Adobe Photoshop Elements 4 review: Adobe Photoshop Elements 4

Rarely do I encounter a piece of software so well designed that words fail me (at least until my editor pointed out that she wouldn't pay me for a "words failed me" review). So, I'll say this: if you need a phenomenal image editor and organizer package, buy Adobe Photoshop Elements 4. And if you're thinking of taking up video editing, get the bundle with Adobe Premiere Elements 2.

Adobe Photoshop Elements 4 is more than just a scaled-down version of Adobe Photoshop. Aside from the fact it makes the feature set and interface comprehensible to non-graphic-designer types, the program incorporates automatic image enhancements and extremely intelligent selection tools that are missing in Photoshop. However, Photoshop users will find both the tools and the features familiar in both appearance and effect. I actually prefer Elements 4 for editing photos--it's a bit easier to browse around and perform quick fixes. And though it's a tiny bit sluggish, especially when loading the different work spaces, we turn to Photoshop only for batch operations or sophisticated color correction. Alas, this version drops Windows 2000 support, and the Mac version is "in the works." Otherwise, Elements is just about perfect for Windows XP users.