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67 Articles

The Complete Photoshop Elements Manual

Elements is a photo editor and organiser that gives you the control to find, catalogue, edit and share your favourite images effortlessly. It is very likely that in this digital age, the number of photos you have on your computer is vast. It is very easy to take photos and deposit them on your computer and never look at them again. It is also likely that you have photos that you really like but that might be underexposed, badly lit; or could be improved if you were able to remove an annoying background distraction. You may even want to cut your subject out, put it into another scene entirely and create a new look for an image. If you've ever wanted to do more with your photo collection but didn't…

The Complete Photoshop Elements Manual

Starting with Photoshop Elements

If you are new to Photoshop Elements, cataloguing your photos and digitally manipulating them may seem like a whole new world you have to conquer. Do not worry though, we will guide you through the basics and get you started on your way to becoming a skilled user of the software. We hope to have you importing, tagging, organising and editing your photos like a pro in no time at all. With that in mind, let's begin the journey and get you more familiar with how it all works.…

Starting with Photoshop Elements

What is Photoshop Elements?

Adobe Photoshop Elements is a great option for those who want an extensive toolset that can take on most of their image editing needs, without the requirement of highly advanced features such as you would find in Photoshop CC. It is also a great choice for those who only need one-click solutions to their image editing needs, or perhaps want to start to learn how to take on the more involved techniques and tools that Elements has to offer. Another big plus point in its favour is that it is one of the very few remaining Adobe products that can be purchased outright, without the need for subscription. A Worthy Alternative There was a time when, in certain quarters, Elements was considered a dumbed-down version of Photoshop with a limited…

What is Photoshop Elements?

The Elements Home Screen

Welcome Home When you open Adobe Photoshop Elements, you are presented with a Home screen. This simple screen is your gateway to the Photo Editor program or the Organiser. The third option available is to activate the Adobe Premiere Elements Video Editor, if you have purchased that as well. If not, it will ask if you want to download a trial version. You also have the option at the top of the Home screen to search for help on things you want to achieve in the programs or to click on any of the featured Try This guides and What's New items and Inspiration articles ranged across the screen. On the extreme top right of the page are buttons for Facebook and Twitter and a Help button that takes you…

The Elements Home Screen

The Quick Mode Workspace

One-click Power Although this mode is designed to be quick and simple to use, it is still a powerful method to rapidly improve your photos with easy one-click presets that give you instant feedback on how your image will look with the new adjustments applied. There are many filters to choose from and many ways you can adjust your image to make it perfect, so you can share it with the world. 1 The File Menu Although a number of file menu option will not be accessible, the main ones that you need will be available. All the Enhance options are there as well as the Filter Gallery presets. 2 Mode Selector Here can you can exit the current mode and choose to enter the Guided or Expert modes. 3…

The Quick Mode Workspace

The Guided Mode Workspace

1 Category Selector Here can you can select which effect you want to apply to your image. There are six categories of effects to choose from. 2 Basics Contains the Basic effects Brightness and Contrast, Correct Skin Tone, Crop Photo, Levels, Lighten and Darken, Resize Your Photo, Rotate and Straighten, Sharpen and Vignette Effect. 3 Colour This category contains Enhance Colour, Lomo Camera Effect, Remove Colour Cast and Saturated Film Effect. 4 Black & White This section has a number of effects centred around monochrome. Black and White, B&W Colour Pop, B&W Selection, High Key, Line Drawing and Low Key. 5 Fun Edits You can find a lot more creative edits under this category. You have some diverse effects to try out such as Double Exposure, Effects Collage, Meme Maker,…

The Guided Mode Workspace

The Expert Mode Workspace

1 The File Menu Most of the File menu options will be made available to you in this particular workspace, since all the tools and effects parameters are there to be used manually with little or no guidance from the program. 2 The Open Button Common to each workspace, click on the Open button to view any recently active images you have been working on or to create a new blank file ready to be worked on. 3 The Tools Panel This panel contains all the essential tools you are going to need for powerful and flexible image editing. It is broken down into View, Enhance, Draw, Modify and Colour sections. 4 Document Tab Each image that is open will be marked by a document tab to identify each image.…

The Expert Mode Workspace

The Expert Mode Toolbar

If you've used older versions of Elements or Photoshop, the main components of the toolbar will be familiar to you. There have been updates and additions to the tools available but most will be recognisable for what they are and you should be able to get to grips with the newest ones without too much issue. Although each tool has additional options displayed down in the Tools Options Panel, if you hold the Alt key and click on a toolbar icon, you can cycle though all variants of that particular tool to get to the one you want. Here is a breakdown of the toolset available in Adobe Photoshop Elements. Key to Symbols View Tools The tools found in the View Tools section of the toolbar are designed for basic…

The Expert Mode Toolbar

The File Menu Layout

Adobe Photoshop Elements has many one-click solutions to make your photos look their best but over time you may find the need to dig deeper into the more advanced options that are on offer with the Photo Editor. Many options are presented in the taskbar at the bottom and the panel bar on the right. If you need them however, the File Menu is where you can find all the vital tools. Adobe Photoshop Elements From this menu you can see the About screen and manage any Plug-ins as well as update your Preferences and quit Photoshop Elements. You can also view any legal notices or hide the workspace. File One of the key menus you access at the start and end of a session. You can create new documents,…

The File Menu Layout

Guided Mode Categories

Your Guide At the time of writing, there are currently 53 guided edits available in Adobe Photoshop Elements. They can be accessed from the Guided workspace page and are distributed under six categories. Each one has a small before and after slider that gives you a quick overview of what each effect is designed to achieve. Easy-to-follow guides Just as the name suggests, the Guided mode is designed to help you produce a number of creative and artistic effects by taking you through the process in numbered steps. It is a semi-automatic edit where you click various available options and Elements does the rest for you. Brightness and Contrast 1 This lets you adjust the brightness of your photo and control how much contrast is present. You can view the…

Guided Mode Categories

Using Adobe Camera Raw

Most modern digital cameras allow you to shoot in a picture format known as Raw mode. Raw mode is a pure digital readout of the data captured by the sensor. This offers amazing scope when it comes to getting the very best out of your photos. Step inside your very own digital darkroom and take control of the final look of your photos. More than that, see how you can integrate Adobe Camera Raw (ACR) and Photoshop Elements for a professional looking workflow solution.…

Using Adobe Camera Raw

The Camera Raw Interface

In the Raw Adobe Photoshop Elements comes with Adobe Camera Raw supplied. It is more usually referred to as ACR and lets you process Raw files from digital cameras as the first step of your digital photo processing workflow; but you don't have to stop there. You can process your Raw file and then continue to work with it in the Photo Editor in either the Quick or Expert editing modes. It is easy to get started. Let's take a look at the ACR interface, see what it has to offer, and also how it can integrate with the Elements Photo Editor to help you get more out of your favourite photos. 1 Zoom Tool A standard zoom in and zoom out tool that lets you view your image at…

The Camera Raw Interface

The Camera Raw Interface

9 Full Screen Mode Clicking this button lets you toggle the full screen mode. When you do, no file menus will be visible until you toggle full screen off again. 10 Shadow Clipping Shadow Clipping is there to warn you if any of the darkest tones in your photo become solid black. A blue highlight will appear to warn you which parts of the photo are clipped. 11 The Histogram This is a graphical representation of the distribution of colour and tonal values throughout the image. The amount of tones in any given part of the tonal range are shown as peaks along the length of the histogram. 12 Highlight Clipping This works in the same way as the Shadow Clipping warning. If any of the brightest highlights in the…

The Camera Raw Interface

Camera Raw Processing

1 To begin, you'll need to open Photoshop Elements and from the home page click on the Photo Editor icon, this will activate the Photo Editor program. The default is to open in Expert mode. You can access Adobe Camera Raw (ACR) from either the Quick, Guided or Expert mode workspaces. 2 Go to File > Open in Camera Raw (Alt + Cmd + O) to open your file browser and navigate to the folder that contains the Raw file you wish to process. Once you have located it, double-click the file or highlight it and press Open at the bottom right of the browser window. 3 The Raw file, in this case a seascape shot in Cornwall, will open in the ACR workspace, as ACR runs in a separate…

Camera Raw Processing

Saving to DNG Format

1 DNG is a publicly available Raw image format, created by Adobe as a proprietary image standard. It’s able to store image data in a more generic format that is widely compatible with many photo-processing programs. DNG is also known as Digital Negative. 2 To begin the process, you will need to access the raw file that needs converting to DNG format. You can open Elements Organiser and search for the required image. When you have found it, highlight it, then go down to the taskbar and click on the Editor button. 3 The Photo Editor will open, but since this is a Raw file, which cannot be opened directly in the Editor workspace, Camera Raw will be opened automatically on top of the editor workspace, with your image ready…

Saving to DNG Format

The Organiser Workspace

Find it Use Elements Organiser to organise and share your photos and media files. You can view thumbnails of all your favourite images and media you’ve imported. You can view a large thumbnail of a single media file or smaller thumbnails of many media files. You can fix the most common problems in the media files by using the tools in the Instant Fix tab of the Task panel. 1 The File Menu The File menu options appear in the top left of the menu bar. These are the basic methods for interacting with the program, managing your catalogues and finding, tagging and viewing all of your media files. 2 The Import Button From the drop-down menu, you can choose to import photos from various files and folders on your…

The Organiser Workspace

Setting Up Elements Organiser

1 When you open Elements, you are presented with the Home Screen. Down in the lower right are the programs available to use or to try a free trial. Click on Organiser to activate it and follow any on-screen prompts. 2 There is usually a default catalogue created but you have the option to use the Catalogue Manager to create a custom location for your catalogues. Click the Custom Location and then Browse to the location where you would like to create your custom catalogue. 3 If you are creating a new folder, you can give it a bespoke name and then hit the Create button to make the folder into which your catalogue will be placed. Once you have done that, you can then give a name to your…

Setting Up Elements Organiser

Tagging and Keywords

1 From the Home screen, click on the Elements Organiser icon to open the Organiser workspace. We worked in Folder view with the Media tab clicked and all media currently on display. We had some example images of Dartmoor in Devon that we wanted to tag for future reference. 2 We made a folder called 'Places' that contained a number of images but only a few of them were relevant to our particular requirement of moorland photos. The first thing we did was to press the Cmd key and left-click each of the required moorland photos. There were five shots in total. 3 Now that the images are selected, you can begin to tag them. The first and foremost requirement is to add a place tag. In the taskbar, click…

Tagging and Keywords

Putting Names to Faces

1 Click on the People tab to open the workspace for tagging faces. Just like the main Media view, you can view the contents of selected folders or click the All People button for a view of every face that has been found in your entire catalogue of images; this includes those in the UnNamed category. 2 The view you are presented with is a thumbnail portrait of each individual face that has been identified. Below the thumbnail are the words Add Name followed by a number. The number represents how many pictures of that person have been found. 3 If you hover your cursor over any given thumbnail, it displays two options. One shows all the complete photos of that person and the other just shows a small thumbnail…

Putting Names to Faces

Tagging Photos with Location Data

1 Click on the Places tab to view the Places workspace. For the moment, you will need to be in the UnPinned category and view all the photos that have yet to have any location data added to them. If you click Group By Time, then they will be displayed in chronological order. 2 If you are using this view, then you can alter the Number Of Groups value displayed in the left hand panel. Moving the slider left and right, increases the numbers of groups on view for more detailed scrutiny or reduces the number for a broader view of all the photos you are viewing. 3 We have opted to tag a specific group of shots taken at a location called Hound Tor. These shots are kept in…

Tagging Photos with Location Data

Adding Events Tags to Photos

1 We have an example folder full of various types of events such as weddings, parties and sporting events. When viewed in the Events workspace, they are listed by date order to help you find what you are looking for. They are listed with most recent dates and times first. 2 Much like the People and Places workspaces, the Events workspace has a Suggested category for untagged events yet to be identified and a Named category where any that are tagged as an event will finally be displayed. 3 Click the Number Of Groups slider and push it to the far right Max setting. The media browser will display more time and date options for you to focus in on. We are looking for a particular sporting event, Autocross, which…

Adding Events Tags to Photos

Reviewing and Comparing Images

1 In Full Screen view, you can inspect your images in detail before making a selection of photos and presenting them as an instant slide show. Click and select a thumbnail image in the Media Browser panel and then choose View > Full Screen. The Media Browser will be replaced by the Full Screen view. 2 If you move your Mouse cursor over the full screen image, the Control bar will reappear. If you look to the left of the screen, you will see a couple of grey tabs. If you move your cursor over these tabs, you can open the Quick Edit and Quick Organiser panels, again. 3 Now, if you move the cursor back to the centre of the screen and leave it motionless for a short while,…

Reviewing and Comparing Images

Comparing Photos Side-by-side

1 Go to Full Screen view by selecting View > Full Screen (Cmd + F11); you will need to access your Film Strip. If it isn't visible, you can click Cmd + F on your keyboard to make it visible at the bottom of your screen. Bring up the Control bar and click on the View icon. 2 The view options available to you are quite straightforward. When you click the View icon, a small menu will pop up with the option to either view the images in the Side by Side orientation, or to view them horizontally, with one above the other across the width of the screen. 3 In this example, choose the Side by Side view option. Select your primary image from the Film Strip and it…

Comparing Photos Side-by-side

Watched Folders

1 Within Elements Organiser, you can find the Watch Folders option under File > Watch Folders. This calls up a panel where you can set various parameters to: govern which folders are watched, add new folders, remove existing ones if required and even turn the function off. 2 You can choose to have any new files that are detected, within a watched folder, added automatically to your catalogue, with no input from you. You can also choose to have Photoshop Elements ask how you wish to proceed, when importing the new content. 3 If you choose to be alerted before proceeding, whenever any new items are added to your watched folders, Photoshop Elements will display a message to indicate that it has detected new items. You can click Import to…

Watched Folders

Import from a Digital Camera

1 In this example, we are going to connect a digital camera to the computer and import images straight from the camera into Organiser. If you have a card reader, or are using another mobile device such as your phone or tablet, the process will be the same. 2 Digital cameras can be connected to your computer via a USB cable. Most cameras offer an A/V Digital port to let you move files off the camera in the event of not having a card reader. Connect the USB lead to your camera and the other end to your computer's USB port. 3 If you are working on a Windows PC, you may find that the Auto Play dialog box appears when you connect your camera. Under the Pictures Options, there…

Import from a Digital Camera

The Advanced Photo Downloader

1 Open Elements Organiser, click on the Import button at the top left of the screen and choose the From Cameras or Card Reader option, once again. The Photo Downloader panel will open and your camera will be identified as an image source. Leave the settings at their default and click on Advanced Dialog. 2 The Advanced Dialog panel displays a thumbnail preview of each of the files on your camera along with its shot date and filename. There are a number of options for setting locations and subfolders, as with the standard dialog box, plus a number of advanced options. 3 Choose Custom Groups (Advanced) in the Save Options section, under Create Subfolder(s). This divides up the images into groups based on their shot date and capture time. There…

The Advanced Photo Downloader

Search by Metadata, Similarity & Objects

1 Open Elements Organiser and keep it in the Media view. In the file menu, go to Find > By Details (Metadata). Click this menu option to open the search criteria panel, where you can enter search parameters to locate matching shots. 2 You have three search strings. The first has options such as: Filename, Camera Model, Capture Date and much more. The second and third search strings finesse the search parameter using words that your files may, or may not, contain and whether it starts or ends with a specific word. 3 To the right of the search strings, is a small plus (+) symbol in a box. If you click it, you can add more search strings to the Search Criteria for even more targeted searching. In our example, we chose…

Search by Metadata, Similarity & Objects

Using Instant Fix

1 You can add image adjustment as part of your cataloguing and keywording routine, to not only get your image organised, but also looking its best. Elements Organiser has an Instant Fix option that lets you make some basic, but essential, fixes to your images. 2 In the main Media Browser window, select one or more images that are in need of some adjustments. In most cases, they will be images that are too dark or too bright. With them highlighted, go to the taskbar at the bottom of the screen and click on the Instant Fix icon. 3 The Instant Fix window is a fairly easy workspace to understand. You have buttons to Undo or Redo actions, a Before and After toggle switch to compare the edits you've made so far and…

Using Instant Fix

The Elements Experience

We hope that by now you feel like you've had a good introduction to what Adobe Photoshop Elements is all about. There's a lot more to come on the following pages but before we dive in further, we thought it would be great to show you a series of quick tutorials exploring the vast range of techniques and tools available. There's everything, from making a panorama from multiple images, to putting pictures inside text. Take a look and enjoy the Elements experience.…

The Elements Experience

Open Closed Eyes

1 Open your photo by going to File > Open and navigating to where your primary photo is kept and either double-click the image or select it and press the Open button. 2 Go to Enhance > Open Closed Eyes and you will see the Open Closed Eyes dialog box. Here you can choose your Eye Source to open your subjects eyes with. 3 Just in case, there is a small selection that you can try straight away, with two female and two male sets of sample eyes, on your photo. 4 For best results, find a photo that roughly matches the lighting and colours of your original photo. You can select Choose from > Computer and locate a suitable image. 5 When you have found a likely candidate, double-click it to load it as…

Open Closed Eyes

1 Open the Elements Photo Editor, go to File > Open and choose a favourite photo; then go to the Guided workspace. The Partial Sketch effect is under Fun Edits. 2 You have four pencil sketch effects to choose from. Click one to activate the sketch brush. Select Add and use the slider to control its size. 3 Paint across your image to reveal areas you want to be converted to a sketch effect. You can always use the Subtract brush, to remove any sketch areas you don't want. 4 If you want to, you can use the Detail Brush to more precisely paint the sketch effect on or off your photo, controlling the brush size and opacity. 5 An optional effect is to soften any hard edges or flip the effect. If you're happy,…

Replace Background

1 In the Guided workspace, you will find the Replace Background edit under the Special Edits category. Put the photo you want to work on in the Photo Bin. 2 Choose from the available tools to select your subject. The Quick Selection tool should work well on our subject. Drag inside the edge of subject to select them. 3 Use the tool options to subtract areas that stray outside what is required. Then you can use the Refine tool to improve the quality of the selection. 4 Now you can import a photo that will be the new background. It will be placed behind your main subject. Both subject and background can be moved if required. 5 Now you can make further refinements to the outline of your subject if you want. A soft brush…

Replace Background

Photomerge Panorama

1 In the Guided workspace, you will find Photomerge Panorama under the Photomerge category. Place the sequence of panoramic photos you want in the Photo Bin. 2 Make sure all your photos are selected and choose the type of setting you want. In nearly all cases, the Auto Panorama settings is fine for standard photos. 3 Make sure the Blend Images Together and Vignette Removal boxes are ticked. If you want to fill transparent areas then choose Content Aware Fill Transparent Areas. 4 Now you can click the Create Panorama button and the stitching process will begin. Note that Expert mode is used to stitch your images. 5 Once Expert mode has stitched the images and filled any transparent areas, it returns you to the Guided page to save it or continue working on it…

Photomerge Panorama

1 In the Guided workspace, the Meme Maker is under the Fun Edits category. Make sure you have a suitably worthy image open and ready to go. 2 We have a funny picture of a monkey sticking his tongue out. The first thing to do is to click the Create Meme Template button to add the basic frame and text. 3 You can type new text using the Type Tool and choose any font from the Tool Options panel in the lower left of the screen. 4 Then you can zoom your photo if required and flip it horizontally or vertically. Then you can choose to add a new border from the options available. 5 You can also add more effects to the resulting image. You can choose from a pop art, black and white…

Multi-photo Text

1 The Multi-photo Text guide is in the Fun Edits section. With your chosen background photo open, you're ready to then click on the Multi-photo Text icon. 2 Use the Type Tool first to add your text, alter its style and size using the Tool Option panel. You can also specify how it fits your photo. 3 When you click the Create Frames button, each letter is converted to a frame ready for you to click and then select a photo to appear in it. 4 Choose from your computer or your Photo Bin and place one image inside each letter. Double-click each frame to adjust the image size and position. 5 You can add a new background if you want by clicking the options available; or you can add outlines and drop shadows to…

Multi-photo Text

1 The B&W Color Pop edit is found in the Black & White section. Open a photo that you want to add the effect to and then click on the B&W Color Pop icon to proceed. 2 You can click on one of four presets or of you prefer, click on the Select Custom Color button and pick the most dominant colour you want to remain untouched in your photo. 3 Then, if you increase the Fuzziness value, more colours similar to the one chosen will become visible again while the rest remains in black and white. 4 You can then use the Refine Effect buttons to bring back more areas to colour using the Add tool, or remove them using the Subtract tool. 5 The Size and Opacity sliders dictate size of the brush…

Zoom Burst Effect

1 The Zoom Burst Effect edit is found in the Fun Edits section. Open a photo that you want to add the effect to and then click on the Zoom Burst image to proceed. 2 The first step is to crop your image so the main subject is in the centre of the shot. The zoom effect will start from the centre so it makes sense to position the image centrally too. 3 Use the crop tool to drag a crop box around your main subject. Our example is of a motorcycle to which we want to add some motion to create a bit more drama. 4 You can then click the Add Zoom Burst button and the effect will be added to the shot. It mimics a photographic effect where the lens is…

Zoom Burst Effect

Old Fashioned Photo

1 In the Guided edit mode, open your photo by going to File > Open and navigating to your photos. Select the one you want to use and press the Open button. 2 We have chosen an example of two rockabilly musicians who have a very retro look and, given their location, this should convert well into a shot with a vintage feel. 3 Click the Old Fashioned Photo preview under the Fun Edits category and begin the process by choosing from the three Black and White pre-sets listed. 4 Next, you have the option to click the Adjust Tone button. Adjusting the tonality of the photo makes it slightly more contrasting. It can be quite subtle, but worth a look. 5 Old photographs are characterised by their graininess. The Add Texture button allows you…

Old Fashioned Photo

1 You have two options to create your effect. The first is the Simple option where you blur the image and then click and drag a gradient that defines an area of focus. 2 The second option is the Custom approach, which involves making a more detailed selection of the subject that you wish to remain in focus, whilst blurring the rest of the photo. 3 You start the Custom process by using a Quick Selection Tool and dragging it around the outer edge of the subject you wish to remain in sharp focus. 4 You can use different brush sizes and if the selection goes wide, you can switch to Subtract selection to remove areas that have strayed outside your subject's outline. 5 Use the Subtract tool and with a small brush size, carefully…

Your Guide to Image Editing

The great thing about Adobe Photoshop Elements is that it can cater for all skill levels when it comes to image editing, digital manipulation and creating new works of art. Whether you are a complete novice who is starting out and wanting to learn the ropes or an experienced digital artist who needs more advanced tools to complete their project, Photoshop Elements has all the power and sophistication you need to get the most out of your photos.…

Your Guide to Image Editing

A Guide to Using Layers

The use of layers has become the very core of image editing since its introduction in the early '90s. As you might imagine, layers are exactly what they sound like. You can have a number of separate elements, each on its own layer, that are stacked one on top of the other. When all viewed together, they create the final image. The advantage of using layers is clear. It means you can change an element on one layer only and not have an impact on the rest of the image. It also means that you can take an image and duplicate it on another layer and perform any edits you want on that one in the knowledge that the base image will remain untouched in case it doesn't turn out…

A Guide to Using Layers

Methods for Adjusting an Image

Quick Mode 1 We start in the Quick mode workspace with a sunrise image of a pier that is in need of some work to make it look its best. The first thing to do is remove that large black spot in the top right corner: probably a bit of mud stuck to the lens, currently spoiling the shot. 2 To remove such a blemish, you can go to the toolbar and choose the Spot Healing Brush Tool (J). When you choose this tool, the Tool Option panel displays Spot Healing Brush options. You can choose Spot Healing Brush or Healing Brush to remove the spot. 3 The main difference between the two brushes is that the Spot Healing Brush lets you paint directly over the blemish and then works…

Methods for Adjusting an Image

Using the Photo Editor Expert Mode

1 We have opened another image that needs some fixing. It is a sunrise on the moors that is a little underexposed and needs some work to bring out the foreground, while keeping the sky relatively untouched, since that is quite well exposed. This is where the use of layers and masks will help us out. 2 First, the colour balance needs to be adjusted. The image is a little too magenta and warm, particularly if you look at the colour of the grass. This can be altered by using a really simple trick that can be really effective and requires the use of layers to do it. 3 Press Cmd + J to copy the Background layer. Name the new layer 'remove cast'. Then go to Filter > Blur…

Using the Photo Editor Expert Mode

Working with Selection Tools

Rectangular Marquee 1 This tool lets you make selections of square or rectangular areas of your image. In addition to making the selection, you can add to it, subtract from it and intersect with it. You can make selections of a fixed size, fixed ratio or normal aspects. You can also feather and refine the edge. Elliptical Marquee 2 The Elliptical Marquee tool behaves in the same way as the Rectangular Marquee tool and has the same tool options available. You can make circular and elliptical selections of any size or proportion. If you hold the Alt key, you can centre your ellipse over the cursor position. Lasso 3 The Lasso tool can be used to make area selections from your image or active layer. The shapes you select with…

Working with Selection Tools

Cloning, Healing and Enhancing

Eye Tool 1 Red-eye is caused by light from the flash of a camera reflecting off the blood vessels at the back of the eye when the pupil is wide open. If you happen to find a favourite photo where your subject has red-eye, then it is a simple process to 2 Click the Eye Tool (Y) and simply click your cursor over the offending redness in the eyes of your subject. The tool will remove the redness and you can alter Pupil Radius and Darken values to make sure the red has been completely removed. It can also be set for Pet Eye as well. Closed Eye Correction 1 Another great function available in the options panel is the function to open closed eyes. Click the Open Closed Eyes…

Cloning, Healing and Enhancing

Draw, Fill, Shapes and Text

Brush Tool 1 The Brush Tool (B) is one of the most often used tools in the photo editor's arsenal. Whether you are painting directly over a photo, or adding brush strokes to a layer, the Brush Tool is designed to behave like its real world counterpart but with more powerful features built in. 2 When you click on the Brush Tool, the options available are quite varied. You can control brushes with your mouse or if you use a tablet, you can control it as if it were an airbrush with pressure sensitive effects for more artistic flair. 3 You can choose any number of brush types from the brush picker and alter the Size and Opacity values. You can also load new brushes that can be purchased and…

Draw, Fill, Shapes and Text

Modify, Crop, Move and Recompose

Crop Tool 1 The Crop Tool (C) is the most common method of cutting areas of your photo off in order to change the composition and proportions. When you click the tool, the options panel will display some suggestions for you as to how it thinks the image can be cropped. You can use those or make your own crop. 2 You can use set proportions to crop or you can go it alone with no restrictions and make your own crop. Simply click and drag your mouse across the area of the scene that you want to be cropped and a gridded box will show you the current crop. You can click the green commit arrow to proceed. 3 Within the crop tool options you also have the Cookie…

Modify, Crop, Move and Recompose

Panels and the Panel Bin

1 In the Editor workspace, the Panel Bin is found to the right of the main Edit pane and contains listings of effects and filters. By default, the Elements Photo Editor starts up Quick mode and the Panel Bin contents are displayed, one set of examples at a time. 2 Below the Panel Bin, in the Taskbar, are the various buttons that let you access and switch between: the Layers panel, Effects, Filters, Styles and Graphics. Under Filters for instance, the Panel Bin displays the Artistic filter options in its first category. 3 To the far right of the Taskbar is the More button. If you click it (not the small triangle next to it), you can open up the rest of the Editor panels. These additional panels open in…

Panels and the Panel Bin

Customise the Panel Bin

1 The beauty of the Custom mode, when arranging your Panel Bin, is that you can arrange the panels you use the most and dock them so you are not cluttering up your workspace and editing window with too many panels. You also have the benefit of not needing to use the Menu commands to access them. 2 In the Expert mode workspace, go to the small triangle (to the right of the More button), on the Taskbar, at the bottom far right of the screen and click it. At the bottom of the menu that pops up, select Custom Workspace to activate the custom mode. 3 When you switch to the Custom Workspace, you'll notice that the icons for: Layers, Effects, Filters, Styles and Graphics have been removed from…

Customise the Panel Bin

How to Correct and Enhance

1 The Photo Editor can be accessed from the Home Screen when you first open up Photoshop Elements. If you don't yet know which images you are likely to be working on, it is better to open Organiser first and locate the photos in need of some attention. We have some photos with various problems in our example. 2 Highlight one or more of the images you want to work on in the Photo Editor and then go to the Editor button down in the bottom left of the taskbar. There is a small arrow next to it and this opens up editing options in other programs. For this example, just click on the main Editor button. 3 When you click the Editor button, it will open with the photos…

How to Correct and Enhance

Levels Adjustments

1 We have another example, which is a low contrast image. The histogram shows the tones in the photo bunched up in the middle of the graph. To access the Levels adjustment, go to Enhance > Adjust Lighting > Levels. The Levels panel will open. To begin with, make sure the Preview option is checked. 2 In the Input Levels window, the Levels panel will show you a recreation of the histogram for that image, displaying how the tones are distributed. Directly below the window are three sliders: the shadows slider to the left, the mid-tone slider in the centre and to the right, the highlights slider. 3 Manual Levels adjustment is usually based on personal preference, although the image here clearly requires more contrast. To begin, click on the…

Levels Adjustments

How to Use Colour Balance

1 Our example image was taken with some lights that produce a very yellow colour cast. The camera that took the photo was set on auto white balance, but even this was not enough to offset the yellow tint (typical of indoor tungsten lighting), cast over the scene. 2 We are going to use the Quick edit mode on the Elements Photo Editor. If it isn't already in Quick mode, click on the mode selector at the top of the screen. To clean up the Quick edit workspace, in case there are any panels floating around, go to Windows > Reset Panels. 3 To modify the colour balance, first open up your image. It helps to assess what you're doing so in the top left of your screen, click on…

How to Use Colour Balance

Enhancing Colour

1 As you've seen, you can remove a colour cast using the Quick edit mode's Balance functions. Now compare that to what you can achieve using the Guided edit modes. Although there is a remove Color Cast guided option, in this case, we will look at the Enhance Color option in more detail. 2 The Enhance Color effect can be found under Guided edits and by clicking on the Color category selector. There are several colour effects listed here, but Enhance Color allows you to work with a broader set of colour correction options, enabling you to do more with your images. 3 In our example, we clicked the Open button in the top left of the screen and navigated to a folder that contains an image of glassware that…

Enhancing Colour

Quickly Resize Your Photos

1 Open up the Elements Photo Editor and click on the mode selector panel at the top of the screen, then choose Guided. This switches you to the Guided edit mode. Before starting, you will need a photo that requires some specific sizing and scaling. 2 Before you start, in the top, far left corner of the Guide workspace, click on the Open button (not the small arrow next to it). This opens up a browser window where you can navigate to the image you need to resize. When you have it, double-click or click it and then click on the Open button. 3 The chosen photo will now appear in the Photo Bin of the Guided edits workspace. The Resize Your Photo guided edit can be found in the…

Quickly Resize Your Photos

Selecting Fine Edge Detail

1 We have an example image of a dog that we would like to cut out of its background and either use it isolated as it stands, or dropped into another background. When it comes to selecting and cutting out, fur, hair, grass and foliage make for a testing time. 2 We can open the image of the dog from either: the Elements Organiser workspace, by selecting it and then clicking on the Editor button down in the taskbar, or we can go straight to the Photo Editor and choose Open in the top left of the workspace, or File > Open from the file menu. 3 If it isn't already active, we can go down to the taskbar and in the lower left corner, click on the Tool Options…

Selecting Fine Edge Detail

Cleaning a Scene

1 If you are trying to capture a scene that is always busy, here's a great photographer’s tip. Set up your camera on a tripod and shoot a sequence of images where people are in many different positions in each shot. This can be used to your advantage later. 2 We have an example street scene that demonstrates the principle. It was never quite clear of people, but several shots were taken and loaded into Elements Organiser. The best three shots, which offered the most varied positions of people, were chosen as the most useful in aiding our scene-cleaning attempt. 3 Highlight the images you are going to use and then click the Editor button, down in the taskbar. The Photo Editor will open and the selected images (three in…

Cleaning a Scene

The Artwork Library

1 The Elements Photo Editor provides you with a large and varied collection of effects, textures, shapes and frames that can be accessed either through the Create function, or in the Quick or Expert edit modes. In this example, we will open the Export edit mode and take a look at the Graphics panel. 2 Starting in Elements Organiser, you need to check that you have no images highlighted before opening the Editor. To be sure, go to the file menu and choose Edit > Deselect. You can also use Cmd + Shift + A on a Mac, or Ctrl + Shift + A on a PC, to deflect all images. 3 Click on the Editor button down in the taskbar, to open up the Photo Editor, then use the…

The Artwork Library

The Favourites Panel

1 Open the Editor, go to the file menu and select Window > Favorites. When a floating tabbed panel group appears, you can drag the Favorites tab off the main group to isolate it and close down the other group of tabs. Drag the Favorites panel to the lower right of the screen, next to the Panel Bin. 2 Click the Favorites tab and drag it over the lower edge of the Panel Bin. You will see a blue line appear indicating you can dock the Favorites panel beneath the Graphics panel list. Click the top edge of the Favorites panel and drag it upwards to enlarge the panel window. 3 You will see that the Favorites panel already contains a few basic examples. For a clean slate, click on…

The Favourites Panel

How to Make a Photo Book

1 In our example, we are going to make a Photo Book of some of our favourite landscape photos. The process starts by opening up the Elements Organiser and choosing a number of likely candidates for the book. We have a folder of 45 possible landscapes photos ready for inclusion. 2 Depending on how many pages your book is intended to be, you may not want all the photos to be included. If that is the case, you can simply highlight the ones you are likely to use when constructing the book. Press Cmd and click on each photo you want to use. If you want them all, press Cmd + A to select all. 3 When you have your selection of photos ready, go to the top left of…

How to Make a Photo Book

Photo Book Advanced Mode

1 Start by going to File > Open and navigating to your saved, PSE Photo Book artwork. Double-click it to open the Photo Editor. You will see the Mode Selector buttons at the top of the screen but if you click them, nothing will happen until you first activate the Advanced Mode. 2 Click on the Advance Mode button, situated in the top left corner of the edit window next to the toolbar. When you click it, your pages become editable and if you look at the bottom right of the taskbar, you will see that a Layers button has appeared, next to the Pages button. 3 Click the Layers button and all the layers, masks and text that were automatically created for the Photo Book's title page, will be…

Photo Book Advanced Mode

Sky Replacement

Blue skies are wonderful. They mean we are having a lovely sunny day. This is particularly meaningful if you live in the UK, which is often the butt of jokes about its horrible weather. No better time then to get out and take some photographs. The only problem you may find if you’re anything like us, is that landscapes shot on days like this can look a little dull. The light is great, but the sky is lacking in any drama and it’s just a big, blue, empty canvas. Sometimes the sky is lovely but it’s in the wrong part of the image in relation to the landscape you were trying to shoot. Well, there is an answer to your woes with sky swapping. It requires your primary photo and…

Sky Replacement

Frequency Separation

Thanks to digital technology you can be a makeup artist and control exactly how you want your subject to look. Naturally, there are numerous ways you can go about retouching skin. Some techniques are very simple but do not give natural results. Some people take it to extremes and end up with their models looking like mannequins. All we are looking to do is make our model’s skin look as healthy and glowing as possible. We are going to use a technique called frequency separation. Simply put, you break the base image down into two components. One layer carries just colour and tonal information, the other layer holds detail and texture. This means you can work on one, without affecting the other. It’s a simple and effective method. 1 Our…

Frequency Separation

Composite Images

Compositing is the combining of visual elements from separate sources into single images, often to create the illusion that all those elements are part of the same scene. In this tutorial we will be looking at a fairly typical approach for the two main elements of the image which is the grey/neutral background compositing technique. Shooting your main subject against a grey screen gives them a well defined edge that makes the process of blending them into another environment all the easier. Grey screen compositing is the choice of many graphics professionals and is easier to do than you might think. We have a scenario in which we have a photo of our subject and want to put them into a much grander environment than just a grey background. 1…

Composite Images

Dodging and Burning

Dodging and burning have their roots in the days of analogue photography, long before digital cameras and computers were in use. Dodging refers to the technique of lightening an image at the darkroom stage by reducing the exposure of a photographic print in specific areas. Burning is the opposite, where parts of the image are exposed for longer onto the print, making those areas darker. With the advent of digital technology the process is done on a computer but the basic principle and its terminology remain the same. In our example we had a basic image that was lacking in contrast; using the dodge and burn techniques, brightness and contrast were selectively added to produce a much stronger image. 1 Begin by opening a relevant image to work on. Go…

Dodging and Burning

Using Selective Colour

It is quite a popular photo editing technique to convert your images to black and white, but then to return part of the image to its original full colour mode. This is done to create a small splash of colour in your photograph that is instantly picked out of its surroundings to draw the eye to that point of focus. It is a simple and fun way to enhance your black and white images and uses some simple, but important, image editing techniques that are always handy to brush up on. With one duplicate image, a quick mono conversion, a little bit of masking and the use of a selection tool, your image will transform. We show you how it’s done in this simple tutorial. 1 First of all, you…

Using Selective Colour

The Orton Technique

The Orton technique is named after its creator Michael Orton. He developed the technique back in the 80’s with slide film, sometimes referred to as an Orton slide sandwich. One shot was taken in perfect sharp focus and the other was completely out of focus to register only light, dark and colour. Back in the darkroom, when the slides had been processed, the idea was to sandwich one sharp image and one out of focus image, align them, and print both of these at the same time. Of course, these days, this can be done much more quickly and efficiently with digital files. Some professional landscape photographers use this technique in their work today. We will apply this technique to enhance a lovely landscape image. 1 The first step is…

The Orton Technique

Active layer The layer currently selected in the Layers panel. Adjustment layer A layer that lets you apply colour and tonal adjustments to your image without permanently changing pixel values. Use adjustment layers to experiment with colour and colour tones. You can think of an adjustment layer as a veil through which the underlying layers are seen. Adobe Bridge Bridge is a browser application produced by Adobe Systems as part of the Creative Suite and is usually installed alongside Photoshop. Its main function is as the file management hub of the Creative Suite. It can be used to open, manage, rate and rename files as well as edit their metadata. Adobe RGB The RGB colour space profile by Adobe Systems, Incorporated. It provides a large gamut of colours. Aliasing The…

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