Photoshop Elements 8 for Windows: The Missing Manual

Adding Effects

Like filters, effects give you loads of ways to modify your photo's appearance—from adding lizard-skin textures to surrounding your image with a classy picture frame. Although you apply effects with a simple double-click, these clicks trigger a series of changes. Some effects involve many complex steps, but Elements works so quickly you might not even notice all the changes it makes.

Note

You usually can't customize or change an effect's settings—they're an all-or-nothing deal. For example, if you use one of the Frame effects, then you either take the frame size as Elements applies it to your image, or you don't; you can't adjust the scale of the frame relative to your photo. This quality is why most of the frames are now Smart Objects (Creating Multipage Documents) that you apply from the Content panel, rather than effects—you have more control over Smart Objects.

You'll find effects in a few different spots in Elements:

• The Effects panel is home to most photo effects—things like photo tinting (Figure 13-11)—and a few frames. The panel is explained after this list.

  

  Figure 13-11. The Effects panel's Photo Effects section lets you age a photo by applying an antique look to it, as shown here. This was a color photo until the Vintage Photo effect was applied to it.

• The Content panel houses some effects intended primarily for text, but sometimes you can use them for other purposes. ...