Sams Teach Yourself Adobe® Photoshop® Elements 2 in 24 Hours

Book description

Photoshop Elements is a more accessible version of Adobe's flagship product, Photoshop. Elements is geared to business users, students, and home users who nonetheless want professional-looking images for their print and Web projects. Topics covered in the book include capturing and editing photos from traditional or digital cameras, correcting color, working with layers, erasing backgrounds and creating photo-illustrations, editing Web graphics, and simulating print and drawing techniques. Sams Teach Yourself Adobe Photoshop Elements in 24 Hours is an easily accessible tutorial that uses a friendly, conversational writing style to teach readers the basics - an approach that should especially appeal to Photoshop Elements users.

Table of contents

  1. Copyright
    1. Dedication
  2. About the Author
  3. About the Contributing Author
  4. Acknowledgments
  5. We Want to Hear from You!
  6. Reader Services
  7. Introduction
  8. I. Working with Elements
    1. 1. Welcome to Photoshop Elements
      1. Getting Help
        1. Tool Tips
        2. Hints Palette
        3. How To’s
        4. The Help Button
      2. Summary
      3. Q&A
      4. Workshop
        1. Quiz
        2. Activities
    2. 2. A Tour of the Desktop
      1. Finding Your Way Around
      2. Understanding the Shortcuts Bar
      3. Task: Starting a New Image
      4. Using the Tools in the Toolbox
        1. Selection Tools
        2. Painting Tools
        3. Toning Tools
        4. Viewing Tools
        5. Special Tools
        6. Colors
        7. Tool Shortcuts
      5. Understanding the Options Bar
      6. Using the Menus
      7. Taking a Look at the File and Edit Menus
        1. Using the File Browser
      8. Taking a Look at the Image Menu
        1. Duplicate Image
        2. Rotate
        3. Transformations
        4. Crop/Resize
        5. Adjust
        6. Histogram
        7. Modes
      9. Taking a Look at the Enhance Menu
        1. Quick Fix
        2. Color Variations
      10. Taking a Look at the Layer Menu
      11. Taking a Look at the Select Menu
      12. Taking a Look at the Filter Menu
      13. Taking a Look at the View Menu
      14. Taking a Look at the Window Menu
      15. Setting Preferences
      16. Summary
      17. Q&A
      18. Workshop
        1. Quiz
        2. Activities
    3. 3. Starting and Saving Your Work
      1. Starting a New Image File
      2. Browsing for a File
      3. Task: Browsing and Opening an Image
      4. Saving Your Work
        1. Choosing a File Format
        2. Choosing Other Save Options
      5. Adjusting Resolution
      6. Saving for the Web
      7. Exporting a PDF
      8. Undoing and Redoing
      9. Using the Undo History Palette
      10. Summary
      11. Q&A
      12. Workshop
        1. Quiz
        2. Activity
    4. 4. Importing Source Images
      1. Using a Scanner
      2. Making a Scan
      3. Task: Scanning
      4. Importing Images from a Digital Camera
        1. USB Connection
        2. Card Reader
      5. Importing Still Frame Captures
      6. Changing Image and Canvas Sizes
        1. Image Size
        2. Canvas Size
      7. Summary
      8. Q&A
      9. Workshop
        1. Quiz
        2. Activities
    5. 5. Making Selections and Using Layers
      1. Using the Selection Tools
        1. Making Selections with Marquees
      2. Task: Drawing a Donut with the Marquee Tool
      3. Selecting with the Lasso Tools
      4. Making Selections with the Magic Wand
        1. Using the Selection Brush Tool
        2. Selecting and Deselecting All
      5. Modifying Selections
        1. Inverting a Selection
        2. Feathering a Selection
        3. Changing Your Selection with Modify, Grow, Similar
        4. Saving and Loading Selections
      6. Stroking and Filling Selections
      7. Using the Paint Bucket Tool to Fill a Selection
      8. Working with Layers
      9. Task: Experimenting with Layers
      10. Managing Layers
        1. Adding a New Layer
        2. Moving or Removing a Layer
        3. Grouping Layers Together
        4. Changing Layer Opacity
      11. Summary
      12. Q&A
      13. Workshop
        1. Quiz
        2. Activities
    6. 6. Adding Type
      1. Using the Type Tools
        1. Adding Horizontal and Vertical Type
        2. Choosing Fonts
      2. Using the Type Mask Tools
      3. Working with Layer Styles and Text
        1. Editing Layer Styles
      4. Task: Applying Layer Styles to Text
      5. Warping Text
      6. Summary
      7. Q&A
      8. Workshop
        1. Quiz
        2. Activity
    7. 7. Printing Your Pictures
      1. Understanding Color Systems
        1. RGB
        2. CMYK
        3. HSB
        4. Pantone Color Matching System
        5. Hexachrome
      2. Choosing a Printer
        1. Inkjet Printers
        2. Laser Printers
        3. Dye-Sublimation Printers
        4. Imagesetters
      3. Preparing the Image
        1. Choosing a Paper Type
        2. Selecting Page Setup Options
        3. Previewing an Image
      4. Printing the Page
      5. Making Contact Sheets and Picture Packages
        1. Contact Sheets
        2. Picture Packages
      6. Summary
      7. Q&A
      8. Workshop
        1. Quiz
        2. Activity
    8. 8. Posting Your Work on the Web
      1. Internet Limitations and What They Mean to You
      2. Optimizing Images for the Web
        1. JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group)
        2. GIF (Graphics Interchange Format)
        3. PNG (Portable Network Graphics)
      3. Task: Optimize a Graphic
      4. Preparing Text for the Web
      5. Preparing Backgrounds
      6. Making Transparent Images
      7. Making Pages Load Faster
      8. Creating a Web Gallery
      9. Emailing a Picture
      10. Summary
      11. Q&A
      12. Workshop
        1. Quiz
        2. Activity
  9. II. Simple Corrections
    1. 9. Cropping and Resizing Your Pictures
      1. Cropping
      2. Task: Crop a Picture
      3. Thinking About Good Composition
      4. Resizing
        1. Resizing an Image
        2. Resizing a Canvas
        3. Resizing a Portion of an Image
      5. Rotating an Image
        1. Flipping Images
        2. Rotating by Degrees
        3. Straightening Images
      6. Summary
      7. Q&A
      8. Workshop
        1. Quiz
        2. Activity
    2. 10. Straightening, Skewing, and Distorting an Image
      1. Straightening the Horizon
      2. Straightening an Image
      3. Skewing Images
      4. Task: Create Text and Its Shadow
      5. Distorting Images
      6. Changing the Perspective of an Image
      7. Task: Fix Perspective
      8. Liquify an Image
      9. Task: Reflecting Text
      10. Summary
      11. Q&A
      12. Workshop
        1. Quiz
        2. Activities
    3. 11. Removing Red Eye, Dust, and Scratches
      1. Making Basic Cleanups
        1. Removing Small Objects with the Clone Stamp Tool
        2. Removing Small Objects with Copy and Paste
      2. Fixing Red Eye
        1. A Pound of Prevention...
        2. A Couple of Cures
      3. Task: Fixing Red Eye from Scratch
      4. Removing Dust and Scratches
        1. Using the Dust & Scratches Filter
        2. Using the Despeckle and Unsharp Mask Filters
        3. Removing Dust and Scratches with the Clone Stamp
      5. Summary
      6. Q&A
      7. Workshop
        1. Quiz
        2. Activity
    4. 12. Too Light/Too Dark: Adjusting Brightness, Contrast, and Color
      1. Using the Automatic Correction Tools
        1. Auto Levels
        2. Auto Contrast
        3. Auto Color Correction
      2. Adjusting by Eye with Color Variations
      3. Adjusting Color with Color Cast
      4. Adjusting Color with Hue/Saturation
      5. Removing and Replacing Color
      6. Task: Replace Color
      7. Compensating for Lighting Mistakes
      8. Using the Quick Fix Dialog Box
      9. Task: Fix a Badly Overexposed, Very Blue Photo
      10. Summary
      11. Q&A
      12. Workshop
        1. Quiz
        2. Activities
    5. 13. Using Repair Recipes and Tutorials
      1. Using How To/Recipes
      2. Task: Create a Text Panel Using a Recipe
        1. Looking for New Recipes
      3. Following a Tutorial
      4. Going Online for Help and Inspiration
        1. Web Sites for Ideas and Help
        2. Joining the National Association of Photoshop Professionals
      5. Summary
      6. Q&A
      7. Workshop
        1. Quiz
        2. Activity
  10. III. Photo Rescue
    1. 14. Repairing Black-and-White Pictures
      1. Easy Fixes
        1. Lack of Contrast
        2. Dodging and Burning
      2. Task: Using the Dodge and Burn Tools
        1. Painting Over Small Blotches
      3. Preparing an Old Photo for Repair by Removing Sepia
      4. Repairing Serious Damage
        1. First Steps
        2. Repairing Tears
      5. Applying Vignetting
      6. Task: Cleaning Up a Picture, Step by Step
      7. Applying Tints
      8. Summary
      9. Q&A
      10. Workshop
        1. Quiz
        2. Activities
    2. 15. Making Color Repairs
      1. Correcting Color Cast
      2. Using Fill Flash
      3. Making Selective Color Adjustments
      4. Image Correction Tools
        1. Blur and Sharpen
        2. The Sponge Tool
      5. Task: Adjusting Saturation
        1. The Smudge Tool
      6. Making Repairs When Nothing’s Really Wrong
      7. Hand Coloring a Black-and-White Photo
      8. Summary
      9. Q&A
      10. Workshop
        1. Quiz
        2. Activities
    3. 16. Removing and Replacing Objects
      1. Drag-and-Drop Copying
      2. Removing a Person
      3. Replacing a Face
      4. Putting Back What Was Never There
      5. Summary
      6. Q&A
      7. Workshop
        1. Quiz
        2. Activity
    4. 17. Using the Improvement Filters
      1. Working with Filters
      2. Using the Sharpen Filters
      3. Task: Applying the Unsharp Mask Filter
      4. Using the Blur Filters
        1. Smart Blur
        2. Gaussian Blur
        3. Radial Blur
        4. Motion Blur
      5. Adding or Removing Noise
        1. Despeckle
        2. Dust & Scratches
        3. Median
        4. Add Noise
      6. Using the Render Filters
        1. Clouds
        2. Difference Clouds
        3. Lens Flare
        4. Lighting Effects
        5. Texture Fill
        6. 3-D Transform
      7. Adding Texture
      8. Adjusting the Effect of Filters
      9. Summary
      10. Q&A
      11. Workshop
        1. Quiz
        2. Activities
  11. IV. Going Creative
    1. 18. Using the Artistic Filters
      1. Using the Watercolor Filters
        1. Dry Brush
        2. Spatter
      2. Simulating Oil Painting
        1. Underpainting
        2. Palette Knife
        3. Paint Daubs
      3. Working with Pastels, Chalk, Charcoal, and Pen
        1. Rough Pastels
        2. Smudge Stick
        3. Chalk & Charcoal
        4. Conté Crayon
        5. Graphic Pen and Halftone Pattern
        6. Sumi-e
      4. Creating a Neon Effect with Glowing Edges
      5. Adding a Neon Glow
      6. Texturizing with Grain
      7. Sponging an Image
      8. Summary
      9. Q&A
      10. Workshop
        1. Quiz
        2. Activity
    2. 19. Creating Art from Scratch
      1. Choosing Colors
        1. Using Color Pickers
        2. Using the Swatches Palette
        3. Other Tips for Selecting Colors
      2. Using the Shape Tools
        1. Changing the Style
        2. Setting the Geometry Options
        3. Drawing Additional Shapes
        4. Creating a Custom Shape
        5. Selecting a Shape
      3. Task: Create an Umbrella
      4. Using the Brush Tool
        1. Setting Brush Options
        2. Painting with the Impressionist Brush
      5. Task: Create Rain for Your Umbrella
      6. Using the Pencil Tool
        1. Setting Pencil Options
        2. Replacing One Color with Another
      7. Task: Adding Ribs to Your Umbrella
      8. Using the Eraser Tools
        1. Erasing with the Eraser Tool
        2. Erasing with the Background Eraser Tool
      9. Summary
      10. Q&A
      11. Workshop
        1. Quiz
        2. Activities
    3. 20. Making Composite Images
      1. Working with Lighting and Scale
      2. Using Layer Styles to Create Composites
      3. Using Adjustment Layers to Fix Image Problems
        1. Adding an Adjustment Layer
        2. Editing the Adjustment Layer Mask
      4. Task: Add Layer Styles and Adjustment Layers to Our Umbrella
      5. Understanding Blending Modes
      6. Applying Effects
      7. Making an Effect from Scratch
      8. Task: Painting with Hot Metal
      9. Creating Drop Shadows from Scratch
      10. Making Reflections
      11. Using Distortions to Blend Composite Images
      12. Putting Together Stitched Panoramas
        1. Working with Photomerge
        2. Considerations When You Shoot a Panorama
      13. Summary
      14. Q&A
      15. Workshop
        1. Quiz
        2. Activities
    4. 21. Going Wild with Your Images
      1. Posterizing Colors
      2. Adjusting the Threshold
      3. Liquifying an Image
      4. Replacing Colors with Gradient Map and Invert
        1. Using Gradient Map
        2. Creating Your Own Gradient
        3. Using Invert
      5. Adding Metallic Effects
      6. Task: Creating Gold Type from Scratch
      7. Using Weird Effects
        1. Neon Glow
        2. Plastic Wrap
        3. Diffuse Glow
        4. Ocean Ripple
        5. Wave
        6. Solarize
      8. Summary
      9. Q&A
      10. Workshop
        1. Quiz
        2. Activity
    5. 22. Creating Backgrounds and Textures from Scratch
      1. Creating Backgrounds with the Gradient Tool
      2. Task: Create a Composite Image from Scratch
      3. Other Sources for Backgrounds and Textures—Working with Stock Photos
      4. Creating Backgrounds and Textures
      5. Summary
      6. Q&A
      7. Workshop
        1. Quiz
        2. Activity
    6. 23. Building Your Own Brushes and Patterns
      1. Using the Preset Manager
      2. Customizing Libraries
      3. Defining Brushes
      4. Task: Plant Some Grass with the Grass Brush
        1. Shaping Brushes
        2. Saving a Brush
        3. Creating a Brush from a Shape or Selection
      5. Defining Patterns
      6. Summary
      7. Q&A
      8. Workshop
        1. Quiz
        2. Activity
    7. 24. Animated GIFs and Other Cool Tricks
      1. Animating a GIF
      2. Setting Type in a Circle
      3. Using the Magic Eraser
      4. Using Third-Party Filters
        1. Kai’s Power Tools
        2. Alien Skin: Eye Candy 4000 and Splat!
        3. Andromeda Software Filters
      5. Summary
      6. Q&A
      7. Workshop
        1. Quiz
        2. Activities

Product information

  • Title: Sams Teach Yourself Adobe® Photoshop® Elements 2 in 24 Hours
  • Author(s):
  • Release date: October 2002
  • Publisher(s): Sams
  • ISBN: 9780672324307