When we talk about editing photos and making photomontages, the first program that comes to mind is Photoshop. This Adobe software has been the market leader since 1990, and, with 31 years in the making, it is the most complete and professional program that we can find (and also the most expensive). In addition to the Creative Cloud suite, Adobe offers users another more accessible program called “Elements”, also focused on photo editing. And, although they are both “Photoshop”, they are totally different programs. So which one should I choose?
Adobe Photoshop CC: the most complete
Of course, the ” Creative Cloud ” option is the most complete that we can find. This edition is the one that allows us to squeeze the full potential of this editing and design suite, offering us the tools that we usually find in any other editing program, and allowing us to make a composition from scratch to modify the color of any photograph, remove elements from photos … the limit is set by our imagination.
The new versions of this program also have Sensei’s Artificial Intelligence, which helps us to perform certain tasks in a much easier way, such as selecting objects and elements, or changing the sky of a photo and making it look real.
The drawbacks of this edition are that if we don’t have a lot of time or a certain level of knowledge, its tools can be very great. We may not even know how to start. And the full potential of the program will be wasted. In addition, we cannot forget the price, and that is, in order to use it, we have to pay, yes or yes, 12 euros per month. And there is no option to buy the program forever.
Photoshop Elements: the fast, simple and “cheap” alternative
On the other hand, Adobe offers us another program much more designed to walk around the house: Elements . This program, although it shares the name with the Adobe suite, is something totally different. This program is designed to be able to edit photos quickly, either automatically, thanks to AI, or through a very fast and simple wizard that will help us in the process of editing and retouching the photos.
Instead of entering a blank canvas, this program shows us a very simple interface with the different tasks that we can perform, from changing the color of a photo to removing objects or applying, with a couple of clicks, all kinds of effects.
The advantages of this program is that it is not necessary to have advanced knowledge about editing, since the program takes care of everything. In addition, it has a much more affordable price than Photoshop CC, and is that for 100 euros we have a license for life, without renewals. Its main disadvantage is that a new version comes out every year, and we have to pay for the license again if we want to take advantage of its advantages.
So which one should I choose?
The answer depends on two factors. On the one hand, we must think about what we are going to do with the program. If what we want is professional editing, and we have enough knowledge for it, Creative Cloud is the right program for our task, since it also complies with everything that Elements allows us to do, although the process is more complicated and manual. If we are only going to make simple retouching to the photos, and we do not want complications, then Elements is much faster, simpler and more affordable.
And, secondly, we must be clear that Elements is not a program to “draw”, or to make photomontages. So if we are going to perform these tasks, then we are going to have to go, yes or yes, through Creative Cloud.
