Is anybody using Photoshop elements 4.0 for rendering?
My quick reply is NO.
But an associate and I pulled down the latest 30 day trial of elements- and was shocked to see all the features that you can MANUALLY control. There are some filters not there, and no real Vector capabilities… but adding color, tinting, levels- I was shocked.
If you already have good art- Elements could be a great way to make it better.
I used to use 3 and it pretty much had all of the tools we use for ID rendering. Unless some features have been stripped out of 4 to force you to go pro, if that’s all you can afford, go for it. You’ll still be able to do some really good renderings. Most of the stuff that’s not in elements are more of the “photographers” tools and the different output options that the graphic designers need. Drawing tools, masking, textures, etc are still there so it’s definitely good enough to render with. Good luck.
Absolutely- you have everything you need in PS elements. When I started freelance cost was more of an issue and I was doing professional renders in Painter Essentials and PS Elements both of which came bundled with my Wacom Pad. That wacom was a great investment and paid for itself real fast.
The only issue is that you have to do a lot more workarounds that you would in PS. It takes 3 steps instead of 1. However I developed a pretty good system within Elements and worked it till I did not have to use elements any more.
I would definitely recommend that you try it and see if it works for you.