Photoshop Elements 9: The Missing Manual

Photoshop Elements 9: The Missing Manual

by Barbara Brundage
Released September 2010
Publisher(s): O'Reilly Media, Inc.
ISBN: 9781449396909

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Book description

Elements 9 offers much of Photoshop's power without the huge price tag. It's an ideal tool for most image-editing buffs -- including scrapbookers, photographers, and aspiring graphic artists. But Elements still doesn't come with a decent manual. This bestselling book will help you get the most out of the program, from the basics to advanced tips for both Windows and Mac.

  • Quickly learn your way around. Customize Elements to suit your working style.
  • Get to work right away. Import, organize, and make quick image fixes with ease.
  • Retouch any image. Learn how to repair and restore your old and damaged photos.
  • Add some pizzazz. Give images more zip with dozens of filters, frames, and special effects.
  • Find your creative flair. Create scrapbooks, greeting cards, photo books, and more.
  • Use advanced techniques. Work with layers, blend modes, and other tools.
  • Try out your new skills. Download practice images and try new tricks as you learn.

Table of contents

  1. Photoshop Elements 9: The Missing Manual
  2. A Note Regarding Supplemental Files
  3. The Missing Credits
    1. About the Author
    2. About the Creative Team
    3. Acknowledgments
    4. The Missing Manual Series
  4. Introduction
    1. Why Photoshop Elements?
    2. What You Can Do with Elements 9
    3. What’s New in Elements 9
    4. Elements vs. Photoshop
    5. The Key to Learning Elements
    6. About This Book
      1. A Note About Operating Systems
      2. About the Outline
      3. For Newcomers to Elements
      4. The Very Basics
      5. About→These→Arrows
      6. About MissingManuals.com
      7. Safari® Books Online
  5. 1. Introduction to Elements
    1. 1. Finding Your Way Around Elements
      1. Getting Started
        1. The Welcome Screen
        2. If You Have a Mac
      2. Organizing Your Photos
        1. Photo Downloader
      3. Photoshop.com
      4. Editing Your Photos
        1. Panels, Bins, and Tabs
          1. The Panel bin
          2. The Project bin
          3. Image windows
        2. Elements’ Tools
        3. Getting Help
          1. Guided Edit
          2. The Inspiration Browser
        4. Escape Routes
          1. Undo
          2. Undo History panel
          3. The one rule of Elements
      5. 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 a Resolution
        3. Selecting a Color Mode
        4. Choosing a Background
      6. Using the Organizer
        1. The Media Browser
          1. Full Screen view
        2. Creating Categories and Tags
          1. Working with tags and categories
          2. People Recognition
        3. Albums and Smart Albums
      7. Searching for Photos
        1. Browsing Through Photos
        2. Using Tags and Categories to Find Photos
        3. Searching by Metadata
      8. Saving Your Work
        1. File Formats Elements Understands
          1. Not-so-common file formats
          2. About JPEGs
        2. Changing the File Format
      9. Backing Up Your Files
        1. Online Syncing and Backups
        2. Organizer Backups
        3. 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 Images
        1. Rotating and Flipping Options
      3. Straightening the Contents of an Image
        1. Straighten Tool
        2. Free Rotate Layer
      4. Cropping Pictures
        1. The Crop Tool
          1. Cropping an image to an exact size
        2. 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 an Image
      7. Resizing Images for Email and the Web
        1. Resizing for Printing
          1. Resampling
        2. Adding Canvas
  6. 2. Elemental Elements
    1. 4. The Quick Fix
      1. The Quick Fix Window
        1. The Quick Fix Toolbox
        2. The Quick Fix Panel Bin
          1. Using presets
        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
          3. Balancing color
        5. Sharpening
        6. Touch-Ups
        7. 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. 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 Selected Areas
          1. The Move tool
        4. Saving Selections
          1. Editing a saved selection
    3. 6. Layers: The Heart of Elements
      1. Understanding Layers
        1. The Layers Panel
        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. Hiding Layers
        2. Adjusting Layer Opacity
        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 by clipping
        8. Merging and Flattening Layers
          1. Merging layers
          2. Flattening an image
        9. Layer Masks
          1. Editing a layer mask
      4. Adjustment and Fill Layers
        1. Adding Fill and Adjustment Layers
          1. Fill layers
          2. Adjustment layers
      5. Moving Objects Between Images
  7. 3. 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
        4. Correcting Part of an Image
          1. Correcting color with a brush
      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. The Remove Color Cast Command
        2. Using Color Variations
      5. Choosing Colors
        1. The Color Picker
        2. The Eyedropper Tool
        3. The Color Swatches Panel
          1. Saving colors in the Swatches panel
      6. Sharpening 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
        4. Adjusting Vibrance and Saturation
          1. Saving your settings
        5. Adjusting Sharpness and Reducing Noise
          1. Choosing bit depth: 8 or 16?
        6. Finishing Up
        7. Converting to DNG
      2. Blending Exposures
        1. Automatic Merges
        2. Manual Merges
      3. Photo Filter
      4. 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. Recomposing Photos
      4. Color Curves: Enhancing Tone and Contrast
      5. Making Colors More Vibrant
        1. The Hue/Saturation Dialog Box
        2. Adjusting Saturation with the Sponge Tool
      6. Changing an Object’s Color
        1. Using an Adjustment Layer
        2. Replacing Specific Colors
        3. The Color Replacement Tool
      7. 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. Brushing Away Color
        2. Erasing Colors from a Duplicate Layer
        3. Removing Color from Selections
        4. Using an Adjustment Layer and the Saturation Slider
      4. Colorizing Black-and-White Photos
        1. Tinting a Whole Photo
          1. Using a Layer style
          2. The Content panel’s tint effects
          3. Using Colorize
    5. 11. Photomerge: Creating Panoramas, Group Shots, and More
      1. Creating Panoramas
        1. Manual Positioning with Interactive Layout
      2. Merging Different Faces
      3. Arranging a Group Shot
      4. Tidying Up with Scene Cleaner
      5. Merging Styles
      6. Correcting Lens Distortion
      7. Transforming Images
        1. Skew, Distort, and Perspective
        2. Free Transform
  8. 4. 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 Tool
    2. 13. Filters, Effects, Layer Styles, and Gradients
      1. Using Filters
        1. Applying Filters
          1. Filter menu
          2. Effects panel
          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 an object
          4. Radial Blur: Producing a sense of motion
          5. Color correcting with the Average Blur filter
          6. Improving skin texture with the Surface Blur filter
      2. Adding Effects
        1. Using Actions
        2. Special Effects in Guided Edit
      3. Adding Layer Styles
      4. Applying Gradients
        1. The Gradient Tool
        2. Gradient Fill Layers
        3. Editing Gradients
          1. Transparency in gradients
          2. Creating noise gradients
        4. Saving Gradients
      5. Gradient Maps
    3. 14. Text in Elements
      1. Adding Text to an Image
        1. Text Options
        2. Creating Text
        3. Editing Text
          1. Smoothing text: anti-aliasing
      2. Warping Text
      3. Adding Special Effects
        1. Text Effects
        2. Text Gradients
        3. Applying the Liquify Filter to Text
      4. Type Masks: Setting an Image in Text
        1. Using the Type Mask Tools
        2. Creating Outlined Text
  9. 5. Sharing Your Images
    1. 15. Creating Projects
      1. Photo Collages
        1. Customizing Your Project
          1. Adjusting photos and frames
          2. Adding graphics and text
          3. Create modes: Basic and Advanced
        2. Creating Multipage Documents in the Editor
      2. Photo Books
      3. Greeting Cards
      4. Photo Calendars
      5. CD/DVD Jackets
      6. CD/DVD Labels
      7. Photo Stamps
      8. Working with the Content and Favorites Panels
        1. The Content Panel
        2. The Favorites Panel
    2. 16. Printing Your Photos
      1. Getting Ready to Print
      2. Ordering Prints
      3. Printing at Home
        1. Making Individual Prints
          1. Printing in Windows
          2. Printing in OS X
        2. Positioning Your Image
          1. Print window settings
          2. The Page Setup dialog box
        3. Additional Print Options
        4. Color Management
      4. Printing Multiple Photos (Windows)
        1. Contact Sheets
        2. Picture Packages
      5. Printing Multiple Images (Mac)
        1. Contact Sheets
        2. Picture Packages
          1. Customizing your picture package
    3. 17. Email 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 Photos
        1. Individual Attachments (Mac and Windows)
        2. Photo Mail (Windows only)
        3. PDF Slideshows (Mac and Windows)
    4. 18. Online Albums and Slideshows
      1. Online Albums
        1. Sharing a New Album
        2. Other Ways to Share
      2. Slideshows
        1. Full Screen View
        2. PDF Slideshows
          1. Simple PDF slideshow
          2. Making a PDF in the Slide Show Editor (Windows only)
        3. Using the Slide Show Editor (Windows only)
          1. Slide Show Preferences
          2. Creating slideshows with the Slide Show Editor
          3. Adding special effects
          4. Saving and sharing your slideshow
      3. Flipbooks (Windows only)
      4. Sharing Photos with Yahoo Maps (Windows only)
      5. A Few More Ways to Share
  10. 6. 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. 7. Appendix
    1. A. Installation and Troubleshooting
      1. Installing Elements in Windows
      2. Installing Elements on a Mac
      3. Activation
      4. Scratch Disks
      5. Troubleshooting
  12. Index
  13. About the Author
  14. Colophon
  15. Copyright

Product information

  • Title: Photoshop Elements 9: The Missing Manual
  • Author(s): Barbara Brundage
  • Release date: September 2010
  • Publisher(s): O'Reilly Media, Inc.
  • ISBN: 9781449396909