Photoshop Elements 6: The Missing Manual

Photoshop Elements 6: The Missing Manual

by Barbara Brundage
Released October 2007
Publisher(s): O'Reilly Media, Inc.
ISBN: 9780596551681

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Book description

With Photoshop Elements 6, the most popular photo-editing program on Earth just keeps getting better. It's perfect for scrapbooking, email-ready slideshows, Web galleries, you name it. But knowing what to do and when is tricky. That's why our Missing Manual is the bestselling book on the topic. This fully revised guide explains not only how the tools and commands work, but when to use them.

Photoshop Elements 6 is packed with new features. You get a new Quick Edit function, Windows Vista compatibility, improved RAW conversion, a handy Quick Selection Tool, and more. In fact, there's so much to the latest version that it can be quite confusing at times. Photoshop Elements 6: The Missing Manual carefully explains every feature the program has to offer by putting each one into a clear, easy-to-understand context --something no other book does!

  • Learn to import, organize, and fix photos quickly and easily.
  • Repair and restore old and damaged photos, and retouch any image.
  • Jazz up your pictures with dozens of filters, frames, and special effects.
  • Learn which tools the pros use -- you'll finally understand how layers work!
  • Create collages and photo layout pages for greeting cards and other projects.
  • Get downloadable practice images and try new tricks right away.


This guide progresses from simple to complex features, but if you're ready for the more sophisticated tools, you can easily jump around to learn specific techniques. As always, author Barbara Brundage lets you know which Elements features work well, which don't, and why -- all with a bit of wit and good humor.

Don't hesitate. Dive into Adobe's outstanding photo editor with Photoshop Elements 6: The Missing Manual right away.

Table of contents

  1. Photoshop Elements 6: The Missing Manual
    1. SPECIAL OFFER: Upgrade this ebook with O’Reilly
    2. A Note Regarding Supplemental Files
    3. The Missing Credits
      1. About the Author
      2. About the Creative Team
      3. Acknowledgements
      4. The Missing Manual Series
    4. Introduction
      1. Why Photoshop Elements?
      2. What You Can Do with Elements 6
      3. What's New in Elements 6
      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. For Newcomers to Elements
        3. The Very Basics
        4. About → These → Arrows
        5. About MissingManuals.com
        6. Safari® Books Online
    5. I. Introduction to Elements
      1. 1. Finding Your Way Around Elements
        1. The Welcome Screen
        2. Organizing Your Photos
          1. Photo Downloader
        3. Editing Your Photos
          1. Your Elements Tools
          2. Panels, Bins, and Palettes
            1. The Project bin
            2. The Palette bin
            3. Special palettes
          3. Getting Help
            1. Guided Edit
          4. Escape Routes
            1. Undo
            2. Undo History palette
            3. The one rule of Elements
        4. Getting Started in a Hurry
      2. 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 File Size
          2. Choosing Resolution
          3. Choosing Color Mode
          4. Choosing Your File's Background Contents
        6. Using the Organizer
          1. The Photo Browser
          2. Creating Categories and Tags
            1. Working with tags and categories
          3. Albums and Smart Albums
          4. Searching for Photos
            1. Browsing through photos
            2. Using tags and categories to find photos
          5. Searching by Metadata
        7. Saving Your Work
          1. The File Formats Elements Understands
            1. The not-so-common file formats
            2. About JPEGs
          2. Changing the File Format
        8. Backing Up Your Files
          1. Organizer Backups
          2. Making Quick CDs/DVDs
      3. 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. Using the Crop Tool
          2. Cropping Your Image to an Exact Size
          3. 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 Your Image
          1. Resizing Images for Email and the Web
          2. Resizing for Printing
            1. Resampling
          3. Adding Canvas
    6. II. Elemental Elements
      1. 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. 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
        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. Selecting with a Brush
            1. Refine Edge
          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. Removing Objects from an Image's Background
        6. Changing and Moving Selections
          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
      3. 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. 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
        4. Fill and Adjustment Layers
          1. Adding Fill and Adjustment Layers
          2. Layer Masks
        5. Moving Layers Between Images
    7. III. 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
        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. Using the Color Cast Tool
          2. Using Color Variations
        5. Choosing the Color You Want
          1. The Color Picker
          2. The Eyedropper Tool
          3. The Color Swatches Palette
            1. Saving colors in the Swatches palette
        6. Sharpening Your 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
            1. Saving your settings
          4. Adjusting Vibrance and Saturation
          5. Adjusting Sharpness and Reducing Noise
            1. Choosing bit depth: 8 or 16 bits?
          6. Converting to DNG
        2. Photo Filter
        3. Processing Multiple Files
          1. Choosing Your Files
          2. Renaming Your 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 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. Color 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. Using an Adjustment Layer
          2. Replacing Specific Colors
          3. Using a Brush to Replace Colors
        6. 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. Erasing Colors from a Duplicate Layer
          2. Removing Color from Selections
          3. Using an Adjustment Layer and the Saturation Slider
            1. Editing a layer mask
        4. Colorizing a Black-and-White Photo
          1. Tinting an Entire Photo
            1. Using a Layer style
            2. Additional tint effects from the Content palette
            3. Using Colorize
      5. 11. Photomerge: Creating Panoramas, Group Shots, and More
        1. Creating Panoramas
          1. Making a Panorama
            1. Interactive Layout
        2. Merging Different Faces
        3. Arranging a Group Shot
        4. Correcting Lens Distortion
        5. Transforming Images
          1. Skew, Distort, Perspective
          2. Free Transform
    8. IV. 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. The Specialty 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 Tool
          1. Using the Eraser
          2. The Magic Eraser
          3. The Background Eraser
        9. Drawing with Shapes
          1. Rectangle and Rounded Rectangle
          2. Ellipse
          3. Polygon
          4. Line Tool
          5. The Custom Shape Tool
          6. The Shape Selection Tool
        10. The Cookie Cutter
      2. 13. Filters, Effects, Layer Styles, and Gradients
        1. Using Filters
          1. Applying Filters
            1. Filter menu
            2. 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
        2. Adding Effects
        3. Adding Layer Styles
        4. Applying Gradients
          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
        5. Gradient Maps
      3. 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
    9. V. Sharing Your Images
      1. 15. Creating Projects
        1. Photo Collages
          1. Creating Multipage Documents
        2. Working with the Content and Favorites Palettes
          1. The Content Palette
          2. The Favorites Palette
        3. Photo Books
        4. Greeting Cards
        5. CD/DVD Jacket
        6. CD/DVD Label
        7. Online Creations
      2. 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 Window
            1. Color management
        4. Printing at Home (The Organizer)
        5. Printing Multiple Photos
          1. Contact Sheets
          2. Picture Package
          3. Labels
      3. 17. Elements 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 and Adjusting Color
        3. Creating Animated GIFs
        4. Emailing Your Photos
          1. Emailing Images
            1. Individual attachments
            2. PhotoMail options
            3. PDF slideshows
        5. Sending Photos to Other Gear
        6. Sharing Photos with Yahoo Maps
      4. 18. Online Galleries, Slideshows, and Flipbooks
        1. Online Galleries
          1. Creating an Online Gallery
        2. Slideshows
          1. PDF Slideshows
            1. Simple PDF slideshow
            2. Making a PDF in the Slide Show Editor
          2. Using the Slide Show Editor
            1. Slide Show Preferences
            2. Creating your slideshow using the Slide Show Editor
            3. Adding special effects
            4. Saving and sharing your slideshow
        3. Flipbooks
    10. VI. Additional Elements
      1. 19. Beyond the Basics
        1. Graphics Tablets
        2. Free Stuff from the Internet
        3. When You Really Need Photoshop
        4. Beyond This Book
    11. VII. Appendixes
      1. A. The Organizer, Menu by Menu
        1. System Menu
        2. Welcome Menu
        3. File Menu
          1. Get Photos and Videos
          2. New
          3. Open Recently Edited File in Editor
          4. Catalog
          5. Make a CD/DVD
          6. Copy/Move to Removable Disk
          7. Backup Catalog to CD, DVD, or Hard Drive
          8. Restore Catalog from CD, DVD, or Hard Drive
          9. Duplicate
          10. Reconnect
          11. Watch Folders
          12. Rename
          13. Write Tag and Properties Info to Photo(s)
          14. Move
          15. Export
          16. Page Setup
          17. Print
          18. Order Prints
          19. Exit
        4. Edit Menu
          1. Undo
          2. Redo
          3. Copy
          4. Select All
          5. Deselect
          6. Delete from Catalog
          7. Rotate 90° Left
          8. Rotate 90° Right
          9. Auto Smart Fix
          10. Auto Red Eye Fix
          11. Edit 3GPP Movie
          12. Adjust Date and Time
          13. Add Caption
          14. Update Thumbnail
          15. Set as Desktop Wallpaper
          16. Ratings
          17. Visibility
          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
        5. 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 Album
          14. Find Faces for Tagging
        6. View Menu
          1. Refresh
          2. Media Types
          3. Hidden Files
          4. Details
          5. Show File Names
          6. Show Grid Lines
          7. Show Borders Around Thumbnails
          8. Expand All Stacks
          9. Collapse All Stacks
        7. Window Menu
          1. Hide Task Pane
          2. Timeline
          3. Properties
          4. Upload Progress Window
        8. Help Menu
          1. Photoshop Elements Help
          2. About Photoshop Elements
          3. Patent and Legal Notices
          4. Glossary of Terms
          5. System Info
          6. Registration
          7. Updates
          8. Online Support
          9. Photoshop Elements Online
          10. Online Learning Resources
        9. Undo
        10. Redo
        11. Display Menu
          1. Thumbnail View
          2. Import Batch
          3. Folder Location
          4. Date View
          5. Show Map
          6. View Photos in Full Screen
          7. Compare Photos Side by Side
        12. Editor Menu
          1. Quick Fix
          2. Full Edit
          3. Guided Edit
      2. B. The Editor, Menu by Menu
        1. System Menu
        2. Welcome Screen
        3. File Menu
          1. New
          2. Open
          3. Open As
          4. Open Recently Edited File
          5. Duplicate
          6. Close
          7. Close All
          8. Save
          9. Save As
          10. Save For Web
          11. File Info
          12. Place
          13. Organize Open Files
          14. Process Multiple Files
          15. Import
          16. Export
          17. Automation Tools
          18. Page Setup
          19. Print
          20. Print Multiple Photos
          21. Order Prints
          22. Exit
        4. 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
        5. Image Menu
          1. Rotate
          2. Transform
          3. Crop
          4. Divide Scanned Photos
          5. Resize
          6. Mode
          7. Convert Color Profile
          8. Magic Extractor
        6. 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. Convert to Black and White
          11. Unsharp Mask
          12. Adjust Sharpness
        7. 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
        8. Select Menu
          1. All
          2. Deselect
          3. Reselect
          4. Inverse
          5. All Layers
          6. Deselect Layers
          7. Similar Layers
          8. Feather
          9. Refine Edge
          10. Modify
          11. Grow
          12. Similar
          13. Load Selection
          14. Save Selection
          15. Delete Selection
        9. Filter Menu
          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
        10. 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
        11. Window Menu
          1. Images
          2. Tools
          3. Color Swatches
          4. Content
          5. Effects
          6. Favorites
          7. Histogram
          8. Info
          9. Layers
          10. Navigator
          11. Undo History
          12. Palette Bin
          13. Reset Palette Locations
          14. Welcome
          15. Project Bin
          16. Image Windows
        12. Help Menu
          1. Photoshop Elements Help
          2. About Photoshop Elements
          3. About Plug-In
          4. Patent and Legal Notices
          5. Glossary of Terms
          6. System Info
          7. Registration
          8. Updates
          9. Online Support
          10. Photoshop Elements Online
          11. Online Learning Resources
      3. C. Installation and Troubleshooting
        1. Installing Elements
        2. Installing Elements
        3. Registration
        4. Scratch Disks
        5. Troubleshooting
    12. Index
    13. About the Author
    14. Colophon
    15. SPECIAL OFFER: Upgrade this ebook with O’Reilly

Product information

  • Title: Photoshop Elements 6: The Missing Manual
  • Author(s): Barbara Brundage
  • Release date: October 2007
  • Publisher(s): O'Reilly Media, Inc.
  • ISBN: 9780596551681