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wiley_coyote
Participant
October 15, 2017
Question

Can anyone here help and old timer?

  • October 15, 2017
  • 1 reply
  • 237 views

I'm sorry, I'm just 'fed up' with the software companies today. That includes Adobe at the moment. You see, here is the problem:
I'm 62 and retired from a career in county government as a civil draftsman & graphic designer. When I started my career fresh out of college, the computer industry was just gearing up. At the office, we did everything old school. Cut & Paste, drawing, stat camera shoots etc. As the county grew and modernized, we did away with 'Board Work' and switched to computer aided design. I actually loved it! It made life a little easier not having to breath marker fumes and work with latria tape and films.
I started on the Mac. A Performa 200 believe it or not. At work, it was Windows 3.1. Our software was crude compared to todays but; as time went on, it got better. MSOffice 2003, Word, Publisher, Power Point, and Photoshop Elements 2.0 became my final staples as the years passed.
You want to see some of my work? Go to; www.coroflot.com/dail_melton. For Photoshop elements, check the Poetry folio. You can also check the 'Display' folio to see some work done with Photoshop Elements 2 too.
I loved that package. Simple, down to earth, easy to use. I especially loved the Vignette tool. I used it quiet often for my poetry. (Not job related.)
It was like the late great Steve Jobs stated to his designers. "Keep it simple so a house wife can use it."
Today, one has to "RE-LEARN"  a favorite software EVERY TIME THERE IS A NEW RELEASE OF IT! It has become ridiculous. Its like learning to write your name in first grade all over again, each time a new teacher comes in. And one doesn't have much choice, because with each new OS release, their computer CPU eventually "requires" all new software to work with it! Apple, is notorious for this but, that is why their systems are pretty much fail proof. Due to costs and my job, I switched to Windows, who pretty much copied apple anyway.
When I retired in 2009, oh the things I could do with Power Point and Photoshop! But now, they have tweaked and twirled those packages, trying to make each new version better than the last ten or twenty versions, to the POINT THAT NOW, I have no  idea how to go about using them! They have become packed with a ton of features that for most users, are a waste of time and money! So...
These days, I love to do my illustrated poetry. But my old computer had to be replaced, and the new one has all this complex altered and new and improved software on it, that is literally forcing me to have to come up with money on a pension, to try and find away to 're-learn' how to use it.
I JUST WANT TO 'CREATE ART'!
Not spend my days 're-learning' software that use to be easy to use. So...
Does anyone know, of a good photo editing package, that will let me erase parts of a photo, over lay a photo in to a photo, transition, vignette, etc. that is not so complicated as Adobe Photoshop Elements has become?
I would appreciate your assistance, as I miss creating my illustrated poetry.
thank you.

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1 reply

Peru Bob
Community Expert
Peru BobCommunity Expert
Community Expert
October 15, 2017

There really isn't a lot of difference in performing the basic editing functions between the different versions of Photoshop Elements.

You might want to look into the Guided Edits function of Photoshop Elements or look at some of the many tutorials available online.

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wiley_coyoteAuthor
Participant
October 15, 2017

I appologize. I'm just blowing off steam after previewing the newer version from my previous one.

You see, my wife use to love re-arranging the furniture each week when we were first married. Same old furniture. Just different locations with an occassional new piece thrown in.

I would stub a lot of toes at night trying to find may way around a room till I finally put my foot down about it.

Its the same with software. The designers like to change the layout with each new version and maybe throw in a new tool.

I don't mind the new tools but; having to figure out where they've relocated the old ones at times can be very frustrating. Especially when time is money and one is in a hurry to finish a project.

I'm familiar with tutorials. I've had to use them a lot over the years to figure out where a tool went or how it may have changed.

Again, time is precious when one is in a hurry. So having to refer to a tutorial quite often tends to set one back.

Nothing against change. But at times to much change to often can be aggrevating.

I'm not sure what a correct answer would be for this thread. So will just leave it as is.

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wiley_coyoteAuthor
Participant
October 15, 2017

One other thought here. Where is the Vignette tool?

Its not where it use to be a long time ago.

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