Photoshop Elements 3: The Missing Manual

Making Elements More Like Photoshop

There are a few important tools in Photoshop that Elements lacks. But the good news is that you can download add-ons for Elements that give you access to some of Photoshop's most important features. Because Elements is based on Photoshop, there are a lot of Photoshop features still in Element's underlying programming code. All that Adobe did was leave out a way to get to them. Consequently, several people have developed add-ons for Elements that let you use these features, although in a limited way.

Grant Dixon has created a free set of tools for Elements which you can download atwww.cavesofice.org/~grant/Challenge/Tools/index.html. Figure 17-4 shows you just how many powerful tools you get for free. And Richard Lynch's Hidden Power of Photoshop Elements books (http://www.hiddenelements.com) include a CD with similar tools and several additional ones. The book is not an easy read, but you'll learn a lot about the advanced capabilities of Elements, and the tools are definitely worth the investment if you're serious about Elements. With these two add-ons, you can go a very long way toward regaining some of Photoshop's special talents.

Here are some of the tools you can add to Elements from either the Dixon or the Lynch site:

• Curves. Despite its name, curves is not a drawing tool. Instead, the curves command is similar to levels (page 163), but with many more points of correction. Curves lets you make more sophisticated adjustments to color and brightness. ...