Adobe rolls out Photoshop Elements 9, Premiere Elements 9 bundle for Windows, Mac

Adobe has just announced new versions of its budget-friendly image and video software programs: Photoshop Elements 9 and Premiere Elements 9.

Both programs are compatible with Windows and Mac platforms, and this is actually the first time that Premiere Elements is even available for Mac. Here are a some of the updates and additions seen in each program:

Photoshop Elements 9

• Spot Healing Brush: analyzes image frame and repairs photos with a swipe of a brush, “magically filling in the background” (i.e. removing tourists the scene)
• Additional Guided Edit options: more step-by-step walkthroughs of editing effects such as Out of Bounds (3D-like effect), pop art, portraits, etc.

Premiere Elements 9

• New intelligent tools that automatically fix audio problems, trim bad footage, correct bad color and lighting, and stabilize images
• Cartoon Effects: turns any video into an animated film
• Optimized editing and viewing
• Easier importing and uploading from Flip Video camcorders and DSLR cameras

For both software programs, there’s a improved organizer that lets users to tag and view photos and videos in one place, from where they can directly upload to Facebook and other online photo or print services. The Organizer also includes an interesting Auto-Analyzer feature, which identifies specific faces in photos and helps users tag what the program considers to be the best photos and videos in the bunch.

Buyers of these Adobe programs also have the option of signing up for Plus. For $49.99 per year year, subscribers get 20GB of storage space for automatic online backups and sharing, along with some additional tutorials and templates.

Both Adobe Photoshop Elements 9 and Adobe Premiere Elements 9 area available at Adobe.com now, with other retail locations to follow. Each program is available as a stand-alone product for $99.99 or as a bundle for $149.99.