Adobe Photoshop Elements 8 User Manual
Using
ADOBE
MAC OS X
®
PHOTOSHOP
®
ELEMENTS 8 EDITOR
Copyright
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Using Adobe® Photoshop® Elements 8 for Mac OS®
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Last updated 7/26/2011
Contents
Chapter 1: Getting started
Installing Photoshop Elements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Using Help and getting support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
New and enhanced features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Working in Photoshop Elements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Chapter 2: Photoshop Elements workspace
About the workspace . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Context menus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Panels and bins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Undo, redo, and cancel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Scratch disks and plug-ins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Chapter 3: Import photos
Importing photos . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Cameras and card readers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Scanners . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Local files, CDs, DVDs, and video . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
iv
Chapter 4: Working with files
Opening files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Managing and organizing files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Viewing images . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Guides, grids, and rulers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Saving and exporting images . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
Guided Edit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Chapter 5: Using layers
Creating layers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Editing layers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
Copying and arranging layers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
Opacity and blending modes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
Adjustment and fill layers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
Layer masks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Layer styles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
Chapter 6: Camera raw files
Processing camera raw image files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
Settings and controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
Color and camera raw . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
Last updated 7/26/2011
USING PHOTOSHOP ELEMENTS 8
Contents
Chapter 7: Selecting parts of an image
Making selections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
Modifying selections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
Smoothing selection edges with anti-aliasing and feathering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
Moving and copying selections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
Saving selections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
Chapter 8: Color and tonal correction
Color and tonal correction basics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
Adjusting shadows and light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108
Correcting color casts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115
Adjusting color saturation and hue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119
Adjustment filters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125
Setting press target values . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129
Chapter 9: Cropping, resizing, retouching, and transforming photos
Cropping . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132
Image size and resolution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137
Retouching . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140
Sharpening . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153
Transforming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156
Recomposing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160
v
Chapter 10: Understanding color
Understanding color . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164
Using image modes and color tables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166
Setting up color management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171
Chapter 11: Filters, effects, styles, and artwork
Effects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173
Filters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 178
Artistic filters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183
Blur filters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 185
Brush Stroke filters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186
Distort filters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187
Noise filters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192
Pixelate filters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 193
Render filters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 194
Sketch filters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197
Stylize filters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 198
Texture filters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 200
Video filters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 201
Other filters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 201
Chapter 12: Painting
Painting overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 204
Choosing colors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 208
Painting tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 212
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Contents
Setting up brushes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 219
Fills and strokes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 223
Patterns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 224
Gradients . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 226
Presets and libraries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 230
Chapter 13: Adding text and shapes
Add and edit text . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 234
Work with Asian type . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 240
Creating shapes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 241
Editing shapes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 245
Chapter 14: Making projects
Projects overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 247
Making photo projects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 247
Make a photo collage, greeting card, or other projects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 252
Editing photo projects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 253
Making digital projects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 256
Creating slide shows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 257
Stitching together panoramas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 257
vi
Chapter 15: Optimizing for the web
Optimizing images . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 261
Using transparency and mattes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 269
Dithering in web images . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 271
Previewing web images . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 273
Chapter 16: Printing and sharing photos
Printing photos . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 275
Options for printing and sharing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 279
Sharing photos . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 279
Chapter 17: Keyboard shortcuts
Shortcuts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 281
Chapter 18: Glossary
Find definitions for terms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 290
Digital imaging terms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 290
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Chapter 1: Getting started
Adobe® Photoshop® Elements software combines power and simplicity so you can easily make your photos look their
best. You can share them in imaginative ways, and easily find and view all your photos.
Installing Photoshop Elements
Requirements
To review the complete system requirements and recommendations for your Adobe® software, see the ReadMe file
included with your software.
Install the software
1 Close any other Adobe applications open on your computer.
2 Insert the installation disc into your DVD drive, and then follow the on-screen instructions.
Note: You can specify the language and select the country while installing the application. If you want to change these
settings after installing the application, you need to uninstall the application and then re-install it.
1
For more information, see the ReadMe file included with your software.
Register
Register your product to receive complimentary installation support, notifications of updates, and other services.
❖ To register, follow the on-screen instructions in the Registration dialog box, which appears after you install.
ReadMe file
The installation disc contains the ReadMe file for your software. (This file is also copied to the application folder
during product installation.) Open the file to read important information.
Using Help and getting support
Using Photoshop Elements Help
Photoshop Elements Help is available several ways. To access Help, select Help > Photoshop Elements Help (use the
Command+? keys on your keyboard). If your computer is connected to the Internet, Photoshop
automatically launches Help on the web.
Help on the web The most comprehensive and up-to-date version of Photoshop Elements Help is available on the
web. Your computer must be connected to the Internet to access Help on the web. Use the Search field to search within
Photoshop Elements Help. To view Help on the web, see
comprehensive and up-to-date version of Adobe Bridge Help, see www.adobe.com/go/learn_bridge_en.
www.adobe.com/go/learn_pse_mac_en. For the most
Elements
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Getting started
Help in the application Help in the application provides access to key tasks and concepts. If you aren’t connected to
the Internet, Photoshop
complete Help available on the web.
Help PDF Help is also available as a PDF that is optimized for printing. Click the Help PDF link at the top of each Help
page. The Help PDF is the best way to access the most comprehensive Help when you don’t have an Internet
connection. For more information, see
Links in the application Some Help links are within Photoshop Elements. Clicking these links takes you to the
corresponding topic in either Help on the web or Help in the application.
Note: If you try to access a Help topic that only exists in Help on the web, Photoshop Elements displays the URL and a
link to the complete Help on the web.
Tips for searching Help
Elements launches Help in the application. Help in the application is a small subset of the
www.adobe.com/go/learn_pse_mac_printpdf_en.
• If you search using a phrase, such as “shape tool,” place quotation marks around the phrase. The search returns only
those topics containing all the words in the phrase.
• Make sure that the search terms are spelled correctly.
• If a search term doesn’t yield results, try using a synonym, such as “web” instead of “Internet.”
• If you find a topic you want to view again, bookmark it for easy access later.
Print a Help topic To print a topic from Help, use the Print command in the browser.
2
How to search for troubleshooting topics You can view top issues and search for common problems and error
messages by going to
Photoshop Elements users at www.adobe.com/go/forums.
www.adobe.com/support/photoshopelements. You can also ask questions of other
Customer support
Visit the Adobe Support website at www.adobe.com/support to find troubleshooting information for your product
and to learn about free and paid technical support options.
New and enhanced features
What’s new
To learn more about new and enhanced features, visit www.adobe.com/go/learn_pse_mac_features_en.
Make your photos look their best
Intelligent resizing The Recompose tool enables you to resize an image without changing important visual content,
such as people, buildings, and animals.
Get a perfect blended photo You can blend photos together to get a perfectly exposed photo using Photomerge
Exposure.
Get a perfect scenic photo Use Photomerge Scene Cleaner to create the perfect scenic photo from multiple photos.
Smart brushes Using Smart Brush tool, you can paint and change the adjustments as many times as you want without
degrading your original photo.
Automated actions Photoshop Elements comes with a set of actions. The Action Player can play actions created in
Photoshop if the actions use features supported by Photoshop Elements.
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Getting started
Do more with your photos
Share in many ways from one convenient place Quickly and easily share your photos in various ways—including e-
mail, web galleries, and burning to CD.
Liven up your photo projects Use great-looking new themes and artwork to give your photo projects a professional
look.
Surface blur The Surface Blur filter blurs an image while preserving edges.
Easily find and view photos
Quick Fix preview You can preview how a photo looks after adjustments, before you apply the adjustment to the
photo.
Working in Photoshop Elements
When you start Photoshop Elements, it displays a Welcome screen that provides a starting point for you to open a
blank document, browse for files with Adobe Bridge, or open files from a camera or a scanner.
Downloading and organizing photos
With Photoshop Elements, you can download photos from your camera or a card reader to view them in
Bridge CS4. You can start the Adobe Bridge photo downloader from either Photoshop Elements or
Adobe
Bridge. You can also set the photo downloader to start any time you plug in a camera or card reader.
Adobe
3
Use Adobe Bridge to manage photo files.
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Getting started
When working in Photoshop Elements, use Adobe Bridge to find and manage your photos and Adobe PDF
documents, even if they’re stored in different locations. Adobe Bridge automatically organizes photos by date as they
download. You can further sort and categorize photos by adding star ratings, stacking photos, and assigning keyword
tags to help you identify people, places, and events. You can quickly view every photo you’ve taken of your dog. For
example, click the keyword tag you have created in your dog’s name to view every photo of your dog. You can also
search for images based on date range, caption, filename, media type, and more. For the most comprehensive and upto-date version of the Adobe Bridge Help, see
use Adobe Bridge. The Adobe Bridge Help document includes detailed information about the following:
Adobe Bridge. You can also find video tutorials that teach you how to
• Working with Adobe Bridge
• Viewing and managing files
• Working with images and dynamic media
• Running automated tasks with Adobe Bridge
• Adobe Bridge keyboard shortcuts
• Workspace
Accessing Adobe Bridge from Photoshop Elements
❖ Do one of the following:
• Click File > Browse With Bridge
• Click the Bridge icon .
4
Editing photos
Photoshop Elements offers several levels of editing, from simple one-click fixes to advanced color correction and
composition. The Photoshop
Edit. Quick Fix offers quick preview and slider controls for adjusting lighting and color and sharpening entire photos
or selected areas of photos. Click the triangle beside Edit Full, and then select Edit Quick to navigate to Quick Fix
mode. Edit Full mode provides a complete editing toolset and controls. You can adjust the exposure of specific areas
of a photo using professional darkroom tools, such as dodge, burn, and sponge. You can also use fine-tune exposure
with the enhanced Brightness/Contrast control, or use Color Curves adjustments to get the perfect exposure.
In Edit Full mode, you can also remove imperfections or unwanted elements, brush away wrinkles and flaws, and apply
artistic filters and effects.
If you are not sure how to proceed, switch to Edit Guided mode. This mode provides step-by-step assistance on how
to perform common tasks, such as rotating and straightening photos, correcting skin tone, and performing color
corrections. Click the triangle beside Edit Full, and then select Edit Guided to navigate to Edit Guided mode.
Elements workspace provides three editing modes: Quick Fix, Guided Edit, and Full
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Getting started
5
Edit Guided mode walks you through each editing step to make improving your photos easier than ever.
You can feel free to experiment, too, because you can undo or redo multiple steps with a click.
Creating photo composites
You can create beautiful composites, including perfect group shots and seamless panoramas, with easy-to-use tools.
New photo-blending technology, called Photomerge, lets you easily combine the best facial expressions from a series
of group shots into one composite in which everyone looks their best. With Photomerge, you can also automatically
stitch together a series of scenic photos to create smooth panoramic images.
You can use Photomerge to create composites in all three modes. Simply choose File > New, and then select one of the
Photomerge commands. Or choose one of the Photomerge commands in the Guided Edit tab.
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Getting started
Use a single tool to easily combine the best facial expressions and body language from a series of group shots to create a single composite in which
everyone looks great.
Photomerge Exposure and Photomerge Scene Cleaner
With Photomerge Scene Cleaner, you can create perfect scenic photos from multiple photos. For example, you can
eliminate tourists that inadvertently wandered into the scenery. Select File > New > Photomerge Scene Cleaner, or
choose Photomerge Scene Cleaner in the Guided Edit tab.
6
BCA
Photomerge Scene Cleaner
A. Dragging a photo to the Final window B. Using the Pencil tool to mark the area to be replaced in t he Final window C. Result in the Final
window
With Photomerge Exposure, you can blend two photos together to get a perfectly exposed photo. For example, you
have a photo of your family and the background is dark, and a similar photograph with a bright background and dark
foreground. You can use Photomerge Exposure to blend these photos, and create a perfectly exposed photo. Select File
> New > Photomerge Exposure, or choose Photomerge Exposure in the Guided Edit tab.
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Getting started
Photomerge Exposure
7
Creating and sharing photo projects
After you’ve perfected your photos in Photoshop Elements, you can use them in various fun projects that you can share
with family and friends. For example, you can create printed photo projects, such as albums, scrapbook pages, greeting
cards, CD/DVD labels and jackets, and photo collages that you can print at home. Professionally designed templates
feature color-coordinated, themed layouts for scrapbook pages, cards, and more. In the Create or Share tab, choose the
type of project you’d like to create, and Photoshop
and instructions.
Make printed CD/DVD labels and jackets.
To give your projects a more personal look, you can customize the templates. Adjust layout colors to better
complement your photos, for example, and add new graphical elements, text, and effects, such as drop shadows and
glows. Use the Contents panel to quickly browse hundreds of frames, themes, backgrounds, clip art, and effects to
apply to your photos and photo projects.
Elements walks you through the process with the appropriate tools
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Getting started
Create customized photo collages with graphical elements, such as frames, drop shadows, backgrounds, and text.
You can also use your photos in projects such as online photo galleries and photo slide shows. As with print photo
projects, Photoshop
Elements guides you through the process of creating your project by helping you design the page,
arrange the photos, customize the layout, and burn the project to a disc or upload it to the web.
8
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Chapter 2: Photoshop Elements workspace
Use the Photoshop Elements workspace for creating, editing, and fixing your images. You can add functionality with
plug-in modules and expand system memory by using scratch disks.
Select a photo and then choose Quick Fix, Full Edit, or Guided Edit to edit it.
About the workspace
The Welcome screen
When you start Photoshop Elements, the Welcome screen opens by default. The Welcome screen is a convenient
starting place, or hub, for major tasks.
Click a button on the Welcome screen to open the workspace. You can browse with Adobe Bridge, start from scratch,
or import photos from a camera or scanner.
You can close or reopen the Welcome screen at any time by choosing Window > Welcome. If you prefer to omit the
Welcome screen when you start Photoshop
screen.
Elements, deselect the Show At Startup box at the bottom of the Welcome
9
The editing workspace
There are three ways to create and edit images: Full Edit, Edit Quick, and Guided Edit. The Full Edit workspace has
tools to correct color problems, create special effects, and enhance photos. The Edit Quick workspace contains simple
tools for correcting color and lighting, and commands to quickly fix common problems like red-eye. If you are new to
digital imaging, Edit Quick or Guided Edit is a good place to start fixing photos.
If you’ve worked with image-editing applications before, you’ll find that the Full Edit workspace provides a flexible
and powerful image-correction environment. It has lighting and color-correction commands, along with tools for
fixing image defects, making selections, adding text, and painting on your images. You can rearrange the Full Edit
workspace to best suit your needs by moving, hiding, and showing panels; arranging panels in the Panel Bin; zooming
in or out of the photo; scrolling to a different area of the document window; and creating multiple windows and views.
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Photoshop Elements workspace
10
AB
D
C
E
Full Edit workspace
A. Inactive tab B. Active tab C. Active image area D Tools E. Project Bin F. Panel bin G. Panels
G
F
Menu bar Contains menus for performing tasks. The menus are organized by topic. For example, the Enhance menu
contains commands for applying adjustments to an image.
Workspace buttons Moves you between the Guided Edit, Quick Fix, and Full Edit workspaces. These buttons change
according to the current workspace.
Toolbox Holds tools for editing images.
Options bar Provides options for the tool you select.
Project Bin Displays thumbnails of opened images, and lets you easily manage them.
Panels Help you monitor and modify images.
Panel Bin Helps you organize the panels in your work area.
More Help topics
“Correct color in Quick Fix” on page 99
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Use Application frames
On the Mac, the Application frame groups all the workspace elements into a single, integrated window that enables
you to treat the application as a single unit. When you move or resize the Application frame or any of its elements, all
the elements within it respond to each other so that none overlap. Panels don’t disappear when you switch applications
or when you accidentally click out of the application. If you work with two or more applications, you can position each
application side by side on the screen or on multiple monitors. If you prefer the traditional, free-form user interface of
the Mac, you can turn off the application frame. You can show or hide the application frame using the Window menu.
Select Window > Application Frame to toggle the application frame on or off. Similarly, you can show or hide the
Application Bar using Window > Application Bar.
Exit Photoshop Elements
1 Choose Photoshop Elements > Quit Photoshop Elements.
2 Choose whether to save any open files.
More Help topics
“Save changes in different file formats” on page 41
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Context menus
Use context menus
You can use context menus to display commands that are relevant to the active tool, selection, or panel. These menus
are often another way to access the commands in the window menus.
Control-click or right-click to open a context menu. This menu appears in the Project Bin in Full Edit.
1 Position the pointer over an image or a panel item.
Note: Not all panels offer context menus.
2 Right-click and choose a command from the menu.
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Using keyboard commands and modifier keys
Keyboard commands let you quickly execute commands without using a menu; modifier keys let you alter how a tool
operates. When available, the keyboard command appears to the right of the command name in the menu.
More Help topics
“Keys for selecting and moving objects” on page 283
“Keys for selecting tools” on page 281
Tools
About the toolbox
Use tools in the toolbox to select, edit, and view images; some tools let you paint, draw, and type. The toolbox appears
on the left side of the Full Edit and Quick Fix workspaces. In the Full Edit workspace, you can move the toolbox by
dragging the gripper bar at the top of the box.
You must select a tool in the toolbox before you can use it. Once selected, the tool is highlighted in the toolbox, and
optional settings for the tool appear in the options bar, which is located below the shortcuts bar at the top of the
workspace. Some tools in the toolbox have additional tools beneath them. These are called nested tools. A small triangle
at the lower right of the tool icon signals that there are nested tools. When you select a tool, any additional nested tools
appear in the options bar.
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Note: You cannot deselect a tool—once you select a tool, it remains selected until you select a different tool. For example,
if you’ve selected the Lasso tool, and you want to click your image without selecting anything, select the Hand tool.
You can view information about any tool in the toolbox by positioning the pointer over it. The name of the tool appears
below the pointer—this is called the tool tip. You can click a link in some tool tips to see additional information about
the tool.
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Toolbox overview
A
B
C
E
D
F
G
A D F
Navigation and
measuring tools
Move (V)
Zoom (Z)
Hand (H)
Eyedropper (I)
B
Selection tools
Rectangular
Marquee (M)
Elliptical Marquee (M)
Lasso (L)
Magnetic Lasso (L)
Polygonal Lasso (L)
Magic Wand (W)
Quick Selection (A)
Selection Brush (A)
C
Type tools
Horizontal Type (T)
Vertical Type (T )
Horizontal Type
Mask (T)
Vertical Type
Mask (T)
Crop tools
Crop (C)
Cookie Cutter (Q)
Straighten (P)
Recompose (C+C)
E
Retouching tools
Red Eye Removal (Y)
Spot Healing
Brush (J)
Healing Brush (J)
Clone Stamp (S)
Pattern Stamp (S)
Eraser (E)
Background Eraser (E)
Magic Eraser (E)
Blur (R)
Sharpen (R)
Smudge (R)
Sponge (O)
Dodge (O)
Burn (O)
Painting and
drawing tools
Brush (B)
Pencil (N)
Impressionist
Brush (B)
Color Replacement (B)
Smart Brush (F)
Detail Smart Brush (F)
Paint Bucket (K)
Gradient (G)
G
Shape tools
Rectangle (U)
Rounded
Rectangle (U)
Ellipse (U)
Polygon (U)
Line (U)
Custom Shape (U)
Shape Selection (U)
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Indicates default tool * Keyboard shortcuts appear in parenthesis
Toolbox Overview
Select a tool
❖ Do one of the following:
• Click a tool in the toolbox. If there is a small triangle in a tool’s lower-right corner, hold down the mouse button to
view the hidden tools nested with the tool. Then click the tool you want to select.
• Press the tool’s keyboard shortcut. The keyboard shortcut is displayed in its tool tip. For example, you can select
the Move tool by pressing the V key.
• To open a nested tool, use the tool’s keyboard shortcut several times to cycle through all nested tools.
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A
D E
B
C
F
Using tools
A. Toolbox B. Active tool C. Hidden tools D. Tool name E. Tool shortcut F. Hidden tool triangle
More Help topics
“Keys for selecting tools” on page 281
Set tool preferences
1 Choose Photoshop Elements > Preferences > General.
2 Set one or more of the following options, and click OK.
• Select Show Tool Tips to show or hide tool tips.
• Select Use Shift Key For Tool Switch to cycle through a set of hidden tools by holding down the Shift key. When
this option is deselected, you can cycle through a set of hidden tools by pressing the shortcut key (without holding
down Shift).
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Set the appearance of a tool pointer
1 Choose Photoshop Elements > Preferences > Display & Cursors.
2 Select a setting for the Painting Cursors:
Standard Displays pointers as tool icons.
Precise Displays pointers as cross-hairs.
Note: When not in Preferences, use the Caps Lock key to toggle the appearance of the Precise cursors.
Normal Brush Tip Displays the pointers as circles at 50% of the size you specify for the brush.
Full Size Brush Tip Displays the pointers as circles at the full size you specify for the brush.
Show Crosshair In Brush Tip Displays cross-hairs in the circles when you choose either Normal Brush Tip or Full Size
Brush Tip.
3 Select a setting for Other Cursors:
Standard Displays pointers as tool icons.
Precise Displays pointers as cross-hairs.
Set tool options
The options bar appears below the shortcuts bar at the top of the workspace. The options bar is context sensitive—it
changes as you select different tools. Some settings in the options bar are common to several tools, and some are
specific to one tool.
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B
A
Lasso options bar
A. Tool icon B. Active tool C. Hidden tools D. Tool options
1 Select a tool.
2 Look in the options bar to see the available options. For more information on setting options for a specific tool,
search for the tool’s name in Photoshop
C
D
Elements Help.
Note: To return a tool or all tools to their default settings, click the tool icon, and then click the triangle in the options bar,
then choose Reset Tool or Reset All Tools from the context menu.
More Help topics
“Keys for selecting tools” on page 281
Set a completed operations alert
1 Choose Photoshop Elements > Preferences > General.
2 Select Beep When Done, and click OK.
Panels and bins
About panels
Panels help you manage, monitor, and modify images. Some panels have menus that provide additional commands
and options. You can organize panels in the workspace in many different ways. You can store panels in the Panel Bin
to keep them out of your way, but easily accessible, or you can keep frequently used panels open in the workspace.
Another option is to group panels or dock one panel at the bottom of another panel. Panels are stored in the Panel Bin,
which is accessible in Full Edit mode.
Note: Drag a panel out of the Panel Bin if you want to remove it from the Panel Bin and keep it open.
Dragging a panel
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Panel menus
Some commands appear in both the panel menu and the menu bar. Other commands are exclusive to panel menus.
Click panel menu to view the different commands in each panel.
Pop-up sliders within panels
Some panels and dialog boxes contain settings that use pop-up sliders (for example, the Opacity option in the Layers
panel). If there is a triangle next to the text box, you can activate the pop-up slider by clicking the triangle. Position the
pointer over the triangle next to the setting, hold down the mouse button, and drag the slider or angle radius to the
desired value. Click outside the slider box or press Enter to close the slider box. To cancel changes, press Esc.
To increase or decrease values in 10% increments when the pop-up slider box is open, hold down Shift and press the
Up Arrow or Down Arrow key.
C
A
BD
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F G H
E
Different ways to enter values
A. Dial B. Click to open window C. Text box D. Menu arrow E. Scrubby slider F. Check box G. Slider H Pop-up slider triangle
Work with panels
The Panel Bin lets you store multiple panels in a single area that you can easily configure, close, or keep open for easy
and fast access. By default, the Panel Bin appears on the right side of the workspace. When you adjust panels, they
remain as you leave them until you reset or change them.
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B C
A
17
D
The Panel Bin
A. Change panel tools B. Adjust panel height C. Panel menu D. Scroll to view rest of panel
1 To show or hide the bin, choose Window > Panel Bin.
2 To use panels in the Panel Bin, do any of the following:
• To remove a panel from the Panel Bin, drag the panel’s title bar out of the Panel Bin.
• To add a panel to the Panel Bin, drag the panel’s title bar into the Panel Bin.
• To rearrange panels in the Panel Bin, drag the panel’s title bar to a new location.
3 To use panels outside of the Panel Bin, do any of the following:
• To open a panel, choose the panel’s name from the Window menu.
• To close a panel, choose the panel’s name from the Window menu. Or click the Close option in the panel’s menu.
• To change the size of a panel, drag any corner of the panel.
• To group panels together (one panel with multiple tabs), drag another panel’s tab onto the body of the target panel.
A thick line appears around the body of the target panel when the pointer is over the correct area for grouping to
occur. If you want to move a panel to another group, drag the panel’s tab to that group. To separate a panel from a
group, drag the panel’s tab outside the group.
• To move a panel group, drag the title bar.
• To expand or collapse a panel or panel group, double-click the panel’s tab or title bar.
• To reset panels to their default positions, choose Window > Reset Panels.
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Note: If you want panels to always open in their default positions, choose Photoshop Elements > Preferences > General,
and then deselect Save Panel Locations. The change takes effect the next time you start the application.
• To move a panel and keep it open, drag the panel. To reset the panel to its default position, select Window > Reset
Panels.
Work with the Panel Bin
The Panel Bin appears on the right side of the workspace. It contains a tab for each of the basic steps of photo editing:
Edit, Create, and Share. You can open the Panel Bin to access the tabs, or close it to expand the workspace.
Tabs on the Panel Bin
Show or hide the Panel Bin
❖ Select Window > Panel Bin.
Use tools in the Edit, Create, and Share tabs
1 In the Panel Bin, click the Edit, Create, or Share tab.
2 Click a button for any of the tools listed on that tab.
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Use the Project Bin
Located at the bottom of the edit workspaces, the Project Bin displays thumbnails of open photos. It’s useful for
switching between multiple open photos in your workspace. The Project Bin has controls that let you open or close
images, hide images, navigate through open images, make a specific image the frontmost, duplicate an image, rotate
an image, or view file information. Because the Project Bin appears in both Full Edit and Quick Fix, you can easily
bring open images into Quick Fix for editing. Multiple-page projects are highlighted by a gray frame around the page
thumbnails. To show or hide the individual pages, click the right edge of the frame.
❖ Do any of the following:
• To open an image, use File > Open.
• To bring an opened image forward as the frontmost image, double-click a thumbnail.
• To rearrange photos, drag thumbnails in the Project Bin.
• To close an image, right-click a thumbnail in the Project Bin and choose Close.
• To hide an image, right-click the thumbnail and choose Minimize from the context menu.
Note: To show an image after hiding it, double-click its thumbnail in the Project Bin, or right-click the thumbnail and
choose Restore from the context menu.
• To view a photo’s file information, right-click a thumbnail and choose File Info from the context menu.
• To duplicate an image, right-click a thumbnail, choose Duplicate from the context menu, and name the file.
• To rotate an image, right-click a thumbnail and choose Rotate 90° Left or Rotate 90° Right from the context menu.
• To show filenames, right-click in the Project Bin and choose Show Filenames from the context menu.
• To open or close the Project Bin, choose Window > Project Bin.
• To manually show or hide Project Bin, click the title bar of the Project Bin.
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Undo, redo, and cancel
Undo, redo, or cancel operations
Many operations can be undone or redone. For instance, you can restore all or part of an image to its last saved version.
Available memory may limit your ability to use these options.
1 To undo or redo an operation, Choose Edit > Undo or choose Edit > Redo.
2 To cancel an operation, hold down the Esc key until the operation in progress has stopped.
Using the Undo History panel
The Undo History panel (Window > Undo History) lets you jump to any recent state of the image created during the
current work session. Each time you apply a change to pixels in an image, the new state of that image is added to the
Undo History panel. You don’t need to save a change in order for the change to appear in the History.
For example, if you select, paint, and rotate part of an image, each of those states is listed separately in the panel. You
can then select any of the states, and the image reverts to how it looked when that change was first applied. You can
then work from that state.
Actions, such as zooming and scrolling, do not affect pixels in the image and do not appear in the Undo History panel.
Nor do program-wide changes, such as changes to panels, color settings, and preferences.
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A
B
C
The Undo History panel
A. Original state B. State C. Selected state and state slider
Note the following guidelines when using the Undo History panel:
• By default, the Undo History panel lists 50 previous states. Older states are automatically deleted to free more memory
for Photoshop
Preferences (Photoshop
Elements. You can change the number of states displayed in the Undo History panel in Performance
Elements > Preferences > Performance). The maximum number of states is 1000.
• The original state of the photo is always displayed at the top of the Undo History panel. You can always revert an
image to its original state by clicking this top state. Clicking the original state is also handy for comparing before
and after versions of your editing.
• When you close and reopen the document, all states from the last working session are cleared from the panel.
• States are added to the bottom of the list. That is, the oldest state is at the top of the list, the most recent one at the
bottom.
• Each state is listed with the name of the tool or command used to change the image.
• Selecting a state dims those below. This way you can easily see which changes will be discarded if you continue
working from the selected state.
• Selecting a state and then changing the image eliminates all states that came after it. Likewise, deleting a state deletes
that state and those that came after it.
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Revert to the last saved version
When editing a photo in Full Edit or Quick Fix, you can revert to the last saved version.
❖ Choose Edit > Revert.
Note: Revert is added as a history state in the Undo History panel and can be undone.
Revert to a previous state of an image
❖ In Full Edit, do any of the following:
• Click the name of the state in the Undo History panel.
• Drag the slider at the left of the state up or down to a different state in the Undo History panel.
• Click the Undo or Redo buttons on the shortcuts bar.
• Choose Undo or Redo from the Undo History panel menu or the Edit menu.
To set the keyboard command for Step Forward and Step Backward, choose Photoshop Elements > Preferences >
General, and choose from the Step Back/Fwd menu.
Delete one or more states from the Undo History panel
❖ Do one of the following:
• To delete a state, click the name of the state, and choose Delete from the Undo History panel menu. States following
the one you selected are also deleted.
• To delete the list of states from the Undo History panel, without changing the image, choose Clear Undo History
from the panel menu or choose Edit
if you get an alert that Photoshop
Note: Clearing the Undo History panel cannot be undone.
> Clear > Undo History. Clearing is useful for freeing up memory, especially
Elements is low on memory.
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Clear memory used by the clipboard and the Undo History panel
You can delete items copied to the clipboard or states in the Undo History panel to free up memory.
❖ In Full Edit, do one of the following:
• To clear memory used by the clipboard, choose Edit > Clear > Clipboard Contents.
• To clear memory used by the Undo History panel, choose Edit > Clear > Undo History or choose Clear Undo
History from the Undo History panel menu.
•
To clear the memory used in both the clipboard and the Undo History panel simultaneously, choose Edit > Clear > All.
Note: Clearing the Undo History panel or clipboard cannot be undone.
Restore default preferences
Preference settings control how Photoshop Elements displays images, cursors, and transparencies; saves files; uses
plug-ins and scratch disks, and so on. If the application exhibits unexpected behavior, the preferences file may be
damaged. You can restore all preferences to their defaults.
❖ Press and hold Option+Command+Shift immediately after Photoshop Elements begins launching. Click Yes to
delete the Adobe Photoshop Elements settings file.
A new preferences file is created the next time you start Photoshop Elements. For information on a specific preference
option, search for the preference name in Help.
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Redisplay disabled warning messages
In certain situations, messages containing warnings or prompts are displayed. You can disable the display of these
messages by selecting the Don’t Show Again option in the message, and reset the messages you’ve disabled at a later
time.
1 Choose Photoshop Elements > Preferences > General.
2 Click Reset All Warning Dialogs, and click OK.
Scratch disks and plug-ins
About scratch disks
When your system does not have enough RAM to perform an operation, Photoshop Elements uses scratch disks. A
scratch disk is any drive or partition of a drive with free memory. By default, Photoshop
on which the operating system is installed as its primary scratch disk.
You can change the primary scratch disk or designate a second, third, or fourth scratch disk to be used when the
primary disk is full. Your primary scratch disk should be your fastest hard disk and have plenty of defragmented space
available.
Elements uses the hard drive
21
For best performance, use the following guidelines when assigning scratch disks:
• Scratch disks should not be on the same physical drive as Photoshop Elements or any large files you are editing.
• Scratch disks should be not be on the same physical drive as the one used for the operating system’s virtual memory.
• Scratch disks should be on a local drive. That is, they should not be accessed over a network.
• Scratch disks should be conventional (non-removable) media.
• RAID disks/disk arrays are good choices for dedicated scratch disk volumes.
• Drives with scratch disks should be defragmented regularly. Or better yet, use an empty drive or a drive with plenty
of unused space to avoid fragmentation issues.
Change scratch disks
Photoshop Elements needs contiguous hard drive space to create a scratch disk. For this reason you should frequently
defragment your hard drive. Adobe recommends that you use a disk tool utility to defragment your hard drive on a
regular basis.
1 Choose Photoshop Elements > Preferences > Performance.
2 Select the desired disks from the Scratch Disks menu (you can assign up to four scratch disks), and click OK.
3 Restart Photoshop Elements for the change to take effect.
About plug-in modules
Plug-in modules are software programs developed by Adobe Systems and other software developers to add
functionality to Photoshop
program; they are inside the Photoshop
to load compatible plug-ins stored with another application. You can also create a shortcut for a plug-in stored in
another folder on your system. You can then add the shortcut or alias to the Plug-ins folder to use that plug-in with
Photoshop
Elements. Once installed, plug-in modules appear as options added to the Import or Export menu, as filters
Elements. A number of importing, exporting, and special-effects plug-ins come with your
Elements Plug-ins folder. You can select an additional plug-ins folder in which
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added to the Filter menu, or as file formats in the Open and Save As dialog boxes. If you install a large number of
plug-ins, Photoshop
appear in the Filter
(~) at the beginning of the plug-in name, folder, or directory. That file (or all files in the folder) is ignored by the
application when you restart it. To view information about installed plug-ins, choose Photoshop Elements
Plug-In and select a plug-in from the submenu.
Elements may not be able to list them all in their appropriate menus. If so, newly installed plug-ins
> Other submenu. To prevent a plug-in or folder of plug-ins from loading, add a tilde character
> About
More Help topics
“Plug-in filters” on page 202
Install plug-in modules
❖ Do one of the following:
• Use the plug-in installer, if provided.
• Follow the installation instructions that came with the plug-in module.
• Make sure the plug-in files are uncompressed, and then copy them to the appropriate Plug-ins folder in the
Photoshop
Elements folder.
22
Select an additional plug-ins folder
You can select an additional plug-ins folder in which to load compatible plug-ins stored with another application.
1 Choose Photoshop Elements > Preferences > Plug-Ins.
2 In the Preferences dialog, select Additional Plug-ins Folder, select a folder from the list, and click Choose.
3 To display the contents of a folder, double-click the directory. The path to the folder appears in the preferences
window.
Note: Do not select a location inside the Plug-ins folder for Photoshop Elements.
4 Restart Photoshop Elements to load the plug-ins.
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Chapter 3: Import photos
Importing photos
About getting photos
When you begin to use Photoshop Elements, you can use media files from many sources, whether a camera, scanner,
CD, or a folder on your hard disk. If you simply want to start editing a photo on your hard disk, and you know its
filename and location, use the File
the Photo Downloader in Adobe Bridge, or use the Photoshop
select the image’s source.
Open a file for editing on your hard disk
❖ Choose File > Open and browse to the file.
> Open command to browse to the file. To open photos from another source, use
Elements Import option or the Welcome screen to
23
Open a file from a device
❖ Choose File > Import, select the camera or scanner, and browse to the file.
Open a file from the Welcome screen
1 Choose Window > Welcome to open the Welcome screen.
2 Click Import From Camera or Import From Scanner to open Adobe Bridge.
Open a file from Adobe Photo Downloader
❖ Choose File > Adobe Photo Downloader to open Adobe Bridge Photo Downloader.
Guidelines for getting photos from devices
When downloading image files from a camera or a scanner, follow these guidelines:
1. Use the Adobe Photo Downloader
For some devices, you may need to install the device software on your computer before downloading files. During
installation, the software may ask whether a specific program will be used to edit the images files. If asked, specify
Photoshop
Some device software starts automatically when you connect and switch on the device. However, using Adobe Photo
Downloader enables you to perform a variety of functions not offered by device software. To obtain image files with
the Adobe Photo Downloader, close any device software that starts automatically.
Elements.
2. Organize photos during the import process
The Adobe Photo Downloader Advanced dialog box enables you to improve and organize photos while importing
them to your computer. Properly organizing photos during import makes finding and improving them later much
easier and faster.
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Import photos
For example, you might have many pictures from a recent vacation stored in your digital camera. Some of the pictures
are from a family reunion, and the rest are pictures of tourist attractions visited along the way. During the import
process, you can divide these photos into Place and Family folders, and then name them accordingly.
Import keywords attached to photos
When you receive photos that contain keyword metadata, you can import them with the photo. You can decide
whether to keep the attached keyword, rename the keyword, or map it to one of your own keywords. If you import a
new keyword, it appears in the Adobe Bridge Keyword Tags panel, and you can use it to tag other photos.
Cameras and card readers
About cameras and card readers
You can download (copy) photos from cameras and card readers in several ways:
• Copy photos from your camera and import them into Photoshop Elements using the Adobe Photo Downloader.
This method is recommended because it is quick and easy, and allows you to improve and organize your photos
when importing them.
• Open the Welcome screen and click the Import From Camera option.
• If your camera or card reader displays as a drive, you can open the files from there and place them directly into
Photoshop
In some cases, you need to install the software driver that came with your camera before you can download pictures
to your computer.
Elements.
24
Get photos from a digital camera or card reader
1 Connect your camera or card reader to your computer. (See the documentation that came with your device, if
necessary.)
2 Do either of the following:
• If the Adobe Photo Downloader appears, choose the name of the camera or card reader from the Get Photos From
menu. Usually, the connected device’s name automatically appears, and Photoshop
your camera.
Note: Your camera or card reader must be switched on to appear in the Get Photos From list. If the menu doesn’t display
the specific device name, choose Untitled. If no option for the device is available, choose Refresh List.
• If the downloader does not appear, use Photoshop Elements File > Adobe Photoshop Downloader or Bridge File >
Get Photos From Camera to open it.
3 In the Import Settings area, set the following options:
Location Specifies the folder to which images are downloaded. To change the default folder location, click Choose, and
specify a new location.
Create Subfolder(s) Creates a subfolder using the format selected from the pop-up menu. If you choose Custom
Name, type a subfolder name in the box.
Rename Files Changes the filenames using the format selected from the pop-up menu. If you choose Custom Name,
type a filename in the box.
Elements automatically detects
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