Photoshop Elements 5: The Missing Manual

Photoshop Elements 5: The Missing Manual

by Barbara Brundage
Released September 2006
Publisher(s): O'Reilly Media, Inc.
ISBN: 9780596153304

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Book description

Anyone still think that Adobe Photoshop Elements is a toy version of the real thing? As the most popular photo-editing program on the market, Photoshop Elements not only has Photoshop's marvelous powers, but also has capabilities the mothership lacks. Each new version includes more tools designed specifically for today's consumer digital photo enthusiasts. The latest edition, Photoshop Elements 5, solidifies the reputation of this superb and inexpensive product with new scrapbook features, a link to online photo services, and many other improvements.

In fact, there's so much to Photoshop Elements that it can be quite confusing at times. That's precisely why our Missing Manuals are the bestselling books on the topic. Adobe provides a pamphlet and some help files; our book, now in its fifth edition, carefully explains every feature the program has to offer (something no other book has done) by putting each one into a clear, easy-to-understand context. Photoshop Elements 5: The Missing Manual covers the Windows version of Adobe's workhorse and gives you the low down on a host of new features:

  • Learn to create multiple page documents, custom photo layouts with frames, and highly customized layouts for scrapbook projects
  • Master the new editor for Layer Styles, which lets you customize individual layers in a photo
  • "Attach" your photos to areas of a Yahoo! Map so your friends and family can see the pictures you took in specific places

Author Barbara Brundage also introduces you to a new sophisticated tool called "Curves" to adjust the color and contrast in your photos, and shows you how to burn multi-session CDs and DVDs. As always, she lets you know which features work well, which don't, and why -- all with a bit of wit and good humor. Although the book progresses from simple to complex tasks, you can easily jump around to learn specific techniques, such as creating photomontages (composites), restoring old photos, preparing images for the Web, and archiving. More than a dozen downloadable images let you practice using the editing tools right away!

Table of contents

  1. Table of Contents (1/2)
  2. Table of Contents (2/2)
  3. Foreword
  4. The Missing Credits
    1. About the Author
    2. About the Creative Team
    3. Acknowledgements
    4. The Missing Manual Series
  5. Introduction
    1. Why Photoshop Elements?
    2. What You Can Do with Elements 5
    3. What’s New in Elements 5
    4. If You Have a Mac
    5. Elements vs. Photoshop
    6. The Key to Learning Elements
    7. About This Book
      1. About the Outline
        1. Introduction to Elements
        2. Elemental elements
        3. Retouching
        4. Artistic elements
        5. Sharing your images
        6. Additional elements
      2. The Very Basics
      3. About - These - Arrows
      4. About MissingManuals.com
      5. Safari (R) Enabled
  6. Part One: Introductory Elements
    1. Chapter 1: Finding Your Way Around Elements
      1. The Welcome Screen
      2. Organizing Your Photos
        1. Photo Downloader
      3. Editing Your Photos (1/2)
      4. Editing Your Photos (2/2)
        1. Your Elements Tools
        2. Bins and Palettes
          1. Taming the Palette bin
          2. The Artwork and Effects palette
        3. Getting Help and the How To Palette
          1. The How To palette
        4. Escape Routes
          1. Undo
          2. Undo History palette
          3. The one rule of Elements
      5. Getting Started in a Hurry
    2. Chapter 2: Importing, Managing, and Saving Your Photos
      1. Importing from Cameras
        1. The Photo Downloader
      2. Opening Stored Images
        1. Working with PDF Files
      3. Scanning Photos
      4. Capturing Video Frames
      5. Creating a New File
        1. Picking a Document Size
        2. Choosing Resolution
        3. Choosing Color Mode
        4. Choosing Your File’s Contents
      6. Using the Organizer (1/2)
      7. Using the Organizer (2/2)
        1. The Photo Browser
        2. Creating Categories and Tags
          1. Working with tags and categories
        3. Creating Collections
        4. Searching for Photos
          1. Browsing through photos
          2. Using tags and categories to find photos
        5. Searching by Metadata
      8. Saving Your Work (1/2)
      9. Saving Your Work (2/2)
        1. The File Formats Elements Understands
          1. The not-so-common file formats
          2. About JPEGs
        2. Changing the File Format
      10. Backing Up Your Files
        1. Saving to CDs and DVDs
        2. Organizer Backups
          1. Individual photo backup
          2. Online backups
    3. Chapter 3: Rotating and Resizing Your Photos
      1. Straightening Scanned Photos
        1. Straightening Two or More Photos at a Time
        2. Straightening Individual Photos
      2. Rotating Your Images
        1. Rotating and Flipping Options
      3. Straightening the Contents of Your Image
        1. Straighten Tool
        2. Free Rotate
      4. Cropping Pictures (1/2)
      5. Cropping Pictures (2/2)
        1. Using the Crop Tool
        2. Cropping Your Image to an Exact Size
        3. Cropping with the Marquee Tool
      6. Zooming and Repositioning Your View
        1. Image Views
        2. The Zoom Tool
        3. The Hand Tool
      7. Changing the Size of Your Image (1/2)
      8. Changing the Size of Your Image (2/2)
        1. Resizing Images for Email and the Web
        2. Resizing for Printing
          1. Resampling
        3. Adding Canvas
    4. Chapter 4: The Quick Fix
      1. The Quick Fix Window
        1. The Quick Fix Toolbox
        2. The Quick Fix Control Panel
        3. Different Views: After vs. Before and After
      2. Editing Your Photos (1/3)
      3. Editing Your Photos (2/3)
      4. Editing Your Photos (3/3)
        1. Fixing Red Eye
        2. Smart Fix
        3. Adjusting Lighting and Contrast
          1. Levels
          2. Contrast
          3. Shadows and Highlights
        4. Color
          1. Auto Color
          2. Using the Color sliders
        5. Sharpening
        6. Quick Fix Suggested Workflow
      5. Adjusting Skin Tones
  7. Part Two: Elemental Elements
    1. Chapter 5: Making Selections
      1. Making Quick Selections
      2. Selecting Rectangular and Elliptical Areas
      3. Selecting Irregularly Sized Areas (1/2)
      4. Selecting Irregularly Sized Areas (2/2)
        1. Controlling the Selection Tools
        2. The Magic Wand
        3. The Lasso Tools
          1. The basic Lasso tool
          2. The Magnetic Lasso
          3. The Polygonal Lasso
      5. Selecting with a Brush (1/2)
      6. Selecting with a Brush (2/2)
        1. The Magic Selection Brush
        2. The Selection Brush
      7. Selecting Objects from an Image’s Background
      8. Changing and Moving Selections (1/2)
      9. Changing and Moving Selections (2/2)
        1. Inverting a Selection
        2. Making a Selection Larger or Smaller
        3. Moving Selections
          1. The Move tool
        4. Saving Selections
          1. Making changes to a saved selection
    2. Chapter 6: Layers: The Heart of Elements
      1. Understanding Layers
        1. The Layers Palette
        2. The Background
      2. Creating Layers
        1. Adding a Layer
        2. Deleting Layers
        3. Duplicating a Layer
        4. Copying and Cutting from Layers
      3. Managing Layers (1/3)
      4. Managing Layers (2/3)
      5. Managing Layers (3/3)
        1. Making Layers Invisible
        2. Adjusting Transparency
        3. Locking Layers
        4. Blend Mode
        5. Rearranging Layers
          1. Arranging layers with the Move tool
        6. Aligning and Distributing Layers
        7. Grouping and Linking Layers
          1. Linking layers
          2. Grouping layers
        8. Merging and Flattening Layers
          1. Merging layers
          2. Flattening an image
      6. Fill and Adjustment Layers
        1. Adding Fill and Adjustment Layers
        2. Layer Masks
      7. Moving Layers Between Images
  8. Part Three: Retouching
    1. Chapter 7: Basic Image Retouching
      1. Fixing Exposure Problems
        1. Deciding Which Exposure Fix to Use
        2. Fixing Major Exposure Problems
        3. The Shadows/Highlights Command
      2. Controlling the Colors You See (1/2)
      3. Controlling the Colors You See (2/2)
        1. Calibrating Your Monitor
          1. Getting started with calibrating
        2. Choosing a Color Space
      4. Using Levels (1/2)
      5. Using Levels (2/2)
        1. Understanding the Histogram
        2. Adjusting Levels: The Eyedropper Method
        3. Adjusting Levels: The Slider Controls
      6. Removing Unwanted Color
        1. Using the Color Cast Tool
        2. Using Color Variations
      7. Choosing the Color You Want (1/2)
      8. Choosing the Color You Want (2/2)
        1. The Color Picker
        2. The Eyedropper Tool
        3. The Color Swatches Palette
          1. Saving colors in the Swatches palette
      9. Sharpening Your Images (1/2)
      10. Sharpening Your Images (2/2)
        1. Unsharp Mask
        2. Adjust Sharpness
        3. The High-Pass Filter
        4. The Sharpen Tool
    2. Chapter 8: Elements for Digital Photographers
      1. The RAW Converter
        1. Using the RAW Converter
          1. Adjusting the view
          2. The RAW Converter’s Settings menu
        2. White Balance
        3. Adjusting Exposure, Shadows, Brightness, Contrast, and Saturation
        4. Adjusting Sharpness and Reducing Noise
          1. Choosing bit depth: 8 or 16 bits?
        5. Converting to DNG
      2. Photo Filter
      3. Processing Multiple Files (1/2)
      4. Processing Multiple Files (2/2)
        1. Choose Your Files
        2. File Renaming
        3. Changing Image Size and File Type
        4. Applying Quick Fix Commands
        5. Attaching Labels
          1. Watermarks
          2. Adding captions
    3. Chapter 9: Retouching 102: Fine-Tuning Your Images
      1. Fixing Blemishes
        1. The Spot Healing Brush: Fixing Small Areas
        2. The Healing Brush: Fixing Larger Areas
        3. The Clone Stamp
      2. Applying Patterns
        1. The Healing Brush
        2. The Pattern Stamp
      3. Curves: Enhancing Tone and Contrast
      4. Making Your Colors More Vibrant
        1. Using the Hue/Saturation Dialog Box
        2. Adjusting Saturation with the Sponge Tool
      5. Changing the Color of an Object (1/2)
      6. Changing the Color of an Object (2/2)
        1. Using an Adjustment Layer
        2. Replacing Specific Colors
        3. Using a Brush to Replace Colors
      7. Special Effects
    4. Chapter 10: Removing and Adding Color
      1. Method One: Making Color Photos Black and White
      2. Method Two: Removing Color from a Photo
      3. Creating Spot Color (1/2)
      4. Creating Spot Color (2/2)
        1. Erasing Colors from a Duplicate Layer
        2. Removing Color from Selections
        3. Using a Layer Mask and the Saturation Slider
          1. Editing a layer mask
      5. Colorizing a Black-and-White Photo (1/2)
      6. Colorizing a Black-and-White Photo (2/2)
        1. Tinting an Entire Photo
          1. Using a Layer style
          2. Additional tint effects from the Artwork and Effects palette
          3. Using Colorize
    5. Chapter 11: Creating Panoramas and Correcting Perspective
      1. Creating Panoramas (1/2)
      2. Creating Panoramas (2/2)
        1. Selecting Files and Merging Them
        2. Adjusting Your Photos
        3. Fine-Tuning Your Panorama
        4. Finishing Up: Creating Your Panorama
      3. Correcting Lens Distortion
      4. Transforming Images (1/2)
      5. Transforming Images (2/2)
        1. Skew, Distort, Perspective
        2. Free Transform
  9. Part Four: Artistic Elements
    1. Chapter 12: Drawing with Brushes, Shapes, and Other Tools
      1. Picking and Using a Basic Brush (1/2)
      2. Picking and Using a Basic Brush (2/2)
        1. Modifying Your Brush
        2. Saving Modified Brush Settings
      3. The Specialty Brushes
        1. Making a Custom Brush
      4. The Impressionist Brush
      5. The Pencil Tool
      6. The Paint Bucket
      7. Dodging and Burning
        1. Dodging
        2. Burning
      8. Blending and Smudging
        1. Blend Modes
        2. The Smudge Tool
      9. The Eraser Tool
        1. Using the Eraser
        2. The Magic Eraser
        3. The Background Eraser
      10. Drawing with Shapes (1/2)
      11. Drawing with Shapes (2/2)
        1. Rectangle and Rounded Rectangle
        2. Ellipse
        3. Polygon
        4. Line Tool
        5. The Custom Shape Tool
        6. The Shape Selection Tool
      12. The Cookie Cutter
    2. Chapter 13: Filters, Effects, Layer Styles, and Gradients
      1. Using Filters (1/3)
      2. Using Filters (2/3)
      3. Using Filters (3/3)
        1. Applying Filters
          1. Filter menu
          2. Artwork and Effects palette
          3. Filter Gallery
        2. Filter Categories
        3. Useful Filter Solutions
          1. Removing noise: getting rid of graininess
          2. Adding noise: smoothing out repair jobs
          3. Gaussian Blur: drawing attention to a foreground object
          4. Radial Blur: producing a sense of motion
          5. Color correcting with the Average Blur filter
      4. Adding Effects
      5. Adding Layer Styles
      6. Applying Gradients (1/2)
      7. Applying Gradients (2/2)
        1. The Gradient Tool
          1. Using the Gradient tool
        2. Gradient Fill Layer
        3. Editing a Gradient
          1. Using the Gradient Editor
          2. Transparency in gradients
          3. Creating noise gradients
        4. Saving Gradients
      8. Gradient Maps
    3. Chapter 14: Type in Elements
      1. Adding Type to an Image
        1. Type Options
        2. Creating Text
        3. Editing Type
          1. Smoothing type: anti-aliasing
      2. Warping Type
        1. The Warp Text Dialog Box
      3. Adding Special Effects
        1. Text Effects
        2. Type Gradients
        3. Applying the Liquify Filter to Type
      4. Type Masks: Setting an Image in Type
        1. Using the Type Mask Tools
        2. Creating Outlined Type
  10. Part Five: Sharing Your Images
    1. Chapter 15: Creating Projects
      1. Photo Layouts
        1. Creating Multi-Page Documents
        2. Adding Favorites to the Artwork and Effects Palette
      2. Photo Book Pages
      3. Album Pages
      4. Greeting Cards
      5. CD Jacket
      6. DVD Jacket
      7. CD/DVD Label
      8. Online Creations
    2. Chapter 16: Printing Your Photos
      1. Getting Ready to Print
      2. Ordering Prints
        1. Ordering Prints Online
      3. Printing at Home (The Editor)
        1. Page Setup
        2. Print Preview
          1. More printing options—color management
      4. Printing at Home (The Organizer)
      5. Printing Multiple Photos (1/2)
      6. Printing Multiple Photos (2/2)
        1. Contact Sheets
        2. Picture Package
        3. Labels
    3. Chapter 17: Elements and the Web
      1. Image Formats and the Web
      2. Saving Images for the Web or Email (1/2)
      3. Saving Images for the Web or Email (2/2)
        1. Using Save For Web
          1. Save for Web file format options
        2. Previewing Images and Adjusting Color
      4. Creating Animated GIFs
      5. Emailing Your Photos
        1. Emailing Images
          1. HTML mail options
          2. PDF slideshows
      6. Sending Photos to Other Gear
      7. Sharing Photos with Yahoo Maps (1/2)
      8. Sharing Photos with Yahoo Maps (2/2)
    4. Chapter 18: Photo Galleries, Slideshows, and Flipbooks
      1. Photo Galleries
        1. Creating a Photo Gallery
      2. Slideshows (1/3)
      3. Slideshows (2/3)
      4. Slideshows (3/3)
        1. Simple PDF Slideshow
          1. Making a PDF from a Custom Slide Show
        2. Custom Slide Show
          1. Slide Show Preferences
          2. Creating your slideshow using the Slide Show Editor
          3. Special effects
          4. Saving and creating your slideshow
      5. Flipbooks
  11. Part Six: Additional Elements
    1. Chapter 19: Beyond the Basics
      1. Graphics Tablets
      2. Free Stuff from the Internet
      3. When You Really Need Photoshop
      4. Beyond This Book
  12. Part Seven: Appendixes
    1. Appendix A: The Organizer, Menu by Menu
      1. File Menu
        1. Get Photos
        2. New
        3. Create
        4. Open Recently Edited File in Editor
        5. Open Creation
        6. Catalog
        7. Copy/Move Offline
        8. Backup Catalog
        9. Restore Catalog
        10. Online Backup
        11. Duplicate
        12. Reconnect
        13. Watch Folders
        14. Rename
        15. Write Tag and Properties Info to Photo(s)
        16. Move
        17. Export
        18. E-Mail
        19. Page Setup
        20. Print
        21. Order Prints
        22. Exit
      2. Edit Menu
        1. Undo
        2. Redo
        3. Copy
        4. Select All
        5. Deselect
        6. Delete from Catalog
        7. Rotate 90(o) Left
        8. Rotate 90(o) Right
        9. Auto Smart Fix
        10. Auto Red Eye Fix
        11. Edit 3GPP Movie
        12. Go to Quick Fix
        13. Go to Full Edit
        14. Adjust Date and Time
        15. Add Caption
        16. Update Thumbnail
        17. Set as Desktop Wallpaper
        18. Place on Map
        19. Remove from Map
        20. Show on Map
        21. Stack
        22. Version Set
        23. Color Settings
        24. Contact Book
        25. Preferences
      3. Find Menu
        1. Set Date Range
        2. Clear Date Range
        3. By Caption or Note
        4. By Filename
        5. All Version Sets
        6. All Stacks
        7. By History
        8. By Media Type
        9. By Details (Metadata)
        10. Items with Unknown Date and Time
        11. By Visual Similarity with Selected Photo(s)
        12. Untagged Items
        13. Items Not in Any Collection
        14. Find Faces for Tagging
      4. View Menu
        1. View Photos in Full Screen
        2. Compare Photos Side by Side
        3. Refresh
        4. Go To
        5. Arrangement
        6. Media Types
        7. Details
        8. Timeline
        9. Collapse All Tags
        10. Expand All Tags
        11. Collapse All Collections
        12. Expand All Collections
        13. Expand All Stacks
        14. Collapse All Stacks
      5. Window Menu
        1. Photo Browser
        2. Date View
        3. Organize Bin
        4. Tags
        5. Collections
        6. Order Prints
        7. Properties
        8. Dock Properties in Organize Bin
        9. Upload Progress Window
        10. Welcome
      6. Help Menu
        1. Photoshop Elements Help
        2. About Photoshop Elements
        3. Glossary of Terms
        4. Tutorials
        5. System Info
        6. Registration
        7. Updates
        8. Online Support
        9. Photoshop Elements Online
        10. Online Learning Resources
    2. Appendix B: The Editor, Menu by Menu
      1. File Menu
        1. New
        2. Create
        3. Open
        4. Open As
        5. Open Recently Edited File
        6. Duplicate
        7. Close
        8. Close All
        9. Save
        10. Save As
        11. Save For Web
        12. File Info
        13. Place
        14. Organize Open Files
        15. Process Multiple Files
        16. Import
        17. Export
        18. Automation Tools
        19. Page Setup
        20. Print
        21. Print Multiple Photos
        22. Order Prints
        23. Exit
      2. Edit Menu
        1. Undo
        2. Redo
        3. Revert
        4. Cut
        5. Copy
        6. Copy Merged
        7. Paste
        8. Paste Into Selection
        9. Delete
        10. Fill, Fill Layer, Fill Selection
        11. Stroke (Outline) Selection
        12. Define Brush, Define Brush from Selection
        13. Define Pattern, Define Pattern from Selection
        14. Clear
        15. Add Blank Page
        16. Add Page Using Current Layout
        17. Delete Current Page
        18. Color Settings
        19. File Association
        20. Preset Manager
        21. Preferences
      3. Image Menu
        1. Rotate
        2. Transform
        3. Crop
        4. Divide Scanned Photos
        5. Resize
        6. Mode
        7. Convert Color Profile
        8. Magic Extractor
      4. Enhance Menu
        1. Auto Smart Fix
        2. Auto Levels
        3. Auto Contrast
        4. Auto Color Correction
        5. Auto Sharpen
        6. Auto Red Eye Fix
        7. Adjust Smart Fix
        8. Adjust Lighting
        9. Adjust Color
        10. Unsharp Mask
        11. Adjust Sharpness
      5. Layer Menu
        1. New
        2. Duplicate Layer
        3. Delete Layer
        4. Rename Layer
        5. Layer Style
        6. New Fill Layer
        7. New Adjustment Layer
        8. Change Layer Content
        9. Layer Content Options
        10. Type
        11. Simplify Layer
        12. Group with Previous
        13. Ungroup
        14. Arrange
        15. Merge Layers
        16. Merge Visible
        17. Flatten Image
      6. Select Menu
        1. All
        2. Deselect
        3. Reselect
        4. Inverse
        5. All Layers
        6. Deselect Layers
        7. Similar Layers
        8. Feather
        9. Modify
        10. Grow
        11. Similar
        12. Load Selection
        13. Save Selection
        14. Delete Selection
      7. Filter Menu (1/2)
      8. Filter Menu (2/2)
        1. Last Filter
        2. Filter Gallery
        3. Correct Camera Distortion
        4. Adjustments
        5. Artistic
        6. Blur
        7. Brush Strokes
        8. Distort
        9. Noise
        10. Pixelate
        11. Render
        12. Sketch
        13. Stylize
        14. Texture
        15. Video
        16. Other
        17. Digimarc
      9. View Menu
        1. New Window for…
        2. Zoom In
        3. Zoom Out
        4. Fit on Screen
        5. Actual Pixels
        6. Print Size
        7. Selection
        8. Rulers
        9. Grid
        10. Guide Presets
        11. Annotations
        12. Snap to
      10. Window Menu
        1. Images
        2. Tools
        3. Artwork and Effects
        4. Color Swatches
        5. Histogram
        6. How To
        7. Info
        8. Layers
        9. Navigator
        10. Undo History
        11. Palette Bin
        12. Reset Palette Locations
        13. Welcome
        14. Photo Bin
        15. Image Windows
      11. Help Menu
        1. Photoshop Elements Help
        2. About Photoshop Elements
        3. About Plug-In
        4. Glossary of Terms
        5. Tutorials
        6. System Info
        7. Registration
        8. Updates
        9. Online Support
        10. Photoshop Elements Online
        11. Online Learning Resources
    3. Appendix C: Installation and Troubleshooting
      1. Installing Elements
        1. Installing Elements
        2. Registration
        3. Scratch Disks
      2. Troubleshooting
  13. Index
    1. Numbers
    2. A
    3. B
    4. C
    5. D
    6. E
    7. F
    8. G
    9. H
    10. I
    11. J
    12. K
    13. L
    14. M
    15. N
    16. O
    17. P
    18. Q
    19. R
    20. S
    21. T
    22. U
    23. V
    24. Y
    25. Z
  14. Colophon

Product information

  • Title: Photoshop Elements 5: The Missing Manual
  • Author(s): Barbara Brundage
  • Release date: September 2006
  • Publisher(s): O'Reilly Media, Inc.
  • ISBN: 9780596153304