PhotoDeluxe BE v1.1 versus Photoshop Elements 2.0

KR
Posted By
Kim_Rickert
Feb 8, 2004
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542
Replies
10
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Closed
I just purchased Photoshop Elements 2.0. I am running Windows ME (Pentium III @ 933 MHz, 256 MB RAM, 40 GB HD) and have no intention of upgrading to XP until I get a new computer (maybe next year). I began reviewing the manual for Photoshop Elements 2.0 and at a glance it seems to be much more sophisticated than PhotoDeluxe BE v1.1.

I have not encountered any problems with PhotoDeluxe BE and am well-versed in using the software. I got Photoshop Elements 2.0 because I am going to be doing a project with someone who has it and I do not want to encounter any forward/backward compatability issues should we have to pass project materials back and forth between computers.

Ready? … Here’s the question. Should I uninstall PhotoDeluxe BE v.1.1 before installing Photoshop Elements 2.0? Also, is it possible (or wise) to run both programs on the same computer simultaneously?

Thanks in advance for assistance/advice.
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NS
Nancy_S
Feb 8, 2004
Kim,

You don’t have to uninstall PDBE before installing PSE. They will happily reside on your computer together, each is a totally separate program (though they have many plugins in common).

There is one person here on the forum which has run PSE version 1 and PSE version 2 at the same time, but I do believe I read it is not wise to run them simultaneously. So, perhaps the same applies to your two programs. Why you would want to I can’t imagine.

PSE is a much more powerful, robust and full featured program than PDBE. It has capabilities which fall just short of the full version of Photoshop for a tiny fraction of the price. There is a learning curve for sure, but well worth your time to study up on it and become proficient.

It is important to understand the concept of using layers and making selections, as these skills are fundamental to the program. Below are three links; layers, selections and Jay Arraich’s very well done site which has a large section on PSE. Doing tutorials from the internet is a great way to learn the program. A search on Google will provide many hits. the majority of tutorials which are written for Photoshop 6 or 7 will apply to PSE also.

<http://tinyurl.com/2z4qu>
<http://tinyurl.com/2nkbo>
<http://arraich.com> (navigate to the PSE section)

Come back when you have another question. This is really a great program.

Nancy

This forum is a great place for answers when you have a question. The people here are friendly and knowledgable.
NS
Nancy_S
Feb 8, 2004
Kim,

For starters, you will need to calibrate your monitor if you have a CRT. This is necessary to display colors correctly on a monitor and have the same colors produced by a printer. In Windows, the Adobe Gamma Utility is in the Control Panel. Double click it to run after you do a bit of reading up on how it works. If you do a search on this forum you will find advise and links to info on how to perform the calibration well.
KR
Kim_Rickert
Feb 8, 2004
Thanks for the info Nancy. As I was writing my question I was thinking, "Someone is going to ask why on earth I want to keep PDBE. I probably would."

The answer is simple … if I need to do something quickly I won’t have to immediately deal with the learning curve you mentioned. Once I am confortable with PSE 2 I will uninstall PDBE.

I bookmarked the three links you posted. All three looked promising on sight. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that the CRT calibration won’t make me crazy.

Thanks again!
R
RobertHJones
Feb 8, 2004
Kim,

PhotoDeluxe and Photoshop Elements should co-exist with no problems. When I first got PSE 2.0, I had PhotoDeluxe home edition already installed and they both ran with no problems. I have no reason to believe business edition would be any different.

As for running them simultaneously, yes you can do it but it really taxes your memory utilization to have them both open at once. If you don’t have a lot of ram, you will have performance issues. A shortage of ram can also result in other problems such as erratic behavior, system crashes, and lockups. I don’t know whether your 256MB would be enough to avoid problems. You can try it and see.

PhotoDeluxe and Photoshop Elements can read each other’s files but PhotoDeluxe does not support a lot of the features that Elements does — adjustment layers for example. If you try to open an Elements file that contains adjustment layers, Photodeluxe will complain that they are unsupported and ask to delete them before continuing. If you don’t delete them, you can’t open the file. If you’re going to be passing materials back and forth, I’d recommend you work strictly in Elements.

Bob
PD
Pete_D
Feb 8, 2004
I recall that PhotoDeluxe uses and does not return memory until system is rebooted. (unless you use a memory retrieval program).

So using any tools in PhotoDeluxe would affect the operarion of PSE. Maybe if you had over 1gb it might not but I would think it best to not use them simultaneously and to reboot after using PhotoDeluxe.

Pete
R
RobertHJones
Feb 8, 2004
Pete,

The operating system is responsible for cleaning up after a program terminates and disposing of any remaining memory allocated but not freed by that program. If a reboot is required to reclaim memory, the operating system is not doing it’s job.

That isn’t to say it doesn’t happen. Older versions of Windows, in particular, had issues regarding memory management and often had memory leaks themselves. Newer versions are much better in this regard. I suspect "Your milage may vary" is the operative rule here.

Bob
NS
Nancy_S
Feb 8, 2004
Kim,

Another great source of information presented in a clear writting style is Wayne Fulton’s excellent site. Don’t let the site name throw you off, it has info on more than scanning.

<http://scantips.com>

PDBE did most things behind the scenes for you and offered little control to the user. That routine is what makes it popular as an "Elementary/Entry level" program. PSE offers users real control and a tool set far beyond PDBE. With this control comes decisions and choices. It is vital to understand the concepts of pixels, image resolution and print resolution. Wayne’s site has the best explanation I have seen on these subjects.

In your first query here, your project was to produce very small prints from a file containing a decent number of pixels. My suggestion to use the Crop Tool in that instance was valid. However, a different scenario, such as wanting to use only part of an image to produce a decent size print, would carry considerations not needed to be addressed in your original printing project. This is why one needs a firm grasp on the concepts detailed by Wayne.

There are always many ways to accomplish a particular goal using PSE. Don’t hesitate to post your questions/concerns on this foum. We are all here to help. No question is considered stupid, we all started at the beginning with PSE.

Nancy
PD
Pete_D
Feb 8, 2004
Should have stated that memory is not returned using Win 95, 98. Those OS required a reboot to regain memory when using PhotoDeluxe 1.0 BE or 2.0.

WinXP may do a better job but I was never able to get either PhotoDeluxe to operate on XP…..That is how I got here several years ago:)

Pete
KR
Kim_Rickert
Feb 8, 2004
Guys … gals … folks … You’re getting a little ahead of me here. This post was the first I ever made in this forum. Hopefully I can set you all a little more at ease. I don’t think I could be described as a complete "novice" when it comes to graphic softwares. I have been in the biz for many years though I only do contract and/or special projects from home anymore. Nevertheless, there was a time when I used Photoshop in the full-blown-memory-eating-don’t-try-to-use-another-program edition of years ago (back when PowerMacs were the new kid on the block). Alas, the years fly by all too quickly these days. So I am not a lamb possibly being lead to slaughter. 😉

That having been said, I do know the value of forewarned is forearmed and have always lived by the philosophy, better to know … than know not. We all know hindsight is always 20/20. If only we knew that … before. 🙂 So rather than finding out about the possible conflicts arising from two similar softwares (and in fact the upgrade +1 edition), residing on a computer from experience, I asked my questions. I did not mean to imply that I would be using both PDBE and PSE2 at the same time. I just wanted to make sure that I would not be causing myself a headache by not removing PDBE before installing PSE2.

As it happens, this is the second year I am doing this particular project. I created a Yearbook for my son’s school last year. All the children who attend there have a learning disability of some kind (deaf, autistic, cerebral palsy, mentally retarded children). The last time a "professional photographer" was brought in to take school pictures they were terrible. The person obviously had little or no patience. So I took the photographs with my Minolta Maxxum STsi, got them processed with a picture CD, cropped the photos, made them B&W, edited them with PDBE, and created the Yearbook in Publisher (they don’t have PageMaker). It came out so well the school got a grant to have the printing paid for again this year. So here I go again, including training one of the teachers to help with the photo work. They have new computers running WinXP and PSE2. So I had to upgrade so that we’re all on the same page, so to speak. Thank you, thank you, a thousand times thank you. 🙂 You all are wonderful to try to cover all the bases for me.
NS
Nancy_S
Feb 8, 2004
Kim,

I didn’t mean to insult you for sure. I certainly provided more information than you actually desired, for this I apologize. You will be happy with the program I’m sure. If you ever do have a question about the program, come back.

Nancy

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