The high cost of Photoshop and its increasing complexity with each new version can leave the user longing for a version that is a fraction of the price, but still contains the basic features. That longing may be met with Adobe's Photoshop Elements.

Certainly its price is attractive at $99.00 on some websites and about $50.00 on others (including sites for those in Education), For the shopper who wishes to do a little extra research, a web search may reveal that Elements is included with a scanner or ink jet printer at well under $99.00, making the purchase a 2-for-1.

Elements is a pared down version of Photoshop, but it is still a viable solution for almost all image processing needs. Simply because it is pared down, it becomes very attractive for occasional users who do not desire to re-learn the full version of Photoshop, let alone yet another upgrade and yet more frustrating minutea to discover.