Photoshop Elements 7 Help

[royhamilton]

I had an older version of Photoshop, and a few months ago I bought PSE7. I absolutely hate this software! I'm a computer savvy guy, been working in IT for 25 years, but I just can't seem to work with this. I have a decent PC, but this software is so slow I can hardly edit a picture. No matter what I click on, the hour glass just spins, and once it does open I can't seem to figure out the correct way to do anything. I'm very frustrated right now. Couple of questions:

Can anyone recommend a good book for learning to work with PSE? I saw several on Amazon, but it's hard to know which one is the right one.

And, does this software really work better on a Mac? I've never owned a Mac, always been a MicroSoft guy, but if I need to buy a new computer, I might as well buy the best for working with my photography.

Thanks
Roy

[Saralonde]

I have a copy of Elements on my PC laptop which I rarely use, but when I do, it runs pretty efficiently. Not being a particularly tech savvy person, I can't help you there.

As for books, check out the ones by Scott Kelby.

[Samanax]

How much RAM does your computer have now?

I used to use Photoshop Elements 6 and it wasn't too bad when editing (on my older 2.8GHz computer with 1.5GB of RAM), but using the Organizer was a whole different story...that was painful.

For books on PSE 7 take a look at these:

The Photoshop Elements 7 Book for Digital Photographers by Scott Kelby

Adobe Photoshop Elements 7 Maximum Performance: Unleash the hidden performance of Elements by Mark Galer.

Adobe Photoshop Elements 7: A Visual Introduction to Digital Photography by Philip Andrews

Advanced Photoshop Elements 7 for Digital Photographers by Philip Andrews

[royhamilton]

My PC is a 2.53 GHz with 2.0GB RAM. It's probably just time to upgrade my machine. And you are correct, I can slowly get thru editing on PSE7, but the Organizer takes all the resources my machine has. I've been pricing new computers online today (since we are snowed in here in Nashville today), and I'm still debating PC or MAC.

[LoveDSLR]

Originally Posted by royhamilton

I had an older version of Photoshop, and a few months ago I bought PSE7. I absolutely hate this software! I'm a computer savvy guy, been working in IT for 25 years, but I just can't seem to work with this. I have a decent PC, but this software is so slow I can hardly edit a picture. No matter what I click on, the hour glass just spins, and once it does open I can't seem to figure out the correct way to do anything. I'm very frustrated right now.
.
.
And, does this software really work better on a Mac? I've never owned a Mac, always been a MicroSoft guy, but if I need to buy a new computer, I might as well buy the best for working with my photography.

More CPU power (quad, i5, i7), more ram (3GB for win32), defrag your HD, single tasking, two or more 7200/10000 RPM HD in seesaw config may help.

[candidrachel]

I'd recommend Photoshop Elements 7 Classroom in a Book. Its great because it comes with a cd-rom of "lessons" that explains exactly what to do.

Amazon.com: Adobe Photoshop Elements 7 Classroom in a Book (Book & CD-ROM) (9780321573902): Adobe Creative Team: Books

[royhamilton]

Thanks candidrachel! I added that to my Amazon wish list earlier today. It had good reviews.

[kirbinster]

Sounds like a hardware issue. I get Photoshop CS4 to run fine on my old (3 year old?) P4 dual core machine with 3 gigs ram. The problem I have is the software perplexes me and I probably have even more computer experience than you.

I find that video's are the best way to learn. There are lots of them free on the net, some are even free legally Just search around. There are not many videos or books I would buy online without seeing first as you never know if they fit your style of learning. If you have a good public library around you can probably take out a punch of photoshop books for free.