Downloading a free trial of the products available from Adobe will help you determine which Photoshop product is right for your own photography skills. The safest downloads are those available directly from Adobe on their website.
How to Download a Free Trial
Getting Photoshop downloaded for free from Adobe as a trial is simple. Simply sign up for an Adobe account, which requires an email address, password and your home address. Then, find the free trial version you want and download it. Just remember to select the correct computer system before downloading.
You will get a good idea of how to use the specific Photoshop program with your download. However, your trial will end 30 days after you download it, though you can upgrade your trial to a purchased program if you choose.
Photoshop Elements 8
Adobe Photoshop Elements 8 is the latest version of Elements, the scaled back version of Photoshop CS, aimed to help photographers regardless of their skill level. Photoshop Elements allows consumers to use the quality Photoshop editing tools at home to create stunning digital images and make photography projects without having to purchase the full version for professionals. Some of the photo editing features include:
- Adjust light for a perfectly lit photo
- Resize without distortion
- Apply effects with a single stroke
- Make vivid black-and-white photos
- Set up online albums
- Create photo books
Photoshop CS4 Extended
Adobe Photoshop CS4 is the ultimate editing software offered by Adobe. It is for professional photographers and advanced amateurs who want to fine-tune their images. Some of the newest features of CS4, include:
- Rotate tool: Allows you to see an undistorted view of your image
- Adjustment panel: Allows you to manipulate curves and contrast using the same panel
- Masks panel: Allows you to edit masks, including feathering and density
- Content aware scaling: Allows you to easily resize images
- Extended depth of field: Allows you to create a single image from several photos, helping to correct lens distortion and vignettes
In addition to the new features offered by CS4, several other features have enhancements, such as auto-blending of images and better raw image processing. Photoshop CS4 is designed to work in conjunction with Lightroom.
Photoshop Lightroom 2
Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 2 offers features aimed at professional photographers and serious amateurs. The Lightroom offers a way to organize, manage and process large amounts of pictures easily. While CS4 offers more in the way of editing tools, Lightshop has a lot to offer when it comes to organization. Features include modules dedicated to specific tasks, such as:
- Library: For importing photos and organization
- Develop: For processing multiple photographs at one time
- Slideshow, Web and Print: For presenting images in multiple formats
Photoshop Lightroom is designed to help you edit and manage large quantities of photographs quickly. Learn more before downloading the free trial by reading the FAQ page.
Try Before You Buy
As Adobe introduces more upgrades and versions of their Photoshop products, expect additional trials of the new versions to become available. Free trials are a great way to test a product before spending money on it. Visit Adobe's Downloads page to see the latest free trial versions for your photography editing needs.
