Elements 6 to 9 worth the move?

I am considering moving from elements 6 to 9. I am pretty happy with 6 but I am looking to get another computer and think this could be the time to make the change. Will it run 64 bit on the newer computers?

I think it is definitely worth the upgrade. I have version 5 still around on my older laptop, and was using version 7 on my desktop (Win7 64 bit). Version 9 adds some very nice features including layer masks for pixel layers and content-aware fill. Adjustment layers are now (as of version 8) "live" meaning that as soon as you select the layer in the layers pallet you can access the controls, no need to double-click the controls box, which in the past versions locked you out (temporarily) from doing anything else with the image.

There are several new photomerge modes, including exposure.

Version 9 also does auto updates, including auto updates to Adobe Camera Raw, meaning no longer any need to separately download and install the ACR update manually.

Best of all, version 9 gives you access to Adobe Camera Raw 6.3. ACR 6.x does some things better than 5.x, and I suspect you are even stuck with version 4.x if you are using PSE6.

I should comment that content-aware fill is not a "magic bullet," but with some care and practice can work pretty well. As to whether PSE9 runs as a 64-bit program, I don't think so. It appears to me that it only sees a bit less than 4 GB of ram on my 8 GB system.

Thanks for the information. Right now I am trying to figure out what computer to go with and I notice most of them are 64 bit but I assume they will run programs less than 64 bit. I am tempted to go with Apple but I hate to learn a new system. Thanks again.

Rimmer wrote in post #11606103
Adjustment layers are now (as of version 8) "live" meaning that as soon as you select the layer in the layers pallet you can access the controls, no need to double-click the controls box, which in the past versions locked you out (temporarily) from doing anything else with the image.

I have PSE 6 & 7 and I don't know what you're talking about here; can you expand on that a little?

PSE6 uses ACR 5.6.

stlouis_26 wrote in post #11605800
I am considering moving from elements 6 to 9. I am pretty happy with 6 but I am looking to get another computer and think this could be the time to make the change. Will it run 64 bit on the newer computers?

Elements 9 is only available as a 32 bit (x86) application. It runs without issue on Windows 7 64 bit operating systems. Elements 9 is huge improvement over 6 and definitely worth the upgrade.

ncjohn wrote in post #11607004
I have PSE 6 & 7 and I don't know what you're talking about here; can you expand on that a little?...

I can try ... It's one of those things that is difficult to explain but is instantly understandable once you see it.

I'm going from memory regarding PSE7 here -- say you have an image and you add an adjustment layer (levels, for example). Now you want to change the settings on that adjustment layer, so you select it in the layers palette. But then, to actually access the settings you have to click on the "gear" icon on the palette and a window pops up with the layer's settings so you can change them. Then you make the changes and close the window.

In PSE8 and PSE9, when you select the adjustment layer in the layers palette, the settings for that layer immediately appear in-line at the bottom of the layers palette. Click on a different adjustment layer (brightness, say) and those settings (sliders) instantly appear.

I know that sounds like a really minor, subtle change, but it is a real enhancement for workflow effeciency, especially if you have multiple adjustment layers active, and once you have used it you won't want to go back. Instead of "click on layer, click-click open, set sliders, click close", it's just "click on layer, set sliders" and you're done and off to the next task.

Now, the one thing I don't recall is, in PSE7 when you have an adjustment layer settings window open, whether you can do any other actions until you dismiss it or not (things like zooming and scrolling, for example). Certainly, with PSE8 and 9 having an adjustment layer selected doesn't prevent you from navigating around the image. I may have misstated that point earlier, I'm not sure.

But why don't I just include an example?

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Rimmer wrote in post #11607622
I know that sounds like a really minor, subtle change, but it is a real enhancement for workflow effeciency, especially if you have multiple adjustment layers active, and once you have used it you won't want to go back. Instead of "click on layer, click-click open, set sliders, click close", it's just "click on layer, set sliders" and you're done and off to the next task.

Okay, I get it. I can see where that is kind of a big deal. Okay, let's see now... I got PSE6 free when I bought my printer, and E7 free when I bought my pen tablet... Wonder what I "need" to buy that'll come with E8 or E9?

There are things you can't do, but you can do those.
Thanks for the info.

Oh, yes -- there are supposed to be some big changes in the way the Organizer works, too. I really can't address those too much since I don't use the Organizer to a great degree, having long ago settled on my own way of organizing and manipulating files. ("Long ago" meaning going back to DOS 3.1!) When I do use it, though, I have found it to be much easier to get files into the organizer since it now displays your folder structure on the left side and you can just click a folder and tell it to import into the organizer. I sometimes use this to get a set of files into the Organizer to begin work, but I still use the Windows file system and Windows Explorer to import, sort, and organize files, and I don't keep anything in the Organizer once I am done processing it.

I just went from PSE 7 to PSE9, I never owned 8. I defintley am enjoying 9 much more. As Rimmer said, all updates are now automatic, it is not a huge thing, but I did not enjoy downloading new ACR, and installing it in the program folder myself, does it for me now.

Also in my opion, it seems to run faster, but maybe that my new faster computer, and also adobe has seems to improve the noise reduction in the past fews years from 7 to 9, so just to have noise removed, and to keep my image even just a tad sligthly sharper, it is was worth upgrading to me.

And last, I was also in the same boat as you, as considering an Apple. However, I stayed with a PC. I got a 17'' HP Envy, and have been very happy with it, except for still trying to work out the color managment, but I will take care of that......eventually

Hi - I have just bought v 9 (currently have v 6 loaded on pc) and have yet to load it on my pc.

Did you guys un-install the previous version on your pc before installing the new version?

I also presume whichever way you loaded it, that it didnt cause any problems?

Thanks.

Linda

I haven't uninstalled version 7 yet, but haven't used it since I installed 9. I still plan to, then put 7 on my laptop after uninstalling version 5.

Glad you asked; maybe I should do that today.

I have 6 and 7 both installed. Somewhere in the docs it says explicitly that that's okay. You just can't run both at the same time.

Rimmer wrote in post #11609789
("Long ago" meaning going back to DOS 3.1!)

Wow! You're old!

ncjohn wrote in post #11610512
I have 6 and 7 both installed. Somewhere in the docs it says explicitly that that's okay. You just can't run both at the same time.

Yes, I read in the piece of paper in the box its ok to have both loaded, but I think it might be better to just un-instal the old version because I cant imagine that I will be using it so its pointless having it loaded and taking up space.

I dont use the Organiser part so thats not a problem for me, but others might consider looking into whether the Organiser behaves differently/carries info over etc as this might be a problem for them.

Think I will un-instal my old version then.

Thanks.

Linda

ncjohn wrote in post #11610523
Wow! You're old!

Hey! You kids get off my lawn!