Photoshop^® Elements 15 For Dummies^®

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Copyright © 2016 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey

Published simultaneously in Canada

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Library of Congress Control Number: 2016950173

ISBN 978-1-119-28149-8 (pbk); ISBN 978-1-119-28151-1 (ebk); ISBN 978-1-119-28150-4 (ebk)

About This Book

This book is an effort to provide as much of a comprehensive view of a wildly feature-rich program as we can. Additionally, this book is written for a cross-platform audience. If you’re a Mac user, you’ll find all you need to work in Elements 15 for the Mac, exactly the same as when we refer to using Elements on Windows.

Here we are now in version 15 of Photoshop Elements. Imagine, 15 versions of the program! You won’t find huge changes to an already refined user interface, nor will you find some extraordinary, out-of-this-world, new features. What’s new in this version of Elements are refinements of the feature-rich program and some helpful new features that permit you to express yourself artistically in just about any manner you choose.

In terms of the new features, this version of Elements brings you some nifty enhancements to facilitate ease in working with the program and some very nice tools and methods for editing your photos:

• Touch Support: Most of the new Windows laptop computers shipped today have touchscreens that permit you to use your fingers instead of a mouse for menu commands and actions. The Mac has been slow to adopt this technology. Elements 15 supports some features for using touchscreen technology when working on a Windows laptop. The Organizer and Quick Edit modes have migrated to more friendly touchscreen behavior.
• Layers: You can now group layers in Elements. You can also color-code layers.
• Perspective Crop: You can crop images using perspective control.
• Content Aware Move Transform: Content Aware lets you move pixels around an image while blending the edges with background content so the result appears much less artificial. Now you can use Content Aware when transforming selections such as scaling and rotating.
• Enhanced Search: Searching for people, places, and events has been revamped to help you quickly and efficiently add tags to images. Finding special moments becomes much easier and it’s all included in a single panel.
• Auto Tagging: If you’ve found tagging images with keywords or identifying people and events individually to be burdensome and take up too much of your time, this new Auto Tagging feature helps you breeze through managing your Organizer library.
• Enhanced Auto Fix: If you want to quickly make some fixes on images but you don’t want to launch the Photo Editor, you can now select multiple photos and apply fixes directly in the Organizer.
• Import from Cloud Services: Storing your pictures in the cloud has become commonplace for most users. If you use Dropbox, One Drive, iCloud, or one of many other cloud services, you can now directly import photos into the Organizer from your cloud service.
• Face Aware Liquefy: This new features enables you to detect an area on a face such as lips, nose, eyes, or chin; use sliders in a panel to make adjustments (something like changing frowns to smiles); and apply the edit to all images with the same face tags.
• Filter Gallery: Filters have always been a fun experience for users of both Photoshop and Photoshop Elements. The Filters panel has now become much easier to use.

• Guided Edits: If you’re a long-time user of Photoshop Elements, you’re aware that with each new version, we find new Guided Edits. A Guided Edit walks you through a series of steps to produce an effect — like having a Photoshop Elements guru over your shoulder telling you step-by-step how to make an edit.

  In Elements 15, we have some new Guided Edits:

  • Photo Text: Helps you use text as a mask and embellish the text with embossing, drop shadows, strokes, and so on.
  • Speed Pan: Enables you to add motion to images.
  • Painterly: Enables you to turn a photo into an image appearing as an art painting.
  • Frame Creator: Enables you to make custom photo frames that you can use in other creations. You can add the custom frame to a library and reuse it many times with other creations.
• Optional Smart Layers: Smart Layers have been around in Photoshop and Elements for some time. The idea behind a Smart Layer is that whatever you do to the layer can later be rejected and you can return to the original content unedited. This is known as nondestructive editing. When you drag a photo from the Photo Bin in Elements to an open image, the new photo appears as a Smart Layer. Some users don’t want the new layers in a document added as Smart Layers. Now in Elements 15 you have a Preference option to turn off Smart Layers when you drag a photo from the Photo Bin to an open image.

Throughout this book, especially in step lists, we point you to menus for keyboard commands. For accessing a menu command, you may see something like this:

Choose File ⇒ Get Photos ⇒ From Files and Folders.

You click the File menu to open its drop-down menu, click the menu command labeled Get Photos, and then choose the command From Files and Folders from the submenu that appears. It’s that simple.

We also refer to context menus, which jump up at your cursor position and show you a menu of options related to whatever you’re doing at the time. To open a context menu, just right-click the mouse, or Control-click on a Mac if you don’t have a two-button mouse.

When we mention that keys need to be pressed on your keyboard, the text looks like this:

Press Alt+Shift+Ctrl+S (Option+Shift++S on the Mac).

In this case, you hold down the Alt key on Windows/the Option key on the Mac, then the Shift key, then the Control key on Windows/the key on the Mac, and then press the S key. Then, release all the keys at the same time.

Icons Used in This Book

In the margins throughout this book, you see icons indicating that something is important.

This icon informs you that this item is a new feature in Photoshop Elements 15.

Pay particular attention when you see the Warning icon. This icon indicates possible side-effects or damage to your image that you might encounter when performing certain operations in Elements.

This icon is a heads-up for something you may want to commit to memory. Usually, it tells you about a shortcut for a repetitive task, where remembering a procedure can save you time.

A Tip tells you about an alternative method for a procedure, giving you a shortcut, a workaround, or some other type of helpful information.

Elements is a computer program, after all. No matter how hard we try to simplify our explanation of features, we can’t entirely avoid some technical information. If a topic is a little on the technical side, we use this icon to alert you that we’re moving into a complex subject. You won’t see many of these icons in the book because we try our best to give you the details in nontechnical terms.

Beyond the Book

In addition to what you’re reading right now, this product also comes with a free access-anywhere Cheat Sheet that includes a detailed look at the Elements photo editing workspace, Tool Panel shortcuts, tricks for selecting objects, and more. To get this Cheat Sheet, simply go to www.dummies.com and type Photoshop Elements 15 For Dummies Cheat Sheet in the Search box.

Where to Go from Here

Try to spend a little time reading through the three chapters in Part 1. After you know how to edit and save photos, feel free to jump around and pay special attention to the cross-referenced chapters, in case you get stuck on a concept. After exploring the Elements Photo Editor, look over Part 2, where we talk about organizing and searching photos. If you’re ready to jump into more advanced tasks, check out Parts 3 and 4, where you learn how to make selections; layer images and effects together; add filters and type; and much, much more.

We hope you have much success and enjoyment in using Adobe Photoshop Elements 15, and it’s our sincere wish that the pages ahead provide you with an informative and helpful view of the program.

Sharing a Photo

After you edit your photo, you can print the photo to share with family and friends or post the photo on a social network.

Because sharing photos on social networks is extremely popular, we introduce you to the Elements sharing features with the following steps, which explain how you can use Elements to share your photo on Facebook:

1. Prepare the photo you want to upload to Facebook.

   Typically, digital cameras take photos sized very large — too large for an image that your friends and family will want to download quickly and view via Facebook on a computer screen or a mobile device. To adjust your image so it’s the right size and resolution for viewing online, follow these steps:

   1. Choose Image ⇒ Resize ⇒ Image Size.

   2. In the Image Size dialog box that appears, enter your desired width (or height).

      Either Width or Height is fine because the image will maintain correct proportions by choosing either. A width between 720 pixels and 2,048 pixels works well.

      Facebook recommends that supported sizes for regular photos are widths of 720 pixels, 960 pixels, and 2,048 pixels with file sizes no more than 100KB. When you save as JPEG, the files are compressed and you’ll find the larger size to be within Facebook recommendations.

   3. Type 144 in the Resolution box.

      For screen viewing only 72 ppi is fine. However, if you want your friends to print the image, 144 is a better choice. You can use either resolution. Be sure the file size is no larger than 100 ppi.

   4. Select the Resample Image check box and then click OK (see Figure 1-5).

      The image is sized to a workable size for Facebook. In Chapter 2, you take a closer look at what these image-sizing options mean and how to choose the right settings for your prints or online images.

2. Choose File ⇒ Save As ⇒ JPEG to save the file as a JPEG.

   Note the location where you save the file on your hard drive. Chapter 2 also explains how to choose the right file format for your images. (JPEG is one of many file formats that Elements supports.)

3. Click Share in the top-right corner of the workspace to open the Share panel and then choose Facebook from the drop-down list.

   Elements enables you to upload to other services, like Twitter and Flickr, too. For details about the Share panel, flip to Chapter 15.

4. Authenticate your account.

   A dialog box opens when you choose Facebook in the Share panel, prompting you to authenticate your account. To authenticate your account:

   1. Click Authenticate in the dialog box.
   2. Fill in the text boxes for your Facebook login and password.

   Your authentication is complete.

5. Click the Upload button to upload the file.

   When the file upload is complete, a dialog box opens and prompts you to view the uploaded file.

6. Click Visit Facebook.

   Your photo is added to your Facebook account, as shown in Figure 1-6.

Creating Images from Scratch

You may want to start from scratch by creating a new document in Elements. New, blank pages have a number of uses:

• Mix and merge images in a new document, as we explain in Chapter 8.
• Create a canvas where you can draw and paint, as we explain in Chapter 12.
• Use the New dialog box to find out a file’s size, dimensions, and resolution. You find out why these details are important in Chapter 2.

Follow these steps to create a new document while working in any editing mode:

1. In the Elements Photo Editor, choose File ⇒ New ⇒ Blank File or press Ctrl+N (+N on the Mac).

   Alternatively, you can choose Open ⇒ New Blank File in the Photo Editor.

   The New dialog box opens, as shown in Figure 1-7.

2. Select the attributes for the new file.

   When you select these attributes, among the things you need to consider is the output you want to use for the image: screen or paper. Files created for the web or for screen views are measured in pixels, and you don’t need to specify a resolution. For print, you want to use a measurement other than pixels and you need to specify resolution. We explain how all this works for the relevant settings in the following bulleted list.

   You have several options from which to choose:

   • Name: Type a name for your file.
   • Document Type: Select from a number of different document types such as paper, photo, web, and so on.
   • Size: You can choose a preset size from a long drop-down list. This setting is optional because you can change the file attributes in the other text boxes and drop-down lists.
   • Dimensions (Width/Height): Values in the Width and Height text boxes are independent; either box can be edited without affecting the other. Adjacent to the values in the Width and Height text boxes, you find drop-down lists that offer many options for units of measure, such as the default units of pixels followed by inches, centimeters (cm), millimeters (mm), points, picas, and columns.
   • Resolution: Generally speaking, if your image will be printed, choose 300 dpi (dots per inch). If you plan to display your image only on a computer screen or mobile device, choose 72 ppi (pixels per inch). Chapter 2 explains the details about how resolution works.
   • Color Mode: You most likely want to leave this at the default of RGB Color. Chapter 2 explains when you might want to use the other available color modes.
   • Background Contents: You have three choices: White, Background Color, and Transparent. The selection you make results in the color of the blank image. If you choose Background Color, the current background color assigned on the Tools panel is applied to the background. See Chapter 12 for information on changing background color. If you choose Transparent, the blank image is the digital version of a sheet of acetate, and the image is created as a layer. Chapter 8 explains how you work with layers.
   • Image Size: This value (displayed in the lower-right corner of the dialog box) dynamically changes when you change the Width, Height, and Resolution values. The Image Size value tells you how much file space is required to save the uncompressed file.
3. Click OK after setting the file attributes to create the new document.

Sometimes you may want to copy a selection to the Clipboard and convert the Clipboard information to an image. Be sure you have copied some image data to the Clipboard. In Elements, choose File ⇒ New ⇒ Image from Clipboard. The data on the Clipboard appears in a new document window.

After you create a new image, try playing with the different brushes and painting tools, just to experiment and get a feel for how they work. For example, click a brush on the Tools panel and then click and drag to paint in the image window. Or jump to Chapter 12, where we help you start using the drawing and painting tools.

Retracing Your Steps

In Elements, Undo is a favorite command for both beginners and experienced users alike. If you don’t like a change to your image, you simply choose Edit ⇒ Undo or press the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+Z (+Z on the Mac).

Because trial and error (and thus undoing your work) is so important to making your image look just right, Elements also offers ways to undo that are much more sophisticated than simply reverting to the last view. In the following sections, we introduce you to these more sophisticated tools.

Using the History panel

On the History panel, you see a record of your changes in an editing session. And from this record, you can undo your changes from any step in an editing sequence. To work with the History panel, you must be in Expert mode. After you click Expert at the top of the Photo Editor, here’s how undoing with the History panel works:

1. To open the panel, choose Window ⇒ History.

   The History panel displays a record of each step you made in the current editing session, as shown in Figure 1-8.

2. To undo one or more edits, click any item on the History panel.

   Elements reverts your image to that last edit. All edits that follow the selected item are grayed out.

3. If you want to bring back the edits, click any grayed-out step on the panel.

   Elements reinstates your edits up to that level.

All your steps are listed on the History panel as long as you remain in Elements and don’t close the file. When the file is closed, all history information is lost.

Storing all this editing history can affect Elements’ performance. If your computer slows to a snail’s pace when you’re using Elements, check out the following options:

• Choose Edit ⇒ Clear History. Elements flushes all the recorded history and frees up some precious memory, which often enables you to work faster. Just be sure you’re okay with losing all the history in the History panel thus far.
• Eliminate Clipboard data from memory. To do so, choose Edit ⇒ Clear Clipboard Contents or Edit ⇒ Clear ⇒ All.
• Restore the number of history states stored to the default of 50. In Chapter 3, we show you how to increase the number of history states via Elements preferences. You can ratchet this number up to 1,000 if you like. But realize that the more history states you record, the more memory Elements requires.