Is 'portrait professional' worth its value if one is already using photoshop elements?

PP will not do anything PS Elements cannot do, but the thing is, can YOU do it with Elements? PS Elements is capable, but are you? PP just takes these type of edits and actions and allows their use in a much easier way. PP will also save some time compared to doing the same thing in PS. So if you think you need PP, then go for it. I have to say though, I have seen some before and after examples from PP that I thought were overdone. It is fine to tweak a photo to make someone look a little better, but when they don't even really look like the same person, I think it is getting absurd. If you are shooting lots of models and how close to reality their photos are is meaningless, then I could see where PP would be a good tool. If, however, you are shooing "real" everyday people, I would think PP would have the tendency to do you more harm than good.

steve

I agree with Steve.

I have PP and every so often, I attempt to use it.

Every time the end results look wrong - overdone and just plain odd (even when I try to take it easy), so unless I"m having a fun with a portrait, I always end up going back and doing it the "hard way" in Photoshop.

Elements would be quite capable to do everything you need for a portrait, so unless you have plenty of spare cash, I wouldn't bother.