So, if freeware can do all of these things, what puts Adobe above them? Here are some answers!

Photoshop Elements 6.0 has a few functions you just don't find with most free image editors. There is a function called photomerge. If you took 2 pictures of someone standing in the same pose, and one looked great, but their eyes were closed and the other one had bad lighting, you can actually blend the photos together, to make the perfect picture!

You can also make your own calendars, well sort of. Adobe has partnered with Kodak for a Photo Calendar feature. You can upload your pictures and then be directed to a Web site to fix the layout, and for a small fee, your custom-built calendar is sent to you!

Elements also offers a "guided edit" tutorial. It takes you through the basics of photo editing, giving you tips and assistance to alter your images to make them look their best! However, it lacked in this area, because although it assisted you, you still had to figure some things out by yourself. Also, not all the features users may want to learn were offered in the guided edit. There are links to direct you to the Internet, where live Adobe specialists are ready to answer your questions.

The Guided Edit function taught me some important tools used in image editing. Look at Figure E to see four vases on a shelf, with unsightly shelf hardware showing.

FIGURE E

With Elements, you can point and click to remedy this problem. There is no color choosing and no headache! Click picture for a larger image.

Now compare with Figure F.

FIGURE F

Even close up, the bracket has been erased from behind the vase. No eyesore here! Click picture for a larger image.

That's all for now
This product deserves 4 out of 5 stars. A few reasons this product doesn't get a perfect rating are...

The instruction booklet is pretty small. Detailed instructions are available on the Web, and you can even pay for some extra information, but when you're learning image editing, it's nice to have the instructions in front of you, in print. This way, you don't have to flip back and forth between Web pages to find information, and then apply them to the program. That's my opinion anyway.

I would have also liked to see colorful examples in the booklet, instead of just black and white. Cognitive beginners like myself rely on examples to help us learn and gather our own creative ideas.

Overall, I was satisfied using Adobe Photoshop Elements 6.0 as my image editor. I would recommend it to anyone looking for a reasonably priced program ($99) to create, edit and easily share your photography.

Stay tuned next month for the sequel to this article. This program was a 2-disk set, and next time I'll be taking Adobe's Premier Elements 4.0 our for a digital video editing test drive!

OUR RATING: 4 of 5

Cari Cooney is a freelance writer from Iowa. She has over 50 articles published to the web and can be reached at CariCooney27@gmail.com