Peek-through Overlay: Can I get this as an add-on to Elements 2022?

[Flashharry1]

I am more than a little unhappy: Having only 2 months ago purchased Elements 2022, I now find that there's a new 2023 version which has the great tool: Peek-through Overlay, which I would find really helpful.

Is there any way that this can be added to Elements 2022 as an add-on or any other method?

I use Windows 10 on my PC.

Thanks

[Peru Bob · Accepted solution]

You can try contacting Adobe Customer Service and see if they will allow you to upgrade to 2023

 (Make sure to sign in to your Adobe account first and allow popups and cookies on your browser. You may not be able to see the chat window if using a VPN.):
https://helpx.adobe.com/contact.html?rghtup=autoOpen will automatically open the chat window.
Type "Agent" in the chat box to bypass the chatbot and be connected to a person.

You may also be able to contact Adobe by phone:
https://helpx.adobe.com/contact/phone.html

or Twitter:
https://twitter.com/AdobeCare

[Peru Bob · Accepted solution]

Is there any way that this can be added to Elements 2022 as an add-on or any other method?

By @Flashharry1

No, but you could do it manually.

[Flashharry1]

Many thanks Peru Bob. I'll try speaking to an agent tomorrow.

But please can you clarify how I "do it manually"?

[Greg_S. · Accepted solution]

@Flashharry1, I know of no way to add this new feature to Elements 2022.  I think Peru Bob is saying that you can add peek-through overlays to any photo, using layers.  Let us know if you need more help on how to do that.

Based on your statement, it sounds like you may have purchased Elements 2022 about a month before Elements 2023 was released.  I don't know what the time limits are, but you can look at this article to see whether you may be eligible for a free upgrade to Elements 2023.

[Flashharry1]

Many thanks Greg S. Very helpful info which I've saved for tomorrow.

I would be very grateful if you could advise me how to add these peek-through overlays using layers.

But I guess that all I need will be gifs or PNG transparencies, to drop on top of my chosen photo. Is this correct?

[Peru Bob]

I think Peru Bob is saying that you can add peek-through overlays to any photo, using layers. 

By @Greg_S.

Exactly.

[Greg_S.]

@Flashharry1 said: 

I would be very grateful if you could advise me how to add these peek-through overlays using layers.

But I guess that all I need will be gifs or PNG transparencies, to drop on top of my chosen photo. Is this correct?

Yes, that would probably be the easiest way.  But you could also drop any kind of image over the background photo and delete the unwanted pixels or create a mask to hide them from the overlay layer.

[Flashharry1]

My sincere thanks to you both.

Armed with your info, I'll sort it out one way or another today.

Cris

[Flashharry1]

ISSUE SOLVED

Following the advice above, I managed to Chat to a real person.

I asked about an add-on to add "See-through overlays" to Elements 2022. After uploading a copy of my receipt and providing my Product code, they upgraded me to Elements 2023.

I guess this was because I'd only purchased Elements 2022 just 6 weeks ago.

So again, my thanks to you both.

[Greg_S.]

@Flashharry1, thanks for reporting back.  I figure you purchased Elements 2022 about a week before Elements 2023 was released.  I'll be interested to hear whether the free upgrade is available for earlier purchasers.