Are new versions of Premiere Elements as good as old versions for slideshows?

[j.pady]

Slideshows (stills + videos) are my main goal. I'm currently using Premiere Elements 10 & 11. I want to upgrade to PrE 12 or 14 (bought both, never installed), but I want to make sure I don't lose anything. I read creating slideshows changed with PrE 13 (no more editing in PrE) - is that true? I want to install PrE 14, but I'm worried that I won't have the same precise control over my still images as I do now (i.e. all video editing features).

In short: Does PrE 14 have the same precise control over still images (mixed with video clips) as PrE 11 & 12?

Secondary question:  If there are significant differences (strengths & weaknesses) between versions 12 and 14, can I install both on the same computer? (I'm interested in the soundtrack feature in version 14).

Any other advice on slideshows will be appreciated. Thanks in advance.

[Bill Sprague]

I make videos that mix video clips and stills, including RAWs routinely. 

There are editing controls in Premiere Elements that I use, so I don't know what might have disappeared.  There probably are better tools and controls in Photoshop Elements, Photoshop and Lightroom for stills.

What "precise" controls are you referring to?  I ask because I've never had any issue with using the video editing tools on stills.

You can have all the versions you want installed at the same time.  They operate independently. 

However, there can be trouble opening the same project in multiple versions.   The reason is that different versions have somewhat different tools and features.  If you open a project from one version in another, the project files can be corrupted, depending on what was used.  They might also work fine! 

The solution is to not open projects in different versions, but if you do, work with copies. 

Another caution is that older versions may not fully install.   To conserve space on customers laptops, some themes, music tracks, transitions, etc would be installed from the internet as needed.   As a version ages, Adobe moves on and those older features may be missing and stay missing.  Older versions may also have ties to their original operating systems. 

Good luck and have fun with your projects!

Bill

[j.pady]

Thank you for the reply. I'll probably install both versions and figure out what works best.

I know making slideshows would be easier in image editing software like Photoshop Elements, but I like including video clips. Some of the techniques I've used are alternating vertical images side by side, or playing a video along side of a still.  I've also worked in green screen effects, where I walk into a still image for a short narration (and point to things in the image).  And I'm really looking forward to the royalty free music features in the newer PrE (because YouTube keeps stripping my soundtrack).

I started using PrE for slideshows with version 2 and love the pixel  / keyframe control I have over virtually everything.  Correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm assuming I would not have that kind of control in Photoshop Elements.