Premiere Elements...a step too much

Question

Hi,
Every year I teach hundreds of non-media students how to film and edit using Premiere Elements. Since I am a professional user I have no problems with Premiere Elements at all but I notice that many students find some assets very confusing. So I want to point them out for you guys and hope to start a discussion.
Problem 1) When starting up APE9, or older versions, you need to know what KIND of camera you are using. NOTE: so not the Brand and Model, but the system behind it. For instance: AVCHD 1080i, HDV720p30, DVCAM and more. I know that Adobe says: Read the manual of your camera too see what system your camera uses. But that too is hard for many amateurs. (Especially for students who only loan camera's for a quick filmsession).
Solution 1) In the older Premiere Pro versions you could choose a Brand and then a Model. The settings were automatically adjusted to he corresponding camera. Adding pictures of the camera would only make things even easier. (Sure, it will cost time but it make this package really easier to start) If your camera is not listed, then you can use the current system.
Problem 2) In APE7 I manually created a preset, and I called it SONY BLOGGIE, so that student know what option to pick for their editing. It is a shame that that option is removed from APE9. No more adjusting your settings and saving the preset. Sure...Adobe Prem Pro still features the option but thats no option for my students.
Solution) Please return this feature
Students are asking to work on my current PC now so I'll update the above list asap

Answer 1

I'm afraid it just is not the case that PRE9 automatically adjusts the preset when dragging the clip. It purports to do so, and attempts to make a correct change, but I found that it does not change the default mpeg preset to say the required AVCHD setting. So it has to be done manually before starting; and it certainly is not where many consumer editors want to start on an ad-hoc basis. It would even be more helpful if, when creating a new project, PRE9 asked the question (What format do you want? Here is a list). But it does not: you have to go and set it, while the app is actually encouraging you to simply press 'go'..
It's somewhat disappointing that Adobe do wilfully ignore their users so well; I work with SAP in my day job, and regulary use (and contribute to) their user forums, in which their technical experts regularly offer hints, advice and solutions (while retaining the more formal paths for real bug reports. I am not saying they are without their own problems).
Since cameras can be set up to record different ways, maybe it would be better to point to an intial sample clip rather than a camera setting. But, hey, I'm not even areally a beginner, just sorting out stuff for the real creative in our home, my wife. She's happy to mess with tools and functions and do a lot of pretty creative stuff, but no way does she want to read tech specs of cameras or clips, beyond is wide-screen, HD or whatever .
Stephen