Elements 1 and things have improved a lot since. I do believe the original LE didn't have multiple undos/redos - I can't imagine living without that vital feature ;)

Tony

[malcom]

Hi TonyW. Yep it seems I have the original LE version. No multiple undos/redos. There was also a problem with the "gamma" in photoshop LE. Picture brightness looked normal in LE but when viewed in other viewers or printed came out to dark. Don't know much about the technicalities but I remember reading at the time about a "Gamma setting problem with LE. Still it was free with the camera I got at a good price at the time.

I have another question about Elements 4.

I understand it handles/converts the "RAW" files from the Nikon D50. With the software supplied with the D50 "RAW" files can only be converted to JPGs (Unless I am missing something). Does elements 4 or any other "RAW" converter give the choice of converting to a file format other than the loss format JPG. A lossless format like TIFF for example...Malcom.

[PaulH]

Hi TonyW. Yep it seems I have the original LE version. No
I have another question ab
I understand it handles/converts the "RAW" files from the Nikon D50. With the software supplied with the D50 "RAW" files can only be converted to JPGs (Unless I am missing something). Does elements 4 or any other "RAW" converter give the choice of converting to a file format other than the loss format JPG. A lossless format like TIFF for example...Malcom.

Tiff - and many others. I'm sure somewhere online it lists them all - but it is a pretty big dropdown :)

[malcom]

@ PaulH Am i right in assuming that "RAW" files have to be converted after proccessing to another format file format before they can be printed from.???

[GaryK]

Tony

You have to use the undo button???? :D :D

[TonyW]

Tony

You have to use the undo button???? :D :D
Me? No - I use a zip :rolleyes:

Tony

[GaryK]

:eek: :eek: :D :D

[PaulH]

@ PaulH Am i right in assuming that "RAW" files have to be converted after proccessing to another format file format before they can be printed from.???

True - but unless you use Nikon Capture (or or of the other raw converters) and print them yourself you need to use something to modify the levels,saturation,sharpening, etc.

None of the in-camera raw settings are read by PSE - so you have to use it to get the contra set,etc.

If you print yourself just print from PSE then save the .psd file. If you send them to someone save as tiff or jpeg.

[cab]

I had a question about downloading Photoshop Elements 4.0 when I already had Photoshop Elements 3.0 that I think you guys have answered here, but I want to clarify. My understanding is that if I download the free trial of 4.0 version and already have 3.0 they will be separate (4.0 won't override my 3.0 and get rid of it in other words). Am I correct? I don't want to lose anything I have in 3.0 and am using in there.

[Yno]

They are completely separate programs, you can have both on your computer at once. You can only run one at a time, however.

[cab]

Great thanks for the info! I may get the tryout version then and go from there to see if I want to get the 4.0 version.

[Wendy]

Hi there ...

They are separate programs but as Yno said you can only have one running at a time (if you are a Windows user) ...

... for some reason Mac users can have different versions running at the same time :)

Wendy

[noreen]

A plugin for Curves for Elements 2 & 3 for Mac and PC is available for free download from www.luminouslandscape.com. This site has lots of other useful stuff too.

Noreen

[Wendy]

Hi Noreen ...

... and welcome to the forum :)

You can get a full set of free extra tools for Elements 2 and 3 (which includes Curves) from http://www.cavesofice.org/~grant/Challenge/Tools/index.html

There is also a cut down version for Elements 4 ... sadly Adobe blocked the way that curves was accessed in so curves isn't available in the PSE4 set ...

(Thank you Grant for providing these :) )

Wendy

[Dee Dee Warren]

I am glad I read this, now I know to keep PSE3 on my system when I install PSE4. Is there anything I need to know about how to do that when I go to load PSE4? Does it ask me if I want to keep the old version?

[Wendy]

Hi Dee Dee ...

They are two separate programs so you can just install PSE4 and it won't overwrite PSE3 ... :)

Wendy