Photoshop Elements 8 for Windows: The Missing Manual

Editing Your Photos

The Editor is the other main component of Elements (Figure 1-5). This is the fun part of the program, where you get to edit, adjust, transform, and generally glamorize your photos, and where you can create original artwork from scratch with the drawing tools and shapes.

Figure 1-5. The main Elements editing window, which Adobe calls Full Edit. In some previous versions of Elements it was known as the Standard Editor, something to keep in mind in case you ever try any tutorials written for Elements 3 or 4.

You can operate the Editor in any of three different modes:

• Full Edit. The Full Edit window gives you access to Elements' most sophisticated tools. You have far more ways to work on your photo in Full Edit than in Quick Fix, and if you're fussy, it's where you'll do most of your retouching work. Most of the Quick Fix commands are also available via menus in the Full Edit window.

• Quick Fix. For many beginners, Quick Fix (Figure 1-6) ends up being their main workspace. It's where Adobe has gathered together the basic tools you need to improve most photos. It's also one of the two places in Elements where you can choose to have a before-and-after view while you work. (Guided Edit, described below, is the other.) Chapter 4 gives you all the details on using Quick Fix.

• Guided Edit. This window can be a big help if you're a newcomer to Elements. It provides step-by-step ...