Photoshop® Elements 2018 For Dummies®
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Library of Congress Control Number: 2017950912
ISBN: 978-1-119-41808-5 (pbk); ISBN 978-1-119-41810-8 (ebk); 978-1-119-41809-2 (ebk)
We live in a photo world. And Photoshop Elements has become a tool for both professional and amateur photographers who want to edit, improve, manage, manipulate, and organize photos and other media. Considering the power and impressive features of the program, Elements remains one of the best values for your money among computer software applications.
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 2018 for the Mac, exactly the same as when we refer to using Elements on Windows.
In Photoshop Elements 2018, you won’t find huge changes to an already refined user interface. However, there are some dazzling new features added to the program.
In terms of the new features, this version of Elements provides the following:
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.
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 2018.
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.
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 2018 For Dummies Cheat Sheet in the Search box.
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 2018, and it’s our sincere wish that the pages ahead provide you with an informative and helpful view of the program.
Part 1
IN THIS PART …
Open the Photo Editor and make quick and easy edits to one of your photos in Quick mode.
Choose the right resolution for your image.
Select the best file format when you save your image.
Tour the Photo Editor interface so that you know how to switch among images and navigate the many panels and options.
Chapter 1
IN THIS CHAPTER
Getting tips on photography
Starting the Photo Editor
Opening, editing, sharing, and saving a photo
Using Undo History
Finding help
Saving your files
Image editing is incredibly fun, especially with a tool like Photoshop Elements, which enables you to modify, combine, and even draw your own images to your imagination’s content. To get the most out of Elements, you need to understand some basic technical concepts, but like most people, you probably want to jump in, play around, and basically just get started right away.
You’re in luck: In Quick mode, Elements helps you make basic edits to your photos, like revealing your child’s face darkened by a baseball cap’s shadow or cropping out the gigantic trash can on the left edge of your otherwise perfect landscape shot. In this chapter, we help you jump-start your image-editing skills by guiding you through Quick mode and how to share photos online, retrace your steps, save your edits, and more.
We want to cover a few basics about photography before we jump into editing images. Many photographers and articles by professionals talk about stages and phases of photography as it relates to the developing photographer as an artist.
Rather than talk about becoming an artist, we’re going to break down the process of creating photos into three phases important for amateurs to know as they prepare for a photoshoot. Our definition of the three phases of photography are pre-shooting, shooting, and post-production (commonly referred to simply as post). Each phase is important. Here’s what’s involved in each:
Pre-shooting: In the pre-shooting phase, you set up shots and pay attention specifically to lighting and composition. Photos taken with the best cameras under poor lighting are never as good as photos taken with simple cameras in the best lighting. In photography, lighting is everything. In Figure 1-1, a studio shot with controlled lighting is on the left; a snapshot with no controlled lighting is on the right.
Try to learn as much as you can about lighting. Be aware of a variety of lighting conditions and how you can control lighting. Use large reflectors such as a simple, white, heavy-duty cardboard to target light reflections in poorly lit areas or shadows. Use the reflector to shield heavy overhead sunlight. If you’re serious about portrait photography, buy some inexpensive lights such as a softbox and a spotlight. Get a few different backdrops you can tack on a wall, or buy a backdrop stand. You can set up a photo studio easily and with very little cost.
Poke around the Internet and learn as much as you can about lighting. Learn different lighting techniques such as Rembrandt lighting, split lighting, butterfly, loop, broad, and so on. Learn to place lights in a home studio and set angles and use reflectors. You can easily set up a home studio in a room or a garage and have a lot of fun shooting portraits.
Shooting: In the second phase, you need to understand your camera. If you use a DSLR, learn how to change menu options and control settings that you use frequently. The more advanced cameras have tons of settings, but you’re likely to change only a few from the defaults.
Be certain to review and understand ISO, aperture, and shutter speeds. Shoot tons of photos and bracket many shots exposing for shadows while letting go of the highlights. Change angles. Shoot low, shoot high, get in close, and shoot full subjects. Crop as much as you can with your camera and leave the fine detail cropping to post-production. Pay attention to backgrounds and move around your subjects to find the least background distractions interfering with your subjects.
Photography is like graphic design, and you use many of the same principles for good design in your photography. Look for hierarchy and simplicity, look for repetition, look at shapes and form, look for contrast. All these factors are involved with good graphic design and can also be applied to photography. Make a study of graphic design and become familiar with what makes a good design versus what appear as poor designs.
Good photographs are created. You may have to wait until the lighting in a scene is optimum and the subject is in the right position, or you may need to rotate the angle. Be patient and realize that good photos are works of art and require time and thought, such as the photo in Figure 1-2.
Photo: Ted Padova, Model (left): Camille Sedar
FIGURE 1-1: A photo shot in a studio with controlled lighting (left) and a snapshot taken with no controlled lighting (right).
Photo: Ted Padova
FIGURE 1-2: Lines, form, and lighting are all important in your photography.
If you’re a serious amateur, remember: Snapshots are taken randomly with no creative influence, while photographs are created with much attention to detail.
Photoshop Elements has two separate components:
In this chapter, you work in the Photo Editor to make basic edits to a photo.
Here’s how to start Elements and open the Photo Editor:
Click the Photo Editor button shown in the Welcome screen in Figure 1-3.
The Photo Editor workspace loads and appears, as shown in Figure 1-4. By default, you see the Quick tab selected at the top of the Photo Editor workspace, which means you’re in Quick mode (or right where you want to be for the purposes of this chapter). Quick mode offers a limited number of tools for adjusting brightness, contrast, color, and sharpness.
FIGURE 1-3: The Photoshop Elements Welcome screen.
FIGURE 1-4: The default Photo Editor workspace with the Quick tab selected.
When you first launch Photoshop Elements, you may see the eLive tab open. Click the Quick tab to see the editing options for Quick mode. See the section “Getting a Helping Hand,” later in this chapter, for more about eLive.
On the right side of the workspace, you see the Adjustments panel docked in an area dubbed the Panel Bin. When in any one of the three editing modes (Quick, Guided, Expert), you find different panels. On the left side of the workspace, you see a Tools panel. Interacting with the items in the Panel Bin and using tools in the Tools panel provides you an enormous number of options for editing, improving, and stylizing your pictures.
For beginning users, the Quick mode in the Photo Editor is both powerful and easy to use. Follow these steps to make some simple changes to an image:
Choose File ⇒ Open.
If Elements is your default editing application, you can also double-click your photo file in Windows Explorer or the Mac Finder, and the file opens in Elements.
Make edits to your photo.
Here’s an introduction to two simple edits you can make in Quick mode:
Apply a Smart Fix: Click Smart Fix in the Panel Bin to see the options. To begin with, click Auto at the bottom of the Smart Fix panel and select the After view to see whether you like the changes.
As shown in Figure 1-5, several items are listed in the Panel Bin below the Smart Fix option. Click an item to expand it and move the sliders, or click the thumbnail images to tweak the overall brightness, contrast, and color. In many cases there isn’t a right or wrong adjustment. Play with the options to bring it close to your overall vision for the picture. For a more in-depth look at correcting photos in Quick mode, flip to Chapter 10.
When making any one of a huge number of edits to your pictures, you often see icons on top of the image similar to what’s shown in Figure 1-6. The green check mark accepts the edit you’re making at the time the icons appear. The circle with a diagonal line is the Cancel button. Click this button when you don’t want to apply the recent edit.
Choose File ⇒ Save As and, in the Save As dialog box that opens, provide a new name for the photo. Click Save.
Note: When you use Save As and give your image a new name, you don’t destroy your original image. You save a copy of the original with the new edits applied. For more on saving files, see the section “Saving Files with Purpose” later in this chapter.
FIGURE 1-5: The before and after views in Quick mode.
FIGURE 1-6: The Crop tool sized on 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:
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:
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.
Type either 72 or 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 100KB.
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.
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.)
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.
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:
Your authentication is complete.
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.
Click Visit Facebook.
Your photo is added to your Facebook account, as shown in Figure 1-7.
FIGURE 1-7: An edited photo uploaded to Facebook.
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.
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:
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.
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.
If you want to bring back the edits, click any grayed-out step on the panel.
Elements reinstates your edits up to that level.
FIGURE 1-8: The History panel.
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:
While you edit photos in Elements, plan on saving your work regularly. Each time you save in an editing session, the History panel preserves the list of edits you make until you hit the maximum number or close the file.
If you save, then perform more edits, and then want to return to the last saved version of your document, Elements provides you with a quick, efficient way to do so. If you choose Edit ⇒ Revert, Elements eliminates your new edits and takes you back to the last time you saved your file.
When you choose Revert, Revert appears in the History panel. You can eliminate the Revert command from the History panel by right-clicking (Windows) or Ctrl-clicking (on a Mac with a one-button mouse) the Revert item and choosing Delete from the contextual menu that appears.