This is a preliminary review of these very important products. We're giving the products point scores now, but they may move up or down over time as we get to know the products better. Honestly, based on our first impressions, we hope that more time with the products gives us a better impression than the one we've got today.

Adobe Photoshop Elements 7
Make ordinary photos extraordinary with Adobe Photoshop Elements 7. Elements combines power and simplicity so you can tell engaging stories in beautiful, personalized creations for print and the web; and easily find and view all your photos.

Create a personal Web travelogue for friends and family, or view and share your photos on an interactive map based on the locations where they were taken. Create online with your choice of dynamic, animated templates.

Connected Photographer's evaluation
Elements is the entry-level version of the fabulous Photoshop. Our preliminary testing showed Photoshop Elements 7 to run a tad bit slower than Elements 6, but we'll explore that more fully over time. We were somewhat concerned by the overwhelming focus of Photoshop Elements 7 on the online Photoshop.com service, which has a subscription fee.

There are some new editing features, including one that removes unwanted elements from a scene and another than cleans up group shots, but our first impression is that Photoshop Elements 7 is really Photoshop Elements 6.1 with a pitch for an online subscription service. You can get Elements 7 for as low as $79, but we recommend getting the package we discuss further on in this article.

Adobe Photoshop Elements 7, produced by Adobe, has a retail price of $99.99. We give Adobe Photoshop Elements 7 a rating of 3 out of 5.

OUR RATING: 3 of 5