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Learning Adobe Photoshop Elements

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Teaching Yourself Photoshop Elements

Have you decided to try your hand at custom graphics and photo editing? Photoshop Elements is a wise investment for someone new to graphic art. It carries a lower price tag by leaving out advanced features an amateur won't need access to anyways. Don't forget though that any Photoshop program also requires an investment of learning time. After countless wasted hours looking for appropriate stock photography and graphics to accompany my online articles, I decided to learn some Photoshop and bought a copy of Photoshop Elements 6. Photoshop Elements offered enough of Photoshop's capabilities for a novice user like me to get started with. This lens documents the steps I took to learn how to use this program, covering the tools, tutorials and books I used as well as my progress.

Purchase Adobe Photoshop on Amazon

Photoshop Elements may be the package to get your feet wet with Photoshop and also if you're not planning to do a lot with it. Go straight to a full blown Photoshop purchase though if you suspect you may want to keep doing more with this program.
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Photoshop Elements vs. Photoshop

Its hard to decide if its worth it to go ahead and spend usually over $100 on Photoshop Elements if its the dumbed-down version of the professional Photoshop program. I would recommend just starting out with Elements though. There are definitely limitations to it, you'll see this particularly when attempting to follow Photoshop tutorials online. Not to worry though, people often post Photoshop Elements workarounds online, allowing you to simulate Photoshop effects with Photoshop Elements. Yes, it takes longer, but you also learn a lot of the theory that going on behind these tricks.

I've been compiling the Photoshop Workarounds that I've found useful on this page and keeping it up to date - feel free to bookmark it for your own personal reference.
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Books I Used to Learn Adobe Photoshop Elements 6

My self-prescribed texts

These are the books I used to teach myself how to use my Adobe Photoshop Elements 6 program.
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Buying Photoshop on eBay

Try getting a used Photoshop package in an auction

I've gone ahead and just had this module feature CS5 auctions. If you're looking for Photoshop on eBay, go for the latest version.
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Important!

Keep a PSD or TIF file

You'll probably want a JPEG or GIF file to publish to the web. Be sure to keep an original PSD or TIF file for backup though!
Important!

Take Time To Learn about the Organizer

You may be tempted to skip over the Organizer and just go straight to editing: be sure to understand the power of the Organizer panel. I'm sure I'll save myself many hours of searching for files with this tool!

New inspirations from studying the Organizer workspace

More uses for Photoshop Elements than I originally thought.

The chapter titles even bored me: "Basic Organizing", "Advanced Organizing", "Photo Organization and Management". I know computer manuals aren't meant to be read cover-to-cover and you can flip through randomly to whatever chapter interests you. Organization topics seemed to be prevalent towards the beginning of two of my books though, so I thought I'd read through them. I'm glad I did!

After reading through these chapters and performing the exercises, I got inspired. My kids love scanning images and I now have a job for them. Scanning our photographs! I have boxes and boxes of old-school photos. Some have been arranged in to albums, most haven't. Maintaining a digital copy of these images will serve several purposes: they will serve as an electronic backup, they can be organized more efficiently than any photo album, they can be worked with and repaired AND they can be shared online. If I was ever to have a house fire, the things that would bother me the most to lose would be my photographs - this never needs to happen!

In addition to editing, another big aspect of Photoshop Elements is the ability to create "photo montages". Having a good, accessible catalog of your images would be vital to creating good montages.

Even with all this insight as to the importance of the Organizer, I'm still itching to edit something. Never fear, the book "How To Cheat in Photoshop Elements 6" is letting me get my hands dirty with editing right from the start! I'm interspersing my Organizer lessons with lessons from my Cheat book!

Find Faces For Tagging

This cool feature at the end of the Find menu scans through selected photos for just faces and lets you 'tag' them for who they are!

Photoshop Elements 6 Keyboard Shortcuts

Time-savings tricks for Adobe Photoshop Elements 6

Keyboard shortcuts are great time savers. I'm trying to incorporate these tricks in to my Photoshop Elements work right from the start! As with most computer books, notation within square brackets indicates that key on the keyboard.


  • [v] - Move tool

  • [F1] - Help

  • [alt] + [enter] - Properties Palette

  • [a] - Selection Brush

  • [l] - Lasso Tool

  • [m] - Marquee Tool

  • [w] - Magic Wand Tool

  • [shift] + [m] - Draw A Perfect Square or Circle

  • [alt] + [m] - Draw a marquee from the center out

  • [ctrl] + [+] - zoom in

  • [ctrl] + [-] - zoom out

Important!

The Digital Production Process


  • Capture

  • Manipulation

  • Management

  • Output

How To Cheat In Photoshop Elements 6 - Selection Techniques

Chapter 1 Tips

As I went through Chapter 1 of the text How To Cheat In Photoshop Elements 6, I noticed a few points that required additional clarification for me. I thought I'd include them here, as they may help out a few other people as well. (As far as I know, this book does not have an interactive user forum online, as some other DIY-computer-instruction books that I have used.)

Tips and Pointers for Chapter 1:

  • In order to work with the first example, "More Selection Tools" (photo of the Statue of Liberty), you'll want to zoom in and zoom out to perform the operations past step 1. To zoom in you can either select View > Zoom In or use the keyboard shortcut of [ctrl] + [=]. To zoom out, use either View > Zoom Out or the keyboard shortcut [ctrl] + [-].

  • Step 1 of "More Selection Tools" makes use of the Magic Wand tool. It says how you can "change the tolerance to select a smaller or wider range of colors" and that a "setting of 32 works well". It doesn't tell you that when you select the Magic Wand tool, the "tolerance", as well as "anti-aliasing", "contiguous" and "all layers" options appear just under the menu bar with space to configure them. I found a setting of 10 on tolerance works best for deselecting the light green areas in step 5, as well as having zoomed in on the image considerably.

  • The keyboard shortcut referred to in Step 8 of "More Selection Tools" for inverse selection was a little ambiguous to me. Is it [ctrl] + [shift] + [i] or [ctrl] + [shift] + [l] or [ctrl] + [shift] + [| (pipe symbol)]? I played around and found the solution, its [ctrl] + [shift] + [i].

  • No instructions are given for how to accomplish Step 7 of "More Selection Tools". Its said that more info for working with layers will be given in the next chapter. I got creative and dragged the copy of layer 1 (the Statue on a transparent background) to just above the picture of the fluffy clouds. I then right clicked the thumbnail of this layer and selected "merge below". When I double-clicked on the thumbnail, I saw my new creation!


People and Animals: Warhol-style Pop Art

How To Make Andy Warhol Style Prints

I put together a whole page on one of the chapters in the 'How To Cheat in Photoshop Elements 6' book. This lens is geared towards a newbie Photoshop user who might not be familiar with all the basic tools.
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Important!

Add and Subtract Selections

[shift] adds to your selection and [alt] takes away from it.

What the file formats mean

PSD, TIF, JPEG, GIF


  • PSD - Photoshop document

  • TIF - Tagged Image file format

  • JPEG - Joint Photographic Experts Group

  • GIF - Graphics Interchange format


Publishing to the web requires compressed files of smaller sizes, such as JPEG and GIF files for photographic images. All of the editing you do within Photoshop Elements 6 (creating layers & selections and editable text among other things) as well as minute picture details will be preserved in Photoshop's native file format, PSD. Much detail, with a slightly smaller memory requirement, can be gained from saving a TIF version of your image. Its always a good idea to keep a backup PSD or TIF of your images before compressing them down to JPEGs and GIFs for web publication. During compression, you'll lose detail. Be sure you have a backup of your original image.

Photoshop Elements Help Search Tip

Use standard search engine tricks (like putting quotes around words to return answers with that exact phrase) when searching help topics.

Squidoo Photoshop Expertise

Look no further than your next squid!

Barnes and Noble Coupon Valentines Day GiftsWho would've guessed that we've got a community of graphic-design savvy squids here at Squidoo? Check out these other lenses, maybe not focusing on Photoshop Elements 6 exactly, but with a Photoshop slant to them!
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Online Learning Resources

Get instant help online for Adobe Photoshop Elements 6

You don't even really need to buy books to learn Adobe Photoshop Elements 6. Following the learning path provided by a book can ensure you don't miss out on any of the basics that may make other operations more easily accomplished.

Here are the online resources that I have found helpful for teaching yourself how to use Adobe Photoshop Elements 6. Use these on their own or in conjunction with traditional instruction texts.
Adobe Help Resource Center
This resource is available directly from the Adobe Photoshop Elements 6 interface when you view any of the topic pages in Adobe's help. The link "This page on the web". Adobe's Help Resource Center has the most up-to-date information available to Photoshop Elements 6 users. This resource also lets you access help for different Adobe products all in one place.
Official Help PDF Manual - warning: long download time!
I don't link downloading PDF documents online. Often, I accidentally click on a link to one, not realizing it's a PDF and then I sit there forever, waiting for it to download. Often times, the connection will get timed out and my browser will crash, rendering the whole operation a total waste of time. If you'd like to print out a paper copy of the Adobe Photoshop Elements 6 Help information, this is where you can do it though..
Adobe Photoshop Elements 6 Keyboard Shortcut Guide
Here is a quick PDF printable download of all the keyboard shortcuts available in Adobe Photoshop Elements 6.
How To Cheat In Photoshop Elements
The companion web site to the text by David Asch & Steve Caplin, the site contains book reviews, links to purchase the text, information about the authors and links to contact them at, as well as sample projects and tutorial videos from the book.
Advanced Photoshop Elements 6 For Digital Photographers
This is the companion website to the text Advanced Photoshop Elements 6 For Digital Photographers. The website includes example images, video tutorials and more.

Buy Photoshop Elements 6 Products from eBay

Buy some used Instruction Books for this program.

Don't forget about eBay for finding a deal on Photoshop Elements 6 books.
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Flickr Fun With Photoshop

Check out what you can do with this program and a few skills!

Here are a few good examples of what you can easily do with Photoshop that I found online at flickr.com. Click on any of the photos to be taken directly to the artist's page. There you may find some comments on how they achieved these effects and maybe even some conversation, as well as other photos that the artist may have done.
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Some Amazing Photoshop "Makeovers"

Which one do you think takes the cake?

These videos show deftly skilled Photoshop artists creating Photoshop "makeovers". Its absolutely amazing what you can accomplish with a little practice and this piece of software. Which makeover do you think shows the most Photoshop skill? Be sure to vote your favorite video up or down.

Make Paris Hilton Fat Tutorial

1

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Make Paris Hilton Fa... 0 points

Celebrity Extreme Makeover

2

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Celebrity Extreme Ma... 0 points

Celebrities and Photoshop

3

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Celebrities and Phot... 0 points

The Perfect Lie (Photoshop Transformation) More @ www.whiteinkblog.com

4

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The Perfect Lie (Pho... 0 points

Extreme photoshop makeover

5

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Extreme photoshop ma... 0 points

Can You Make Some Money At This?

Moonlight as a Photoshopper?

OK, there are A LOT of real graphic design artists out there. But is there any market for freelance photoshopping of people's photos? Maybe you can put together a 3d logo for somebody if you've got particular artistic flair? Check out what's being sought after in the ways of Photoshop skills.

I'm in Chicago (no shortage of graphic designers here thank you!) and am checking it out..

Composition/Production artist (Japanese speaking)
Schawk! Inc & Anthem Worldwide - Chicago, IL
understanding of Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign... experience with the following programs: Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, Indesign, and Maxon Cinema 4D... ...
Graphic Designer
Tribune Company - Chicago, IL
graphic design software such as Adobe InDesign, Photoshop, and Illustrator. General pre-press and print... in Adobe InDesign, Photoshop & Illustrator Excellent... ...
E-Commerce Designer
CDW - Chicago, IL
understanding of HTML and storyboarding. Proficiency in Dreamweaver, Flash, Photoshop and Illustrator. Demonstrated experience with a variety of media and... ...
Graphic Designer
PBJS - Chicago, IL
concepts and strategies to life. You will work in Photoshop, Illustrator, PowerPoint and potentially other... Creative Suite CS5 (Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign... ...
User Experience Designer
SAVO Group - Chicago, IL
proficiency in Adobe Creative Suite (primarily Fireworks, InDesign, & Photoshop). Solid grasp of graphic and web design principles and a good understanding of... ...
See more results

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Is there a market for your skills?

Craigslist listings for Photoshop services.

Craigslist is a big hit because there's always someone looking to get something cheaper. Although lots of pretty serious graphic design talent abounds, it looks like there is opportunity for you to market your photo retouching skills when you develop them enough. This listing below is for my area: Chicago. Check out what's going on in your neck of the woods if you like.
✖ LOCAL Web Designer+Developer Available for Freelance ✖ (Local - Chicagoland)
keywords: HTML, XHTML, CSS, AJAX, Javascript, jQuery, PHP, SEO, Google, Yahoo, Logo, Newsletter, Design,...
$225 Custom Logo Design, $375 Corporate Package Design (Chicago)
$225 Custom logo design includes unlimited versions and revisions. 13 years experience, including 7 years...
Graphic Design, Website Design & Development & Printing (Elmhurst, IL)
by BobPetersDesign.com We offer graphic design, website design and development and printing. Services...
Graphic Design - Videography (Merrillville)
I can create any of the following items for you from scratch: Logo Design, Posters, Ads, Business Cards,...
*★ -- Photo editing by Photoshop & Lightroom professional►► (Chicago)
Expert at Photoshop and Lightroom. Professional retouch artist, experience editing for photographers,...
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Is there an Etsy market for Photoshop?

Its handmade.

Of course there are people on Etsy selling their Photoshop templates. Buy or sell Photoshop templates to create personalized announcements and more. Do a quick etsy search on photoshop and you'll get templates, brushes, fabric craft labels that can be customized by the seller with photoshop, custom etsy shop banners, photoshop button vinyl wall decals, logo design services and a ton of other stuff. Check out these products.

FRESH ARRIVAL Sweet Bugs in the Garden Clip art Collection great for cards, stationary, paper goods, scrapbooking, and web Design | Price: $0

This cute set of Garden bugs will surely set life up in any design they decide to live in!
*********************************************
Product Det... (full description)

| Price: $0

(full description)

Birds on Branches - Chirping and Loving cliparts set | Price: $0

Birds are chirping on branches
this set includes 3 birds on branches illustrations, eps file is included so you can easily change colors according t... (full description)

Lime and Lines digital papers and backgrounds for graphic design , photographer resources , card making projects | Price: $0


8 beautifully rich colored papers with textures. These are great for creating cards , party invites , goody bags , candy wrappers or whatever you ca... (full description)

Midnight Pink Fashion Dresses and stylish wardrobe in pink and black graphics cliparts set | Price: $5

© 2011 aivault.com / Asmaa murad illustrations

All items are high resolution PNG and JPG files
delivered to you through email within 12 hours of... (full description)

Don't overlook other cool tools to make your lenses even better!

Don't stop with a snazzy looking lens!

Photoshop can let you truly personalize your lenses and give them the EXACT graphics that you're looking for. Don't forget about other great tips and tricks you should be implementing to make your lenses be all that they can be!
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Are you a whiz with Photoshop?

Let's have a look..

Want to show off your Photoshop creations? Sign up at Squidoo and make your own Photoshop showcase! Be sure to send me a message after you've joined and I'll check your work out!

Are you inspired to learn PhotoShop

Its worth it if you're into web publishing!

Custom graphics are extremely important for anyone looking to make an online presence. Photoshop is an indispensable skill for any web developer. Are you going to learn Photoshop after reading this? Do you already have PhotoShop skills and want to add your two cents? Comment away.

Contact Laura Schofield

*If you would like to suggest any links or have your own photos and / or stories published, please send me an email. I can be contacted through my personal homepage, laura-schofield.com. If you enjoy the work I've done here, I do offer professional copy writing, photo restoration / manipulation, search engine optimization and web design services. I can again be contacted for any of these services through my website.

  • Fitzcharming Sep 5, 2011 @ 4:14 pm | delete
    One more piece of the photoshop elements puzzle. Good grief I never knew it was going to be this hard
  • bhalotia May 27, 2011 @ 1:36 pm | delete
    Hello, your lens is quite a comprehensive resource for learning and knowing about photoshop elements.I myself started by learning photoshop elements then graduated to photoshop and now I am using Adobe After Effects cs3 which is like photoshop on wheels!
  • ravi551854 Apr 15, 2011 @ 2:19 am | delete
    really it very good info that you shared with me thanks
  • Sep 17, 2010 @ 7:24 am | delete
    Thanks for the great info and resources.I like this lens and I ll share this lens with my all friends so that they can also read this lens.As a part of Best website Designers Company connect with your lens.More Power!
  • Tiddledeewinks Aug 6, 2009 @ 7:46 am | delete
    Thanks for the info. Great lens idea!
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LauraSchofield

Laura Schofield is a web developer, computer programmer, freelance journalist and mother to four children. She writes on a wide variety of subjects, from... more »

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