Section 4.6. Differences in Camera Raw in Photoshop CS2 and Photoshop Elements 4

4.6. Differences in Camera Raw in Photoshop CS2 and Photoshop Elements 4

Perhaps the most important thing you need to know about processing your RAW files in Photoshop Elements 4 versus Photoshop CS2 is that nothing you do to a RAW file is permanent. So if you move up to the more plentiful and sophisticated features in Photoshop CS2, there's a chance that you'll be able to improve on what you could do with the same image in Elements 4. Figure 4-31 shows you the Photoshop Elements 4 Camera Raw interface.

Figure 4-31. The Camera Raw workspace in Photoshop Elements 4.

If you're familiar with Camera Raw in Photoshop CS2, it's easy to see what most of the differences are. From left to right, top to bottom:

• There are no Color Sample, Crop, or Levels tools.

• You can't open multiple files in the same workspace, so you can't winnow and apply identical application settings to multiple files. Instead, if you open multiple RAW files at once, you have to do the settings for the first file, push any button other than Cancel, and wait until the Camera Raw workspace opens for the next file you selected. You can then apply the same settings as for the previous file.

• No option for saving settings, except as a default.

• There are only two settings tabsAdjust and Detailbut they are identical to the same tabs in Camera Raw for Photoshop CS2.

• There are no Auto adjust boxes.

• There is no Show Workflow Options space, so you can't choose to assign a color space, change the output image size, or change the resolution.

• There is no 32-bit output option, only 8- and 16-bit.

The bottom line: I wouldn't use Photoshop Elements 4 for "bulk" processing of high-volume shoots with numerous variations of the same image. There is an alternative, however, if you're not quite ready to invest in Photoshop CS2: Raw Shooter Essentials (free) or Premium (only $100 and even more capable than Camera Raw CS2). You'd also have the option of using Adobe Lightroom or Apple Aperture. You'll find more on these alternatives near the end of this chapter. And Chapter 6 is all about Lightroom, which you will want to download as soon as a beta is available for your computer.