Adobe 29180155 - Photoshop Elements 4.0 Operation instructions

ADOBE®PHOTOSHOP®ELEMENTS
Help and tutorials

Getting started tutorials

Getting started tutorials
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Knowing your devices
You can take photos or videos with a variety of devices and bring them into Elements. Here are some guidelines that are good to follow:
Read the documentation that came with your device.
Switch on the camera.
Follow any instructions that appear on the computer to install drivers and other software.
If your camera or computer is not responding, try using a card reader instead.
Installing Photoshop Elements
How do I install Photoshop Elements?
How do I convert a trial version into a full version?
Importing and organizing
How do I import photos from my camera?
I have imported thousands of photos. How can I organize them?

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Is there a way I can mark or tag people in photos?
How can I add information about places in my photos?
In photos of birthdays and other events, can I add event information?
Editing and compositing
Can I make quick fixes in the Organizer workspace?
How can I open Photoshop Elements Editor from the Organizer workspace and work on my photo?
What are Guided Edits?
How do I crop a photo?
How do I resize a photo?
How can I fix an overexposed photo?
How do I select an area of a photo with precision?
Can I merge multiple photos into a panorama?
How do I add a watermark to my photos?
What are photo projects? How do I create a greeting card?
Saving and sharing
Can I optimize a photo for uploading on the web?
How do I print my photos? Can I order prints from an online service provider?
How do I upload photos on facebook?
Can I maintain my contact list in Photoshop Elements and email photos?

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What's new

What's new
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High key
Low key
Tilt-shift
Guided Edits
Filters
Exposure and Vibrance (Quick edit mode)
Usability Enhancements
Actions Panel
Adobe Camera Raw (ACR) 7.1
Photo service provider for users in Europe - CEWE Color
Tool enhancements
Online Content
Effects and Styles
Preferences
Guided Edits
Adobe Photoshop Elements Editor 11 includes four new guided edits, to quickly enhance your images with special effects. You can apply effects
that generally take many complex steps to obtain. Use the step-by-step instructions on the guided edits panel to get the exact effect you want to
obtain. For more information, see the video on the new guided edits.
Pictures with high key lighting convey a positive vibe. Negate shadows and transform a portrait or family picture into a memorable
moment, with the professional-looking high key effect (Elements Editor > Guided mode > High Key). For more information, see Add high key
effect.
For a quick tutorial, watch this video on working with the high key guided edit.
Picture before applying the high key effect (left), and after (right)
Photographs with low key lighting portray a darker edge in the theme of the photo. Accentuate shadows and create dramatic play with
dominant aspects of your photo, with the low-key effect (Elements Editor > Guided mode > Low Key). For more information, see Add low key
effect.
For a quick tutorial, watch this video on creating dynamic effects with the low key guided edit.
Picture before applying the low key effect (left), and after (right)
Photographs treated with the tilt-shift effect focus on specific portions of a picture. Keep certain areas of your picture sharp, while
blurring the rest, using the tilt-shift effect (Elements Editor > Guided mode > Tilt-Shift). Obtain the miniature effect that would normally need a tilt-
shift lens, with just a few clicks of the mouse. For more information, see Add tilt-shift effect.
For a quick tutorial, watch a video on the new tilt-shift guided edit.

Vignette
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Comic Filter
Pen and Ink filter
Graphic Novel Filter
Picture before applying the tilt-shift effect (left), and after (right)
Pictures that have vignetting tend to have a brighter central region, and a dark periphery. Enhance a portrait by darkening the peripheral
areas, and automatically drawing attention to the center of the photo. Use the option to create a white vignette and explore the results that the
vignette effect (Elements Editor > Guided mode > Vignette Effect) can produce. For more information, see Add vignette effect.
For a quick tutorial, watch a video on applying a vignette effect.
Picture before applying the vignette effect (left), and after (right)
Filters
Add an element of fun to your favorite portrait by making it look like a panel from a comic strip. Applying the new Comic filter (Filter >
Sketch > Comic), converts your photo into seemingly hand-sketched artwork. A variety of controls enable you to attain granular control over the
final result.
Original image (left), and image after applying the Comic filter (right)
Convert your photograph into a work of art, making it appear hand-sketched. Applying the Pen and Ink filter (Filter > Sketch >
Pen and Ink) creates the effect of artistic sketching, with options to control pen and ink attributes.
Original image (left), and image after applying the Pen and Ink filter (right)
Apply the new Graphic Novel filter (Filter > Editor > Graphic Novel) to your picture, to obtain a dark, yet distinct and vivid
photo, unique to the world of graphic novels. Select from the presets, or customize the effect with the available controls.

Lens Blur filter
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Exposure
Vibrance
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Original image (left), and image after applying the Graphic Novel filter (right)
Simulate the blur created by a camera lens, by blurring certain objects in an image, while retaining the clarity of the rest. Applying
the lens blur filter (Filter > Blur > Lens Blur) creates an effect similar to applying a narrow depth of field while taking a picture. For more information
and a quick tutorial, watch the video on blur filter effect.
Original image (left), and image after applying the Lens Blur filter (right)
Exposure and Vibrance (Quick edit mode)
The new Exposure and Vibrance options allow you to preview various settings, manipulate settings manually, and then commit the effect to the
photograph.
The Exposure setting (Quick mode > Exposure) adjusts the brightness and darkness of your photograph.
Original image (left), and image after enhancing exposure (right)
The Vibrance setting (Quick mode > Color > Vibrance) adjusts the tone of colors as it approaches saturation, and helps prevent
clipping.
Original image (left), and image after increasing vibrance (right)
Usability Enhancements
Adobe Photoshop Elements 11 has numerous advancements and new features. However, much effort has been invested in ensuring that working
in Elements Editor is easier and faster than ever before. For more information, see the video on the new Photoshop Elements 11 user interface.

User interface
Guided edits
Panel shortcuts
Quick mode toolbar
Create menu
Panels
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Photoshop Elements in Expert mode
A. Inactive tab B. Active tab C. Active image area D. Menu bar E. Options bar F. Toolbox G. Tool Options bar / Photo bin H. Taskbar I. Panel bar
Photoshop Elements has been reworked to present the working spaces, tools, modes, and panels in neat and efficient layouts.
The user interface is simpler to navigate, more intuitive, and ensures that learning is a natural outcome of working Photoshop Elements.
Enhancements to the user interface include:
Taskbar The taskbar contains buttons to important shortcuts to aspects of Photoshop Elements, and important tasks.
Photo bin The Photo bin displays open images that you are currently working on in Photoshop Elements, or photos or albums
selected in Photoshop Elements Organizer.
Tools bar The Tools bar contains all the available tools in a particular mode. Tools are grouped logically.
Tool Options bar The Tool Options bar displays all the options of the currently selected tool, below an open image.
Panels By default, Photoshop Elements opens in the Basic panel view, that displays the Layers, Effects, Graphics, and
Favorites panels. Thus, novice users always have a consistent view of the most important panels. Advanced users can open
the Custom view to view or dock additional panels into the interface.
Guided edits are available in the Guided mode. Some enhancements include:
Guided edits have an icon associated with them, enabling users to quickly understand what that particular edit does.
Step numbers enable the user to always have context of the actions being performed.
Guided edits are better categorized, and step-wise descriptions for each edit have been simplified.
Important panels now have keyboard shortcuts associated with them. For example, you can press F11 to view the Layers panel.
The Text tool and the Spot Healing Brush tools are now available in Quick mode.
The Create drop-down, above the Panel bin, lists all the projects that you can start with your photographs. You can easily start a
project, in any mode that you are in.
Panels can be viewed in two modes, Basic and Custom.
Basic To enable novice users to have a consistent view in Photoshop Elements, this mode displays the most important panels
- Layers, Effects, Graphics, and Favorites.
Custom To enable advanced users to choose the panels that they need, the Custom mode displays panels in floating or
tabbed mode. In this mode, users can open a panel, and dock it in the Panel bin.
Actions Panel
An action is a series of tasks that Photoshop Elements performs with a click of a button. Actions are now available in the Actions panel (Window >
Actions). Use the Actions panel menu to load, play, delete, or reset actions.
For more information on the Actions panel and how to use it, see Using actions to process photos.
Also, watch this video on adding actions to speed up editing tasks.
Adobe Camera Raw (ACR) 7.1
Photoshop Elements 11 uses the newest algorithms and technology to process raw file formats. Enhancements include:

Process Version 2012
Additional control
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Sharpen tool
Move tool
Color Picker
Color Replacement tool
Refine edges tool
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The Adobe Camera Raw 7.1 (ACR 7.1) converter introduces Process Version 2012, a newer form of deciphering
the raw file format. The ACR 7.1 dialog allows you to choose the latest process version (2012), or any of the older versions - 2010 or
2003.
Process Version 2012 exposes three new sliders - Luminance Detail, Luminance Contrast, and Color Detail.
For more information, see Process Versions.
Photo service provider for users in Europe - CEWE Color
For Photoshop Elements users in Europe, Adobe has partnered with CEWE Color, an online photo service company. CEWE Color services are
available in 24 European countries. You can place orders for photos, photo books, calendars, and other projects with CEWE Color, from within
Photoshop Elements.
Tool enhancements
Tools have been refined to obtain optimal results. Additional features have been added to existing tools:
The Sharpen tool now has a Protect Detail option, that ensures minimized pixelated artifacts while enhancing and sharpening
details.
The Move tool now has a layer selection option, that enables you to right-click a multi-layered image and select a specific layer.
Choosing a layer this way automatically selects the layer in the Layers panel.
The Color Picker tool has been equipped with additional settings in the Tool Options bar. You can now choose to sample color from
a selected layer, or all available layers.
The Color Replacement tool now has a sampling option to choose how a color is picked for replacement. You can
choose to control how the color is replaced using the Continuous, Once, or Background Swatch settings.
Refine Edges tool The Refine Edges tool has been enhanced to provide the ability to select the more granular and finer details
from an image.
Online Content
Most sample and collateral graphics, backgrounds, frames, and themes have been moved online. Storing files online saves a large amount of disk
space on the computer where you have Photoshop Elements 11 installed.
When you install Photoshop Elements 11, these files are downloaded as thumbnails. Files that have not been downloaded have a small blue band
that runs diagonally across the upper-right corner of the thumbnail (similar to a blue photo-corner).
Thumbnails in the Graphics panel, with a blue photo corner to indicate if graphic is available for download
A. Blue photo corner B. Graphic not downloaded, but available online C. Graphic downloaded to computer, available for use
When you choose to use the file in a project (for example, a background in a photo book project), these files are downloaded in their full size.
Double-click a graphic to download it from the online repository in its full size.
Effects and Styles

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Reset Preferences on next launch
Save As to Original Folder
Maximize PSD File Compatibility
Photoshop Elements 11 enables you to import your favorite effects and styles. Use the preset manager (Edit > Preset Manager), or the panel
menu in the Effects panel, to load, use, or delete effect (.atn) or style (.asl) files.
For more information, see Use the Preset Manager.
Preferences
Preferences have been added or modified to ensure that working in Photoshop Elements 11 is a pleasing and consistent experience.
Click this button to ensure that all product preferences are reset to default settings when Elements
Editor is restarted next. Available at Preferences > General.
Specifies the folder location that is opened by default in the Save As dialog. When this option is cleared, the
Save As dialog always opens the folder where you last saved a file. When selected, the Save As dialog always opens the folder from
where you last opened a file. Available at Preferences > Saving Files.
Specifies if compatibility settings must be enforced when you save a photograph to PSD file format.
Never Compatibility settings are never applied
Always Compatibility settings are always applied
Ask While saving to PSD format, a Photoshop Elements Format Options dialog is displayed. You can now select the
Don't show again option.

Workspace and workflows

Workspace basics
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The Welcome screen
Photoshop Elements window
Use context menus
Using keyboard commands and modifier keys
Exit Photoshop Elements
The Welcome screen
When you start Photoshop Elements, the Welcome screen opens by default. The Welcome screen is a convenient starting place, or hub, for major
tasks.
Click Organizer to import, tag, or organize your photos. Click Photo Editor to enhance your images or add special effects.
Click the Close button (X) in the upper-right corner of the Welcome screen to close the Welcome screen. It’s not necessary to return to the
Welcome screen to open other workspaces—you can open different workspaces from within any other workspace.
Click the settings icon (adjacent to the Close button) to choose what application is started when you start. Select one of these options from the On
Start Always Launch drop down, and then click Done:
Welcome Screen
Organizer
Photo Editor
Photoshop Elements 11 welcome screen
Photoshop Elements window
The Photoshop Elements window provides modes to create and edit images. Select one of the following options:
Quick
Enables you to edit photos in the Quick mode.
Guided
Enables you to edit photos in the Guided Edit mode.
Expert
Enables you to edit photos in the Expert mode.
The Expert mode has tools to correct color problems, create special effects, and enhance photos. The Quick mode contains simple tools for
correcting color and lighting, and commands to quickly fix common problems, such as red eye. The Guided mode contains tools for basic photo
edits, guided activities, and photographic effects. If you are new to digital imaging, Quick or Guided modes are a good place to start fixing photos.

Menu bar
Mode selector
Toolbox
Panel bin
Photo Bin / Tools Options
Taskbar
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If you’ve worked with image-editing applications before, you’ll find that the Expert mode provides a flexible and powerful image-correction
environment. It has lighting and color-correction commands, along with tools for fixing image defects, making selections, adding text, and painting
on your images. You can rearrange the Expert workspace to best suit your needs. You can move, hide, and show panels, and arrange panels in
the Panel Bin. You can also zoom in or out of the photo, scroll to a different area of the document window, and create multiple windows and views.
Photoshop Elements in Expert mode
A. Inactive tab B. Active tab C. Active image area D. Menu bar E. Options bar F. Toolbox G. Tool Options bar / Photo bin H. Taskbar I. Panel bar
Contains menus for performing tasks. The menus are organized by topic. For example, the Enhance menu contains commands for
applying adjustments to an image.
Contains buttons to enter the three available editing modes. Also, contains the Open (recently used files) drop-down and the
Create (photo projects) drop-down.
Holds tools for editing images.
Logically grouped features, actions, or controls.
Toggles between Photo Bin (display and manage thumbnails of currently used photos) and Tools Options (displays
and sets options for the currently selected tool)
Displays the most frequently used actions as buttons, for quick and easy access.
Use context menus
You can use context menus in both the Photo Editor and Organizer workspaces. Context-sensitive menus display commands that are relevant to
the active tool, selection, or panel. These menus are often another way to access the commands in the main menus.
1. Position the pointer over an image or panel item.
Not all panels offer context menus.
2. Right-click and choose a command from the menu.
Using keyboard commands and modifier keys
You can use keyboard shortcuts in both the Photo Editor and Organizer workspaces. Keyboard commands let you quickly execute commands
without using a menu; modifier keys let you alter how a tool operates. When available, the keyboard command appears to the right of the
command name in the menu.
Exit Photoshop Elements
To exit Photoshop Elements, close both the Photo Editor and Organizer workspaces—closing one does not automatically close the other.
1. From any workspace, do one of the following:
In Windows, choose File > Exit. In Mac, choose Photoshop Elements > Quit Photoshop Elements.
Click the Close button (X) in the upper-right corner of the workspace.

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2. When closing Photoshop Elements, choose whether to save any open files.

Panels and bins
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About panels
Work with panels
Panels in the Expert mode
Use the taskbar
Use the Photo Bin
About panels
Panels are available in both Photoshop Elements and Elements Organizer; however, they behave a little differently in each. Panels help you
manage, monitor, and modify images. Some panels have menus that provide additional commands and options. You can organize panels in the
basic and custom workspaces in Expert mode. You can store panels in the Panel Bin to keep them out of your way, but easily accessible.
Dragging a panel.
Panel menus
Some commands appear in both the panel menu and the menu bar. Other commands are exclusive to panel menus. Click panel menu to view the
different commands in each panel.
Pop-up sliders within panels
Some panels and dialog boxes contain settings that use pop-up sliders (for example, the Opacity option in the Layers panel). If there is a triangle
next to the text box, you can activate the pop-up slider by clicking the triangle. Position the pointer over the triangle next to the setting, hold down
the mouse button, and drag the slider or angle radius to the desired value. Click outside the slider box or press Enter to close the slider box. To
cancel changes, press Esc.
To increase or decrease values in 10% increments when the pop-up slider box is open, hold down Shift and press the Up or Down Arrow keys.

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Basic Workspace
Custom Workspace
Note:
Different ways to enter values
A. Dial B. Click to open window C. Text box D. Menu arrow E. Scrubby slider F. Check box G. Hotkey H. Pop-up slider triangle
Work with panels
Panels contain features, information, or functionality, in logical groups, for fast and easy access. The Panel Bin is on the right side of Photoshop
Elements. It displays tabs and panels, depending on the mode you are in, or the kind of elements you want to work with. The Panel Bin displays:
Quick mode: lists the quick-mode effects that can be applied to a photo
Guided mode: lists all the guided-mode edits that you can apply to a photo
Expert mode: lists the options for a selected panel (Layers, Effects, Graphics, or Favorites)
Panels in the Expert mode
In the Expert mode, panels can be displayed in two ways - Basic Workspace, and Custom Workspace.
By default, the available workspace displayed is the Basic Workspace. In this view, buttons for the most frequently used panels
are placed in the taskbar. The buttons in this workspace are Layers, Effects, Graphics, and Favorites. For example, clicking the Layers button
displays all the layers-related options. To view all the other available tabs, or close open tabs, click More.
To view panels in a tabbed layout in the Panel Bin, click the arrow next to More, and select Custom Workspace. Click More
to view a list of all the available tabs, and select one from the pop-up list. The selected tab is displayed. You can keep the frequently used panels
open in the custom workspace. Group panels together or dock one panel at the bottom of another panel. You can drag title bar of the tab and drop
it in the tabbed layout, or drag and drop the tabs dialog into the tabbed layout.
Drag a panel out of the Panel Bin if you want to remove it from the Panel Bin and keep it open.
The Panel Bin
1. To show or hide the Panel Bin, Choose Window > Panel Bin.
2. In the Panel Bin (Custom Workspace),
To remove a panel from the Panel Bin, drag the title bar of the panel out of the Panel Bin.

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To add a panel to the Panel Bin, drag the title bar of the panel into the Panel Bin.
To rearrange panels in the Panel Bin, drag the title bar of the panel to a new location.
To expand or collapse panels in the Panel Bin, double-click the name of the panel.
3. To use panels outside the Panel Bin, in Custom Workspace view, do any of the following:
To open a panel, choose the name of the panel from the Window menu, or click the arrow next to the More button in the
taskbar and select a panel.
To close a panel, choose the name of the panel from the Window menu. Or click the Close button in the title bar of the
panel.
To change the size of a panel, drag any corner of the panel.
To group panels (one panel with multiple tabs), drag the panel onto the body of the target panel. A thick line appears
around the body of the target panel when the pointer is over the correct area for grouping to occur. If you want to move a
panel to another group, drag the tab of the panel to that group. To separate a panel from a group, drag the tab of the
panel outside the group.
To move a panel group, drag the title bar.
To expand or collapse a panel or panel group, double-click the tab of the panel or title bar.
To dock panels together (stacked panels), drag a tab of the panel or the title bar to the bottom of another panel. A double
line appears at the bottom of the target panel when the pointer is over the correct area.
To reset panels to their default positions, choose Window > Reset Panels.
Use the taskbar
Taskbar
At the bottom of the Photoshop Elements, the taskbar displays buttons for the most frequently used panels and operations performed while editing
and modifying images. You can use the Photo Bin and Tool Options buttons to toggle between displaying thumbnails and tool options. You can
quickly undo and redo operations, or rotate images using the options available taskbar, or Organizer to start Photoshop Elements Organizer. In the
Expert mode, click the arrow beside the More button, to see the option to toggle between Basic and Custom workspaces.
Use the Photo Bin
Located toward the bottom of the Photoshop Elements window, above the taskbar, the Photo Bin displays thumbnails of open photos. It’s useful for
switching between multiple open photos in your workspace. The Photo Bin has controls that let you open or close images, hide images, navigate
through open images, make a specific image the frontmost image, duplicate an image, rotate an image, or view file information. You can easily
bring open images into Quick mode for editing. Multipage projects created using the Create tab open in the Create panel.
The Photo Bin
Do any of the following:
(Windows only) To open an image, drag a file from any location on your computer (including the Photo Browser) or from
any storage device connected to your computer into the Photo Bin.
To bring an opened image forward as the frontmost image, double-click a thumbnail.
To rearrange photos, drag thumbnails in the Photo Bin. The order here does not impact the photo’s order in the Elements
Organizer.
To close an image, right-click a thumbnail in the Photo Bin and choose Close.

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Note:
To hide an image that is in a floating window, right-click the thumbnail and choose Minimize from the context menu.
To show an image after hiding it, double-click its thumbnail in the Photo Bin, or right-click the thumbnail and choose
Restore from the context menu.
To view a photo’s file information, right-click a thumbnail and choose File Info from the context menu.
To duplicate an image, right-click a thumbnail, choose Duplicate from the context menu, and name the file.
To rotate an image, right-click a thumbnail and choose Rotate 90° Left or Rotate 90° Right from the context menu.
To show filenames, right-click in the Photo Bin and choose Show Filenames from the context menu.
To manually show or hide the bin, click the Photo Bin taskbar icon.
The flyout menu of the Photo Bin contains additional options to work with the images that are available in the Photo Bin:
Print Bin Files. Opens the Photoshop Elements Print dialog box, with options to print the photos currently selected in
the Photo Bin.
Save Bin as an Album. Enables you to name and save an album containing the images in the Photo Bin. The new
album is available in Organizer.
Reset Style Bin. Resets the Style bin images, while performing a photomerge style match (Enhance > Photomerge >
Photomerge Style Match) .
Show Grid. Displays a grid around images in the Photo bin.