Checking blown highlights

ligennroc  wrote I am comparing images in the split view of Full Screen in Elements 2018 Organizer. Is there any method of displaying either blown highlights or Clipped Shadows in this view to help in the choice of the best image to use.

No, not in in Full Screen view. Such blown highlights / clipped shadows indicators are only available in the ACR raw conversion module.

Did you consider using the ACR module as your primary Elements editing tool?

You are using a combo of three different modules in Elements - the editor - the organizer - the ACR converter.

Historically, the editor (the pixel editor) was the master.

The organizer was its powerful organizing and workflow tool.

The ACR module was only considered as a converter for raw files.

This looks very different from the way Lightroom integrates the three functions seamlessly.

We can understand that Adobe does not want Elements to be a serious competitor to both Lightroom and Photoshop CC, but let's look more closely at another way to consider the three parts of Elements.

- The ACR module works for jpegs as well as raws.

- it offers fully parametrical and non-destructive edits for all the fundamental tools (the missing ones being provided by the editor)

- it offers non-desctructive editing of big batches of files

- its correction tools for highlights/shadows, color and white balance, sharpening and denoising are both much easier and much more powerful than those in the editor.

In summary, much better quality and much faster workflow. 90% of my shots don't need further editing in the editor.

Two limitations.

- Limited ACR tools, but all the fundamental ones. The pixel editor may be needed for the missing ones, and it is necessary to save and print.

- The organizer works perfectly with the ACR module for raw files. Totally non-destructive and parametric workflow. Excellent management of version sets and stacks. But... you can't open jpegs directly from the organizer into the ACR module. And most users like me do use both raws AND jpegs, from my smartphone for instance.

The solution is to decide that all your jpegs (or most of them) should be opened in ACR the same way as raws, from the organizer.

After a shooting session of jpegs, I don't start from the organizer after downloading them. I use the editor to open a batch of jpegs selected in the explorer, maybe 50 at a time. They open all in the ACR module, I select all and apply any slight change (sharpness for instance) and click 'Done'. All those files are immediately saved non-destructively  with a metadata meaning they will be opened in the organizer the next time, just like raws.

Now, just like in Lightroom, you can work in the organizer indifferently with both jpegs and raws. It's easy to review your files for batch culling and rating as well as ulterior editing (white balance, non-destructive crop and straighten, clarity...) The full view is still useful, but for more precise judgment about clipping, just open automatically in the ACR...