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Product Description
Photoshop Elements combines an easy-to-use set of features and enhancements with image editing power in an affordable program. The newest version?Photoshop Elements 8?features more online integration with products like the new Flash-based Web galleries.

Packed with beyond-the-basic techniques that show you how to take your Photoshop Elements skills to the next level, this invaluable book reveals ground-breaking ideas and innovative tips and tricks for taking digital images from basic know-how to creative wow!

• Provides adventurous Photoshop Elements users with a visual reference on how to use the bells and whistles found in the latest version of the software, Photoshop Elements 8
• Distinguishes itself as not your ordinary how-to guide by revealing the best features of Photoshop Elements 8
• Offers easy-to-follow, full color step-by-step instructions and detailed imagery throughout

Take your image editing skills to new heights with the featured Photoshop Elements 8 tips and tricks.

Photoshop Elements 8 Tips for Getting Started
Amazon-exclusive content from author Rob Sheppard

1. Work the photo, not the program. It is easy to get overwhelmed by the software and forget what is really important -- your photograph! Do what you need for the photograph, not what you think you should do in the program.

2. Save the originals. Whenever you open a photo into Photoshop Elements, immediately do a ?Save As? to create a new image file for you to work on. This allows you to preserve the original file so that it cannot be affected directly and you will always have it if you run into problems with your work later.

3. Always back up your photos. Big external hard drives are very inexpensive now. Copy your digital photos from their folders on your computer to an external drive so that you have at least one complete copy of all of your images for back up. There is a saying in the industry, ?It isn?t ?if? your hard drive will fail, but when.? Be prepared for that ?when? by backing up your photos. Many hard drives now come with automated backup software that can help.

4. Right-click your mouse for more information. Photoshop Elements is filled with extremely helpful context-sensitive menus. They are only accessible when you right-click on a part of the interface. Right-click on the photo and you get a menu related to the tool you are using. Right-click in the layer panel and you get an entirely different menu. If you are working with a Mac, get and use a right-click mouse.

5. Remember the ?undo? command. Use Control + Z for Windows and Command + Z for the Mac. This is very freeing because it means you cannot hurt your photo as you work. If anything doesn?t look right, just undo it.

6. Consider using RAW files. RAW files offer you more flexibility in processing your photos and can be processed with Photoshop Elements, in its Camera Raw software. RAW is not arbitrarily better than JPEG but can give you better results if you are willing to work with it and use its flexibility in processing.

7. Learn layers. Layers seem intimidating to many photographers, yet once you start using them, you will find all sorts of ways to use them in order to make your image processing faster, better and more flexible.

8. Never worry about knowing everything in Photoshop Elements. Learn and use what is most appropriate to your photography. After all, Ansel Adams could only make his prints bigger or smaller, lighter or darker, more or less contrasty, as well as lighter/darker or more/less contrasty in small areas, and that was about it. Yet look at what he accomplished with these ?limited? controls.

9. Practice makes perfect. The way to get better with Photoshop Elements and to work faster and more efficiently with your images is to spend some time with Elements. You have to put in the time in order to save time later. Playing around with lots of photos, seeing what all the controls do, failing as well as succeeding, will all help you become a better photo processor with Elements.

10. Feel free to experiment. If you aren?t sure how a control works, or even if you should use it at all, just try it. As long as you do not save your work over the image file, you cannot hurt your photo. If you experiment and it doesn?t work, simply undo the changes or go to the Undo History panel to back up in your adjustments.

1 Organize and Prepare Photos for Processing.

#1 Develop a Workflow.

#2 Import Your Images.

#3 View Photos with Full-Screen Mode.

#4 Sort the Good Pictures from the Bad.

#5 Stack Your Images.

#6 Create Albums to Group Your Pictures.

#7 Use Keywords to Tag Your Images.

#8 Find Photos with Face Recognition.

#9 Change the Organizer Interface As Needed.

#10 Set Preferences to Make Organizer Work for You.

#11 Back Up Your Pictures to Protect Them.

2. Start Adjusting Your Images in Photoshop Elements

#12 Open Pictures and Use Save As.

#13 Make the Editor Interface Your Own.

#14 Set Preferences to Make Editor Work for You.

#15 Experiment to Learn More about Controls.

#16 You Cannot Hurt Your Pictures.

#17 Crop Your Photos for Tighter Shots.

#18 Fix and Rotate Crooked Pictures.

#19 Use Guided Edit to Help You Learn the Program.

#20 Set Blacks and Whites with Levels.

#21 Adjust Your Midtones with Levels.

#22 Adjust Your Midtones with Color Curves.

#23 Quickly Adjust Dark Shadows and Bright Highlights.

#24 Correct Color to Remove Color Casts.

#25 Enhance Color with Hue/Saturation.

#26 Use Quick Edit to Work Fast.

3. Work with RAW Photos in Photoshop Elements.

#27 Change Images Nondestructively.

#28 Crop Your Photos to Start Your Processing.

#29 Adjust Blacks and Whites to Give a Photo Strength.

#30 Adjust Midtones to Make Tonalities Light or Dark.

#31 Correct Color to Clean Up Color Casts.

#32 Use Vibrance and Clarity to Intensify Images.

#33 Sharpen Photos with Precision.

#34 Control Noise in Your Photo.

#35 Apply Adjustments to Multiple Photos.

#36 Move Your Picture to Photoshop Elements.

4. Choose Local Control Features.

#37 Create and Use a Selection.

#38 Use Marquee Tools for Specific Shapes.

#39 Use Lasso Tools to Follow Picture Elements.

#40 Use Automated Tools for Easy Selections.

#41 Expand or Contract Your Selection.

#42 Select What Is Easy and Invert.

#43 Blend Edges by Feathering.

#44 Use Selections for Traditional Edge Darkening.

#45 Use the Smart Brush for Specific Area Fixes.

5. Create Adjustment Layers for Nondestructive Changes.

#46 Understand How Layers Work.

#47 Understand How Adjustment Layers Work.

#48 Work Blacks and Whites with a Levels Adjustment Layer.

#49 Work Midtones with a Levels Adjustment Layer.

#50 Correct Color with an Adjustment Layer.

#51 Enhance Color with an Adjustment Layer.

#52 Fix Problem Exposures with Layer Blending Modes.

#53 Understand How Layer Masks Work.

#54 Remove Adjustments with Black.

#55 Add Adjustments Using Black and Then White.

#56 Combine Layer Masks with Selections.

#57 Balance Colors and Tones in a Picture.

#58 Bring Out Shadow Detail in Specific Areas.

#59 Darken Highlight Detail in Specific Areas.

#60 Add a Graduated Filter Effect.

#61 Flatten Layers When Done.

6. Solve Photo Problems.

#62 Clone Out Problems.

#63 Remove People from a Scene with Photomerge Scene Cleaner.

#64 Fix Problems due to Lens Distortion.

#65 Fix Perspective Problems with Building Photographs.

#66 Remove Dead Space with Recompose.

#67 Make an Out-of-Focus Background.

#68 Remove Distracting Colors.

#69 Improve Blank Skies.

#70 Create the Focus with Gaussian Blur.

#71 Add a New Background for Your Subject.

7. Size and Sharpen Photos.

#72 Basic Workflow for Image Sizing.

#73 Size Photos for Printing.

#74 Size Photos for E-mail.

#75 Sharpen Photos with Unsharp Mask.

#76 Sharpen Photos with Adjust Sharpness.

#77 Sharpen Photos When You Have Layers.

#78 Selectively Sharpen Parts of Your Photo.

8. Go Beyond the Basics.

#79 Convert Color Photos to Black-and-White.

#80 Adjust Your Photos in Black-and-White.

#81 Create Toned Images.

#82 Use the Smart Brush for Creative Effects.

#83 Create a Hand-Colored Look.

#84 Photograph a Scene for a Panoramic Image.

#85 Merge Photos for a Panoramic Picture.

9. Software Plug-ins Make Work Easier.

#86 Use Color Efex Pro for Quick Creative Adjustments.

#87 Use Color Efex Pro for Efficient Photo Work.

#88 Remove Noise with Dfine.

#89 Get Dramatic Black-and-White with Silver Efex Pro.

#90 Use FocalPoint for Easy Depth-of-Field Effects.

#91 Try PhotoTune for Fast Color and Tonal Adjustments.

#92 Use Enlarge It for Making Big Prints.

10. Get Photos out of Photoshop Elements.

#93 Gain More Options with Photoshop.com.

#94 Protect Your Photos with Online Backup.

#95 Access Your Photos Anywhere Internet Service Is Available.

#96 Create Online Photo Albums.

#97 Share Your Photos Online.

#98 Print Your Photos.

#99 Print a Group of Photos.

#100 Make a Photo Greeting Card.

#101 Create Photo Collages.

#102 Add Frame Effects to Your Pictures.

#103 Make a Slide Show.

#104 Put Your Photos on a DVD or CD.