Photoshop Elements VS Adobe Photoshop - Which One is Better?

There's a lot of discussion about whether Photoshop Elements or Adobe Photoshop is better.
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There's a lot of discussion about whether Photoshop Elements or Adobe Photoshop is better. It really comes down to your needs. The obvious difference in Photoshop Elements vs Adobe Photoshop is the price. Photoshop Elements is a one payment program and Adobe Photoshop is a subscription payment plan, plus it is far more expensive. So can Photoshop Elements beat out Adobe Photoshop in my review? You will have to watch to find out.
00:00 Photoshop Elements VS Adobe Photoshop - Which One is Better?
00:25 Price Comparison
03:39 Feature Comparison Examples
06:32 How could Photoshop Elements be better than Adobe Photoshop?
08:24 Why you may need Adobe Photoshop
10:08 The differences between programs is what is important
11:02 Like Share Subscribe
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[@HTGGeorge]

➡ Check out my New Tool that makes learning Photoshop Elements Super Easy! Here is my video about it on my HTG Photo channel kzbin.info/www/bejne/Y5StY3Ssnr-Bf5o

[@sharonwinters1054]

Ive become proficient with Elements & have been considering a monthly Photoshop subscription. Nope. Your video saved me some big bucks! Thank you!!!

[@HTGGeorge]

You're welcome! And don't miss my new photo channel where I am now posting all of my new PSE videos www.youtube.com/@HTGPhoto

[@HTGGeorge]

🔴 If you enjoyed this video show your support by clicking on the Thanks button

[@symunir9022]

Thank you. It’s an excellent and concise comparison. Much appreciate it.🙏

[@HTGGeorge]

Glad it was helpful!

[@HTGGeorge]

I am now posting all new Photoshop Elements videos over on my 2nd KZbin channel www.youtube.com/@HTGPhoto. Check it out.

[@chrystyan913]

Hola! Busco un programa donde pueda meter fotos y de manera automática me forme un video de presentación para cumpleaños, algo así como hacen esas aplicaciones para teléfonos, existe algo así?

[@Paul-zs7rd]

Great video - all the info I need. Photoshop Elements by a landslide! Big thanks.

[@HTGGeorge]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@antonzvanut9542]

Honestly, PSE is all I need for my photos and my passion for photography. Occasionally, since the time of starting with PSE_8 I continue trying alternatives, but when it is necessary to do it right, I use PSE. Not to mention the package Elements+ that significantly narrows the gap between PS and PSE for a bargain. Eventually I buy a new version of PSE only when I want that the respective app ACR compiles the RAW format of my new camera. And luckily there is always at hand HTG George in case I have to learn or re-learn about PSE!

[@HTGGeorge]

Thanks Anton, I agree, even though I have Adobe Photoshop I do 90% of my work in Photoshop Elements because I just like it better.

[@ZedTBear]

Great synopsis! I use PSE for the ‘fun’ reason and therefore the cloud-based PS subscription version is a NO-go for me. I haven’t bothered to really look at the “Quick” and “Guided” edits. Now you have piqued my interest.

[@HTGGeorge]

Thanks Zed! The Quick edits are a great timesaver if you are in a hurry and the Guided edits are a great way to get into more creative stuff easily. You should also check out the Elements Plus plugin which costs under $20 and makes PSE much more like PS.

[@febeleven]

I prefer the Elements, much easier to learn and work with! It's user friendly. I'm still earning new things by watching your videos and Thanks George! I have tried Photoshop and I was confused. I'll stay with Elements

[@HTGGeorge]

Photoshop has a much higher learning curve and I only recommend it for professionals who need the power.

[@jimwar1890]

Thank you. Your video really answered my questions about which version to purchase. I’m a beginner and Elements sounds perfect. Again, thank you.

[@HTGGeorge]

Glad it was helpful!

[@HTGGeorge]

Also check out my other channel just for graphics training: www.youtube.com/@HTGPhoto

[@DrinkingStar]

Excellent video.

[@HTGGeorge]

Thank you very much!

[@quiettornado1970]

I was trained in Photoshop professional version so I like it to have the same setting and layout even if it maybe used for personal reasons.

[@HTGGeorge]

Photoshop Elements is very similar in a lot of ways to Adobe Photoshop, just a lot less powerful.

[@nigstar1239]

Same...

[@MrMoonpie001]

Great comparison between the two platforms, although PS and Lightroom have gotten quite a bit better over the last year, I just hope Adobe spreads a bit of that majac down our way! I look forward to a pretty robust edition for 2024 coming out in the fall of this year. I did pass on the 2023 version. Thank you for all you do! Rich

[@HTGGeorge]

You're welcome Rich! I really don't expect Adobe to be putting any love towards Photoshop Elements, the profit margins just aren't as good as with Adobe Photoshop. Plus, with Adobe Photoshop they have an almost guaranteed monthly income, no garantees when purchases for PSE will happen. Their accountants must love that subscription model.

[@davidpearson3304]

One slight issue…the photo plan is actually 9.99 per month if you only get the 20gb of online storage. The 19.99 is for the 1tb of storage. So the price is actually only about $20 more for LR and PS over elements

[@HTGGeorge]

HI David, true, but the $9.99 price is buried, so I went with the more obvious listed price. Besides I personally don't know of anyone (except myself) who upgrades Photoshop Elements every year. I only do the upgrade so that I can make current videos here on KZbin. If I wasn't doing that I would only upgrade about every third year or so. So the price issue still holds true. I didn't really go into it in the video but people also don't want a subscription plan, if the cost were the same put Photoshop was on subscription many people would still opt for Photoshop Elements. No one likes monthly bills.

[@Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm554]

i can sell Adobe Photoshop Elements 2024 year cheap if you would like

[@360misc]

Very useful info - I'll stick with elements - thanks!

[@HTGGeorge]

You're welcome!

[@mikeh.4503]

Hey George, Not a 100% related question: I was just re-installing Elements on my new PC and I'm pretty sure that I had the layer adjustments opening on top of the layer panel and not left to it (which is default). Maybe you know what I mean: For example clicking 'Levels' in the layer panel opens up the Levels adjustment box to the left. I was sure that I had it above the layers (in the panel). Or did I dream this? Or was it only in Photoshop?

[@HTGGeorge]

In PSE the adjustments panel is a floating panel. PSE doesn't stack panels on the right side, that is Photoshop.

[@mikeh.4503]

@@HTGGeorge ah ok, then it was in my old Photoshop version :) Thanks!

[@precociousmonkeyproductions]

Does Elements have colour lookup? LUTS? And can I add a layer mask to layers? I was also curious if the hot keys are the same? Does command J copy to new layer? Command I invert? Etc…. I take it from the video there is no 16 bit RAW editing either? That maybe a deal breaker right there lol 🍻

[@HTGGeorge]

Elements works in 8 bit RGB mode only. Many of the keyboard shortcuts are the same but PSE only has about 1/4 the amount that PS has. Sounds like you are on a Mac, PSE works best on Windows. The ctrl+j and crtl+i both do the same thing in PSE. And, PSE does not use LUTs, although you can add limited ability to use LUTS by adding the ElementsPlus plug in. If you are working at all professionally then the only choice is Adobe Photoshop.

[@JAnn319]

Hi. Does the element have Oil Painting and Water Color painting effect features? THANKS

[@HTGGeorge]

PSE has a good Watercolor filter, but not an Oil Painting filter. I did a video a few years ago on how to get that paint on canvas look here kzbin.info/www/bejne/rpi2hKadZdSZmJI. And check out my new channel for Photoshop Elements, all of my new videos for PSE are going up here now and I am doing an updated version of this video today or tomorrow. www.youtube.com/@HTGPhoto

[@williamschubele2542]

Can both remove or mitigate the flash glow from the eyes in pictures or is PS better able to do this compared to PSE?

[@HTGGeorge]

Both PSE and PS do the same thing. No real difference between programs for red eye removal.

[@robertstane5823]

Hi, I just bought Photoshop Elements 2024 and most of the dropdowns are in gray. And when I bring up Guided, there is no elive or photomerge. Do I need to do something to bring all this up? Or am I forced into buying the upgrade 2024 as well?

[@HTGGeorge]

Hi Robert, Elive is no more. Adobe cancelled that several versions ago. They have moved some of that to the new Home screen. You will find Photomerge in Guided over on the right side of the top tabs. Options will be grayed out if they can't be used, for instance pretty much everything in the Select Menu will be grayed out if there isn't an active selection.

[@dorothy135]

I use both. I got a deal on Creative cloud as I use Dreamweaver, so the whole suite is 27.00 vs 20.00 for just one app. I used to do Photo pack and DW for 29.00 but now have it all for 27.00. It allows me to practice with things like Illustrator. Why PS does not use the photo bin is beyond me. I also love the create mode in PSE, making a collage is quick and easy. The PS tabs are annoying as you cannot easily see all your files open. For some workflows though, I do use PS. I do think the PSE having to fully pay for incremental changes is silly. I grab it every few yrs , if that. I also wish 2024 would allow for a slider for UI color. Dark is too dark and light is too light for me.

[@HTGGeorge]

Great comments. I agree on the new UI color options in PSE, over in PS you get 4 choices instead of the 2 in PSE. The technical reason for this is that the tools buttons are images, so for 2 options they need 2 sets of buttons, for the 4 options in PS they have 4 sets of buttons. I am sure that they could program it differently if they wanted, but this is the way it works right now. The photo bin would be a nice addition to PS but I don't expect ever to see that. I do almost all of my work in PS but I make all of my KZbin thumbnails in PSE. My biggest complaint with Adobe PS is that it is just too big, too much stuff, needs simplifying. I have been saying this for years and Adobe is finally catching on with beginning to remove the video stuff and the 3D stuff, that is better in dedicated programs.

[@dorothy135]

@HTGGeorge yes. The 4 choices. I mixed it up with another program with a UI slider. I don't ever expect to see the photo bin either but boy would I love it. I imagine I'll continue to use mostly Photoshop for more involved editing . The tutorials are nice too. The last version I used I think was PSE 13 lol. But there are some things that are nice. I do a landscaping website for a friend and I wanted to make a collage of a service that they offer and this was like so quick and easy it was a miracle. My biggest gripe with Adobe is I feel like they don't listen. I made the mistake of using Dreamweaver to create a site and now I'm just kind of married to it and they never update it significantly. I'd love to see them change and improve the appearance of the file list for example and I know it'll never happen I should be grateful that it's still even exists.

[@HTGGeorge]

@@dorothy135 I know how you feel. I used to design websites using Dreamweaver for a Microsoft partner company, but that was a long time ago. Now I do all my sites using Wordpress, much easier and faster. Unfortunately there is no easy way to convert a Dreamweaver site into a Wordpress site, so it would require rebuilding the site from scratch. I think Adobe really doesn't care about Dreamweaver any more.

[@christopheboudier94]

Hi George, You didn’t mentioned the actions or plug-ins differences…

[@HTGGeorge]

Very true, basically actions in Photoshop Elements are useless since you can't record new actions and the included set are just basic samples. In Adobe Photoshop you can record actions and there is a wide selection of included actions. Same thing with plugins, most plugins for Photoshop Elements are designed to bring features to Photoshop Elements that are already included in Adobe Photoshop. The real problem there is that the main reason people buy Elenments instead of Photoshop is price and if you are buying plugins to make Elements more like Photoshop you might as well just spend the money and get Photoshop.

[@gapster46]

I’ve been using CS3 since around 2003. New computer with Win 11 forces me to make a decision as what to use. Making a print once in a while would be nice. I was wondering if one can assign keyboard shortcuts on your keyboard like you can with Photoshop? In other words, if I want to open up Levels in Photoshop, I just click on the “L” key. Faster with less mouse movements. Comes from years of shooting sports and having to go thru and edit dozens of photos a week.

[@HTGGeorge]

You can't customize keyboard shortcuts in Photoshop Elements, but there are lots of keyboard shortcuts already, all of the standard ones from Photoshop also work in Photoshop Elements.

[@gapster46]

@@HTGGeorge Thanks for the reply. Photoshop is too expensive and I’m not fond of the interface in Elements. I wonder, can you change the background color in Elements to a darker gray as in Photoshop?

[@HTGGeorge]

@@gapster46 No, Elements doesn't have a dark mode. You might want to taka look at Affinity Photo, it is less expensive than Photoshop Elements, is not a subscription, and is a great program which has a dark look. It also has better tools for photo work.

[@gapster46]

@@HTGGeorge I’ve seen people talking about Affinity Photo in photography forum, but I have never taken the time to look at it, but I will as soon as I finish typing this. I’d really like to stick with Photoshop, but subscriptions and cloud storage are two things I totally disagree with. Don’t even know how Adobe can get away with that, but they are. Thank you for the help.

[@HTGGeorge]

@@gapster46 I have pretty much replaced my Creative Suite with the suite from Affinity. I still use Photoshop Elements mostly because I just like it but Affinity has replaced InDesign and Illustrator. I will use Affinity Photo for more advanced photo work. And that is with my still having Creative Suite on my computer, if it wasn't needing it for doing these KZbin videos I would cancel the Creative Suite.

[@boredminecrafter7822]

I think when you get use to elements, you can do edits just as fast.

[@HTGGeorge]

I use both Elements and Adobe Photoshop almost every day, and Adobe Photoshop is just better than anything else on the planet, and faster than Elements. But I love Elements for its simplicity, all of my KZbin thumbnails are done in Elements, but all of my professional work is doen in Adobe Photoshop.

[@user_abraham]

Hi George, could you please assist me with creating a digital signature on Photoshop Elements? I have your course, but I'm having trouble accessing it.

[@HTGGeorge]

What trouble are you having accessing the course?

[@user_abraham]

The course is good, I'm happy with it. I'm not good at ps, but when I need to do something, I go to the reference and it gets done. However, when I print my digital signature on paper, it doesn't look like a pen signature because I can see the edge on the lines. I need to fix that if I can, and can you do a simple video? Since there isn't any relevant information regarding this topic for PS element

[@prynner]

I believe Elements can edit from RAW files. Can you confirm this?

[@HTGGeorge]

Photoshop Elements can't edit RAW files directly but it as a built in linked mini program called Adobe Camera RAW which can. This program is accessed from the Photoshop Elements File menu, Open in Camera Raw. The Camera Raw editor is a lot like Lightroom but much more limited. Once you are finished editing in Camera RAW you can then take that image into Photoshop Elements, but it goes in as a psd file and not a raw file. Here is my video about all this kzbin.info/www/bejne/sJqnZKhnqtB9ebc

[@steveward3008]

The online training course, how long do you have excess to the course?

[@HTGGeorge]

Lifetime access

[@steveward3008]

@@HTGGeorge I'll look into that. I saw it on Amazon but it CD's That's a dying media. Not of my computers had CD drives just use and SD drives

[@HTGGeorge]

@@steveward3008 Hi Steve, you can find all of my training courses at howtogurus.com. We are considering ending disc sales by the end of this year, we have been keeping them around for people who don't have good internet access but it is about time they were retired.

[@Terragitty]

Can Elements be used to do Halftones?

[@HTGGeorge]

There is a half tone filter in Elements in the Filter Gallery, but for true half tones you will want Adobe Photoshop. Also for anything professional I only recommend Adobe Photoshop. Elements just isn't up to doing professional work.

[@joelreyes6138]

Can we i stall NIK or any other plugins?

[@HTGGeorge]

All plugins work with Adobe Photoshop, some plugins work with Photoshop Elements. You would need to check with the plugin to see. Last time I checked NIK works with Elements. I did a video about that a few years ago when it was still free. Just search my channel for NIK.

[@Mr_Karre]

Does the same AI thing version come with Photoshop Elements?

[@HTGGeorge]

No, Photoshop Elements doesn't have AI

[@cathychats]

Photoshop has 2 PS plans. 1 is for photography and the other one for drawing and painting? It’s confusing

[@HTGGeorge]

The Photography Plan gives you Photoshop and Lightroom and is about $10 per month if you don't go for the extra online storage. The other plan is for the whole Creative Suite with Photoshop, Lightroom, Illustrator, InDesign, and several other programs for about $56 per month. It is a great deal if you need those programs, if all you want is Photoshop then the Photography plan is the way to go.

[@Alphaphotographer]

Really miss PS actions in Elements.

[@HTGGeorge]

Elements Plus adds in some of the Actions functionality with their Scripts. Here is a video I did about that kzbin.info/www/bejne/sKrWmoOapJxgn5Y

[@itsSamRe]

Can we do pro level editing in Elements?

[@HTGGeorge]

Basically Photoshop Elements is for hobbyists, for anything Pro I only recommend Adobe Photoshop. It is only about $10 a month on the Photography plan which also includes Lightroom, easily affordable if you are pro.

[@mightisright]

If I was a full time graphics guy, I'd go with subscription PS. It will easily pay for itself (and is tax deductible if you're freelance) and has all the new AI stuff in addition to all the old stuff. However, I rarely have a need for PS on a daily basis and I hate subscriptions. I've been using 2017 PS for years on an old computer and I'm sick of it. I think I'll just buy Elements and use that for a few years because I don't do print anyway.

[@HTGGeorge]

I do tend to agree, I have both versions on my system but I tend to use Photoshop Elements most of the time.

[@wolfgang_rm]

Interesting. However, I have to say that Photoshop is cheaper than Photoshop Elements. I have the Photo subscription from Adobe. This includes Photoshop, Lightroom and the ePortfolio (own homepage) for $9.99 per month. I just have little cloud space, that I do not need. The Photoshop subscription has 1TB cloud space This comparison is not correct. Photoshop has an excellent Raw Converter, with the ability to expand it. PSE is completely slimmed down. Many important tools in PSE are missing. I worked with it for years and switched to PS. I don't regret a second. PS is the best software on the market for image editing. Then nothing comes for a long time.

[@HTGGeorge]

I agree with almost everything you say, except the price. You can usually find Photoshop Elements on sale for about $90, but more importantly most people don't upgrade the program every year. From my experience it seems like people keep the same version for 5 years or more. So that's $90 in 5 years for Photoshop Elements and $600 for Adobe Photoshop. I think that is the main reason people go for Photoshop Elements, it is a lot cheaper if you don't upgrade every year. But you are right, there is no program on the planet as good as Adobe Photoshop which is why I use that for all my important work.

[@TrantaLocked]

No Premiere or Audition elements OMEGALUL

[@HTGGeorge]

I love Adobe Photoshop and Photoshop Elements, but not a fan of Premiere or Audition, so I don't do videos on those.

[@nigstar1239]

I'm sorry but Photoshop looks like a pro version of Paint and imma tell you that most if not all it's funcionality can be found in free software

[@HTGGeorge]

Obviously you haven't tried Adobe Photoshop, there is no other program available that can do as much or as well, and definitely no free program can even get anywhere close. You can do a lot with free programs and if your needs aren't great and you don't mine using a bunch of different programs you can do a lot, but they simply don't compare to the paid programs. I have tried all the free programs and I have several free and paid programs on my system, but the one I use most of the time is Adobe Photoshop because frankly it is the best. And... Windows Paint comes in at the bottom of my list, basically useless. For free programs I much prefer paint.net.

[@Nenko_Music]

no

[@dawnhassmolbren5312]

because they're both raster programs. but when it comes to ease of use, customizability and versatility, there is no program better than Photoshop. and ive tried many others.

[@SiSKASaint]

Same things, same options, but prices different😆

[@HTGGeorge]

Actually Adobe Photoshop is about 1000 times more powerful than Photoshop Elements. I personally love the simplicity of Photoshop Elements but I do all of my professional work in Adobe Photoshop.

[@watdeneuk]

Well, i just got Elements, it has some fun stuff but man it very limited. Compared to photoshop it's like a kid on crutches, where they took 1 crutch and beat him over the head with it. I do NOT recommend Elements if you're used to the CS series of photoshop. And now on subscribsion base... Bunch of wankers at Adobe.

[@HTGGeorge]

Like I said in the video, no comparision between the two. Elements is great for hobbyists and people who don't want the subscription but for anyone serious there is no alternative to Adobe Photoshop.

[@watdeneuk]

​@@HTGGeorge It seems they took very basic functions (yes even for hobbyist like me), purposefully out to get you to buy the photoshop version. And who am I kidding, they 100% did that. Simply lowering transparancy of layers or the way it blends with the background, wich was stuff that was in Adobe's 98's version, they fully left that out, or making GIF's - now not possible. it's just a handicapped version of photoshop. I thank you for your response but I found your video very much misleading because I bought Elements because of it. I feel ripped off.

[@HTGGeorge]

@@watdeneuk Actually Elements isn't a stripped down Photoshop. Adobe purchased Elements from another company specifically to fill the hobbyist part of the market. If anything Adobe has added in more features that are like Photoshop instead of removing them. But it is limited when compared to Photoshop, but we shouldn't forget that Adobe used to sell Photoshop for $1700 back in the 80's, so it has become cheap by that standard as well. You should take a look at a plugin called Elements Plus that adds a lot of Photoshop level features into Photoshop Elements, it only costs about $12.

[@CZOV]

Yea one HUGE PROBLEM with CC - once you are offline your 'software' is a useless dead piece of junk. Useless video otherwise. Didn't get any idea whats the difference if u not a graphic designer but for photos.

[@HTGGeorge]

Here is my honest opinion. Adobe Photoshop is basically 1000% better than Photoshop Elements. Whenever I am doing anything important I use Adobe Photoshop. You can use Adobe Photoshop just fine offilne, I have no idea what you are talking about there. Basically everything that works in Photoshop Elements works 1000 times better in Adobe Photoshop. But, if all you are doing is hobby stuff, nothing actually important then Photoshop Elements is great, which is why I have my Photoshop Elements channel, to show you how to get the most out of Photoshop Elements, it is a great program... for hobbiests or casual users.