Adobe Photoshop Elements 4.0 Tutorial

Adobe Photoshop Elements 4.0 was another step in the evolution of the little brother to Photoshop. As Elements has grown up, it has added more features that, to the average person, make it virtually indistinguishable from its elder sibling. With Elements 4.0, you can do all the photo editing needed for most home and small business applications except color separations.

Basics

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  Start Photoshop Elements 4.0. Click File > Open. Select a digital photo--from a digital camera or from a scan--and click "Save" (click File > Save As) a copy to work on. Elements has a startup window that asks what you want to do and you can use this, too. Use the Organizer from this startup that essentially is the successor to the Browser in earlier versions and the predecessor to Bridge in later ones. After saving the copy of the image, click Image > Resize > Image Size. The Internet only needs a low-resolution image, but a print needs a much higher resolution to look like a quality photo. Use "Image Size." Click in the bottom space next to "Resolution" and type "72" for a Web image or at least "300" for a print. Save the image now and after every you change make. Use "Command-S" for Mac and "Control-S" for Windows.

  
  

  
  

Adjustments

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  To get the color and image itself to look like you want, you have several tools. The first is Quick Fix. Click Enhance > Quick Fix, which will give you several basic tools and Before and After windows to watch the changes. That is OK for most photos, but to make your photos really sparkle, use an Adjustment Layer. Click Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Levels. Another way to get there is through the Layers palette. Click Window > Layers by clicking and holding the half-black/half-white circle button. You will get the same menu. To adjust Levels, use the controls under the Histogram (the bar graph) or the eyedroppers. Select the left eyedropper for shadows; seek the darkest area in the image and click. Do the same with the eyedropper on the right for whites. When you have the image you want and before you print it, flatten the Layers. Click Layers > Flatten.

  
  

  
  


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Effects and Designs

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  Elements 4.0 also has a variety of Filters. Click Filter. Choose a subgroup, such as "Artistic." Create special effects and render your images as more than traditional photos. For example, you can use Emboss. Click Filter > Stylize > Emboss to create a strange, three-dimensional look to an average photo. Using the Stylize submenu, you also can Solarize your images or give them Glowing Edges. Use other Filters such as Torn Edges. Click Filter > Sketch > Torn Edges. Or, you could wrap the whole photo in plastic. Click Filter > Artistic > Plastic Wrap. Elements 4.0 also has some basic design templates for producing such things as Cards or Calendars. Click "Create" in the Organizer and select the templates.