Difference Between Photoshop and Photoshop Elements
Adobe photoshop elements is a beginner’s software which is aimed for first-timer photographers, creative editors, and non-professionals. Simple software that allows the user to edit, organize, create and share photos. It is easy to use software that provides tracking of thousands of folders by organizing them according to date, time, smart tags and places. Basically, one can use this program, for it has automated and progressive editing, spending more time on creativity rather than doing everything manually. Adobe Photoshop is a professional software loaded with complex editing and advanced features. It may not be wrong to say that; it is a much time-consuming software with a bank of editing that is quite difficult to use for entry-level editors. Photoshop is more of a senior software as it was launched back in 1988 by American brothers; Thomas and John Knoll. To date, it has been hugely updated and had become vast and is the medium for all complex photo editing.
Head To Head Comparison Between Photoshop and Photoshop Elements (Infographics)
Below is the top 7 difference between Photoshop vs Photoshop Elements:
Key Differences Between Photoshop and Photoshop Elements
Both are recommended options in the business. Let us examine some of the key difference:
- Photoshop Elements is usually designed for simple photo editing, for people who are not experts and for fast edits, whereas Photoshop is a bit difficult software in comparison and is also used by experts.
- Photoshop Elements is an inbuilt organizer that sorts photos based on different parameters like date, people, subject and more. The auto curate feature helps the user to find photos of distinct attributes like smart tags, tags and more. Whereas Photoshop doesn’t have an organizer, it uses Adobe Bridge to manage many photos.
- Photoshop Elements cannot export files in CMYK format, thus lacking print production work. It is also a simple color management program and cannot be used for printing purposes. Whereas photoshop can save files in CMYK & RGB color modes and has a detailed color management theory.
- Photoshop Elements has a huge variety of incorporated edits that helps the user to edit the background of the image in just one click and allows, overlay effect, creating double exposures, photo painting, multiple effects to photos, photos to text conversion, panoramas, group shots and many more with just one click. Whereas with Photoshop, everything has to be done manually.
- Photoshop is a predecessor to Photoshop Elements, and since Photoshop came early, it is quite well known among people. Also, Photoshop gives the user to work on the minimal detail of the image, going down to an induvial pixel. Whereas Photoshop Elements is basically used for a group or an induvial image.
- Photoshop Elements is an advantage to beginners as it has everything that a person, without any knowledge of editing, would like to have in software. Some of the great features of Photoshop Elements are camera shake removal, fine-tune filters, crop suggestions, red-eye removal, etc. while photoshop is also loaded with a lot of effects, but it takes time for a beginner to understand the features.
- Some of the features of Photoshop that are not included in Photoshop Elements are actions, advanced text formatting, pen tool, advanced color management, lens blur filter, smart objects and many more.
- Photoshop Elements allows the user to edit photos with accuracy and is also faster than Photoshop. For example, it allows the user to copy open eyes from one photo and merges them into the photo in which someone blinked. The user can also perform these kinds of effects in photoshop as well, but it will be manual to do so.
- Photoshop Elements allows the user to share the edited and magnified images directly to social media as calendars, collages, slideshows, etc., whereas photoshop doesn’t have this feature of sharing directly; rather, it uses Adobe bridge.
Photoshop vs Photoshop Elements Comparison Table
Let’s look at the top comparison–
| The Basis of Comparison |
Photoshop |
Photoshop Elements |
| About | Photoshop is pixel-based software. | It is a photo processor and manager with a lot of inbuilt effects. |
| Usage | It is used by users who are well known to the world of editing and are experts. | It is used by entry-level editors and beginners. |
| Performance-based on nature of work. | Photoshop is software for much-detailed work that requires the user to work manually. | Photoshop Elements is software that is used for simple and fast edits. |
| Performance-based on time management. | Since the user must work manually on everything, it is time-consuming software. | Since there are a lot of guided edits present in Photoshop Elements, the automatic edits also allow the user to function and work in a speedy manner. |
| Performance-based on effects and plug-ins | Photoshop has a huge number of plugins and effects, but it takes time for the user to understand where and how to use them. | Photoshop Elements doesn’t have all the plugins present in photoshop, but those which are present are easy to understand and use. |
| Target Audience | Photoshop is generally used by almost everyone. And it is also well known. But still, it targets people who are professionals and experienced in their fields. | Since Photoshop Elements came late, it is still not known by a lot of people. But surely, it targets most of the general audience that is not into serious editing and are freshers in their fields. |
| Performance-based on the productivity of work | Though Photoshop is time-consuming software but still the quality of work that it gives cannot be compared to any other raster program. | Photoshop Elements is a fast software and has default features. So, we can say it is more used for work that has a huge quantity of images. It gives accurate results as well. |
Conclusion
Both Photoshop vs Photoshop Elements are a winner, and it depends on the quantity as well as the quality of the work for its usage. Photoshop may be the Big Brother to Photoshop Elements, but Photoshop Elements is no less than its predecessor. All that matters is the audience that is using the software and the type of work that they are using for.
Presently, we have photoshop that has a lot of effects that are not included in Photoshop Elements, whereas Photoshop Elements also consists of some automatic organization of photos that is not available in Photoshop.
So, we can say that both target different audiences with different nature of work, and both Photoshop vs Photoshop Elements are experts in themselves.
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