Adobe’s beginner-friendly “Elements” photo and video editing programs have been around for over twenty years, a good chunk of time Photoshop itself has been around. So what does Adobe have up its sleeve to get people to upgrade? gifs Yes, they are GIFs. The meme-compatible animation format is front and center in a list of new features for Photoshop Elements 2023 and Premiere Elements 2023, available now on Adobe’s digital store.
Specifically, both programs now offer easy GIF export from their Moving Elements tool, which has been around for some time. This lets you add basic animations to layers of still photos or short video clips, for Photoshop and Premiere respectively. Artistic effects, essentially sophisticated filters, can be applied to both. It might not seem like much, but given the popularity and ubiquity of GIFs, it’s strange that these easy-to-use programs have been without them for so long.
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Elsewhere, programs are faster and leaner, with a 48% reduction in application size and a 50% faster startup time (up to 70% faster if you’re using a Mac with an M1 processor). Other enhancements include new background and pattern options, new slideshow templates, preview overlays to fake photo depths, and 100 more unlicensed audio tracks for use in Premiere audio tracks.
Adobe also has a new companion app in beta that lets users preview unfinished projects and make some basic photo collages without access to a full PC. It’s available on the web and mobile, but in English only. Note that this is no the free, web-based version of Photoshop that Adobe has been promising for some time.
Photoshop Elements 2023 and Premiere Elements 2023 are $100 or $150 if you buy them in the regular package. Unlike Adobe’s more pro-oriented Creative Cloud tools, no subscription is required.
