Photoshop Elements 11: The Missing Manual

Photoshop Elements 11: The Missing Manual

by Barbara Brundage
Released September 2012
Publisher(s): O'Reilly Media, Inc.
ISBN: 9781449316136

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Book description

Whether you’re a photographer, scrapbooker, or aspiring graphic artist, Photoshop Elements is an ideal image-editing tool—once you know your way around. This bestselling book removes the guesswork. With candid, jargon-free advice and step-by-step guidance, you’ll get the most out of Elements for everything from sharing and touching-up photos to fun print and online projects.

The important stuff you need to know:

  • Get to work right away. Import, organize, and make quick fixes with ease.
  • Retouch any image. Repair and restore old and damaged photos.
  • Add pizzazz. Use dozens of filters, layer styles, and special effects.
  • Share photos. Create online albums, email-ready slideshows, and web-ready files.
  • Find your artistic flair. Use tools to draw, paint, work with blend modes, and more.
  • Use your words. Make text flow along a curved path or around an object or shape.
  • Unleash your creativity. Design photo books, greeting cards, calendars, and collages.
  • Make yourself comfortable. Customize Elements to fit your working style.

Table of contents

  1. A Note Regarding Supplemental Files
  2. The Missing Credits
    1. About the Author
    2. About the Creative Team
    3. Acknowledgments
    4. The Missing Manual Series
  3. Introduction
    1. Why Photoshop Elements?
    2. What You Can Do with Elements 11
    3. What’s New in Elements 11
    4. Elements vs. Photoshop
    5. The Key to Learning Elements
    6. About This Book
      1. A Note About Operating Systems
      2. About the Outline
      3. For Newcomers to Elements
      4. The Very Basics
      5. About→These→Arrows
    7. About the Online Resources
      1. Missing CD
      2. Registration
      3. Feedback
      4. Errata
    8. Safari® Books Online
  4. 1. Introduction to Elements
    1. 1. Finding Your Way Around Elements
      1. Getting Started
        1. The Welcome Screen
      2. Organizing Your Photos
        1. Photo Downloader
      3. Editing Your Photos
        1. Understanding Expert Mode
          1. Basic Workspace
          2. Custom Workspace
        2. Bins, Panels, and Tabs
          1. The Photo Bin/Tool Options Area
          2. The Panel Bin
          3. Image Windows
        3. Elements’ Tools
        4. Getting Help
          1. Guided Edit
        5. Escape Routes
          1. Undo
          2. The History Panel
          3. The One Rule of Elements
      4. Getting Started in a Hurry
    2. 2. Importing, Managing, and Saving Photos
      1. Importing from Cameras
        1. The Photo Downloader
      2. Opening Stored Images
        1. Working with PDF Files
        2. Scanning Photos
      3. Capturing Video Frames
      4. Creating a New File
        1. Picking a File Size
        2. Choosing a Resolution
        3. Selecting a Color Mode
        4. Choosing a Background
      5. Using the Organizer
        1. The Media Room
          1. Working with Folders
          2. Full Screen View
        2. Creating Categories and Tags
          1. Working with Basic Tags and Categories
        3. Albums
        4. Tagging People
        5. Tagging Places
        6. Working with Events
      6. Searching for Photos
        1. Searching by Metadata
          1. Searching by Metadata
      7. Saving Your Work
        1. File Formats Elements Understands
          1. About JPEGs
        2. Changing the File Format
      8. Backing Up Files
        1. Organizer Backups
    3. 3. Rotating and Resizing Photos
      1. Straightening Scanned Photos
        1. Straightening Two or More Photos at Once
        2. Straightening Individual Photos
      2. Rotating Images
        1. Rotating and Flipping Options
      3. Straightening the Contents of an Image
        1. Straighten Tool
        2. Free Rotate Layer
      4. Cropping Pictures
        1. The Crop Tool
          1. Cropping an Image to an Exact Size
        2. Cropping with the Marquee Tool
      5. Zooming and Repositioning Your View
        1. Image Views
        2. The Zoom Tool
        3. The Hand Tool
      6. Changing the Size of an Image
      7. Resizing Images for Email and the Web
        1. Resizing for Printing
          1. Resampling
        2. Adding Canvas
  5. 2. Elemental Elements
    1. 4. The Quick Fix
      1. The Quick Fix Window
        1. The Quick Fix Toolbox
        2. The Quick Fix Panel
          1. Using Presets
        3. Different Views: After vs. Before and After
      2. Editing Your Photos
        1. Fixing Red Eye
        2. Smart Fix
        3. Adjusting Exposure
        4. Adjusting Lighting and Contrast
          1. Levels
          2. Contrast
          3. Shadows, Midtones, and Highlights
        5. Adjusting Color
          1. Auto Color
          2. The Color Sliders
        6. Balancing Color
        7. Sharpening
        8. Whitening Teeth
        9. Quick Fix Suggested Workflow
      3. Adjusting Skin Tones
    2. 5. Making Selections
      1. Selecting Everything
      2. Selecting Rectangular and Elliptical Areas
      3. Selecting Irregularly Sized Areas
        1. Controlling the Selection Tools
      4. Selecting with a Brush
        1. Refining Selection Edges
        2. The Selection Brush
        3. The Magic Wand
        4. The Lasso Tools
          1. The Basic Lasso Tool
          2. The Magnetic Lasso
          3. The Polygonal Lasso
      5. Extracting Objects from Images
      6. Changing and Moving Selections
        1. Inverting a Selection
        2. Resizing a Selection
        3. Moving Selected Areas
          1. The Move Tool
        4. Saving Selections
          1. Editing a Saved Selection
    3. 6. Layers: The Heart of Elements
      1. Understanding Layers
        1. The Layers Panel
        2. The Background
      2. Creating Layers
        1. Adding Layers
        2. Deleting Layers
        3. Duplicating Layers
        4. Copying and Cutting from Layers
      3. Managing Layers
        1. Hiding Layers
        2. Adjusting Layer Opacity
        3. Locking Layers
        4. Blend Modes
        5. Rearranging Layers
          1. Arranging Layers with the Move Tool
        6. Aligning and Distributing Layers
        7. Linking and Clipping Layers
          1. Linking Layers
          2. Clipping Layers Together
        8. Merging and Flattening Layers
          1. Merging Layers
          2. Flattening an Image
        9. Layer Masks
          1. Editing a Layer Mask
      4. Adjustment and Fill Layers
        1. Adding Fill and Adjustment Layers
          1. Fill Layers
          2. Adjustment Layers
      5. Moving Objects Between Images
  6. 3. Retouching
    1. 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
        4. Correcting Part of an Image
          1. Correcting Color with a Brush
      2. Controlling the Colors You See
        1. Calibrating Your Monitor
          1. Getting Started with Calibrating
        2. Choosing a Color Space
      3. Using Levels
        1. Understanding the Histogram
        2. Adjusting Levels: The Eyedropper Method
        3. Adjusting Levels: The Slider Controls
      4. Removing Unwanted Color
        1. The Remove Color Cast Command
        2. Using Color Variations
      5. Choosing Colors
        1. The Color Picker
        2. The Color Picker/Eyedropper Tool
        3. The Color Swatches Panel
          1. Saving Colors in the Swatches Panel
      6. Sharpening Images
        1. Unsharp Mask
        2. Adjust Sharpness
        3. The High-Pass Filter
        4. The Sharpen Tool
    2. 8. Elements for Digital Photographers
      1. The Raw Converter
        1. Using the Raw Converter
          1. Adjusting the View
          2. Rotating, Straightening, and Cropping
        2. Adjusting White Balance
        3. Adjusting Tone
        4. Adjusting Vibrance and Saturation
          1. Saving Your Settings
        5. Adjusting Sharpness and Reducing Noise
        6. Choosing Bit Depth
        7. Finishing Up
        8. Converting to DNG
      2. Blending Exposures
        1. Automatic Merges
        2. Manual Merges
      3. Photo Filter
      4. Processing Multiple Files
        1. Choosing Files
        2. Renaming Files
        3. Changing Image Size and File Type
        4. Applying Quick Fix Commands
        5. Attaching Labels
          1. Watermarks
          2. Adding Captions
    3. 9. Retouching: Fine-Tuning 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. Recomposing Photos
      4. Color Curves: Enhancing Tone and Contrast
      5. Making Colors More Vibrant
        1. The Hue/Saturation Dialog Box
        2. Adjusting Saturation with the Sponge Tool
      6. Changing an Object’s Color
        1. Using an Adjustment Layer
        2. Replacing Specific Colors
        3. The Color Replacement Tool
      7. Special Effects
    4. 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. Brushing Away Color
        2. Erasing Colors from a Duplicate Layer
        3. Removing Color from Selections
        4. Using an Adjustment Layer and the Saturation Slider
      4. Colorizing Black-and-White Photos
        1. Tinting a Whole Photo
          1. Using a Layer Style
          2. The Graphics Panel’s Tint Effects
          3. Using Colorize
    5. 11. Photomerge: Creating Panoramas, Group Shots, and More
      1. Creating Panoramas
        1. Positioning Photos Manually
      2. Merging Different Faces
      3. Arranging a Group Shot
      4. Tidying Up with Scene Cleaner
      5. Merging Styles
      6. Correcting Lens Distortion
      7. Transforming Images
        1. Skew, Distort, and Perspective
        2. Free Transform
  7. 4. Artistic Elements
    1. 12. Drawing with Brushes, Shapes, and Other Tools
      1. Picking and Using a Basic Brush
        1. Modifying Your Brush
        2. Saving Modified Brush Settings
      2. Special Brushes
        1. Making a Custom Brush
      3. The Impressionist Brush
      4. The Pencil Tool
      5. The Paint Bucket
      6. Dodging and Burning
        1. Dodging
        2. Burning
      7. Blending and Smudging
        1. Blend Modes
        2. The Smudge Tool
      8. The Eraser Tools
        1. Using the Basic Eraser
        2. The Magic Eraser
        3. The Background Eraser
      9. Drawing with Shapes
        1. The Custom Shape Tool
        2. Rectangle and Rounded Rectangle
        3. Ellipse
        4. Polygon and Star Tools
        5. Line Tool
        6. The Shape Selection Tool
      10. The Cookie Cutter Tool
    2. 13. Filters, Actions, Layer Styles, and Gradients
      1. Using Filters
        1. Applying Filters
          1. The Filter Menu
          2. Effects Panel
          3. The Filter Gallery
        2. Filter Categories
        3. Practical Uses for Filters
          1. Removing Noise: Getting Rid of Graininess
          2. Adding Noise: Smoothing Out Repair Jobs
          3. Gaussian Blur: Drawing Attention to an Object
          4. Lens Blur: Creating Depth of Field
          5. Radial Blur: Producing a Sense of Motion
          6. Color Correcting with the Average Blur Filter
          7. Improving Skin Texture with the Surface Blur Filter
      2. Applying Actions and Effects
        1. Using Actions
        2. Effects
        3. Special Effects in Guided Edit
      3. Adding Layer Styles
      4. Applying Gradients
        1. The Gradient Tool
        2. Gradient Fill Layers
        3. Editing Gradients
          1. Transparency in Gradients
          2. Creating Noise Gradients
        4. Saving Gradients
      5. Gradient Maps
    3. 14. Text in Elements
      1. Adding Text to an Image
        1. Text Options
        2. Creating Text
        3. Editing Text
          1. Smoothing Text: Anti-Aliasing
      2. Warping Text
      3. Adding Special Effects
        1. Text Effects
        2. Text Gradients
        3. Applying the Liquify Filter to Text
      4. Type Masks: Setting an Image in Text
        1. Using the Type Mask Tools
        2. Creating Outlined Text
      5. Artistic Text
        1. Adding Text to a Selection
        2. Making Text Outline a Shape
        3. Creating Your Own Path
  8. 5. Sharing Images
    1. 15. Creating Projects
      1. Photo Collages
        1. Customizing Your Project
          1. Adjusting Photos and Frames
          2. Adding Graphics and Text
          3. Create Modes: Basic and Advanced
      2. Photo Books
      3. Greeting Cards
      4. Photo Calendars
      5. CD/DVD Jackets
      6. CD/DVD Labels
      7. Working with the Graphics and Favorites Panels
        1. The Graphics Panel
        2. The Favorites Panel
    2. 16. Printing Photos
      1. Getting Ready to Print
      2. Ordering Prints
      3. Printing at Home
        1. Making Individual Prints
          1. Printing in Windows
          2. Printing in OS X
        2. Positioning Your Image
          1. Print Window Settings
          2. The Page Setup Dialog Box
        3. Additional Print Options
        4. Color Management
      4. Printing Multiple Images (Windows)
        1. Contact Sheets
        2. Picture Packages
      5. Printing Multiple Images (Mac)
        1. Contact Sheets
        2. Picture Packages
          1. Customizing a Picture Package
    3. 17. Email and the Web
      1. Image Formats and the Web
      2. Saving Images for the Web or Email
        1. Using Save For Web
          1. Save for Web File Format Options
        2. Previewing Images
      3. Creating Animated GIFs
      4. Emailing Photos
        1. Individual Attachments (Mac and Windows)
        2. Photo Mail (Windows only)
        3. PDF Slideshows (Mac and Windows)
    4. 18. Online Albums and Slideshows
      1. Online Albums
        1. Sharing a New Album
        2. Sharing Existing Albums
      2. Slideshows
        1. Full Screen View
        2. PDF Slideshows
          1. Simple PDF Slideshow
          2. Making a PDF in the Slide Show Editor (Windows Only)
        3. The Slide Show Editor (Windows only)
          1. Slide Show Preferences
          2. Using the Slide Show Editor
          3. Adding Special Effects
          4. Saving and Sharing Your Slideshow
      3. A Few More Ways to Share
  9. 6. Additional Elements
    1. 19. Beyond the Basics
      1. Graphics Tablets
      2. Stuff from the Internet
        1. When You Really Need Photoshop
      3. Beyond This Book
  10. 7. Appendixes
    1. A. Installation and Troubleshooting
      1. Installing Elements in Windows
      2. Installing Elements on a Mac
      3. Activation
      4. Scratch Disks
      5. Troubleshooting
  11. Index
  12. About the Author
  13. Copyright

Product information

  • Title: Photoshop Elements 11: The Missing Manual
  • Author(s): Barbara Brundage
  • Release date: September 2012
  • Publisher(s): O'Reilly Media, Inc.
  • ISBN: 9781449316136