Recommend an alternative to Photoshp Elements

I use PE6, but due to a pc malfunction I can't now use the program.

I contacted the Adobe helpline who've basically said it's not their problem and I should buy a new version of PE - PE9

I'm incandescent with the customer service from Adobe and reluctant to buy from them again.

I was wondering what people think of:

Corel Paintshop Photo Pro x3

Serif Photoplus x4

Are they as good as Elements (or better!)?

Alterantively, would anyone recommed any other editing packages? One I've read about is GIMP but it seems it's very fiddly to use.

Thanks in advance for advice.

Don't know if they are better in one way or another but they are all different.
If you're use to Elements then getting use to another program might take a while.

Have you uninstalled and reinstalled PSE6? If so and it still doesn't work it seems unlikely an updated version would work. You can get PSE7 and 8 for very little now that PSE9 is out.

Adobe customer service has always been bad, but what did you really expect them to say to you?

Getting used to a different system will take time. I have no idea how they compare to PSE though. Do they offer everything PSE does - organiser, RAW converter, etc etc? If so and you are happy paying for a new program and taking the time to learn it then give it a try.

But you may end up with the same problem as you have with PSE if it is your computer at fault.

GIMP is closer to Photoshop than Photoshop Elements true, but that said, I've found it much easier to come to terms with than Photoshop - and have stopped using Photoshop for anything now besides drop-shadow behind text (which GIMP doesn't handle quite so well). The interface seems much more self-consistent than anything Adobe ever did, IMHO, but YMMV. There are RAW plug-ins available too. And the price can't be beat! Runs on Linux and Windoze.

help for gimp

http://www.gimp.org/tutorials/Lite_Quickies/

http://www.gimp.org/tutorials/

and video tutorials
http://meetthegimp.org/getting-the-old-shows/

I've used Serif PhotoPlus for many years and have yet to find a situation where a full version of Photoshop would provide more capability than I need -- layers, masks and all the rest. Photoshop certainly has more features but even the professionals I know use only a fraction of them, and all of these are available in Serif.

I'm using the X3 version of PhotoPlus at the moment and this does everything I want. The X4 version is new and, inevitably, bugs will be discovered. Serif are very quick to provide patches, but I'd rather wait for a few months before going for the new version.

Amazon (in the UK)is selling X3 for £25.05. That's the one I would go for if were you. Once you've bought a Serif product, there are substantial discounts for new versions. Serif has an excellent user forum. Check it out and see what you think. link

Al

I started out with PSE3.0 and I am now running PSE8. A greta program which does what I need, and I won't switch to anything else.

Uninstalling and reinstalling the program may help.

I also can recommend the serif, it's almost always done at least as much as elements except for raw processing but that is covered now too. Check on ebay for photoplus X3

adobe is still riding on the reputation from its market development and lead days. But its a bit of a myth nowadays. I know people who bought photoshop CS5 for hundreds of pounds and are barely beginners;They just think they have to have it.

I wouldn't play too harsh on Adobe over this instance you describe because there is a limit to how long any s/w maker can reasonably be obligated to support a particular version. That's often spelt out in original license terms, or on website.

And V6 is now 3 generations (years?) back so...
Those limits are also markedly reduced on Consumer (Home) product v Pro (Business) level product too btw.

eg. MS Windows OS has the same official support gradients, some down to 3yrs for Home and up to 10+yrs for Corp versions.

Alternatives:

I have PSE8 and let its Organizer database my photos, its dB is very robust but not that user-versatile -- and really love the Panorama stitcher that's inbuilt.
Also apply its Auto Smartfix/Colours/Contrast/Sharpen/... features sometimes if felt needed, but that's basically as far my love for PSE goes. It's a crippled dog really.

- Paintshop Photo Pro x3 had recently been unbugged via a desperately needed update which made it stable enough to consider at last. Honestly, I can't remember seeing such a train wreck since Ashton Tate's dBase IV, it was pathetic.

Pretty good and stable now though, and I run it under Win 64 bit.

Corel also offered a nice discount sweetener for trialist's that didn't buy, so that helped seal the deal for me when the updated major fix finally proved usable.
(I was an old time Jasc fan anyway).

Features wise on the editor side it blows the proverbials off PSE, even has an inbuilt HDR tool (not used yet so can't verify), but no pano stitcher. Plus seems like zillions of plug-ins, incl the old crazy Kai's Power Tools.
And the UI simply makes PSE look clumsy, slow & for braindeads IMhO, more intuitive too.

Downside is Corel only allows one PC per license, so if you have another desktop or notebook in the family like most people, bad luck there.

In contrast Adobe allows 2 PCs to activate per license, understand now why I say don't write PSE off too easy?
PSE also has a feature (like in full PS) where you can say; strip a person or object out of a scene. Could be a useful edit feature for some and I don't think many of the opposition have similar.

I also can't verify PSP Pro's Photo Organizing abilities or if its database is as robust-reliable as Adobes.

- SilkyPix - aka Pentax Digital Camera Utility 4.nn - which you would/should likely have as a bundled Pentax goodie, should never be ignored either IMhO. It's got a very good rep for its Noise Reduction to which only Lightroom 3 now comes close I believe.
Plus some other small likeables that endear its loyal users too.
(no RAW codec for 64 bit Windows though, but Silkypix will utilise one if system-wide installed)

- ACDSee Pro maybe? Dunno sorry; haven't used it for years, but last time I looked it had grown into a powerful full photo manager package so could be worth a gander.

HTH.

.R.

Depends on what you want to do with it, I assume.

I shoot RAW and mostly adjust Ev and resize only; at occasion crop and play with curves and saturation. UFRAW does the trick for me. And it's an absolutely great batch conversion tool.

PS
The Gimp uses it as the RAW converter.

Paint.net is extremely user friendly, and also seems to have a fair selection of tools (I don't have PSE so can't compare the two). The only thing I'm conscious of it not having is a RAW converter: this doesn't matter to me as I use Lightroom, but it might matter to others.

I use elements more than cs2.....
I get a new copy of elements every few years when I upgrade/replace my wacom tablets..... free, bundled with the tablets.

I hope to get a new mac next year, and will want a much bigger tablet to go with it!

For basic photo editing, Faststone Image Viewer is excellent and it's free, for amateur use, from www.faststone.org. I use it all the time.

I agree. Used FSV here for years now. Makes a wonderful fast little system default Viewer with great 3-pane + 3-window browser UI incl. usual slideshows, some basic editing and even a handy inbuilt screen capture function.

Only minor issue is that rendered colours aren't 'true' like PSE, PSPP, commercials. That seems a common limitation though likely due to the libraries used in share~freewares I suspect. IrfanView and XnView are same, and Picasa never impressed me.

Faststone make a good screen cap standalone too. When it went shareware I jumped to PicPick Wiziple Software for its few extras, plus also sports inbuilt basic editing.

.R.