Macromedia Elements Organizer - 8.0 Instruction Manual

Using

ADOBE

ELEMENTS ORGANIZER 8

This guide is licensed for use under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial 3.0 License. This License allows users to copy, distribute, and transmit the user guide for noncommercial purposes only so long as (1) proper attribution to Adobe is given as the owner of the user guide; and (2) any reuse or distribution of the user guide contains a notice that use of the user guide is governed by these terms. The best way to provide notice is to include the following link. To view a copy of this license, visit

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/

Adobe, the Adobe logo, Adobe Premiere, Acrobat, Flash, Illustrator, Photoshop, Reader, and XMP are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Adobe Systems Incorporated in the United States and/or other countries. Windows and Windows Vista are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

Adobe Systems Incorporated, 345 Park Avenue, San Jose, California 95110, USA.

Chapter 1: Getting started with Elements Organizer

What to do first . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Using Help and getting support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Chapter 2: Elements Organizer workspace

About workspaces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Getting started with your Adobe ID . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Using Elements Organizer and Adobe Premiere Elements together . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Chapter 3: Import photos and videos

About getting photos and videos . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Cameras and card readers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Scanners . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Local files, CDs, DVDs, and video . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

Mobile phone cameras . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

iii

Chapter 4: Viewing and fixing photos and videos in Elements Organizer

Viewing photos and videos in the Elements Organizer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

Viewing video projects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

View video and full-screen images . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

Pinning photos to a map . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

Viewing media files in Date view . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45

Fixing photos and videos in Elements Organizer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49

Chapter 5: Tagging and organizing photos and videos

Tagging photos and videos . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52

Editing keyword tags, categories, and subcategories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66

Creating albums . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70

Creating and editing smart albums . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75

Editing albums and album categories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76

Chapter 6: Finding media files in Elements Organizer

Searching for media files in Elements Organizer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80

Finding media files by keyword tags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83

Finding media files by content, type, and metadata . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86

Finding photos using a map . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91

Chapter 7: Managing files and catalogs

Managing catalogs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93

Moving, copying, and renaming files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99

Grouping photos in stacks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102

Grouping photos in version sets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106

About Video Scene Groups and Scene Groups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110

Filenames and versions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111

USING ELEMENTS ORGANIZER 8

Contents

Adding captions and notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114

File information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117

Backup and synchronize catalogs, albums, and files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118

Reconnecting files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126

Chapter 8: Projects in Elements Organizer

Elements Organizer projects overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130

Create and share an online album . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131

Creating photo calendar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134

Creating photo books, greeting cards, and photo collage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134

Creating slide shows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134

Create instant movies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148

Create a flip book . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148

Chapter 9: Printing and sharing photos

Printing photos . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150

Print options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158

Sharing through Photoshop.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159

Sharing photos using online services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160

Sharing maps of photos . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164

Sharing photos by e-mail . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164

Sharing video online . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170

Sharing media files to mobile phones and players . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170

Viewing and sharing photos on Media Center computers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170

Exporting photos . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172

Burn media files to a DVD/Blu Ray Disc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173

Burn media files to a CD/DVD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173

Chapter 10: Elements Organizer keyboard shortcuts

Keys for navigating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174

Keys for viewing photos (Elements Organizer) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174

Keys for viewing the calendar (Date view) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175

Keys for editing photos (Elements Organizer) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175

Keys for finding photos . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176

Chapter 1: Getting started with

Elements

Elements Organizer is an integral part of both Adobe® Photoshop® Elements and Adobe® Premiere® Elements software. You import, manage, and view your photos and video clips in Elements Organizer. To do more extensive editing, you work with your photos and clips in the Photoshop Elements Editor or the Adobe Premiere Elements Editor. For complete information on working in the Editors, see the Help for each Editor.

Organizer

What to do first

Check the system requirements

If you’re not sure Photoshop Elements or Adobe Premiere Elements can run on your computer, review the complete system requirements and recommendations for your Adobe software. See the ReadMe file included on your software CD installation disc.

Install the software

1 Close any other Adobe applications open on your computer.

2 Insert the installation disc into your disc drive, and follow the onscreen instructions.

Do I need to uninstall my previous version of Photoshop Elements or Adobe Premiere Elements? If you’ve installed a

trial version of the software, it’s a good idea to uninstall it first. However, it’s not necessary to uninstall a previous version.

How do I uninstall a previous version? In the Windows® OS (XP), click the Start menu, and then choose Control Panel.

In the Control Panel dialog box, double-click Add Or Remove Programs. In the Add Or Remove Programs dialog box, select the version of the software that you want to uninstall, and click Remove. You’ll see a dialog box asking you if you really want to remove the application from your computer. Click “Yes” to uninstall.

Register

After installing, register your software to receive complimentary installation support, notifications of updates, and other services.

Note: Users in non-US locations, can register at any time by choosing Help > Registration.

ReadMe file

The installation CD 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.

Sign up with your Adobe ID

Important: Photoshop Elements free online benefits and Photoshop Elements Plus are available in the United States only. Internet access required.

USING ELEMENTS ORGANIZER 8

Getting started with Elements Organizer

Sign up with your Adobe ID to receive free online benefits, such as 2 GB of free storage, automatic online backup, and automatic syncing of your photos and video clips on multiple computers. You also receive benefits such as tutorials that appear when you need them, access to your photos and videos at Photoshop.com, and a personal URL for sharing your photo/video albums. If you purchased Photoshop Elements 8 Plus, sign up with your Adobe ID to receive all the above plus additional storage space, artwork, and tutorials.

How do I sign up? Click the link on the Welcome screen or in the menu bar to sign up with your Adobe ID. You can

sign up at any time on the Welcome screen. To view the Welcome screen, click the Welcome screen icon in the menu bar. If you don't have an Adobe ID, click the link on the Welcome screen or in the menu bar to create one. You can display the Welcome screen any time by clicking the Home icon in the menu bar.

More Help topics

“Backup and synchronize catalogs, albums, and files” on page 118

New and enhanced features

Visit www.adobe.com/go/learn_pse_features_en to learn about the new and enhanced features of Photoshop Elements. Improving your photos and doing more with them is easier than ever.

Visit www.adobe.com/go/learn_pre_features_en to learn about the new and enhanced features of Adobe Premiere Elements.

Using Help and getting support

Learning Photoshop Elements and Adobe Premiere Elements

How do I ask a question? You can ask questions to and get advice from other Adobe Photoshop Elements and

Premiere Elements users at www.adobe.com/go/forums.

Adobe

Using Elements Organizer Help

Photoshop Elements Help is available in several ways. To access Help, choose Help > Elements Organizer Help (or press the F1 key on your keyboard). If your computer is connected to the Internet, Elements launches Help on the web.

For the complete Help for Elements Organizer, see Elements Organizer, Photoshop Elements Editor, or

Premiere Elements Editor Help systems.

Adobe

Help on the web www.adobe.com/go/learn_org_en is the most comprehensive and up-to-date version of

Elements Organizer Help. Your computer must be connected to the Internet to access Help on the web. Use the Search field to search within Photoshop Elements Help. Browse all topics in Photoshop Elements Help.

Help in the application Help in the application provides access to key tasks and concepts. If you aren’t connected to

the Internet, Elements complete Help available on the web.

Help PDF Help is also available as a PDF that is optimized for printing. Visit

www.adobe.com/go/learn_org_printpdf_en, or 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.

Organizer launches Help in the application. Help in the application is a small subset of the

Organizer automatically

Links in the application Some Help links are within Elements Organizer. Clicking these links takes you to the

corresponding topic in either the Help on the web or Help in the application.

USING ELEMENTS ORGANIZER 8

Getting started with Elements Organizer

Note: If you try to access a Help topic that only exists in Help on the web, Elements Organizer displays the URL and a link to the complete Help on the web.

Tips for searching Help

• 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.

How to search for troubleshooting topics You can view top issues and search for common problems and error

messages by going to

Forum You can access the Elements user community forum through the application. To access the forum page for

www.adobe.com/support/photoshopelements and www.adobe.com/support/premiereelements.

Adobe Premiere Elements, select Help > Forum > Premiere Elements. To access the forum page for Photoshop Elements, select Help > Forum > Photoshop Elements. If your computer is connected to the Internet,

Organizer launches the forum page. The forum is used to ask other Adobe Premiere Elements and

Elements Photoshop Elements users for suggestions on your designs. You can also post useful tips and tricks that help other users.

Look for software updates If your computer is connected to the Internet, you’ll receive notifications whenever

Photoshop Elements or Adobe Premiere Elements is updated. You can also find out about the latest updates by going

www.adobe.com/downloads/updates.

How do I get customer support?

You can get support by contacting Adobe directly or submitting a web case. Visit www.adobe.com/support/contact for contact information. Visit the Adobe Support website at www.adobe.com/go/support. Adobe Support has troubleshooting information and also information about free and paid technical support options.

Chapter 2: Elements Organizer workspace

Use the Elements Organizer workspace for finding, organizing, and sharing your photos and media files. Use the Photoshop Elements Editor for creating, editing, and fixing photos and the Adobe Premiere Elements Editor for editing video.

To open a photo or video file for editing:

1 Select a photo or video.

2 Click the triangle beside the Fix tab, and select one of the following depending on the media file you want to edit:

Full Photo Edit Launches Photoshop Elements Editor in the Full Edit mode to edit a photo.

Quick Photo Edit Launches Photoshop Elements Editor in the Quick Edit mode to edit a photo.

Guided Photo Edit Launches Photoshop Elements Editor in the Guided Edit mode to edit a photo.

Edit Videos Launches Adobe Premiere Elements Editor to edit a video file.

When you are working in the Editor workspace, click the Organizer button to open the Elements Organizer workspace.

If both the Elements Organizer and the Photoshop Elements Editor, or the Elements Organizer and Adobe Premiere Elements Editor are open, you can move between the workspaces. To move between the workspaces, click the

corresponding button in the Windows® OS taskbar.

About workspaces

The Welcome screen

When you start Photoshop Elements or Premiere Elements, the Welcome screen opens by default. The Welcome screen is a convenient starting place, or hub, for major tasks.

Note: You can log in with your Adobe ID to access free online benefits. You can also access Photoshop Elements 8 and Adobe Premiere Elements 8 Plus features. These features are available in the United States only. Internet access required.

Click a button to open the workspace you need. For example, click Organize to open the Elements Organizer and import, tag, or organize your photos and media files. Or, click Edit to open the Editor and enhance your media files or add special effects.

You can close or reopen the Welcome screen at any time by clicking the Welcome Screen button . It’s not necessary to return to the Welcome screen to open other workspaces.

More Help topics

“Sign up with your Adobe ID” on page 1

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Elements Organizer workspace

Disable tracking of information

The Welcome screen by default records and relays some usage information to Adobe to assist in the improvement of the Welcome screen experience. The Welcome screen usage data is anonymous and does not link the information to your personal data or your Adobe ID account information. Usage information from the Photoshop Elements Editor, Adobe Premiere Elements Editor, or Elements Welcome screen:

1 In Windows XP, click start > Run (or in Windows Vista choose Start) and type regedit.exe, and click OK.

The Windows Registry Editor opens. Using the tree navigator on the left navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Adobe\Elements Organizer\8.0\Organizer.

2 Right click the right panel, and select New > DWORD Value.

A new DWORD Value with the name New Value #1 is created.

3 Rename New Value #1 to DisableTracking.

4 Double-click DisableTracking.

The Edit DWORD Value dialog opens.

5 Enter 1 in the Value Data field, click OK, and close the Registry Editor.

Organizer is not tracked. To disable the tracking of information in the

Elements Organizer workspace

For a video overview, see www.adobe.com/go/lrvid2312_pse8_en.

Use Elements Organizer to find, organize, and share your photos and media files. Use the Media Browser in Elements Organizer to view thumbnails of the media files you’ve imported. You can view a large thumbnail of a single media file or smaller thumbnails of many media files. You specify the thumbnail size by using the thumbnail slider. If you prefer viewing your media files by date, use the Date in the Organizer view to work with your files in a calendar format.

The Media Browser lists all the photos, as well as videos and PDF files that you’ve imported. Imported items appear in one comprehensive window that you can easily browse and filter. It can even show thumbnails of files stored remotely, such as those files that you want to keep on CDs.

To change the brightness of the Elements Organizer workspace:

1 Select Edit > Preferences > General.

2 In the Preferences window, specify the User Interface brightness and the Grid brightness.

You can fix the most common problems in the media files by using the tools in the Fix tab of the Task pane. For more complex editing, you can select a photo or video in Elements Organizer, and in the Fix tab:

• Click Full Photo Edit, Quick Photo Edit, or Guided Photo Edit to work with photos. The photo opens in the

Photoshop Elements Editor workspace.

• Click Edit Videos to work with video files. The video file opens in the Adobe Premiere Elements Editor workspace.

You can create projects, from printed photo books to computer slide shows, from the Create tab of the Task pane.

Finally, you can share your photos, videos, and projects with others, by using any of the tools in the Share tab of the Task pane.

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Elements Organizer workspace

Elements Organizer buttons and menu bar

A. Left and right side of menu bar B. Undo and Redo buttons C. Text Search D. Back To Previous View and Forward To Next View buttons E. The Find bar F. Media Browser Arrangement menu G. Star ratings filter H. The four tabs of the Task Panel I The Display menu J. Welcome screen button K. Rotate Left and Rotate Right buttons L. View, Edit, Organize In Full Screen M. Adjust Size Of Thumbnail slider

The Elements Organizer workspace has the following components:

Welcome Screen button

Displays the Welcome screen with select tools for one of the primary tasks: Organize and Edit.

Note: Users in the United States can also sign in with an Adobe ID. This service is not available in countries outside the United States.

Menu bar Contains menus for performing tasks. Elements Organizer organizes the menus by topic: File, Edit, Find,

View, Window, and Help.

Display button Opens menu of views of the Media Browser.

Navigation buttons Take you back to the previous view, or forward to the next view, of the Media Browser.

Find bar Drag a photo, video, album icon, or keyword tag icon here to search for photos or media files.

Media Browser Displays your photos, video files, audio files, and video projects in the Elements Organizer, either one

at a time or in a grid of thumbnails.

Task pane Contains the Organize, Fix, Create, and Share tabs, and the panels or buttons for each tab.

Status bar In the Media Browser, the status bar displays the number of items selected and the number of items

contained in the Media Browser arrangement.

Note: If you change your Windows theme while the Elements Organizer is open, the Organizer workspace could appear distorted after the change. Close the Elements Organizer and relaunch it to return it to its normal appearance.

More Help topics

“View and find media files in Date view” on page 45

Work with the Task pane in Elements Organizer

In the Elements Organizer, the Task pane appears on the right side of the Media Browser. It contains a tab for each of the basic steps of media file editing: Organize, Fix, Create, and Share. You can open the Task pane to access the tabs, or close it to expand the Media Browser.

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Elements Organizer workspace

Tabs in the Task Pane with the Organize tab selected.

Show or hide the Task pane

❖ Select Window > Show/Hide Task Pane.

Use panels in the Organize tab

The Organize tab stores multiple panels. The Albums and Keyword Tags panels cannot be removed from it.

The Organize tab A. Adjust panel height B. Collapse or expand panel C. Selected keyword tag D. Show or hide Task panel

❖ Do any of the following:

• To collapse or expand a panel, click the triangle beside the panel’s name in the Organize tab.

• To show or hide the Properties panel, select Window > Properties.

• To move the Properties panel into or out of the Task pane, double-click the panel’s title bar.

Use tools in the Fix, Create, and Share tabs

1 In the Task pane, click the Fix, Create, or Share tab.

2 Click a button for any of the tools listed on that tab.

Use context menus

You can use context menus in both the Editor and Elements Organizer workspaces. Context-sensitive menus 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.

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 panel item.

Note: Not all panels offer context menus.

2 Right-click and choose a command from the menu.

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Elements Organizer workspace

Using keyboard commands and modifier keys

You can use keyboard shortcuts in both the Editor and Elements Organizer workspaces. 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 navigating” on page 174

Undo, redo, or cancel operations

Many operations can be undone or redone. 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.

Exit Photoshop Elements or Adobe Premiere Elements

To exit Photoshop Elements or Adobe Premiere Elements, close each workspace—closing one does not automatically close another.

1 In any workspaces, do one of the following:

• Choose File > Exit.

• Click the Close button in the upper-right corner of the workspace.

2 When closing the Editors, confirm whether you want to save any of the opened files.

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Elements Organizer workspace

Getting started with your Adobe ID

Account creation and management

You can create an Adobe ID through the Welcome screen. There are two types of accounts, a Free account and a Plus account.

Free account provides 2.0 GB online storage and an automatic backup. The Plus account provides 20 GB online storage, new tutorials, artwork, and online album templates delivered to the software installed on your machine.

If you want to change your personal details after creating an Adobe ID, sign in using your Adobe ID. You can also change your personal details in the Organizer view.

1 Do one of the following:

• On the Welcome screen, click Manage My Adobe ID, and enter your password.

• In the Organizer view, click the text Welcome, <Your First Name> located above the Full Screen View of Photos

icon

2 Select Personal Info, and change your details.

Create an Adobe ID

1 Click Create New Adobe ID on the Welcome screen.

2 Enter your personal details such as name, e-mail address, password, and personal URL, and click Create Account.

3 Click Free account or Upgrade to Plus account. A verification mail is sent to your E-mail ID. Log in to your E-mail

account and follow the instructions in the mail to activate your new Adobe ID.

. Enter your password.

More Help topics

“Sign up with your Adobe ID” on page 1

Manage your account

After you create an account, you can change your personal details. Sign in using your Adobe ID and change the required details. You can change the details from the Welcome screen, Elements Organizer, or Photoshop Elements workspace.

1 On the Welcome screen, click Manage My Adobe ID, and enter your password.

2 Select Personal Info, and change your details.

Sign in with your Adobe ID

1 Make sure that your computer is connected to the Internet, and then start Adobe Photoshop Elements or Adobe

Premiere Elements.

2 In the Welcome screen, enter your Adobe ID and password, and click Sign In.

The Welcome screen changes and greets you with the message Welcome, [user name]. Generally, Elements Organizer remembers that you have an Adobe ID and automatically signs you in if your computer is connected to the Internet.

Important: Photoshop Elements free online benefits and Photoshop Elements Plus are available in the United States only. Internet access required.

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Elements Organizer workspace

View your albums on Photoshop.com

You can view your backed up albums on the Internet from any computer, even one that doesn’t have

Organizer installed.

Elements

1 Make sure that the computer is connected to the Internet, open a web browser, and go to Photoshop.com.

The web browser must have cookies enabled.

2 On the Photoshop.com home page, click Sign In and enter your Adobe ID.

3 After your Photoshop.com page opens, click My Albums.

You can view and navigate through all the photos and albums you’ve backed up to Photoshop.com.

Launch the Inspiration Browser

The Inspiration Browser enables you to access and organize tutorials that contain ideas and ways to do more with your media files.

❖ To launch the Inspiration Browser, do any of the following:

• In Elements Organizer, click the icon or words that appear in the lower-right area of the status bar. A small dialog

opens with options.

• Select Help > Elements Inspiration Browser.

If you are not already signed in with your Adobe ID, a dialog box opens up, enabling you to sign in.

Using Elements Organizer and Adobe Premiere Elements together

About Elements Organizer and Adobe Premiere Elements

Here are a few ways you can share files between Elements Organizer and Adobe® Premiere® Elements:

• Organize your photos, video files, and audio clips in Elements Organizer, and drag them onto the Adobe Premiere

Elements Media panel.

• Right-click the media file, and select Edit With Premiere Elements.

• Create a slide show in Elements Organizer with captions, transitions, effects, music, narration, graphics, and titles.

After creating the slide show, bring the slide show into Adobe Premiere Elements for further editing. Or, bring individual photos or video files into Adobe Premiere Elements, and create the slide show there.

• You can edit video files through the Fix tab in Elements Organizer.

• Customize DVD menu templates in Elements Organizer, and use the templates in your Adobe Premiere Elements

project. (DVD templates are PSD files stored in the Adobe Premiere Elements application folder.)

• Create an Elements Organizer file with your video project’s settings, enhance it in Elements Organizer, and use it

in Adobe Premiere Elements. You can also create instant movies through the Create tab in Elements Organizer.

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Elements Organizer workspace

Arrange your work area

To share files between Elements Organizer and Adobe Premiere Elements, it’s useful to have both programs open and accessible on your computer monitor.

1 Start Elements Organizer and Adobe Premiere Elements.

2 If your screen is maximized, click the Restore button in the upper-right corner of each application window.

3 Position the application windows side by side or overlap them slightly.

However, trying to access the following options in the Share tab, launches Adobe Premiere Elements:

• Burn Video/DVD BluRay

• Online Video Sharing

• Mobile Phones and Players

Differences in file type support

Elements Organizer and Adobe Premiere Elements support many of the same file types, which makes the transfer of most files between the two programs easy and efficient. For example, you can catalog Photoshop (PSD) files in the Elements Organizer and then add them as still images to a project in Adobe Premiere Elements.

All file types that are supported in Photoshop Elements and Adobe Premiere Elements can be imported into Elements Organizer. The file support is irrespective of the application installed (Photoshop Elements and Adobe Premiere Elements). The following table gives a list of the supported file types:

Images Audio Video

Jpe Wma avi

jpeg wav mpe

jpg MP3 asf

pdf M4a aac

tif Ac3 flv

crw mpa MPEG

nef M2a Mpg

raf Aiff Mp2

orf Aif wmv

mrw MPEG M4v

dcr Mpe Mov

mos mov M2p

raw Vob

pef M2t

srf mpv

dng Mod

x3f 3g2

cr2 3gp

Images Audio Video

erf MP4

sr2 Mpeg4

kdc M1v

mfw F4v

mef Tod

arw h.264

bmp Avc

rle M2ts

dib dv

gif swf

wbm flm

wbmp 3gpp

tga M2v

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Elements Organizer workspace

vda Mp1

icb mts

vst F4v

pxr Tod

pcx

mef

pse

psd

pdd

flm

png

Photoshop Elements Editor, Adobe Premiere Elements, and Elements Organizer do not recognize the following file types:

Elements Organizer Photoshop Elements Editor Adobe Premiere Elements

MOD (.mod; JVC Everio)

TIFF with LZW compression (.tif) TIFF with LZW compression (.tif)

EPS (.eps) Illustrator (.ai) Illustrator (.ai)

AIFF (.aiff) AIFF (.aiff)

Dolby audio (.ac3) Dolby audio (.ac3)

Flash video (.flv) Flash video (.flv)

MPEG (.mp3, .mp4) MPEG (.mp3, .mp4)

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Elements Organizer workspace

Elements Organizer Photoshop Elements Editor Adobe Premiere Elements

Windows Media (.wmv, .wma) Windows Media (.wmv, .wma)

Note: Elements Organizer catalogs video AVI files properly and they play correctly. However, audio AVI files appear as broken video thumbnail icons. Also, Colors created in a file’s spot channels in Photoshop are not displayed when the file is imported into Elements

Organizer.

The Photoshop Elements Editor can import individual video frames from ASF, AVI, MPEG, and Windows Media files. (Choose File > Import > Frame From Video.)

Chapter 3: Import photos and videos

Use the Elements Organizer to bring media files into catalogs from any source, whether a camera, scanner, CD, folder on your hard disk, or mobile phone. However, if you simply want to start editing a media file on your hard disk, and you know its filename and location, you can use the Open or Place commands in the Photoshop Elements Editor to browse to the file.

About getting photos and videos

Bringing photos and videos into the Elements Organizer

Use the Elements Organizer to add photos and videos to a catalog. If you choose the File > Import or File > Open command in the Editor, select the Include In The Elements Organizer option when you save the file to add it to your catalog.

If you have a system of folders on your computer that you want to continue using for organizational purposes, you can use the Elements Organizer’s Folder Location view to view your files as they appear on your hard disk. From the Folder Location view, you can also instantly tag your images with their folder names.

When you choose the File > Get Photos And Videos command to bring a media file from your hard disk into a catalog, the Elements Organizer creates a link to the media file —it does not copy or move the original image unless you specify it. When you get a media file from a CD, DVD, or device such as a scanner, camera, card reader, or phone, the Elements Organizer first copies the media file into a folder on your hard disk and then creates a link to that copy.

Important: If you delete the original file from your hard disk, you cannot edit it, even though its thumbnail may remain in a catalog.

When downloading media files from a camera, card reader, or mobile phone, it is recommended that you organize the media files during the import process. You can divide these media files into Place and Family folders, and then name them accordingly.

More Help topics

“View and manage files by folder location” on page 33

“Tagging photos and videos” on page 52

“Move files in a catalog” on page 99

Set file preferences

Setting the file preferences determines how files are managed.

1 In the Elements Organizer, choose Edit > Preferences > Files.

2 Choose any of the following options, and then click OK:

Use “Last Modified” Date If EXIF Date Is Not Found Uses the modification date to store and organize photos that don’t

contain EXIF (EXchangeable Image Format) data. If deselected, the file is stored with an unknown date.

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Import photos and videos

Import EXIF Caption Imports any caption that was stored with the media file in the camera. Deselect this option if you

want to delete this information, and type your own caption for each media file. (Note that caption data may be stored in different places in a file. Deselecting this option only blocks EXIF caption data.)

Automatically Search For And Reconnect Missing Files Searches for missing, disconnected files. Select this option to

avoid getting messages about disconnected files.

Automatically Prompt To Back Up Files And Catalog Prompts you to back up files when you open a catalog with more

than 500 transactions, including acquired photos and edits.

Enable Multisession Burning To CD/DVD Allows burning (copying) files onto a disc multiple times, enabling you to use

as much free space on the disc as possible. Normally, you can only burn a CD or DVD one time, and any unused space is lost.

Rotate JPEGs Using Orientation Metadata This option speeds up the rotating of photos in the Media Browser by using

lower resolution thumbnails. Select this option if you rotate JPEG images regularly. Deselect this option if you want to view higher resolution thumbnails.

Rotate TIFFs Using Orientation Metadata This option speeds up the rotating of photos in the Media Browser by using

lower resolution thumbnails. Select this option if you rotate TIFF images regularly. Deselect this option if you want to view higher resolution thumbnails.

Folders For Saved Files Specifies the default folder location where projects and other saved files are stored. To change

the location, click Browse and navigate to a new location.

Preview File Size Specifies the size of preview files used by the Elements Organizer when storing media files offline.

If you have changed the settings and are having trouble importing your media files, try clicking the Restore Default Settings button in the Preferences dialog box to restore the original preferences.

More Help topics

“Set the size for preview files” on page 26

“Reconnecting missing files in the Elements Organizer” on page 126

Import tags attached to media files

When you receive media files that contain keyword tags or keyword metadata, you can import them with the media file. You can decide whether to keep the attached keyword tag, rename the keyword tag, or map it to one of your own keyword tags. If you import a new keyword tag, it appears in your Keyword Tags panel, and you can use it to tag other media files.

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Import photos and videos

An imported tag appears in the Keyword Tags panel.

1 Ensure that the camera or card reader is connected to your computer, or the media files you want to import are

copied to your computer.

2 In the Elements Organizer, choose File > Get Photos And Videos, and select any method for getting photos and

videos.

Note: If the media files include tags or keyword metadata, the Import Attached Keyword Tags dialog box appears.

3 Do one of the following:

• Select the tags you want to import. The tags you select are added to the Keyword Tags panel when the media files

are imported. If a tag has an asterisk (*), you already have a tag of the same name in your catalog. The existing tag is attached to the media files.

• Click Advanced for additional options.

4 If you selected Advanced, do any of the following, and click OK:

• Select the tags you want to import by clicking the boxes next to the tag names. When you select a tag, the options

to the right of the tag become active.

• To rename a tag you are importing, select the tags you want to import by clicking the boxes next to the tag names.

Click the button to the right of the tag under Import As New Keyword Tag Named, and type a name in the textbox.

Organizer adds a tag with the new name to your catalog and attaches the tag to the imported media files.

Elements

• To map an imported tag to an existing tag in your catalog, select the tags you want to import. Click the button in

the right column under Use An Existing Keyword Tag and choose a tag from the pop-up menu. The tag name you choose gets attached to the imported media files instead of the original tag name.

• Click Reset To Basic to clear your changes and return to the Import Attached Keyword Tags dialog box.

Note: If the media files you are importing have many tags attached, a dialog box appears. You can choose to import all the tags or none of them. If you prefer to select individual tags to import, close the dialog box and undo the import by choosing Edit

> Undo Import Media. You can also undo the import by selecting the entire import batch and deleting it

from the catalog. Then, reimport the media files in smaller batches.

More Help topics

“About keyword tags” on page 52

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Import photos and videos

Cameras and card readers

About cameras and card readers

You can download (copy) media files from cameras and card readers in several ways:

• Copy media files from your camera or card reader, and import them directly into the Elements Organizer using the

options in the Photo Downloader dialog box. This method is recommended because it is quick and easy, and lets you organize your media files when importing them.

• Use the software that came with your digital camera to download pictures onto your computer, and then bring

them into Elements command in the Elements Organizer.

• If your camera or card reader displays as a drive in My Computer, you can drag the files from there directly into

the Elements Organizer. Or you can drag them into a folder on your hard drive, and then bring them into

Organizer using the File > Get Photos And Videos > From Files And Folders command in the

Elements Elements Organizer.

In some cases, you need to install the software driver that came with your camera before you can download media files to your computer. You might also need to set the camera and card reader preferences in Elements

Organizer using the File > Get Photos And Videos > From Files And Folders

Organizer.

More Help topics

“Bringing photos and videos into the Elements Organizer” on page 14

“Get media files from files and folders” on page 23

“Set camera and card reader preferences” on page 20

Get media files from a digital camera or card reader

For a video about this process, see www.adobe.com/go/lrvid2311_pse8_en.

1 Connect your camera or card reader to your computer. (See the documentation that came with your device, if

necessary.)

The Windows AutoPlay dialog box opens with a list of options for getting the photos.

2 In the Windows AutoPlay dialog box, select the Elements Organizer option.

The Photo Downloader dialog box opens if Elements Organizer is running. You can also choose File > Get Photos And Videos > From Camera Or Card Reader to open the Photo Downloader.

3 In the Photo Downloader dialog box under Source, choose from the Get Photos From menu to specify where to

copy/import the photos from.

4 In the Import Settings area, set the following options:

Location Specifies the folder to which the media files are downloaded. To change the default folder location, click

Browse, and specify a new location.

Create Subfolder(s) Creates a subfolder using the naming scheme chosen from the pop-up menu. If you choose

Custom Name, type a subfolder name in the box.

If you are using keyboard shortcuts to create subfolders (Alt+C) or rename files (Alt+R), press the spacebar to expand the menu. Then, use the arrow keys to select an option.

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Import photos and videos

Rename Files Changes the filenames using the naming scheme selected from the pop-up menu. If you choose Custom

Name, type a base filename and a starting number for assigning sequentially numbered filenames to the media files.

Note: If the name you entered exists, the copied image filename is appended with “-1”, or another appropriately numbered designator.

Preserve Current Filename In XMP Select this option to use the current filename as the filename stored in the metadata

of the media file.

Delete Options Specifies whether to leave the media files on your camera or card, verify and delete the files, or delete

the files after they are copied. Deleting the files automatically avoids having to delete the media files by using your camera. Media files that you do not import into Elements

Automatic Download Imports your media files instantly the next time Elements Organizer is selected in the Windows

Organizer are not deleted from the device.

AutoPlay dialog box. This option uses the Automatic Download values specified in the Camera or Card Reader preferences.

5 (Optional) For more download options, click the Advanced Dialog button.

6 Click Get Photos.

The media files are copied to your hard drive. If the media files you copied contain keyword metadata, the Import Attached Tags dialog box appears; specify whether to copy the tags.

7 Click OK in the Files Successfully Copied dialog box. You can choose to show only the new files in the Media

Browser.

You can change the settings specified here at a later time. In Elements Organizer, choose Edit > Preferences > Camera or Card Reader.

More Help topics

“Set advanced photo downloading options” on page 18

Set advanced photo downloading options

The Advanced dialog box of the Adobe Photo Downloader offers all the options in the Standard dialog box plus several additional options. For example, you can view all of the media files stored on a device or preview videos before importing them. You can also add copyright metadata, specify an album for the imported photos, and automatically fix red eye as the images are imported. The settings you specify in this dialog box retain their values until you reset them.

1 In the Standard Photo Downloader dialog box, click Advanced Dialog.

Thumbnail images of every file on your device appear.

2 To show or hide different file types, click the Image , Video , or Audio buttons. If the device contains

duplicate files, the Duplicate button is also available.

Note: Duplicate files are files that are already in the Elements Organizer or have already been copied to your hard disk. If you download duplicate files, they are copied to your hard drive, but are not added to the Elements Organizer.

3 Select media files (photos or videos) to download by doing any of the following:

• To select individual media files, click the boxes below each thumbnail.

• To select multiple media files, drag a rectangle around their thumbnails. Then right-click and select Check Selected,

or click a box below one of the selected media files to check them all.

• To select all media files, click Check All. To deselect all images, click Uncheck All.

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4 To rotate one or more media files, select them by clicking the media files (not the check boxes). Then, click the

Rotate Left button

5 In the Save Options section, do any of the following:

or the Rotate Right button .

• Specify a destination to copy the media files. Click Browse and navigate to the location you want.

• Choose an option for naming subfolders from the Create Subfolder(s) menu. The Custom Groups (Advanced)

option creates a subfolder with the group name format you select in the Group Name box. The group tag name helps you find and distinguish photos within a category.

Note: If you switch to the Standard dialog box, Custom Groups settings are lost.

• Choose a naming scheme from the Rename Files menu if you want to rename the media files during import. If you

choose Custom Name, type a base filename and a starting number for assigning sequentially numbered filenames to the media files.

Note: If the name you entered exists, the copied image filename is appended with “-1” or another appropriately numbered designator.

6 In the Advanced Options section, select any of the following:

Automatically Fix Red Eyes Applies the Fix Red Eye command to all selected photos.

Note: Automatically removing red eye on a large number of image files increases the amount of time required to import your photos.

Automatically Suggest Photo Stacks Combines selected photos into suggested photo stacks based on visual similarity.

Make Group Custom Name A Tag Applies the custom name tag of the specified group to the selected photos. Use this

option only if you have specified custom names to custom groups. Applying tags while downloading helps you find photos more easily in the Elements Organizer.

Import Into Album Lets you specify or create an album to import the photos into. Click Settings to select or create an

album and then click OK.

7 From the menu at the bottom of the Advanced Options section, choose an option to specify what

Organizer should do after copying photos: leave the original files alone, verify that the import was

Elements successful and then delete the original files, or immediately delete the original files.

8 To add metadata, select a template to use and type in the following fields:

Creator Specifies the file creator. Information typed into this field is appended to the creator metadata in the file.

overwrites any data already in the copyright metadata in the file.

9 (Optional) To automatically download media files in Elements Organizer after a device is connected, select

Automatic Download. Automatic download options are set in the Camera Or Card Reader preferences.

10 Click Get Photos.

More Help topics

“Designate an album during photo download” on page 74

“Set camera and card reader preferences” on page 20

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Import photos and videos

Set camera and card reader preferences

Elements Organizer enables you to set preferences for a device. These preferences apply if you select the

Organizer option in the Windows Auto Play dialog box that appears when a device is connected. The

Elements preferences remain intact until you change them. If you use a different camera or card reader, make sure to set preferences specifically for that device.

Setting preferences for getting photos from digital cameras and card readers.

1 In Elements Organizer, choose Edit > Preferences > Camera Or Card Reader.

2 Set file-specific import options:

Save Files In Specifies where the files are copied to on your hard drive. Click Browse to specify a new location.

Automatically Fix Red Eyes Fixes red eye problems as the files are downloaded.

Automatically Suggest Photo Stacks Suggests photo stacks for you according to date and visual similarity.

Make Group Custom Name A Keyword Tag Applies the custom name tag of the specified group to the selected photos.

Use this option only if you have specified custom names to custom groups. Applying tags while downloading helps you find photos more easily in the Elements Organizer.

3 To edit the options for a specific device, select the device profile, and click Edit. Choose a download option from

the menu that appears, and click OK. To delete a device from this list, select it, and click Remove.

4 To specify default values for automatic downloads, set any of the following:

Begin Download Specifies when a download begins after a device is connected.

Create Subfolder(s) Using Specifies if and how to separate and name folders containing media files shot on different

dates.

Delete Options Specifies if and how to delete the original media files from your camera after copying them to your

hard disk.

Copy New Files Only (Ignore Already Imported Files) Causes the downloader to ignore files that are already on your

hard disk.

If you have changed the settings and are having trouble getting your media files, click Restore Default Settings to restore the original preferences.

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Scanners

About scanning

Elements Organizer connects to your scanner so that you can get images of your photos, negatives, and slides. You can get images from scanners in two ways:

• Use the scanner driver plug-in module that came with your scanner. This software is either compatible with

Organizer or uses the TWAIN® interface to scan and open images directly in Elements Organizer.

Elements

• Use the standalone scanning software that came with your scanner to scan and save your images. You can then

bring the images into Elements Folders command.

In Windows® XP and Windows Vista®, you can set preferences so that Elements Organizer starts as soon as your computer detects that your scanner is attached. See Windows Help for more information.

Before you try to scan and open your photos in Elements Organizer, make sure that you’ve installed all the software that came with your scanner. Carefully read any documentation that came with your scanner to make sure that it’s connected properly to your computer. In Windows, if the Preferences dialog box appears on your screen after you click Get Photos, set your scanner preferences.

Organizer using the File > Get Photos And Videos > From Files And

Get photos from scanners

1 Make sure that your scanner is connected and switched on.

2 In the Elements Organizer, select File > Get Photos And Videos > From Scanner from the pop-up menu.

Note: You can also get photos from a scanner from within Full Edit.

3 If the Get Photos From Scanner dialog box appears, choose the name of the scanner from the Scanner menu.

Note: If you get a None Detected message in the Scanner menu, make sure that the scanner is on and properly connected to your computer.

4 Click Browse to select a location for saving the photos.

5 Choose a file format from the Save As menu. JPEG, the default format, is usually the best choice. If you choose

JPEG, drag the Quality slider to the setting you want. The higher the quality, the larger the file size.

Drag the Quality slider to increase or decrease the file size and quality.

6 Click OK. If you’re using a scanner with a TWAIN driver, Elements Organizer launches the driver that came with

your scanner. Follow the instructions that came with the driver software to scan your photo. Typically, you can also select an area to scan or correct any color issues that you may see.

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Import photos and videos

Note: In Windows XP, Elements Organizer launches the Windows XP scanning interface if you’re using a WIA (Windows Imaging Architecture) scanner. You can find instructions in Windows XP online Help. In scanners that support TWAIN, a vendor-specific user interface is launched.

After the photo is scanned, a preview of the scan is displayed in the Getting Photos dialog box. Elements Organizer assigns the import date to the photos.

More Help topics

“Change the date and time of files” on page 112

Set scanner preferences

1 In the Elements Organizer, choose Edit > Preferences > Scanner.

2 Choose the name of your scanner from the Scanner menu.

Note: Each time you connect to a different scanner, you need to select the device from the list. The connected scanner is indicated to help you identify it.

3 Choose a file format from the Save As menu. JPEG, the default format, is usually the best choice. If you choose

JPEG, drag the Quality slider to the setting you want. The higher the quality, the larger the file size.

4 Select a location to store your scanned photos, and then click OK.

Scan photos into the Editor using a TWAIN driver

TWAIN is a software driver used for acquiring images captured by certain scanners, digital cameras, and frame grabbers. For your TWAIN device to work with Elements manager and TWAIN data source.

Before you can use the scanner to bring images into Elements Organizer, you must install the TWAIN device and its software, and then restart your computer. (See the documentation provided by your device manufacturer for installation information.)

❖ In the Elements Organizer, choose File > Get Photos And Videos, and choose the device you want to use from

the submenu.

After the image is scanned, it appears in an untitled Elements Organizer window.

Note: After pressing the scanning button for the first time on some scanners, such as the Canon MP960, the scanning progress bar will open behind Photoshop Elements. You can reduce the Photoshop Elements window to bring the progress bar forward.

Organizer, the manufacturer must provide a source

Local files, CDs, DVDs, and video

Using watched folders

The Elements Organizer automatically detects media files being added to any of its watch folders. By default, the My Pictures folder is watched, but you can add additional folders to the Elements Organizer’s watch list.

You can choose to have media files that are added to a watch folder automatically added to a catalog. Or, you can opt to be asked before new media files are added to a catalog. When asked, either click Yes to add the media files to your catalog, or click No to leave them out. Whether or not media files are brought into the Elements Organizer, they remain in their folders unless you delete them.

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Import photos and videos

Add folders to the watched folders list

1 Choose File > Watch Folders.

2 Click Add, and then browse to the folder.

3 Select the folder, and then click OK. The folder name appears in the Folders To Watch list.

To quickly add watch folders when the Elements Organizer is in Folder Location view, right-click a folder and choose Add To Watched Folders.

Change Watch Folders settings

1 Choose File > Watch Folders.

2 Choose one of the following options:

• Notify Me to choose whether files are added to your catalog.

• Automatically Add Files To Organizer to have the media files added to your catalog as soon as they are detected.

Get media files from files and folders

For a video about this process, see www.adobe.com/go/lrvid2310_pse8_en.

You can bring media files into Elements Organizer from a hard disk or optical diskette drive in your computer.

Note: After dragging photos from Windows Explorer into the Media Browser, Windows Explorer can become unresponsive until the media files have been imported. You can toggle to any Photoshop Elements dialog box that opens during the import by pressing Alt-Tab. You can also click the Elements Organizer icon in the Windows taskbar.

❖ Do one of the following:

• Drag the media files from Windows Explorer to Elements Organizer workspace.

• Select File > Get Photos And Videos> From Files And Folders.

Note: This method enables you to navigate to the relevant location on your computer and import media files.

• Select File> Get Photos And Videos > By Searching.

Note: This method enables you to search for media files and import them to the Elements Organizer Workspace.

• Select the Add Unmanaged Files To Catalog option from the Folder Location view of the Media Browser.

Press Ctrl+Alt+3 to change to the Folder Location view.

More Help topics

“Move files in a catalog” on page 99

“Import tags attached to media files” on page 15

“Reconnecting missing files in the Elements Organizer” on page 126

“Create and attach keyword tags based on folder names” on page 64

Browse to files on your computer

1 In the Elements Organizer, choose File > Get Photos And Videos > From Files And Folders from the menu.

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Import photos and videos

2 In the dialog box, navigate to the folder that contains the files you want to bring into the Elements Organizer. Use

the Look In menu and the other navigation controls along the top and left.

3 Hold the pointer over a file to display information about the photo, or select it to display a preview.

4 Do one of the following to select photos:

• To get a single media file, select it.

• To get multiple media files, Ctrl-click to select the files you want. Or, click the first file, and then Shift-click the last

file in the list that you want.

• To get all the media files in a folder, navigate up one level from your current level in the Get Photos And Videos

From Files And Folders dialog box and select the desired folder. To get photos from subfolders within the folder, select Get Photos From Subfolders.

You can import a PDF file or a Photoshop Elements project in PDF format. Text in imported PDF files becomes part of the image (you can’t edit the text).

5 Set file-specific import options:

Automatically Fix Red Eyes Fixes red eye problems as the files are downloaded.

Automatically Suggest Photo Stacks Suggests photo stacks for you according to date and visual similarity.

6 Click Get Media. The media files appear in the Elements Organizer.

Importing photos by using the Look In menu and clicking Get Media.

Search for files on your computer

1 Choose File > Get Photos And Videos > By Searching.

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Import photos and videos

Searching for photos on your computer

A. Search location B. Search button C. Import selected folder from the Search Results window D. Preview lets you view photo thumbnails. E. Search Results window F. Folder selected for import G. Thumbnails of photos in selected folder

2 Select a search option from the Look In menu.

3 Select options to limit your search:

Exclude System And Program Folders Excludes folders from the search that are unlikely to contain your media files.

Exclude Files Smaller Than Includes files large enough to be full-resolution photos. Enter a minimum file size, in

kilobytes, in the KB textbox.

Note: By default, removable media (such as CDs and DVDs) and network drives are not searched.

4 Click Search. The search may take a while. Click Stop Search if you want to stop the search.

The search returns all folders that contain photos and video files.

5 Click a folder to select it. To select more than one folder, press Ctrl and click another folder name. You can preview

the items in a folder by clicking the folder name in the list.

6 (Optional) Select Automatically Fix Red Eyes to fix photos with red eye problems as they are imported into the

Elements Organizer.

7 Click the Import Folders button. The photos appear in the Media Browser.

Note: If the photos you import have tags attached to them, the Import Attached Tags dialog box appears.

Add files from specific folders

1 In the Elements Organizer, from the Display menu, select Folder Location.

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Import photos and videos

The folder hierarchy panel opens on the left side of the Media Browser.

2 In the folder hierarchy panel, browse to the folder containing the files you want to import.

3 Right click the folder, and choose Add Unmanaged Files To Catalog.

The Getting Photos dialog box will report whether files were imported.

4 Click OK.

If files were imported, the folder’s icon changes from an Unmanaged Folder icon to a Managed Folder icon .

About preview files

When you import photos, you can choose to download to your computer full-resolution copies of the master photos (default) or low-resolution copies, called preview files. Preview files appear in your catalog as space-saving copies of the high-resolution originals. When you perform an operation that requires the original photo, you are asked to insert the disc containing the offline photo. You can then decide whether to use the preview file or bring in a full-resolution copy of the photo.

If you choose to use preview files, you need to assign an Offline Volume Name to the CD or DVD containing the master files. Make sure to write the Offline Volume Name on the CD or DVD, so that when Elements requests the master disc (it provides the reference name for you), you can insert the correct disc.

Organizer

Set the size for preview files

1 In the Elements Organizer, choose Edit > Preferences > Files.

2 Under Offline Volumes, choose the pixel dimensions for the preview files. A 640 x 480 size is good in most cases.

Use a smaller size if you want to conserve space on your computer, or a larger size for better display quality.

Get photos from a CD or DVD

You can copy photos from a CD or DVD onto your hard disk and into the Elements Organizer. You can make fullresolution copies, as you might for editing purposes, or, to save disk space, low-resolution offline copies called preview files.

1 In the Elements Organizer, select File > Get Photos And Videos > From Files And Folders.

2 Navigate to your CD or DVD drive, and select the photos you want to copy.

3 (Optional) Select either of the following:

Copy files on import Makes a full-resolution copy of the file on your hard disk.

Generate previews Makes a low-resolution copy of the file on your hard disk, saving disk space.

4 (Optional) If you’re keeping a master photo offline, type in a volume name for the CD or DVD on which it resides,

and write this name on the disc itself. This will make it easy for you to find and download the master when prompted.

5 (Optional) Select Automatically Fix Red Eyes if you would like Elements Organizer to repair red eyes as soon as the

photos are brought into the Elements Organizer.

Note: This option is not enabled for offline files.

6 (Optional) Select Automatically Suggest Photo Stacks if you would like Elements Organizer to group visually

similar photos, letting you decide whether to place any such groups into stacks.

7 Click Get Media to bring your photos into the Elements Organizer.

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