![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4EUv5JopdBQ2o15oLB_vqPRYwS_eZHvYFI7lYwK9BFlZXRPYv5YF10Qlpm7Roz3V-VMl0xwX281OqK1mpV2_Txycrs4hwV_9QL9nOVAedFhS42PSe6Hhp_OX4OVufDVMoNolwV_PpO-k/s320/Orange_Crush+-+fresco.jpg)
For all you artists out there on a budget (we're not starving, we're eating paint! :) I found a great program with many benefits of Photoshop at a fraction of the price! Photoshop Elements has lots of bells and whistles and there is even a book called "Photoshop Elements for Dummies". I created a video for Dallas-Fort Worth Pug Rescue's 10th Anniversary using the Photoshop Elements slideshow, which has smooth transitioning features, a nice variety of templates, and the ability to upload multiple photos into a presentation at the same time - much less clunky than Roxio or Digital 8, if you've tried those two older slideshow programs.
Another nice feature is the way you can change your artwork to a black and white photo to check out whether you've succeeded in getting your values correct. You can also try out some painterly effects - here is an example of my artwork Orange Crush using the "fresco" effect.