I got two great questions the other day about the differences between regular Photoshop and Photoshop Elements, and which to choose. I thought I’d do a full post on it (since it’s a subject I like talking about!), so let’s have a quick chat on the differences between the two programs.

Cost and Audiences

The first thing you’ll notice when comparing the two programs is the cost. Elements, at about $100 USD, is significantly less than Photoshop, which retails at around $700 USD. Why?

It has to do with audiences.

Photoshop was made for professionals – graphic designers, typographers, and pro photographers – so it’s got advanced menus and tools to help get their jobs done. Elements is geared towards pretty much everyone else – the average consumer, the amateur photographer, digital scrapbookers, etc. – so the menus and tools are redone, eliminated, or simplified to make them easier to understand. That’s why Elements costs so much less than Photoshop.

That doesn’t mean Elements isn’t powerful, because it absolutely is, nor is it a watered down version of Photoshop. Elements is a separate product designed for a separate purpose, and it’s powerful all on it’s own; it even has a lot of the same tools you can find in Photoshop. The biggest difference between the two is who is going to use it and what they are going to use it for; Photoshop is more for graphic design and creation, while Elements is geared towards photo editing. You can still create graphics in Elements (I do), and you can edit photos in Photoshop, no problem. They are similar but different programs, with some crossovers, but have different purposes.

Personally, I’ve used both, learned both, and have both on my computer, and I still favor Elements over Photoshop. I can do what I need to do faster and easier in Elements, and I like the way it works versus Photoshop. That’s just personal preference.

 

Tools, Menus, and Options

So, what’s different?

While both have similar tools, there are tools in Photoshop that have no equivalent in Elements. Things like: The Channels Palette, CMYK and LAB color modes, the Actions Palette, the Pen Tool, the Paths Palette, deeper Brush options, advanced color management, deeper/expanded Preferences options, web design features, deeper Text options, and more. If you don’t know what those things are, what they do, or why you need them, they are all tools that are essential to a graphic designer. Some of those PS tools have workarounds in Elements, but not all.

On the flip side, Elements has tools that Photoshop doesn’t have, too. The Cookie Cutter tool, different Photomerge modes, the Smart Brush Tool, and different editing modes are a few examples. These are generally photo editing tools that the average user might find helpful.

What’s the same, relatively speaking? The Layers Palette/Panel, The Tools Palette/Panel, History Palette/Panel, Adjustments Palette/Panel, being able to apply effects and actions, using Filters, using Curves, using text, the ability to create graphics, and more are present in both programs.  And that’s in no way a comprehensive list.

[Note: In Photoshop, the windows you see on the workspace is called a Palette; in Elements, that same window is called a Panel.]

 

Deciding which to use

If you haven’t bought an editing program yet, or aren’t sure what’s the best one for you, start by figuring out what you need. What do you plan to do? If you need to edit photos and want the ability to occasionally create graphics, go with Elements. For most people, that’s the program that makes the most sense, both for actual use and for your budget.

But if you’re getting into or studying graphic design or typography, Photoshop is the industry standard that most people are using (or at least familiar with), so consider that purchase an investment and go for it.

Ultimately, I hate seeing people spend good money for a program they aren’t really going to make the most of. There’s this aura of prestige in saying you work in Photoshop, and a kind of snobbery if you don’t. But the fact is, most people don’t need Photoshop; it’s a big program that can feel overwhelming if you don’t know what you’re doing, so why spend the money to ignore half of what it can do? If you think you still want it, I’d suggest starting with Elements first – both programs work the same way, and once you’ve learned Elements, you’ll have a better understanding of how Photoshop works if you ever do need to switch. Or, if you’re going to dive right in, try the 30 day trial from Adobe.

 

When to buy

Adobe puts out new versions of Elements every year, right around September or October. Sometimes, though, the newest version only has a few new things (like from 9 to 10 – there were really only a few differences between the two), so don’t feel like you have to upgrade every time. If money or budget is an issue, consider upgrading every other year or every two years.

As for Photoshop, the wait is slightly longer for new versions, roughly every two years for a complete version. CS5 was released in 2010, and CS6 should be out mid-2012. That said, Adobe released CS5.5 in 2011, and according to this article, even numbered years will see a full release, and odd numbered years will see a minor version update. The Photoshop releases generally happen in the spring and summer, but that’s a general timeline.

 

Other info

Use it on 2 computers: Both Photoshop and Elements have a security feature that allows you to activate it on 2 computers. In order to use it on a third computer, you’ll either have to deactivate one of the other computers, or buy a separate license.

No CMYK mode in Elements: Elements does pretty much everything I need to do, except for one thing – saving a file in the CMYK mode, which is the color mode for printing. Anything to do with light, including your computer monitor, uses the RGB color mode. When you create graphics for a project that’s going to be printed, like a business card, the final version should be saved in the CMYK mode so that the colors print correctly (so if you’ve ever gotten a batch of business cards back and the colors look off, it’s most likely because the file was an RGB file, not a CMYK file). My workarounds for this aren’t particularly elegant – I’ll either use an online converter, dig up a old copy of Photoshop to make that one tweak, or use a printer that accepts RGB files. I’m hoping one day Elements will include that particular color mode, but no idea if that will ever happen.

Which can I use actions in? Actions are hot these days, right, so which program can you use actions in? Both. But because there are menus in Photoshop that aren’t in Elements, you need to make sure that you buy and use actions for your specific program, or it won’t work. More designers are including Elements versions for their actions now, which is awesome, but not all do, so read the fine print when you come across an action. What if you want to make actions? You’d need Photoshop for that; Elements can use them, but can’t make them.

Free trials and a subscription option: Adobe offers a 30 day trial for the latest versions of both Photoshop and Elements, so if you aren’t convinced either is the right product for you, give them a try before buying. What if you know you want Photoshop, but the price tag is hard to swallow? Try the new subscription service from Adobe – this is where you can rent Photoshop (and other CS products) for a monthly fee. This lets me use Photoshop without the huge upfront investment, and I can turn off my month-to-month subscription if I find I’m not using Photoshop as much as I thought I would. The downside is that if I decide to buy the program outright later, all of those monthly charges won’t go towards my Photoshop purchase (that’s why I say it’s like renting the program).

 

Got a more specific question? Let me know in the comments!