Photoshop Elements 5: The Missing Manual

58 Photoshop Elements 5: The Missing Manual

Backing Up Your Files

Changing the File Format

It’s very easy to change the format of a file in Elements. Just press Ctrl+Shift+S or

go to File ➝ Save As and, from the Format pull-down menu, select the format you

want. Elements makes a copy of your file in the new format and asks you to name

it.

Backing Up Your Files

With computers, you just never know what’s going to happen, so “be prepared” is

a good motto. If your computer crashes, it won’t be nearly so painful if all your

photos are safely backed up someplace else.

Saving to CDs and DVDs

Elements makes it very easy to save your files to any add-on storage device like a

Zip drive or an external hard-drive. Of course, you can just do a Save As and

choose your storage device as the destination, but it’s also easy to back up to CDs

(and DVDs, if you have a DVD burner).

Windows XP also has a CD-burning utility built right into the system. The box on

page 62 explains how to use it. But when it comes to easy backups, you’re in for a

treat with the Elements Organizer. You can burn CDs or DVDs right from the

Organizer, and it gives you many different options for backing up your photos and

catalogs. All these options are covered in the next section.

NOTE Elements 5 has a much-requested new feature for making backups: you can create

multi-session discs. That means you can tell Elements to leave your CD or DVD