Adobe Photoshop Elements 2027: photo editing for beginners with AI mode and a 3-year licence

Photoshop Elements offers three ways of working: Quick for simple corrections, Guided for guided edits and Advanced for working with tools and layers. According to Adobe, the guided edits are grouped into six categories, including colour, black and white, creative and special edits, and combining several photos. Each guided edit takes you to the result step by step.

Since version 2027 there is a dedicated AI mode for retouching and cut-outs. Among other things you will find:

• Remove Object and Erase Bystanders for distracting objects and people,
• Select Subject for the main subject plus automatic selections for background and sky,
• Remove Background for cut-outs,
• automatic skin smoothing for portraits.

In Advanced mode you work with layers, layer masks and adjustment and fill layers. Adjustment layers change colour and tone without permanently changing the pixels; masks control the visibility of a layer. This also lets you build montages from several photos. Adobe does not describe smart objects or live filters as in Photoshop for Elements, so in our view non-destructive work is only partly possible.

Elements opens and saves PSD, TIFF, PNG, JPEG, WebP and Photoshop PDF. You open raw files from supported cameras via Camera Raw; your changes are not written to the original file. According to Adobe, the Camera Raw plug-in is no longer part of the installer in version 2027; you download it via the Help menu.

You can open PSD files from Photoshop with their layers. According to the help, however, Elements does not support layer groups: you have to simplify them before you can edit the image. For exchanging files with agencies that work in Photoshop with groups and smart objects, this is a noticeable limit.

For print it matters that Elements only knows the image modes RGB, bitmap, greyscale and indexed colour. There is no CMYK mode. You therefore create CMYK print files in another program or let the print shop convert them. You can edit images with 16 bits per channel, but with limitations: according to Adobe's help, many filters cannot be applied to 16-bit images. Greyscale and indexed-colour images are 8-bit images.

Besides the AI tools for selection and retouching, Elements includes generative features: Generative Expand, Generative Upscale, Generate Image and Insert Object. They use Adobe Firefly models and, for paying users, also partner models. Only these generative features use generative credits.

According to Adobe, the standalone version includes 25 generative credits per month, the bundle with Premiere Elements 100. Credits reset monthly and do not roll over. According to the help, how many credits a generation costs depends on model, feature and settings; partner models sometimes use considerably more. If you need more, you buy credits in the app or switch to a Firefly plan.

For a generation, Adobe shares your text prompt and, where relevant, your image and the masked areas. In our view you therefore need an internet connection for the generative features. Adobe states that your content is never used to train Adobe or partner models for generative AI. According to Adobe, content that is only processed locally on your computer is also not analysed for product improvement; for content on Adobe servers there is a switch in your account's privacy settings.

Photoshop Elements 2027 runs on Windows 11 (version 24H2 or later, 64-bit only) and on Macs with Apple silicon from macOS 15.5. Adobe no longer supports Windows 10 and Intel Macs, nor Windows on ARM. Adobe has discontinued the former Elements web and mobile betas; the web beta has not been accessible since the end of January 2026. You exchange photos between your phone and the app via QR code. The interface is available in German, among other languages.

Elements is sold as a purchase without a subscription, but with a time-limited 3-year licence. It expires three years after activation and cannot be renewed. After that the editor can no longer be used; you can keep using the Elements Organizer with your media catalogue. If you want to keep working, you buy a new version at the upgrade price, which again runs for three years. An upgrade is possible at any time, also during the term.

You may install Elements on up to two computers, but not use them at the same time. Activation is done by signing in with an Adobe ID; serial numbers no longer exist, retail copies come with a voucher code instead. You need internet for installation, activation and deactivation; after that you can work offline according to Adobe. The app can download and install application updates automatically. A free 7-day trial is available.

According to Adobe, Elements is aimed at consumers who want to organise, edit and share their photos easily. Adobe positions Photoshop instead for professional images, designs and 3D content. In comparison, Elements lacks CMYK and layer groups, among other things; Photoshop, on the other hand, comes as a subscription.

In our view Elements suits:

• beginners who want to learn with Guided mode and get quick results,
• hobby photographers who retouch, cut out and manage portraits and holiday photos,
• families and clubs who design collages, slideshows and simple graphics with templates.

It is less suited to designers and agencies who exchange PSD files with groups and smart objects or create print files in CMYK. If you do not want a subscription, you do get a purchase, but you have to buy again after three years to keep using the editor.