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ADOBE

Photoshop
Elements 6

User Guide
MAC OS X

Adobe® Photoshop® Elements 6.0 User Guide for Mac OS®
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Part Number: 90085330 (02/08)

iii

Contents
Chapter 1: Getting started
Installing Photoshop Elements

............................................................ 1

Using Help and getting support

........................................................... 1

New and enhanced features

............................................................... 3

Working in Photoshop Elements

........................................................... 4

Chapter 2: Photoshop Elements workspace
About the workspace . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Context menus
Tools

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Palettes and bins

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Undo, redo, and cancel

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

Scratch disks and plug-ins

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

Chapter 3: Import photos
Importing photos
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Cameras and card readers
Scanners

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

Local files, CDs, DVDs, and video

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

Chapter 4: Working with files
Opening files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Managing and organizing files
Viewing images
Rulers and the grid

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

Saving and exporting images
Guided Edit

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

Chapter 5: Using layers
Creating layers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Editing layers

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53

Copying and arranging layers

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56

Opacity and blending modes

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61

Adjustment and fill layers

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63

Layer groups

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68

Layer styles

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69

Chapter 6: Camera raw files
Processing camera raw image files

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73

Settings and controls

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76

Color and camera raw

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77

Chapter 7: Selecting parts of an image
Making selections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
Modifying selections

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90

Smoothing selection edges with anti-aliasing and feathering
Moving and copying selections
Saving selections

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97

Chapter 8: Color and tonal correction
Color and tonal correction basics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
Adjusting shadows and light
Correcting color casts

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112

Adjusting color saturation and hue
Adjustment filters

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122

Setting press target values

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126

Chapter 9: Cropping, resizing, retouching, and transforming photos
Cropping . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129
Image size and resolution

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134

Retouching

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138

Sharpening

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148

Transforming

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150

Chapter 10: Understanding color
Understanding color . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158
Using image modes and color tables
Setting up color management

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165

Chapter 11: Filters, effects, styles, and artwork
Effects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167
Filters

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172

Artistic filters
Blur filters

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179

Brush Stroke filters

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 180

Distort filters

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181

Noise filters

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186

Pixelate filters

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187

Render filters

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188

Sketch filters

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191

Stylize filters

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192

Texture filters

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 194

Video filters

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 195

Other filters

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 195

Chapter 12: Painting
Painting overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 198
Choosing colors
Painting tools

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 203
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 207

Setting up brushes
Fills and strokes
Patterns

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 217

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 219

Gradients

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 220

Presets and libraries

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 225

Chapter 13: Adding text and shapes
Add and edit text . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 228
Work with Asian type

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 234

Creating shapes

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 236

Editing shapes

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 239

Chapter 14: Making projects
Projects overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 241
Making photo projects

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 242

Make a Photo Book, photo collage, greeting card, or other project
Editing photo projects
Making digital projects
Creating slide shows

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 246

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 247
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 250
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 251

Stitching together panoramas

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 252

Chapter 15: Optimizing for the web
Optimizing images . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 256
Using transparency and mattes

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 264

Dithering in web images

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 266

Previewing web images

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 268

Chapter 16: Printing and sharing photos
Printing photos . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 270
Options for printing and sharing

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 274

Chapter 17: Keyboard shortcuts
Shortcuts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 276
Chapter 18: Glossary
Find definitions for terms
Digital imaging terms
Index

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Chapter 1: Getting started
Adobe® Photoshop® Elements software combines power and simplicity so you can easily make your photos look their
best, share them in imaginative ways, and easily find and view all your photos.

Installing Photoshop Elements
Requirements
To review the complete system requirements and recommendations for your Adobe® software, see the ReadMe file
included with your software.

Install the software
1 Close any other Adobe applications open on your computer.
2 Insert the installation disc into your DVD drive, and follow the on-screen instructions.

Note: For more information, see the ReadMe file included with your software.

Register
Register your product to receive complimentary installation support, notifications of updates, and other services.
❖ To register, follow the on-screen instructions in the Registration dialog box, which appears after you install.

If you postpone registration, you can register at any time by choosing Help > Registration.

ReadMe file
The installation DVD contains the ReadMe file for your software. (This file is also copied to the application folder
during product installation.) Open the file to read important information.

Using Help and getting support
Using Photoshop Elements Help
Photoshop Elements Help is available several ways, each one useful to you for different circumstances.

• LiveDocs Help on the web
• Help in the application
• Help PDF
• Links in the application

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The two forms of Help that will be most useful to you are LiveDocs Help on the web and Help in the application.
Help in the application is a convenient first step in getting help because it’s built into the application and does not
require an Internet connection. It covers most concepts and many tasks in an abbreviated form. LiveDocs Help on
the web contains in-depth coverage of all concepts and tasks and requires an Internet connection. If you want to
know more about a topic in the application Help, you can jump easily to the LiveDocs Help on the web; just click
“This page on the web” at the bottom of any topic.
Search tips

The search feature in Help works by searching the entire Help text for topics that contain any of the words typed in
the Search For box. These tips can help you improve your search results in Help:

• If you search using a phrase, such as “shape tool,” put quotation marks around the phrase. The search returns only
those topics containing all the words in the phrase.

• Make sure that the search terms are spelled correctly.
• If a search term doesn’t yield results, try using a synonym, such as “web” instead of “Internet.”
• If you find a topic you may want to view again, bookmark it for easy access later.
Printing a topic

To print a topic from Help, use the Print command in the browser.
LiveDocs Help on the web

LiveDocs Help on the web is the most comprehensive and up-to-date version of Photoshop Elements Help. It is the
recommended choice if you have an Internet connection.

Once you are in LiveDocs for Photoshop Elements, you can navigate from the side panel in any of the following ways:

• Choose a different product from the pop-up menu.
• Use the Search field to search within Photoshop Elements Help.
• Browse all topics in Photoshop Elements Help using the contents or index.
Help in the application

Help in the application provides easy access to summarized information on common tasks and concepts. Help in the
application can be especially useful if you are new to Photoshop Elements or if you aren’t connected to the Internet.

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To access the Photoshop Elements Help in the application, use the Command+? keys on your keyboard or choose
Photoshop Elements Help from the Help menu.
If you are connected to the Internet, you can click “This page on the web” on any page in the application’s Help to go
to the corresponding page in LiveDocs.
Note: If you are not connected to the Internet and you click “This page on the web,” you will get a browser error message.
Help PDF

Help is also available as a PDF that is optimized for printing; just go to www.adobe.com. This is the best way to access
the most comprehensive Help when you don’t have an Internet connection.
Links in the application

There are some links within Photoshop Elements (for example, in the Guided Edits section, there are “Tell me
more...” links for each of the guided tasks). Clicking these links will take you to the corresponding topic in either
LiveDocs Help or Help in the application.
Note: If the link in the application points to a LiveDocs page and you are not connected to the Internet, you will get a
browser error.

Adobe Photoshop Elements website
Visit Adobe Photoshop Elements Training Resources; it offers tutorials, links to online resources and services, and
information about instructional and inspirational books for learning the product.

Customer support
Visit the Adobe Support website at www.adobe.com/support to find troubleshooting information for your product
and to learn about free and paid technical support options.

New and enhanced features
What’s new
Make your photos look their best
Count on step-by-step assistance Do you need to touch up a scratch or blemish but you’re not sure how to begin?

Photoshop Elements walks you through each editing step to make improving your photos easier than ever.
Get the perfect group shot Create amazing composites with new Photomerge® technology. Never let a frowning
mouth or a closed pair of eyes ruin a group photo again. With the new Photomerge Group Shot, you can easily
combine the best facial expressions and body language from a series of shots to create a single, perfect composite.
Have fun with faces Take advantage of smooth image-blending technology to combine the eyes, noses, and other
features from different faces for entertaining results. Try on the facial features of a favorite celebrity, combine yourself
with your current squeeze to see what your offspring might look like, and more.
Create seamless panoramas with refined technology Easily combine horizontal or vertical panoramas using
Photomerge Panorama technology to automatically stitch together multiple photos with unprecedented results.

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Create dramatic black-and-whites with ease Dramatically transform your color originals by converting them to

elegant, nuanced black-and-white.
Make selections in a snap Take advantage of new technology that lets you make image selections in seconds, so you
can easily adjust specific areas of a photo. Simply brush your selection, and then use sliders to make the adjustment
blend perfectly with the background.
Easily isolate objects from backgrounds Quickly separate an object from its background—even in complex,

textured areas—and instantly remove rough edges.
Sharpen blurred edges Get crisper-looking photos—even removing blurring caused by low lighting conditions.
Correct lens distortion Easily correct lens distortion at photo edges and keystone effects that exaggerate perspective.
Fine-tune exposure Get the perfect exposure with the new color curves adjustment that makes it even easier to fine-

tune color, brightness, and contrast.
Enjoy enhanced support for working with raw files Get the highest-quality results by performing non-destructive

editing on the raw image files from your digital camera. Edit raw files from a greater selection of camera models;
enjoy finer control over lighting and color adjustments; and save time by applying the same set of adjustments across
multiple raw images simultaneously—even see batch-applied changes as they’re made.
Do more with your photos
Start creating quickly Get step-by-step assistance for making photo projects, like scrapbook pages, cards, and

CD/DVD labels. Simply choose the type of project you’d like to create, and the appropriate tools and instructions
appear at your fingertips.
Share in many ways from one convenient place Quickly and easily share your photos in a variety of ways—including

e-mail, Web galleries, and burning to CD.
Liven up your photo projects Use great-looking new themes and artwork to give your photo projects a professional

look.
Easily find and view photos
Enjoy improved performance Start Photoshop Elements and view and organize your photos faster than ever before.
Create projects more quickly Save time by gathering the photos you need for a specific project in one place. A
dedicated Project Bin provides easy access to all of your open photos, photo book pages, and saved albums.

Working in Photoshop Elements
Photoshop Elements overview
Photoshop Elements software combines power and simplicity so you can easily tell creative stories with your photos.
Start by importing photos and then refine them by making basic edits by following step-by-step guided editing tasks,
or by using advanced editing tools. Then create printed and electronic photo projects such as scrapbook pages, slide
shows, photobooks, and online interactive galleries that you can easily share with family and friends.

Importing and organizing photos
When you start Photoshop Elements, it displays a Welcome screen that provides a starting point for whatever you
want to do. You can start from scratch, browse for files with Adobe Bridge, or open files from a camera or a scanner.

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With Photoshop Elements, you can import photos from a card reader or from a folder on a hard disk. To speed
import, you can set the program to start automatically when you attach your camera to your computer.

Use Adobe Bridge to manage photo files.

When working in Photoshop Elements, use Adobe Bridge to find and manage your photos and Adobe PDF
documents, even if they’re stored in different locations. Adobe Bridge automatically organizes photos by date as it
downloads, and you can further sort and categorize photos by adding star ratings, by stacking photos, and by
assigning keyword tags to help you identify people, places, and events. You can quickly view every photo you’ve ever
taken of your dog, for example, by clicking on your dog’s keyword tag. You can also search for images based on date
range, caption, filename, media type, and more.

Editing photos
Photoshop Elements offers several levels of editing, from simple one-click fixes to advanced color correction and
compositing. The Photoshop Elements workspace provides three editing modes: Quick Fix, Guided Edit, and Full
Edit. Quick Fix offers slider controls for adjusting lighting and color and sharpening entire photos or selected areas
of photos. Full Edit mode provides a complete editing toolset and controls. Here, you can adjust the exposure of
specific areas of a photo using professional darkroom tools such as dodge, burn, and sponge; fine-tune exposure with
the enhanced Brightness/Contrast control, or use Color Curves adjustments to get the perfect exposure.

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Use the slider controls in the Quick Fix mode to quickly improve the color and lighting of a photo.

In Full Edit mode, you can also remove imperfections or unwanted elements, brush away wrinkles and flaws, and
apply artistic filters and effects.
Any time you’re not sure how to proceed, switch to the Guided Edit mode, which provides step-by-step assistance
on how to perform common tasks, such as rotating and straightening photos, correcting skin tone, and performing
color corrections.

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The Guided Edit mode walks you through each editing step to make improving your photos easier than ever.

You can feel free to experiment, too, because you can undo or redo multiple steps with a click.

Creating photo composites
You can also create beautiful composites, including perfect group shots and seamless panoramas, with easy-to-use
tools. New photo-blending technology, called Photomerge, lets you easily combine the best facial expressions and
body language from a series of group shots into one composite in which everyone looks their best. Or, you can blend
features from different faces just for fun. For example, combine your facial features with those of your spouse to see
what your offspring might look like. With Photomerge, you can also automatically stitch together a series of scenic
photos to create smooth panoramic images.
You can use Photomerge to create composites in all three modes. Simply choose File > New, and then select one of
the three Photomerge commands. Or choose one of the Photomerge commands in the Guided Edit tab.

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Use a single tool to easily combine the best facial expressions and body language from a series of group shots to create a single composite in
which everyone looks great.

Creating and sharing photo projects
After you’ve perfected your photos in Photoshop Elements, you can use them in a variety of fun projects that you
can share with family and friends. For example, you can create printed photo projects, such as albums, scrapbook
pages, greeting cards, CD/DVD labels and jackets, and photo collages that you can print at home or upload to an
online printing service (services are not available in all areas outside the United States). Professionally designed
templates feature color-coordinated themed layouts for scrapbook pages, cards, and more. In the Create or Share tab,
simply choose the type of project you’d like to create, and Photoshop Elements walks you through the process with
the appropriate tools and instructions.

Make printed CD/DVD labels and jackets.

To give your projects a more personal look, you can customize the templates. Adjust layout colors to better
complement your photos, for example, and add new graphical elements, text, and effects, such as drop shadows and
glows. Use the Artwork palette to quickly browse hundreds of frames, themes, backgrounds, clip art, and effects to
apply to your photos and photo projects.

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Create customized photo collages with graphical elements, such as frames, drop shadows, backgrounds, and text.

You can also use your photos in digital projects, such as online photo galleries, and photo slide shows. As with print
photo projects, Photoshop Elements guides you through the process of creating your digital projects. It helps you to
design the page, arrange the photos, customize the layout, and burn the project to a disc or upload it to an FTP server.

Create eye-catching slide shows with captions, pan and zoom effects, transitions, narration, and music. Then send photo e-mail and share Web
galleries.

Chapter 2: Photoshop Elements
workspace
Use the Photoshop Elements workspace for creating, editing, and fixing your images. You can add functionality with
plug-in modules and expand system memory by using scratch disks.
Select a photo and then choose Quick Fix, Full Edit, or Guided Edit to edit it.

About the workspace
The Welcome screen
When you start Photoshop Elements, the Welcome screen opens by default. The Welcome screen is a convenient
starting place, or hub, for major tasks.
Click a button on the Welcome screen to open the workspace. You can browse with Adobe Bridge, start from scratch,
or import photos from a camera or scanner.
You can close or reopen the Welcome screen at any time by choosing Window > Welcome. If you prefer to omit the
Welcome screen when you start Photoshop Elements, deselect the Show At Startup box at the bottom of the Welcome
screen.

The editing workspace
There are three ways to create and edit images: Full Edit, Quick Fix, and Guided Edit. The Full Edit workspace
has tools to correct color problems, create special effects, and enhance photos. The Quick Fix workspace
contains
simple tools for correcting color and lighting, and commands to quickly fix common problems like red-eye. If you
are new to digital imaging, Quick Fix or Guided Edit is a good place to start fixing photos.
If you’ve worked with image-editing applications before, you’ll find that the Full Edit workspace provides a flexible
and powerful image-correction environment. It has lighting and color-correction commands, along with tools for
fixing image defects, making selections, adding text, and painting on your images. You can rearrange the Full Edit
workspace to best suit your needs by moving, hiding, and showing palettes; arranging palettes in the Palette Bin;
zooming in or out of the photo; scrolling to a different area of the document window; and creating multiple windows
and views.

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A
B

Full Edit workspace
A. Menu bar B. Workspace buttons C. Toolbox D Project Bin E. Palettes F. Palette bin G. Active image area

Menu bar Contains menus for performing tasks. The menus are organized by topic. For example, the Enhance menu

contains commands for applying adjustments to an image.
Workspace buttons Moves you between the Guided Edit, Quick Fix, and Full Edit workspaces. These buttons
change according to the current workspace.
Toolbox Holds tools for editing images.
Options bar Provides options for the tool you select.
Project Bin Displays thumbnails of opened images, and lets you easily manage them.
Palettes Help you monitor and modify images.
Palette Bin Helps you organize the palettes in your work area.

Note: To view the area behind open photos, including other open applications, uncheck Photoshop Elements > Preferences > Fill Workspace Background. To fill the workspace with a gray backdrop, select the Fill Workspace Background.
option.

See also
“Correct color in Quick Fix” on page 100

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Exit Photoshop Elements
1 Choose Photoshop Elements > Quit Photoshop Elements.
2 Choose whether to save any open files.

See also
“Save changes in different file formats” on page 42

Context menus
Use context menus
You can use context menus to display commands that are relevant to the active tool, selection, or palette. These
menus are often another way to access the commands in the window menus.

Control-click or right-click to open a context menu. This menu appears in the Project Bin in Full Edit.

1 Position the pointer over an image or a palette item.

Note: Not all palettes offer context menus.
2 Right-click and choose a command from the menu.

Using keyboard commands and modifier keys
Keyboard commands let you quickly execute commands without using a menu; modifier keys let you alter how a
tool operates. When available, the keyboard command appears to the right of the command name in the menu.

See also
“Keys for selecting and moving objects” on page 278
“Keys for selecting tools” on page 276

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Tools
About the toolbox
Use tools in the toolbox to select, edit, and view images; some tools let you paint, draw, and type. The toolbox appears
on the left side of the Full Edit and Quick Fix workspaces. In the Full Edit workspace, you can move the toolbox by
dragging the gripper bar at the top of the box.
You must select a tool in the toolbox before you can use it. Once selected, the tool is highlighted in the toolbox, and
optional settings for the tool appear in the options bar, which is located below the shortcuts bar at the top of the
workspace. Some tools in the toolbox have additional tools beneath them. These are called nested tools. A small
triangle at the lower right of the tool icon signals that there are nested tools. When you select a tool, any additional
nested tools appear in the options bar.
Note: You cannot deselect a tool—once you select a tool, it remains selected until you select a different tool. For example,
if you’ve selected the Lasso tool, and you want to click your image without selecting anything, select the Hand tool.
You can view information about any tool in the toolbox by positioning the pointer over it. The name of the tool
appears below the pointer—this is called the tool tip. You can click a link in some tool tips to see additional information about the tool.

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Toolbox overview
A
A

Navigation and
measuring tools

Crop (C)

Move (V)

Painting and
drawing tools
Brush (B)
Pencil (N)
Impressionist
Brush (B)
Color Replacement (B)

Cookie Cutter (Q)

Zoom (Z)

Crop tools

Straighten (P)

Hand (H)
Eyedropper (I)

Selection tools
Rectangular
Marquee (M)
Elliptical Marquee (M)

Lasso (L)
Magnetic Lasso (L)
Polygonal Lasso (L)

F
G

Magic Wand (W)
Quick Selection (A)
Selection Brush (A)
C

Type tools
Horizontal Type (T)
Vertical Type (T)
Horizontal Type
Mask (T)
Vertical Type
Mask (T)

Retouching tools
Red Eye Removal (Y)

Paint Bucket (K)

Spot Healing
Brush (J)
Healing Brush (J)

Gradient (G)
G

Shape tools

Clone Stamp (S)
Pattern Stamp (S)
Eraser (E)
Background Eraser (E)
Magic Eraser (E)
Blur (R)
Sharpen (R)
Smudge (R)

Rectangle (U)
Rounded
Rectangle (U)
Ellipse (U)
Polygon (U)
Line (U)
Custom Shape (U)
Shape Selection (U)

Sponge (O)
Dodge (O)
Burn (O)

Indicates default tool * Keyboard shortcuts appear in parenthesis

Toolbox Overview

Select a tool
❖ Do one of the following:

• Click a tool in the toolbox. If there is a small triangle in a tool’s lower-right corner, hold down the mouse button
to view the hidden tools nested with the tool. Then click the tool you want to select.

• Press the tool’s keyboard shortcut. The keyboard shortcut is displayed in its tool tip. For example, you can select
the Move tool by pressing the V key.

• To open a nested tool, use the tool’s keyboard shortcut several times to cycle through all nested tools.

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B
C

Using tools
A. Toolbox B. Active tool C. Hidden tools D. Tool name E. Tool shortcut F. Hidden tool triangle

See also
“Keys for selecting tools” on page 276

Set tool preferences
1 Choose Photoshop Elements > Preferences > General.
2 Set one or more of the following options, and click OK.

• Select Show Tool Tips to show or hide tool tips.
• Select Use Shift Key For Tool Switch to cycle through a set of hidden tools by holding down the Shift key. When
this option is deselected, you can cycle through a set of hidden tools by pressing the shortcut key (without holding
down Shift).

Set the appearance of a tool pointer
1 Choose Photoshop Elements > Preferences > Display & Cursors.
2 Select a setting for the Painting Cursors:
Standard Displays pointers as tool icons.
Precise Displays pointers as cross-hairs.

Note: When not in Preferences, use the Caps Lock key to toggle the appearance of the Precise cursors.
Normal Brush Tip Displays the pointers as circles at 50% of the size you specify for the brush.
Full Size Brush Tip Displays the pointers as circles at the full size you specify for the brush.
Show Crosshair In Brush Tip Displays cross-hairs in the circles when you choose either Normal Brush Tip or Full

Size Brush Tip.
3 Select a setting for Other Cursors:
Standard Displays pointers as tool icons.
Precise Displays pointers as cross-hairs.

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Set tool options
The options bar appears below the shortcuts bar at the top of the workspace. The options bar is context sensitive—
it changes as you select different tools. Some settings in the options bar are common to several tools, and some are
specific to one tool.
A

Lasso options bar
A. Tool icon B. Active tool C. Hidden tools D. Tool options

1 Select a tool.
2 Look in the options bar to see the available options. For more information on setting options for a specific tool,
search for the tool’s name in Photoshop Elements Help.

Note: To return a tool or all tools to their default settings, click the tool icon in the options bar, then choose Reset Tool or
Reset All Tools from the context menu.

See also
“Keys for selecting tools” on page 276

Set a completed operations alert
1 Choose Photoshop Elements > Preferences > General.
2 Select Beep When Done, and click OK.

Palettes and bins
About palettes
Palettes help you manage, monitor, and modify images. Some palettes have menus that provide additional
commands and options. You can organize palettes in the workspace in many different ways. You can store palettes
in the Palette Bin to keep them out of your way, but easily accessible, or you can keep frequently used palettes open
in the workspace. Another option is to group palettes together or dock one palette at the bottom of another palette.
Palettes are stored in the Palette Bin, which is accessible in Full Edit mode.
Note: Drag a palette out of the Palette Bin if you want to remove it from the Palette Bin and keep it open.

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Dragging a palette

Palette menus

Some commands appear in both the palette menu and the menu bar. Other commands are exclusive to palette
menus.
Only those palettes with a More button at the top have a menu. Click More to choose a command from the palette
menu. The location and appearance of the More button depend on whether the palette is located in the Palette Bin
or in a palette group.
Pop-up sliders within palettes

Some palettes and dialog boxes contain settings that use pop-up sliders (for example, the Opacity option in the Layers
palette). If there is a triangle next to the text box, you can activate the pop-up slider by clicking the triangle. Position
the pointer over the triangle next to the setting, hold down the mouse button, and drag the slider or angle radius to
the desired value. Click outside the slider box or press Enter to close the slider box. To cancel changes, press Esc.
To increase or decrease values in 10% increments when the pop-up slider box is open, hold down Shift and press the
Up Arrow or Down Arrow key.

Different ways to enter values
A. Dial B. Click to open window C. Text box D. Menu arrow E. Scrubby slider F. Check box G. Slider H Pop-up slider triangle

Work with palettes
The Palette Bin lets you store multiple palettes in a single area that you can easily configure, close, or keep open for
easy and fast access. By default, the Palette Bin appears on the right side of the workspace. When you adjust palettes,
they remain as you leave them until you reset or change them.

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The Palette Bin
A. Collapse or expand a palette B. Adjust palette height C. Palette menu D. Scroll to view rest of palette E. Change palette tools F. Adjust
palette width G. Show or hide Palette Bin

1 To adjust the Palette Bin, do any of the following:

• To adjust its height, drag the dark gray bar on the left side or dotted-line bar on the bottom.
• To adjust its width, choose to collapse, show, or hide it.
• To show or hide the bin, choose Window > Palette Bin; or click Hide or Show Palette Bin.
2 To use palettes in the Palette Bin, do any of the following:

• To remove a palette from the Palette Bin, drag the palette’s title bar out of the Palette Bin.
• To add a palette to the Palette Bin, drag the palette’s title bar into the Palette Bin. Or, click the More button in the
palette, select Place In Palette Bin When Closed, and then close the palette.

• To rearrange palettes in the Palette Bin, drag the palette’s title bar to a new location.
• To expand or collapse palettes in the Palette Bin, click the triangle next to the palette’s name.
3 To use palettes outside of the Palette Bin, do any of the following:

• To open a palette, choose the palette’s name from the Window menu.
• To close a palette, choose the palette’s name from the Window menu. Or click the Close button

in the palette’s
title bar. (This option works on palettes that you’ve opened from a menu. If you’ve dragged a palette out of a bin
and click the Close button, the palette simply returns to the bin.)

• To change the size of a palette, drag any corner of the palette.
• To group palettes together (one palette with multiple tabs), drag another palette’s tab onto the body of the target
palette. A thick line appears around the body of the target palette when the pointer is over the correct area for
grouping to occur. If you want to move a palette to another group, drag the palette’s tab to that group. To separate
a palette from a group, drag the palette’s tab outside the group.

• To move a palette group, drag the title bar.

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• To expand or collapse a palette or palette group, double-click the palette’s tab or title bar.
• To reset palettes to their default positions, choose Window > Reset Palette Locations.
Note: If you want palettes to always open in their default positions, choose Photoshop Elements > Preferences > General,
and then deselect Save Palette Locations. The change takes effect the next time you start the application.

Work with the Palette Bin
The Palette Bin appears on the right side of the workspace. It contains a tab for each of the basic steps of photo
editing: Edit, Create, and Share. You can open the Palette Bin to access the tabs, or close it to expand the workspace.

Tabs on the Palette Bin

Show or hide the Palette Bin
❖ Select Window > Show/Hide Palette Bin.

Use tools in the Edit, Create, and Share tabs
1 In the Palette Bin, click the Edit, Create, or Share tab.
2 Click a button for any of the tools listed on that tab.

Use the Project Bin
Located at the bottom of the edit workspaces, the Project Bin displays thumbnails of open photos. It’s useful for
switching between multiple open photos in your workspace. The Project Bin has controls that let you open or close
images, hide images, navigate through open images, make a specific image the frontmost, duplicate an image, rotate
an image, or view file information. Because the Project Bin appears in both Full Edit and Quick Fix, you can easily
bring open images into Quick Fix for editing. Multiple-page projects are highlighted by a gray frame around the page
thumbnails. To show or hide the individual pages, click the right edge of the frame.
❖ Do any of the following:

• To open an image, use File > Open.
• To bring an opened image forward as the frontmost image, double-click a thumbnail.
• To rearrange photos, drag thumbnails in the Project Bin.
• To close an image, right-click a thumbnail in the Project Bin and choose Close.
• To hide an image, right-click the thumbnail and choose Minimize from the context menu.
Note: To show an image after hiding it, double-click its thumbnail in the Project Bin, or right-click the thumbnail and
choose Restore from the context menu.

• To view a photo’s file information, right-click a thumbnail and choose File Info from the context menu.
• To duplicate an image, right-click a thumbnail, choose Duplicate from the context menu, and name the file.
• To rotate an image, right-click a thumbnail and choose Rotate 90˚ Left or Rotate 90˚ Right from the context menu.
• To show filenames, right-click in the Project Bin and choose Show Filenames from the context menu.
• To open or close the Project Bin, choose Window > Project Bin.
• To manually show or hide Project Bin, click the Project Bin button.

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Undo, redo, and cancel
Undo, redo, or cancel operations
Many operations can be undone or redone. For instance, you can restore all or part of an image to its last saved
version. Available memory may limit your ability to use these options.
1 To undo or redo an operation, Choose Edit > Undo or choose Edit > Redo.
2 To cancel an operation, hold down the Esc key until the operation in progress has stopped.

Using the Undo History palette
The Undo History palette (Window > Undo History) lets you jump to any recent state of the image created during
the current work session. Each time you apply a change to pixels in an image, the new state of that image is added to
the Undo History palette. You don’t need to save a change in order for the change to appear in the History.
For example, if you select, paint, and rotate part of an image, each of those states is listed separately in the palette.
You can then select any of the states, and the image reverts to how it looked when that change was first applied. You
can then work from that state.
Actions, such as zooming and scrolling, do not affect pixels in the image and do not appear in the Undo History
palette. Nor do program-wide changes, such as changes to palettes, color settings, and preferences.

A
B
C

The Undo History palette
A. Original state B. State C. Selected state and state slider

Note the following guidelines when using the Undo History palette:

• By default, the Undo History palette lists 50 previous states. Older states are automatically deleted to free more memory
for Photoshop Elements. You can change the number of states displayed in the Undo History palette in Performance
Preferences (Photoshop Elements > Preferences > Performance). The maximum number of states is 1000.

• The original state of the photo is always displayed at the top of the Undo History palette. You can always revert an
image to its original state by clicking this top state. Clicking the original state is also handy for comparing before
and after versions of your editing.

• When you close and reopen the document, all states from the last working session are cleared from the palette.
• States are added to the bottom of the list. That is, the oldest state is at the top of the list, the most recent one at the
bottom.

• Each state is listed with the name of the tool or command used to change the image.
• Selecting a state dims those below. This way you can easily see which changes will be discarded if you continue
working from the selected state.

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• Selecting a state and then changing the image eliminates all states that came after it. Likewise, deleting a state
deletes that state and those that came after it.
Revert to the last saved version

When editing a photo in Full Edit or Quick Fix, you can revert to the last saved version.
❖ Choose Edit > Revert.

Note: Revert is added as a history state in the Undo History palette and can be undone.
Revert to a previous state of an image
❖ In Full Edit, do any of the following:

• Click the name of the state in the Undo History palette.
• Drag the slider at the left of the state up or down to a different state in the Undo History palette.
• Click the Undo

or Redo

buttons on the shortcuts bar.

• Choose Undo or Redo from the Undo History palette menu or the Edit menu.
To set the keyboard command for Step Forward and Step Backward, choose Photoshop Elements > Preferences >
General, and choose from the Step Back/Fwd menu.
Delete one or more states from the Undo History palette
❖ Do one of the following:

• To delete a state, click the name of the state, and choose Delete from the Undo History palette menu. States
following the one you selected are also deleted.

• To delete the list of states from the Undo History palette, without changing the image, choose Clear Undo History
from the palette menu or choose Edit > Clear > Undo History. Clearing is useful for freeing up memory, especially
if you get an alert that Photoshop Elements is low on memory.
Note: Clearing the Undo History palette cannot be undone.

Clear memory used by the clipboard and the Undo History palette
You can delete items copied to the clipboard or states in the Undo History palette to free up memory.
❖ In Full Edit, do one of the following:

• To clear memory used by the clipboard, choose Edit > Clear > Clipboard Contents.
• To clear memory used by the Undo History palette, choose Edit > Clear > Undo History or choose Clear Undo
History from the Undo History palette menu.

• To clear the memory used in both the clipboard and the Undo History palette simultaneously, choose Edit >
Clear > All.
Note: Clearing the Undo History palette or clipboard cannot be undone.

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Restore default preferences
Preference settings control how Photoshop Elements displays images, cursors, and transparencies; saves files; uses
plug-ins and scratch disks, and so on. If the application exhibits unexpected behavior, the preferences file may be
damaged. You can restore all preferences to their defaults.
❖ Press and hold Option+Command+Shift immediately after Photoshop Elements begins launching. Click Yes to

delete the Adobe Photoshop Elements settings file.
A new preferences file is created the next time you start Photoshop Elements. For information on a specific
preference option, search for the preference name in Help.

Redisplay disabled warning messages
In certain situations, messages containing warnings or prompts are displayed. You can disable the display of these
messages by selecting the Don’t Show Again option in the message, and reset the messages you’ve disabled at a later
time.
1 Choose Photoshop Elements > Preferences > General.
2 Click Reset All Warning Dialogs, and click OK.

Scratch disks and plug-ins
About scratch disks
When your system does not have enough RAM to perform an operation, Photoshop Elements uses scratch disks. A
scratch disk is any drive or partition of a drive with free memory. By default, Photoshop Elements uses the hard drive
on which the operating system is installed as its primary scratch disk.
You can change the primary scratch disk or designate a second, third, or fourth scratch disk to be used when the
primary disk is full. Your primary scratch disk should be your fastest hard disk and have plenty of defragmented
space available.
For best performance, use the following guidelines when assigning scratch disks:

• Scratch disks should not be on the same physical drive as Photoshop Elements or any large files you are editing.
• Scratch disks should be not be on the same physical drive as the one used for the operating system’s virtual
memory.

• Scratch disks should be on a local drive. That is, they should not be accessed over a network.
• Scratch disks should be conventional (non-removable) media.
• RAID disks/disk arrays are good choices for dedicated scratch disk volumes.
• Drives with scratch disks should be defragmented regularly. Or better yet, use an empty drive or a drive with
plenty of unused space to avoid fragmentation issues.

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Change scratch disks
Photoshop Elements needs contiguous hard drive space to create a scratch disk. For this reason you should
frequently defragment your hard drive. Adobe recommends that you use a disk tool utility to defragment your hard
drive on a regular basis.
1 Choose Photoshop Elements > Preferences > Performance.
2 Select the desired disks from the Scratch Disks menu (you can assign up to four scratch disks), and click OK.
3 Restart Photoshop Elements for the change to take effect.

About plug-in modules
Plug-in modules are software programs developed by Adobe Systems and other software developers to add functionality to Photoshop Elements. A number of importing, exporting, and special-effects plug-ins come with your
program; they are inside the Photoshop Elements Plug-ins folder. You can select an additional plug-ins folder in
which to load compatible plug-ins stored with another application. You can also create a shortcut for a plug-in stored
in another folder on your system. You can then add the shortcut or alias to the Plug-ins folder to use that plug-in
with Photoshop Elements. Once installed, plug-in modules appear as options added to the Import or Export menu,
as filters added to the Filter menu, or as file formats in the Open and Save As dialog boxes. If you install a large
number of plug-ins, Photoshop Elements may not be able to list them all in their appropriate menus. If so, newly
installed plug-ins appear in the Filter > Other submenu. To prevent a plug-in or folder of plug-ins from loading, add
a tilde character (~) at the beginning of the plug-in name, folder, or directory. That file (or all files in the folder) is
ignored by the application when you restart it. To view information about installed plug-ins, choose Help > About
Plug-In and select a plug-in from the submenu.

See also
“Plug-in filters” on page 196

Install plug-in modules
❖ Do one of the following:

• Use the plug-in installer, if provided.
• Follow the installation instructions that came with the plug-in module.
• Make sure the plug-in files are uncompressed, and then copy them to the appropriate Plug-ins folder in the
Photoshop Elements folder.

Select an additional plug-ins folder
You can select an additional plug-ins folder in which to load compatible plug-ins stored with another application.
1 Choose Photoshop Elements > Preferences > Plug-Ins.
2 In the Preferences dialog, select Additional Plug-ins Folder, select a folder from the list, and click Choose.
3 To display the contents of a folder, double-click the directory. The path to the folder appears in the preferences
window.

Note: Do not select a location inside the Plug-ins folder for Photoshop Elements.
4 Restart Photoshop Elements to load the plug-ins.

Chapter 3: Import photos
Importing photos
About getting photos
When you begin to use Photoshop Elements, you can use media files from many sources, whether a camera, scanner,
CD, or a folder on your hard disk. If you simply want to start editing a photo on your hard disk, and you know its
filename and location, use the File > Open command to browse to the file. To open photos from another source, use
the Photo Downloader in Adobe Bridge, or use the Photoshop Elements Import option or the Welcome screen to
select the image’s source.

Open a file for editing on your hard disk
❖ Choose File > Open and browse to the file.

Open a file from a device
❖ Choose File > Import, select the camera or scanner, and browse to the file.

Open a file from the Welcome screen
1 Choose Window > Welcome to open the Welcome screen.
2 Click Import From Camera or Import From Scanner to open Adobe Bridge.

Open a file from Adobe Photo Downloader
❖ Choose File > Adobe Photo Downloader to open Adobe Bridge Photo Downloader.

Guidelines for getting photos from devices
When downloading image files from a camera or a scanner, follow these guidelines:
1. Use the Adobe Photo Downloader

For some devices, you may need to install the device software on your computer before downloading files. During
installation, the software may ask whether a specific program will be used to edit the images files. If asked, specify
Photoshop Elements.
Some device software starts automatically when you connect and switch on the device. However, using Adobe Photo
Downloader enables you to perform a variety of functions not offered by device software. To obtain image files with
the Adobe Photo Downloader, close any device software that starts automatically.
2. Organize photos during the import process

The Adobe Photo Downloader Advanced dialog box enables you to improve and organize photos while importing
them to your computer. Properly organizing photos during import makes finding and improving them later much
easier and faster.

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For example, you might have many pictures from a recent vacation stored in your digital camera. Some of the
pictures are from a family reunion, and the rest are pictures of tourist attractions visited along the way. During the
import process, you can divide these photos into Place and Family folders, and then name them accordingly.

Import keywords attached to photos
When you receive photos that contain keyword metadata, you can import them with the photo. You can decide
whether to keep the attached keyword, rename the keyword, or map it to one of your own keywords. If you import
a new keyword, it appears in the Adobe Bridge Keyword Tags palette, and you can use it to tag other photos.

Cameras and card readers
About cameras and card readers
You can download (copy) photos from cameras and card readers in several ways:

• Copy photos from your camera and import them into Photoshop Elements using the Adobe Photo Downloader.
This method is recommended because it is quick and easy, and allows you to improve and organize your photos
when importing them.

• Open the Welcome screen and click the Import From Camera option.
• If your camera or card reader displays as a drive, you can open the files from there and place them directly into
Photoshop Elements.
In some cases, you need to install the software driver that came with your camera before you can download pictures
to your computer.

Get photos from a digital camera or card reader
1 Connect your camera or card reader to your computer. (See the documentation that came with your device, if
necessary.)
2 Do either of the following:

• If the Adobe Photo Downloader appears, choose the name of the camera or card reader from the Get Photos From
menu. Usually, the connected device’s name automatically appears, and Photoshop Elements automatically detects
your camera.
Note: Your camera or card reader must be switched on to appear in the Get Photos From list. If the menu doesn’t display
the specific device name, choose Untitled. If no option for the device is available, choose Refresh List.

• If the downloader does not appear, use Photoshop Elements File > Adobe Photoshop Downloader or Bridge File >
Get Photos From Camera to open it.
3 In the Import Settings area, set the following options:
Location Specifies the folder to which images are downloaded. To change the default folder location, click Select,
and specify a new location.
Create Subfolder(s) Creates a subfolder using the format selected from the pop-up menu. If you choose Custom
Name, type a subfolder name in the box.
Rename Files Changes the filenames using the format selected from the pop-up menu. If you choose Custom Name,

type a filename in the box.

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Note: If the name you entered already exists, the copied image filename is appended with “-1” or another appropriately
numbered designator.
Apply Metadata (Optional) Select the options to use for adding metadata to the photos.

4 Click Get Photos.

The photos are copied to your hard drive.

Set advanced photo downloading options
The Advanced dialog box of the Adobe Photo Downloader offers several options not available in the Standard dialog
box. For example, it lets you view all of the photos stored on a device, preview videos before importing them, and
add copyright metadata. The settings you specify in this dialog box retain their values until you reset them.
1 In the Standard Adobe Photo Downloader dialog box, click Advanced Dialog.

Thumbnail images of every file on your device appear.
2 Select photos to download by doing any of the following:

• To select individual photos, click the boxes below each thumbnail.
• To select multiple photos, drag a rectangle around their thumbnails, and then right-click and select Check
Selected, or click a box below one of the selected images to check them all.

• To select all photos, click Check All in the bottom left of the dialog box. To deselect all images, click Uncheck All.
3 In the Save Options section, choose an option for naming subfolders from the Create Subfolder(s) menu. The
Custom Name option creates a subfolder with the group name format you type in the Name box.
4 In the Advanced Options section, select any of the following:

• Open Adobe Bridge
• Convert to DNG
• Save Copies To
5 In the Apply Metadata section, select a template to use and type in the following fields:

• Author
Specifies the file creator. Information typed into this field is appended to the author metadata in the file.

• Copyright
Specifies the date and other relevant information to protect your photos. Information typed into this field overwrites
any data already in the copyright metadata in the file.
6 Click Get Photos.

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Scanners
About scanning
Photoshop Elements connects to your scanner so that you can get images of your photos, negatives, and slides. You
can get images from scanners in several ways:

• Use the scanner driver plug-in module that came with your scanner. This software is either compatible with
Photoshop Elements or uses the TWAIN® interface to scan and open images directly in Photoshop Elements.

• Open the Welcome screen from the Window menu and click the Import From Scanner option.
• In Photoshop Elements, use File > Import and select your scanner.
• Use the stand-alone scanning software that came with your scanner to scan and save your images. You can then
bring the images into Photoshop Elements using the File > Open command.
You can also import scanned images directly from any scanner that has a Photoshop-compatible plug-in module or
that supports the TWAIN interface. To import the scan using a plug-in module, choose the scanner name from the
File > Import submenu. See your scanner documentation for instructions on installing the scanner plug-in.
If your scanner does not have Photoshop-compatible scanner driver, import the scan using the TWAIN interface.
Before you try to scan and open your photos in Photoshop Elements, make sure that you’ve installed all the software
that came with your scanner. Carefully read any documentation that came with your scanner to make sure that it’s
connected properly to your computer.

Get photos from scanners
1 Make sure that your scanner is connected and switched on.

• To import the scan using a plug-in module, choose the scanner name from the File > Import submenu. (See your
scanner documentation for instructions on installing the scanner plug-in.)

• If your scanner does not have Photoshop-compatible scanner driver, import the scan using the TWAIN interface.
• If you can’t import the scan using the TWAIN interface, use the scanner manufacturer’s software to scan your
images, and save the images as TIFF, PICT, or BMP files.
2 Select File > Open.
3 Choose Browse to select a location for saving the photos.
4 Choose a file format from the Save As menu. JPEG, the default format, is usually the best choice.

• Select a Matte color to simulate the appearance of background transparency.
• Set the image quality by entering a value between 1 (lowest) to 12 (highest); selecting Low, Medium, High, or
Maximum; or by dragging the Quality slider to the setting you want. The higher the quality, the larger the file size.

• In Formats Options, set the format for the image.
Baseline causes images to display line-by-line on the screen.
Baseline Optimized applies optimized Huffman encoding to keep file size as small as possible.
Progressive causes the image to display in multiple passes on the screen. Set the number of passes in the Scans box.
5 Click OK. If you’re using a scanner with a TWAIN driver, Photoshop Elements launches the driver that came with
your scanner. Follow the instructions that came with the driver software to scan your photo. Typically, you can also
select an area to scan or correct any color issues that you may see.

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After the image is scanned, it appears in an untitled Photoshop Elements window.

See also
“File formats for saving” on page 41
“About image size and resolution” on page 134

Local files, CDs, DVDs, and video
Get photos from files and folders
You can bring photos into Photoshop Elements from a hard disk or optical disc drive in your computer, either by
dragging them, or by browsing to them using the File > Open or the File > Browse With Bridge command.
Browse to files on your computer
1 Select File > Open or File > Browse With Bridge.
2 In the dialog box, navigate to the folder that contains the files you want.
3 Do one of the following to select photos:

• To get a single photo, select it.
• To get multiple photos, Command-click to select the files you want. Or, click the first file, and then Shift-click the
last file in the list that you want.

• To get all the photos in a folder, navigate up one level from your current level, select the desired fold, and click
Open.
You can import a PDF file or a Photoshop Elements project in PDF format. Text in imported PDF files becomes part
of the image (you can’t edit the text).
Search for files on your computer
❖ From Adobe Bridge, choose Edit > Find.

About preview files
When you import photos, you can choose to download either high-quality or quick thumbnails (sometimes called
preview files). Thumbnail files appear as space-saving copies of the high-resolution originals.
Use the Thumbnails and Advanced options on the Bridge Preferences menu to specify settings for thumbnail files.

Get photos from a CD or DVD
You can copy photos from a CD or DVD onto your hard disk. You can make high-quality copies, as you might for
editing purposes, or, to save disk space, quick thumbnail files.
1 Select File > Open.
2 From the list of devices, select your CD or DVD drive, and select the photos you want to copy.
3 Click Get Photos to bring in the photos.

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Get photos from video
You can capture frames from your digital videos if they are saved in a file format that Photoshop Elements can open,
including ASF, AVI, MPEG, MPG, and M1V. Captured photos are saved with the name of the video file plus a
number (for example, videoclip01, videoclip02, and so forth).
Note: To create photos from the broadest range of video formats, install the latest version of standard video software.

Getting still photos from a video clip

1 Choose File > Import > Frame From Video.
2 In the Frame From Video dialog box, click the Browse button to navigate to the video from which you want to
acquire still frames, and then click Open.
3 To start the video, click Play

4 To get a frame of the video as a still image, click the Grab Frame button or press the spacebar when the frame is
visible on the screen. You can move forward and backward in the video to capture additional frames.

Note: Some video formats don’t support rewinding or fast-forwarding. In these cases, the Rewind
Forward
buttons are not available.
5 When you have all the frames you want, click Done.
6 Select File > Save to save each still file to a folder on your computer.

and Fast

Chapter 4: Working with files
When working in Adobe® Photoshop® Elements the format that you save the file in is very important. For example,
you often might have a file in one format, such as JPEG that you edit and then save to another format, such as PSD
(the Photoshop Elements native file format, which preserves layer information and applies no compression). Understanding the differences between formats is therefore an important part of photo editing and sharing. You have
several choices about working with files. You can set options for opening, saving, and exporting files by type, by file
size, and resolution. You can also process and save camera raw files. These tools make it easy to combine files of
different types and optimize them in Photoshop Elements. When creating a new document, you also need to decide
what format, and what resolution, might be required. All this information will be covered in this chapter.

Opening files
Create a new blank file
To create a web graphic, banner, or company logo and letterhead, or to create a photo collage or scrapbook page by
mixing parts of different images, start from a new blank file.
1 From the File menu or the Welcome screen, choose New > Blank File.
2 Enter options for the new image.
Name Names the new image file.
Preset Provides options for setting the width, height, and resolution of images that you intend to print or to view
on-screen. Select Clipboard to use the size and resolution of data that you copied to the clipboard. You can also base
a new image on the size and resolution of any open image by choosing its name from the bottom of the Preset menu.
Width, Height, and Resolution Sets these options individually. The default values are based on the last image you

created, unless you’ve copied data to the clipboard.
Color Mode Sets an image to RGB color, grayscale, or bitmap (1-bit mode). You usually should select RGB.
Background Contents Sets the color of the image Background layer. White is the default. Select Background Color
to use the current background color (shown in the toolbox). Select Transparent to make the default layer transparent,
with no color values—the new image will have a Layer 1 instead of a Background layer.

Be sure to choose the correct size and resolution before beginning to edit. Changing those settings after editing could
introduce blurriness or require pixels to be removed. Other settings can be changed after editing.

See also
“About projects” on page 241

Open a file
You can open and import images in various file formats. The available formats appear in the Open dialog box and
the Import submenu.
1 Choose File > Open.
2 Locate and select the file you want to open.

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3 Click Open. In some cases, a dialog box appears, letting you set format-specific options.

There may be instances when Photoshop Elements cannot determine the correct format of a file. For example, transferring a file between Mac OS® and Windows® can cause the format to be mislabeled. In such cases, you must specify
the correct format in which to open the file.

See also
“Save changes in different file formats” on page 42
Open a recently used file
❖ Choose File > Open Recently Edited File, and select a file from the submenu.

Note: To specify the number of files that are available in the Open Recently Edited File submenu, choose Photoshop
Elements > Preferences > Saving Files, and enter a number in the Recent File List Contains text box.

Open a PDF file
Portable Document Format (PDF) is a versatile file format that can represent both vector and bitmap data and can
contain electronic document search and navigation features. PDF is the primary format for Adobe® Acrobat®.
With the Import PDF dialog box, you can preview the pages and images in a multipage PDF file, then decide if you
want to open them. You can choose to import full pages (including text and graphics), or you can import just the
images from a PDF file. If you import only the images, the resolution, size, and color mode of the images remains
unchanged. If you import pages, you can change the resolution and color mode.
Each page is shown as a thumbnail. To increase the size, choose an option from the Thumbnail Size menu.

Importing pages from a PDF file

1 Choose File > Open.
2 Select the name of the file, and click Open.
3 To import just the images from a PDF file, choose Image from the Select menu in the Import PDF dialog box.
Select the image or images you want to open. (To select multiple images, Command-click each image.)
4 To import pages from a PDF file, choose Page from the Select menu, and then do any of the following:

• If the file contains multiple pages, select the page or pages you want to open, and click OK. (To select multiple
pages, Command-click each page.)

• Under Page Options, accept the existing name, or type a new filename in the Name box.
• Choose an option from the Mode menu (RGB to keep the photos in color, or Grayscale to automatically make
them black and white). If the file has an embedded ICC (International Color Consortium) profile, you can choose
the profile from the menu.

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• For Resolution, accept the default (300 ppi) or type a new value. A higher resolution increases the file size.
• Select Anti-aliased to minimize the jagged edges as the image is rasterized (bitmapped).
5 Select Suppress Warnings to hide any error messages during the import process.
6 Click OK to open the file.

Open an EPS file
Encapsulated PostScript® (EPS) can represent both vector and bitmap data and is supported by virtually all graphics,
illustration, and page-layout programs. Adobe applications that produce PostScript artwork include Adobe
Illustrator®. When you open an EPS file containing vector art, it is rasterized—the mathematically defined lines and
curves of the vector artwork are converted into the pixels or bits of a bitmap image.
1 Choose File > Open.
2 Select the file you want to open, and click Open.
3 Indicate the desired dimensions, resolution, and mode. To maintain the same height-to-width ratio, select
Constrain Proportions.
4 Select Anti-aliased to minimize the jagged appearance of edges, and then click OK.

Anti-aliasing lets you produce smooth-edged objects by blending the edges of the objects into the background.
You can also bring PostScript artwork into Photoshop Elements using the Place command and the Paste command.

Place a PDF, Adobe Illustrator, or EPS file in a new layer
If you don't have the program that created the image file, and you can't open, copy and paste it, use the Place
command to insert the image into Photoshop Elements. You can place PDF, Adobe® Illustrator®, or EPS files into a
new layer in an image. Because the placed artwork is rasterized (bitmapped), you cannot edit text or vector data in
placed artwork. The artwork is rasterized at the resolution of the file into which it is placed.
1 Open the image into which you want to place the artwork.
2 Choose File > Place, select the file you want to place, and click Place.
3 If you are placing a PDF file that contains multiple pages, select the page you want to place from the provided
dialog box, and click OK.

The placed artwork appears inside a bounding box at the center of the Photoshop Elements image. The artwork
maintains its original aspect ratio; however, if the artwork is larger than the Photoshop Elements image, it is resized
to fit.
4 (Optional) Reposition the placed artwork by positioning the pointer inside the bounding box of the placed
artwork and dragging.
5 (Optional) Scale the placed artwork by doing one or more of the following:

• Drag one of the handles at the corners or sides of the bounding box. Hold down Shift as you drag a corner handle
to constrain the proportions.

• In the options bar, enter values for W and H to specify the width and height of the artwork. By default, these
options represent scale as a percentage; however, you can enter a different unit of measurement—in (inches), cm
(centimeters), or px (pixels). To constrain the proportions of the artwork, click the Constrain Proportions box.

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6 (Optional) Rotate the placed artwork by doing one or more of the following:

• Position the pointer outside the bounding box of the placed artwork (the pointer turns into a curved arrow), and
drag.

• In the options bar, enter a value (in degrees) for the Rotation option

7 (Optional) Skew the placed artwork by holding down Command and dragging a side handle of the bounding box.
8 Set the Anti-alias option in the options bar. To blend edge pixels during rasterization, select the Anti-alias option.
To produce a hard-edged transition between edge pixels during rasterization, deselect the Anti-alias option.
9 To commit the placed artwork to a new layer, do one of the following:

• Click the Commit button

• Press Enter.
To cancel the placement, click the Cancel button

, or press Esc.

Process multiple files
The Process Multiple Files command applies settings to a folder of files, open images, files selected in Adobe Bridge,
or files that you select to import. If you have a digital camera or a scanner with a document feeder, you can also
import and process multiple images. (Your scanner or digital camera may need an acquire plug-in module that
supports actions. TWAIN is the most common protocol for scanners or cameras.)
When processing files, you can leave all the files open, close and save the changes to the original files, or save
modified versions of the files to a new location (leaving the originals unchanged). If you are saving the processed
files to a new location, you may want to create a new folder for the processed files before starting the batch.
Note: The Process Multiple Files command does not work on multiple page PDF or PSE files.
1 Choose File > Process Multiple Files. Or, from Adobe Bridge, choose Tools > Photoshop Elements > Process
Multiple Files.
2 Choose the source of the files to process from the Process Files From pop-up menu:
Folder Processes files in a folder you specify. Click Browse to locate and select the folder.
Import Processes images from a digital camera or scanner.
Opened Files Processes all open files.

3 Select Include All Subfolders if you want to process files in subdirectories of the specified folder.
4 For Destination, click Browse and select a folder location for the processed files.
5 If you chose Folder as the destination, specify a file-naming convention and select file compatibility options for
the processed files:

• For Rename Files, select elements from the pop-up menus or enter text into the fields to be combined into the
default names for all files. The fields let you change the order and formatting of the components of the filename.
You must include at least one field that is unique for every file (for example, filename, serial number, or serial
letter) to prevent files from overwriting each other. Starting Serial Number specifies the starting number for any
serial number fields. If you select Serial Letter from the pop-up menu, serial letter fields always start with the letter
“A” for the first file.

• For Compatibility, choose Windows, Mac OS, and UNIX® to make filenames compatible with the Windows,
Mac OS, and UNIX operating systems.

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6 Under Image Size, select Resize Images if you want each processed file resized to a uniform size. Then type in a
width and height for the photos, and choose an option from the Resolution menu. Select Constrain Proportions to
keep the width and height proportional.
7 To apply an automatic adjustment to the images, select an option from the Quick Fix panel.
8 To attach a label to the images, choose an option from the Labels menu, then customize the text, text position,
font, size, opacity, and color. (To change the text color, click the color swatch and choose a new color from the Color
Picker.)
9 Select Log Errors That Result From Processing Files to record each error in a file without stopping the process. If
errors are logged to a file (to a location that you specify), a message appears after processing. To review the error file,
open with a text editor after the Batch command has run.
10 Click OK to process and save the files.

Close a file
1 Do one of the following:

• Choose File > Close or File > Close All.
• Choose Command W to close the file or Option+Command W to close all files.
2 Choose whether or not to save the file.

Managing and organizing files
View or add file information
The File Info dialog box displays camera data, caption, and copyright and authorship information that has been
added to the file. Using this dialog box, you can modify or add information to files saved in Photoshop Elements.
The information you add is embedded in the file using XMP (Extensible Metadata Platform). XMP provides Adobe
applications and workflow partners with a common XML framework that standardizes the creation, processing, and
interchange of document metadata across publishing workflows. If you have metadata that you repeatedly enter for
different files, you can create metadata templates to expedite the adding of information to files.
You cannot edit the information displayed for the Keywords, Camera Data 1, and Camera Data 2 metadata
categories.
1 With an image open, choose File > File Info.
2 Click the Description attribute on the left of the dialog box to display specific information. In Description, you
can add or modify the document title, file authorship, caption, caption authorship, and copyright information. Type
in the appropriate text boxes and click OK to embed the information. For copyright status, choose from the
Copyright Status menu.

Use the Info Palette
In the Full Edit workspace, the Info palette displays file information about an image and also provides feedback as
you use a tool. Make sure the Info palette is visible in your work area if you want to view information while dragging
in the image.
1 Display the Info palette by clicking its triangle if it’s in the Palette Bin. If the Info palette isn’t visible in the Palette
Bin or the work area, choose Window > Info to display the palette.

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2 Select a tool.
3 Move the pointer into the image, or drag within the image to use the tool. The following information may appear,
depending on which tool you’re using:

The numeric values for the color beneath the pointer.
The x- and y-coordinates of the pointer.
The width (W) and height (H) of a marquee or shape as you drag, or the width and height of an active selection.
The x- and y-coordinates of your starting position (when you click in the image).
The change in position along the x-coordinate,
shape.

, and y-coordinate,

, as you move a selection, layer, or

The angle (A) of a line or gradient; the change in angle as you move a selection, layer, or shape; or the angle of
rotation during a transformation. The change in distance (D) as you move a selection, layer, or shape.
The percentage of change in width (W) and height (H) as you scale a selection, layer, or shape.
The angle of horizontal skew (H) or vertical skew (V) as you skew a selection, layer, or shape.

See also
“About color” on page 158
“About image modes” on page 160
Set color modes and units of measurement in the Info palette
❖ Do one of the following:

• To change the mode of color values displayed, click an eyedropper icon

in the Info palette, and choose a color
mode from the pop-up menu. You can also choose Palette Options from the More menu in the Info palette, then
choose a color mode for First Color Readout and/or Second Color Readout:

Grayscale Displays the grayscale values beneath the pointer.
RGB Color Displays the RGB (red, green, blue) values beneath the pointer.
Web Color Displays the hexadecimal code for the RGB values beneath the pointer.
HSB Color Displays the HSB (hue, saturation, brightness) values beneath the pointer.

• To change the unit of measurement displayed, click the cross hair

in the Info palette, and choose a unit of
measurement from the pop-up menu. You can also choose Palette Options from the More menu in the Info
palette. Choose a unit of measurement from the Ruler Units menu, and click OK.

Use keywords and metadata to identify files
Keyword tags are personalized keywords, such as “Dad” or “Florida,” that you attach to photos, PDFs, and photo
projects so that you can easily organize and find them. When you use keyword tags, there’s no need to manually
organize your photos in subject-specific folders or rename files with content-specific names. Instead, you simply
attach one or more keyword tags to each photo and then retrieve the photos you want by selecting one or more
keyword tags. To apply keywords, use Adobe Bridge.

Stacking files
Stacking files lets you put files together under a single thumbnail. To stack files, use the Stacks menu in Adobe Bridge.

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Viewing images
Viewing images
In Full Edit, Guided Edit, or Quick Fix, the Hand tool , the Zoom tools
, the Zoom commands, and
the Navigator palette let you view different areas of an image at different magnifications. The document window is
where your image appears. You can open additional windows to display several views of an image at once (such as
different magnifications).
You can magnify or reduce your view using various methods. The window’s title bar displays the zoom percentage
(unless the window is too small for the display to fit).
If you want to view another area of an image, either use the window scroll bars or select the Hand tool and drag to
pan over the image. You can also use the Navigator palette.
To use the Hand tool while another tool is selected, hold down the spacebar as you drag within the image.

Dragging the Hand tool to view another area of an image. (The appearance of scroll bars can vary from those in the example.)

Zoom in or out
❖ Do one of the following:

• Select the Zoom tool

, and click either the Zoom In
or Zoom Out
button in the options bar. Click the
area you want to magnify. Each click magnifies or reduces the image to the next preset percentage, and centers the
display around the point you click. When the image has reached its maximum magnification level of 3200% or
minimum reduction level of 1 pixel, the magnifying glass appears empty.

Note: You can drag a Zoom tool over the part of an image you want to magnify. Make sure that the Zoom In button is
selected in the options bar. To move the zoom marquee around the image, begin dragging a marquee, and then hold
down the spacebar while dragging the marquee to a new location.

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Dragging the Zoom tool to magnify the view of an image

• Click the Zoom In

or Zoom Out

button in the Navigator palette.

• Choose View > Zoom In or View > Zoom Out.
• Enter the desired magnification level in the Zoom text box, either in the status bar or in the Navigator palette.
When using a Zoom tool, hold down Option to switch between zooming in and zooming out.

Display an image at 100%
❖ Do one of the following:

• Double-click the Zoom tool

in the toolbox.

• Select a Zoom tool or the Hand tool, and click the 1:1 button in the options bar.
• Choose View > Actual Pixels, or right-click (or Control-click, depending on the mouse design) the image and
choose Actual Pixels.

• Enter 100% and press Enter.

Fit an image to the screen
❖ In Full Edit or Quick Fix, do one of the following:

• Double-click the Hand tool

in the toolbox.

• Select a Zoom tool or the Hand tool, and then click the Fit Screen button in the options bar. Or, right-click the
image and choose Fit On Screen.

• Choose View > Fit On Screen.
These options scale both the zoom level and the window size to fit the available screen space.

Resize the window while zooming
❖ With a Zoom tool active, select Resize Windows To Fit in the options bar. The window changes size as you magnify

or reduce the view of the image.

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When Resize Windows To Fit is deselected, the window maintains a constant size regardless of the image’s magnification. This can be helpful when you are using smaller monitors or working with tiled images.
Note: To automatically resize the window when using keyboard shortcuts to reduce or magnify an image view, choose
Photoshop Elements > Preferences > General, and then select the Zoom Resizes Windows preference and click OK.

Using the Navigator palette
The Navigator palette lets you adjust the image’s magnification and area of view. Typing a value in the text box,
clicking the Zoom Out or Zoom In button, or dragging the zoom slider changes the magnification. Drag the view
box in the image thumbnail to move the view of an image. The view box represents the boundaries of the image
window. You can also click in the thumbnail of the image to designate the area of view.
Note: To change the color of the view box, choose Palette Options from the Navigator palette menu. Choose a color from
the Color menu or click the color swatch to open the Color Picker and select a custom color. Click OK.
A

The Navigator palette
A. Zoom text box B. Zoom Out C. Drag the view box to move the view D. Zoom slider E. Zoom In

See also
“Fit an image to the screen” on page 37

Open multiple windows of the same image
In Full Edit, you can open multiple windows to display different views of the same file. A list of open windows
appears in the Window menu, and thumbnails of each open image appear in the Photo Bin. Available memory may
limit the number of windows per image.
❖ Choose View > New Window For [image filename]. Depending on the position of the first window, you may have

to move the second window to view both simultaneously.
You can use the New Window command when you’re working with a zoomed image to see what the image will look
like at 100% size in a separate window.

View and arrange multiple windows
❖ In Full Edit, do one of the following:

• To display windows stacked and cascading from the upper left to the lower right of the screen, choose Window >
Images > Cascade.

• To display windows edge to edge, choose Window > Images > Tile. As you close images, the open windows are
resized to fill the available space.

• To view all open images at the same magnification as the active image, choose Window > Images > Match Zoom.

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• To view the same section (upper-left corner, center, lower-right corner, and so on) of all open photos, choose
Window > Images > Match Location. The view in all windows shifts to match the active (frontmost) image. The
zoom level does not change.

Close windows
❖ In Full Edit, do one of the following:

• Choose File > Close to close the active window.
• Click the Close button

on the title bar of the active window.

• Right-click a thumbnail and choose Close.
• Choose File > Close All to close all open windows.

Rulers and the grid
About rulers and the grid
In Full Edit, rulers and the grid help you position items (such as selections, layers, and shapes) precisely across the
width or length of an image. In Quick Fix, only the grid is available.
When visible, rulers appear along the top and left side of the active window. Markers in the ruler display the pointer’s
position when you move it. Changing the ruler origin (the 0, 0 mark on the top and left rulers) lets you measure from
a specific point on the image. The ruler origin also determines the grid’s point of origin.
Use the View menu to show or hide the rulers (Full Edit only) and the grid, and to enable or disable the snapping of
items to the grid.

Change the rulers’ zero origin and settings
❖ In Full Edit, do one of the following:

• To change the rulers’ zero origin, position the pointer over the intersection of the rulers in the upper-left corner
of the window, and drag diagonally down onto the image. A set of cross hairs appears, marking the new origin on
the rulers. The new zero origin will be set where you release the mouse button.
Note: To reset the ruler origin to its default value, double-click the upper-left corner of the rulers.

Dragging to create a new ruler origin

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• To change the rulers’ settings, double-click a rule, or choose Photoshop Elements > Preferences > Units & Rulers.
For Rulers, choose a unit of measurement. For Column size, enter values for Width and Gutter. Click OK.
Some layout programs use the column width setting to specify the display of an image across columns. The Image
Size and Canvas Size commands also use this setting.
Note: Changing the units on the Info palette automatically changes the units on the rulers.

See also
“Change the size of the canvas” on page 131
“Change print dimensions and resolution without resampling” on page 135

Change the grid settings
1 In Full Edit or Quick Fix, choose Photoshop Elements > Preferences > Grid.
2 For Color, choose a preset color, or click the color swatch to choose a custom color.
3 For Style, choose the line style for the grid. Choose Lines for solid lines, or choose Dashed lines or Dots for broken
lines.
4 For Gridline Every, enter a number value, and then choose the unit of measurement to define the spacing of major
grid lines.
5 For Subdivisions, enter a number value to define the frequency of minor grid lines, and click OK.

Saving and exporting images
About saving images and file formats
After you edit an image, you need to save it, or you’ll lose your work. To ensure that all the image data is preserved,
save regular images in Photoshop (PSD) format. Multiple-page creations are always saved in Photo Project (PSE)
format. These formats don’t compress your image data.
Your digital camera may save photos in JPEG format, but it’s better to use the PSD format rather than resave a photo
in JPEG format unless you are ready to share it or use it on a web page. Each time you save in JPEG format, the image
data is compressed, potentially causing some data to be lost. You may start to notice reduced image quality after
saving the file as a JPEG 2-3 times. The disadvantage of saving in PSD format is that the file size will increase significantly because the file is not compressed.
Photoshop Elements can save images in several file formats, depending on how you plan to use it. If you are working
with web images, the Save For Web command provides many options for optimizing images. If you need to convert
several images to the same file format, or the same size and resolution, use the Process Multiple Files command.

See also
“Using the Save For Web dialog box” on page 256
“Process multiple files” on page 33

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File formats for saving
Photoshop Elements can save images in the following file formats:
BMP A standard Windows image format. You can specify either Windows or OS/2 ®format and a bit depth for the

image. For 4-bit and 8-bit images using Windows format, you can also specify RLE compression.
CompuServe GIF (Graphics Interchange Format) Multiple layer documents can be saved as animated GIFs, using the
Save For Web command. Commonly used to display graphics and small animations in web pages, GIF is a
compressed format designed to minimize file size and transfer time. GIF supports only 8-bit color images (256 or
fewer colors). You can also save an image as a GIF file using the Save For Web command.
JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group) Used to save photographs, JPEG format retains all color information in an

image but compresses file size by selectively discarding data. You can choose the level of compression. Higher
compression results in lower image quality and a smaller file size; lower compression results in better image quality
and a larger file size. JPEG is a standard format for displaying images over the web.
JPEG 2000 Produces images with better compression, quality, color management, and metadata capability than
JPEG. JPEG 2000 also supports transparency in layered images and retains any saved selections. Photoshop Elements
saves images in extended JPEG 2000 (JPF) format, which is a more comprehensive file format than standard JPEG
2000 (JP2). You can make files JP2 compatible by selecting an option in the JPEG 2000 dialog box.
PCX A bitmap format widely supported on a variety of platforms.
Photoshop (PSD) The standard Photoshop Elements format for images. You should generally use this format for
edited images to save your work and preserve all your image data and layers in a single page file.
Photo Project Format (PSE) The standard Photoshop Elements format for multiple page creations. You should
generally use this format for photo creations to save your work and preserve all your image data and layers in a
multiple page file.
Photoshop PDF (Portable Document Format) A cross-platform and cross-application file format. PDF files

accurately display and preserve fonts, page layouts, and both vector and bitmap graphics.
Note: PDF and PDP are the same except that PDPs are opened in Adobe Photoshop® and PDFs are opened in Acrobat.
Photoshop EPS (Encapsulated PostScript) Used to share Photoshop files with many illustration and page-layout

programs. For best results, print documents with EPS images to PostScript-enabled printers.
PICT Used with Mac OS® graphics and page-layout applications to transfer images between applications. PICT is

especially effective at compressing images with large areas of solid color.
When saving an RGB image in PICT format, you can choose either 16-bit or 32-bit pixel resolution. For a grayscale
image, you can choose from 2, 4, or 8 bits per pixel.
Pixar Used for exchanging files with Pixar image computers. Pixar workstations are designed for high-end graphics

applications, such as those used for three-dimensional images and animation. Pixar format supports RGB and
grayscale images.
PNG (Portable Network Graphics) Used for lossless compression and for displaying images on the web. Unlike GIF,

PNG supports 24-bit images and produces background transparency without jagged edges; however, some web
browsers do not support PNG images. PNG preserves transparency in grayscale and RGB images.
Photoshop Raw Used for transferring images between applications and computer platforms when other formats

don’t work.
Scitex CT Used in the prepress industry.

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TGA (Targa) Designed for systems using the Truevision video board. When saving an RGB image in this format, you
can choose a pixel depth of 16, 24, or 32 bits per pixel and RLE compression.
TIFF (Tagged-Image File Format) Used to exchange files between applications and computer platforms. TIFF is a
flexible bitmap image format supported by most paint, image-editing, and page-layout applications. Most desktop
scanners can produce TIFF files.

In addition, Photoshop Elements can open files in several other older formats: PS 2.0, Pixel Paint, Alias Pix, IFF
format, Portable Bit Map, SGI ®RGB, Soft Image, Wavefront RLA, and ElectricImage.

See also
“Optimized file formats for the web” on page 257

Save changes in different file formats
You can set options for saving image files, such as the format and whether to preserve layers in an image. Depending
on the format you select, other options may be available to set.

See also
“Set file-saving preferences” on page 46
“About transparent and matted web images” on page 264
“About the JPEG format” on page 258
“Optimized file formats for the web” on page 257
“About the GIF format” on page 259
“Convert an image to indexed color” on page 162
“About the PNG-8 format” on page 259
“About the PNG-24 format” on page 260
Change file-saving options
1 Choose File > Save.
2 To change file-saving options, such as the filename or format, choose File > Save As and set any of the following
file-saving options.

Note: Some file formats open another dialog box with additional options.
File Name Specifies the filename for the saved image.
Format Specifies the file format for the saved image.
Layers Preserves all layers in the image. If this option is disabled or unavailable, there are no layers in the image. A
warning icon
at the Layers check box indicates that the layers in your image will be flattened or merged for the
selected format. In some formats, all layers are merged. To preserve layers, select another format.
As a Copy Saves a copy of the file while keeping the current file open. The copy is saved to the folder containing the
currently open file.
Color ICC Profile Embed a color profile in the image for certain formats.

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Thumbnail Saves thumbnail data for the file. This option is available when the Ask When Saving option for Image

Previews is set in the Preferences dialog box.
Note: NIX file servers are often used to help send information over networks and the Internet. Some of these servers do
not recognize uppercase extensions. To make sure your images arrive at their destinations, use lowercase extensions.
Save a file in GIF format
1 Choose File > Save As.
2 Specify a filename and location, and choose CompuServe GIF Format from the format list.

Your image is saved as a copy in the specified directory (unless it's already in indexed-color mode).
3 If you are creating an animated GIF, select the Layers As Frames option. Each layer in the final file will play as a
single frame in the animated GIF.
4 Click Save. If your original image is RGB, the Indexed Color dialog box appears.
5 If necessary, specify indexed color options in the Indexed Color dialog box and click OK.
6 In the GIF Options dialog box, select a row order for the GIF file and click OK:
Normal Displays the image in a browser only when the image is fully downloaded.
Interlaced Displays as a series of low-resolution versions of the image while the full image file is downloaded to the

browser. Interlacing can make downloading time seem shorter and assures viewers that downloading is in progress.
However, interlacing also increases file size.
Save a file in JPEG format
1 Choose File > Save As, and choose JPEG from the format list.

Note: You cannot save indexed-color and bitmap mode images in JPEG format.
2 Specify a filename and location, select file-saving options, and click Save.

The JPEG Options dialog box opens.
3 If the image contains transparency, select a Matte color to simulate the appearance of background transparency.
4 Specify image compression and quality by choosing an option from the Quality menu, dragging the Quality slider,
or entering a value between 1 and 12.
5 Select a format option:
Baseline (Standard) Uses a format that is recognizable to most web browsers.
Baseline Optimized Optimizes the color quality of the image and produces a slightly smaller file size. This option is
not supported by all web browsers.
Progressive Creates an image that is gradually displayed as it is downloaded to a web browser. Progressive JPEG files

are slightly larger in size, require more RAM for viewing, and are not supported by all applications and web browsers.
6 To view the estimated download time of the image, select a modem speed from the Size pop-up menu. (The Size
preview is available only when Preview is selected.)

Note: If a Java application cannot read your JPEG file, try saving the file without a thumbnail preview.
7 Click OK.
Save a file in JPEG 2000 format
1 Choose File > Save As, and choose JPEG 2000 from the format list.

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Note: You cannot save indexed-color and bitmap mode images in JPEG 2000 format.
2 Specify a filename and location, select options as desired, and click Save.
3 In the JPEG 2000 dialog box, specify file options:
File Size Sets a target size for the saved file. This option isn’t available when Lossless or Fast Mode are selected.
Lossless Compresses the image without losing image quality. This option creates a larger file.
Fast Mode Saves the file faster with fewer optimizations. The file may be larger with this option.
Quality Specifies file compression and image quality when Lossless is deselected. A higher value results in better

image quality and a larger file size.
Include Metadata Includes copyright information from the File Info dialog box and saves the names of saved selec-

tions.
Include Transparency Preserves support for transparency in the original image. If the Include Transparency option
is dimmed, the image does not support transparency.
JP2 Compatible Creates a file that can be displayed in browsers that support standard JPEG 2000 (JP2) format but

do not support extended JPEG 2000 (JPX) format.
4 In Optimization Order, specify how an image will first appear in a web browser:
Growing Thumbnail Presents a sequence of small thumbnail images progressively increasing in size until the image

is fully rendered.
Progressive The image is gradually downloaded to a web browser in increasingly detailed versions. Progressive

JPEG image files are slightly larger in size, require more RAM for viewing, and are not supported by all applications
and web browsers. Progressive is not available in Fast Mode.
Color Downloads to a web browser first as a grayscale image, then as a color image.

5 To view the estimated download time of the image, select a modem speed from the Download Rate menu and
click Preview.
6 Click OK.
Save a file in Photoshop EPS format
1 Choose File > Save As, and choose Photoshop EPS from the format list.
2 Specify a filename and location, select file-saving options, and click Save.
3 In the EPS Options dialog box, set the following options:

• For Preview, choose TIFF (8 bits/pixel) for better display quality, or choose TIFF 1-bit/pixel for a smaller file size.
• For Encoding, choose an encoding method: ASCII, Binary, or a JPEG option.
4 To display white areas in the image as transparent, select Transparent Whites. This option is available only for

images in bitmap mode.
5 If you want to apply anti-aliasing to a printed low-resolution image, select Image Interpolation.
6 Click OK.
Save a file in Photoshop PDF format
1 Choose File > Save As, and choose Photoshop PDF from the format list.
2 Specify a filename and location, select file-saving options, and click Save.

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3 In the Save Adobe PDF dialog box, select a compression method. (See “Understanding file compression” on
page 45.)
4 Choose an option from the Image Quality menu.
5 To view the PDF file, select View PDF After Saving to launch Adobe Acrobat® or Adobe® Reader (depending on
which application is installed on your computer).
6 Click Save PDF.

If you've made changes to an Acrobat Touchup file, but the changes are not reflected when you open the file, check
the Saving File preferences dialog box. Choose Photoshop Elements > Preferences > Saving Files, and then choose
Save Over Current File from the On First Save menu.
Save a file in PNG format
1 Choose File > Save As, and choose PNG from the format list.
2 Specify a filename and location, select file-saving options, and click Save.
3 In the PNG Options dialog box, select an Interlace option and click OK.
None Displays the image in a web browser only after it is completely downloaded.
Interlaced Displays low-resolution versions of the image while the full image file is downloading to the browser.

Interlacing can make downloading time seem shorter and assures viewers that downloading is in progress. However,
interlacing also increases file size.
Save a file in TIFF format
1 Choose File > Save As, and choose TIFF from the format list.
2 Specify a filename and location, select file-saving options, and click Save.
3 In the TIFF Options dialog box, select options:
Image Compression Specifies a method for compressing the composite image data.
Byte Order Most recent applications can read files using Mac or Windows byte order. However, if you don’t know

what kind of program the file may be opened in, select the platform on which the file will be read.
Save Image Pyramid Preserves multiresolution information. Photoshop Elements does not provide options for
opening multiresolution files; the image opens at the highest resolution within the file. However, Adobe InDesign®
and some image servers provide support for opening multiresolution formats.
Save Transparency Preserves transparency as an additional alpha channel when the file is opened in another appli-

cation. (Transparency is always preserved when the file is reopened in Photoshop Elements.)
Layer Compression Specifies a method for compressing data for pixels in layers (as opposed to composite data).

Many applications cannot read layer data and skip it when opening a TIFF file. Photoshop Elements can read layer
data in TIFF files. Although files that include layer data are larger than those that don’t, saving layer data eliminates
the need to save and manage a separate PSD file to hold the layer data.

Understanding file compression
Many image file formats compress image data to reduce file size. Lossless compression preserves all image data
without removing detail; lossy compression removes image data and loses some detail.

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The following are commonly used compression techniques:
RLE (Run Length Encoding) Lossless compression technique that compresses the transparent portions of each layer
in images with multiple layers containing transparency.
LZW (Lemple-Zif-Welch) Lossless compression that provides the best results in compressing images that contain
large areas of single color.
JPEG Lossy compression that provides the best results with photographs.
CCITT A family of lossless compression techniques for black-and-white images.
ZIP Lossless compression technique that is most effective for images that contain large areas of a single color.

Set file-saving preferences
❖ Choose Photoshop Elements Preferences > Saving Files, and set the following options.
On First Save Gives you the ability to control how files are saved:

• Save Over Current File (default) does not open the Save As dialog box. If you open either the original file or the
edited copy, the first save overwrites the original (as do all subsequent saves in that edit session).

• Always Ask opens the Save As dialog box the first time you edit and save the original file. All subsequent saves
overwrite the previous version until you close the file and then reopen it to make further edits. If you open the
edited copy, the first save opens the Save As dialog box.
Image Previews Saves a preview image with the file. Select Never Save to save files without previews, Always Save to
save files with specified previews, or Ask When Saving to assign previews on a file-by-file basis.
File Extension Specifies an option for the three-character file extensions that indicate a file’s format. Generally it’s a
good idea to keep this option set to Use Lower Case.
Ignore Camera Data (EXIF) Profiles Select this option to automatically discard any color profiles used by your digital

camera. The color profile you use in Photoshop Elements is saved with the image.
Maximize PSD File Compatibility Saves a composite image in a layered Photoshop file so that it can be imported or
opened by a wider range of applications: Select Never to skip this step, Always to automatically save the composite,
or Ask if you’d like to be prompted each time you save a file.
Recent File List Contains: _ Files Specifies how many files are available in the File > Open Recently Edited File
submenu. Enter a value from 0 to 30. The default value is 10.

See also
“Save changes in different file formats” on page 42

Guided Edit
The Guided Edit mode provides more structure around specific tasks, helping you accomplish those tasks more
easily, and with explanation throughout the process. The Guided Edit tab is located in the Edit tab of the Palette Bin.
With Guided Edit, you can complete these tasks:
Basic Photo Edits Crop, rotate, straighten, and sharpen photos.
Lighting and Exposure Lighten, darken, and adjust brightness and contrast.

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Color Correction Enhance colors, remove a color cast, and correct skin tone.
Guided Activities Touch up scratches, blemishes, and tear marks, and guide photo editing.
Photomerge Intelligently merge multiple images of group shots or faces.

Note: The Guided Edits available may vary in your version of Photoshop Elements.

Use the Guided Edit options
1 On the Edit tab, click the Guided button

2 Choose from the list of Guided Edits.
3 Do one of the following:

• Follow the steps that appear and click Done.
• Click Cancel to choose a different Guided Edit, or go back to regular editing.
Note: If you enter a Guided Edit, then click on the “After Only” button at the bottom of the Guided Edit panel to see the
Before and After view of your photo, when you exit the Guided Edit, that view will remain. To reset the view back to
After only (the default), go into another Guided Edit and change it there, or simply click on either Full or Quick modes
to reset to a single view.

The Crop Photo Guided Edit
Use the Crop Photo Guided Edit to crop an image.
You can view the after image only, or view both the before and after images either vertically or horizontally.
Note: You can also use the Cookie Cutter tool to crop an image. For more on the Cookie Cutter tool, see “Use the Cookie
Cutter tool” on page 131.
For more information on cropping, see “Cropping” on page 129.

The Rotate and/or Straighten Guided Edit
Use the Rotate and/or Straighten Guided Edit to rotate a picture in 90-degree increments or draw a line through an
image to realign it.
You can view the after image only, or view both the before and after images either vertically or horizontally.
For more on rotating an image, see “Rotate or flip an item” on page 150.
For more on straightening an image, see “Straighten an image” on page 132

The Sharpen Photo Guided Edit
Use the Sharpen Photo Guided Edit to sharpen an image.
You can view the after image only, or view both the before and after images either vertically or horizontally.
For more on sharpening images, see “Sharpening overview” on page 148 or “Sharpen an image” on page 148.

The Lighten or Darken Guided Edit
Use the Lighten or Darken Guided Edit to lighten or darken an image.
You can view the after image only, or view both the before and after images either vertically or horizontally.
For more on lightening or darking an image, see “Adjusting shadows and light” on page 107.

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The Brightness and Contrast Guided Edit
Use the Brightness or Contrast Guided Edit to adjust brightness or contrast in an image.
You can view the after image only, or view both the before and after images either vertically or horizontally.
For more on adjusting brightness and contrast, see “Adjusting shadows and light” on page 107.

The Enhance Colors Guided Edit
Use the Enhance Colors Guided Edit to enhance the hue, saturation, and lightness in an image.
You can view the after image only, or view both the before and after images either vertically or horizontally.
For more on enhancing colors, see “Adjusting color saturation and hue” on page 116.

The Remove a Color Cast Guided Edit
Use the Remove a Color Cast Guided Edit to correct color casts in an image.
You can view the after image only, or view both the before and after images either vertically or horizontally.
For more on correcting color casts, see “Correcting color casts” on page 112.

The Correct Skin Tone Guided Edit
Use the Correct Skin Tone Guided Edit to correct skin tones (tan, blush, and ambient light) in an image.
You can view the after image only, or view both the before and after images either vertically or horizontally.
For more on correcting color casts, see “Adjust the color of skin tone” on page 118.

The Touch Up Photo Guided Edit
Use the Touch Up Photo Guided Edit to fix (large or small) flaws in an image (using the Healing Brush or the Spot
Healing Brush).
You can view the after image only, or view both the before and after images either vertically or horizontally.
For more on correcting color casts, see “Fix large imperfections” on page 139 or “Remove spots and small imperfections” on page 138.

The “Guide for Editing a Photo” Guided Edit
Use the “Guide for Editing a Photo” Guided Edit to follow the recommended sequence of applying common editing
steps to your photos. This sequence is how Adobe recommends you make your various edits, and the order in which
you should do them. This will help you get the best results for all of your basic photo retouching tasks.

The Photomerge Group Shot Guided Edit
For more information on Photomerge Group Shot, see “Use Photomerge Group Shot” on page 145.

The Photomerge Faces Guided Edit
For more information on Photomerge Faces, see “Use Photomerge Faces” on page 146.

Chapter 5: Using layers
Layers are useful because they let you add components to an image and work on them one at a time, without permanently changing your original image. For each layer, you can adjust color and brightness, apply special effects,
reposition layer content, specify opacity and blending values, and so on. You can also rearrange the stacking order,
link layers to work on them simultaneously, and create web animations with layers.

Creating layers
Understanding layers
Layers are like stacked, transparent sheets of glass on which you can paint images. You can see through the transparent areas of a layer to the layers below. You can work on each layer independently, experimenting to create the
effect you want. Each layer remains independent until you combine (merge) the layers. The bottommost layer in the
Layers palette, the Background layer, is always locked (protected), meaning you cannot change its stacking order,
blending mode, or opacity (unless you convert it into a regular layer).

Transparent areas on a layer let you see through to the layers below.

Layers are organized in the Layers palette. It’s a good idea to keep this palette visible whenever you’re working in
Photoshop Elements. With one glance, you can see the active layer (the selected layer that you are editing). You can
link layers, so they move as a unit, helping you manage layers. Because multiple layers in an image increases the file
size, you can reduce the file size by merging layers that you’re done editing. The Layers palette is an important source
of information as you edit photos. You can also use the Layer menu to work with layers.
Ordinary layers are pixel-based (image) layers. There are several other layer types you can use to create special
effects:
Fill layers Contain a color gradient, solid color, or pattern.
Adjustment layers Enable you to fine-tune color, brightness, and saturation without making permanent changes to
your image (until you flatten, or collapse, the adjustment layer).
Type layers and shape layers Let you create vector-based text and shapes.

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You can’t paint on an adjustment layer, although you can paint on its mask. To paint on fill or type layers, you first
convert them into regular image layers.

See also
“About adjustment and fill layers” on page 63
“About layer clipping groups” on page 68
“Lock or unlock a layer” on page 54
“About opacity and blending options in layers” on page 61

About the Layers palette
The Layers palette lists all layers in an image, from the top layer to the Background layer at the bottom. You can drag
the palette by its title out of the Palette Bin to keep it visible as you work with it.
The active layer, or the layer that you are working on, is highlighted for easy identification. As you work in an image,
it’s a good idea to check which layer is active to make sure that the adjustments and edits you perform affect the
correct layer. For example, if you choose a command and nothing seems to happen, check to make sure that you’re
looking at the active layer.
Using the icons in the palette, you can accomplish many tasks—such as creating, hiding, linking, locking, and
deleting layers. With some exceptions, your changes affect only the selected, or active, layer, which is highlighted.

F G

Layers palette
A. Blending mode menu B. Show/Hide layer C. Layer thumbnail D. Highlighted layer is active layer E. Locked layer F. Layer is linked to
another layer G. Layer has style applied

In the list of layers, the palette shows a thumbnail, a title, and one or more icons that give information about each
layer:
The layer is visible. Click the eye to show or hide a layer. (Hidden layers are not printed.)
The layer is linked to the active layer.
The layer has a style applied to it. Click to edit the layer style in the Style Settings dialog box.

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The layer is locked.
The image contains layer groups and was imported from Photoshop. Photoshop Elements doesn’t support layer
groups and displays them in their collapsed state. You must simplify them to create an editable image.
You use the buttons at the top of the palette to perform actions:
Create a new layer.
Create a new fill or adjustment layer.
Delete a layer.
The layer is linked to another layer.
Lock transparency.
Lock all layers.
Also at the top are the palette Blending Mode menu (Normal, Dissolve, Darken, and so on), an Opacity text box, and
a More button displaying a menu of layer commands and palette options.

See also
“About adjustment and fill layers” on page 63
“About opacity and blending options in layers” on page 61
“Simplify a layer” on page 55

Adding layers
Newly added layers appear above the selected layer in the Layers palette. You can add layers to an image by using any
of the following methods:

• Create new, blank layers or turn selections into layers.
• Convert a background into a regular layer or vice versa.
• Paste selections into the image.
• Use the Type tool or a shape tool.
• Duplicate an existing layer.
You can create up to 8000 layers in an image, each with its own blending mode and opacity. However, memory
constraints may lower this limit.

See also
“About text” on page 228
“About shapes” on page 236
“Delete a layer” on page 55

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Create and name a new blank layer
❖ Do any of the following:

• To create a new layer with default name and settings, click the New Layer button

at the top of the Layers palette.
The resulting layer uses Normal mode with 100% opacity, and is named according to its creation order. (To rename
the new layer, double-click it and type a new name.)

• To create a new layer and specify a name and options, choose Layer > New > Layer, or choose New Layer from the
More menu in the Layers palette. Specify a name and other options, and then click OK.
The new layer is automatically selected and appears in the palette above the layer that was last selected.

See also
“Copy a layer from one image to another” on page 57
“Delete a layer” on page 55
“Duplicate a layer within an image” on page 56
“Specify a blending mode for a layer” on page 62
“Specify the opacity of a layer” on page 62

Create a new layer from part of another layer
You can move part of an image from one layer to a newly created one, leaving the original intact.
1 Select an existing layer, and make a selection.
2 Choose one of the following:

• Layer > New > Layer Via Copy to copy the selection into a new layer.
• Layer > New > Layer Via Cut to cut the selection and paste it into a new layer.
The selected area appears in a new layer in the same position relative to the image boundaries.

Creating a new layer by copying part of another layer and pasting it into a new layer

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See also
“Duplicate a layer within an image” on page 56
“About selections” on page 81

Convert the Background layer into a regular layer
The Background layer is the bottom layer in an image. Other layers stack on top of the Background layer, which
usually (but not always) contains the actual image data of a photo. To protect the image, the Background layer is
always locked. If you want to change its stacking order, blending mode, or opacity, you must first convert it into a
regular layer.
1 Do one of the following:

• Double-click the Background layer in the Layers palette.
• Choose Layer > New > Layer From Background.
• Select the Background layer, and choose Duplicate Layer from the More menu in the Layers palette to leave the
Background layer intact and create a copy of it as a new layer.
You can create a duplicate layer of the converted Background layer no matter how you convert the layer; simply select
the converted Background layer and choose Duplicate Layer from the More menu.
2 Name the new layer.

If you drag the background eraser tool onto the Background layer, it is automatically converted into a regular layer,
and erased areas become transparent.

Make a layer the Background layer
You can’t convert a layer into the Background layer if the image already has a Background layer. In this case, you must
first convert the existing Background layer into a regular layer.
1 Select a layer in the Layers palette.
2 Choose Layer > New > Background From Layer.

Any transparent areas in the original layer are filled with the background color.

Editing layers
Select a layer
Any change you make to an image only affects the active layer. If you don’t see the desired results when you manipulate an image, make sure that the correct layer is selected.
❖ Do one of the following:

• In the Layers palette, select a layer’s thumbnail or name.
• To select more than one layer, hold down the Command key and click each layer.
• Select the Move tool

, right-click the image, and choose a layer from the context menu. The context menu lists
all the layers that contain pixels under the current pointer location, as well as all adjustment layers.

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To select layers interactively as you use the Move tool, select Auto Select Layer in the options bar. To see which layer
will be highlighted, select Show Highlight On Rollover. When you select this option, the Move tool shows a layer order
context menu. Drag to select multiple layers at a time.

See also
“Understanding layers” on page 49
“Select all opaque areas in a layer” on page 63
“Copy selections with the Move tool” on page 96

Show or hide a layer
In the Layers palette, the eye icon

in the leftmost column next to a layer means that the layer is visible.

1 Choose Window > Layers if the Layers palette is not already open.
2 Do one of the following:

• To hide a layer, click its eye icon. Click in the eye column again to show the layer.
• Drag through the eye column to show or hide more than one layer.
• To display just one layer, Option-click the eye icon for that layer. Option-click in the eye column again to show all
the layers.

See also
“About the Layers palette” on page 50

Resize or hide layer thumbnails
1 Choose Palette Options from the More menu in the Layers palette.
2 Select a new size, or select None to hide the thumbnails. Then click OK.

See also
“About the Layers palette” on page 50

Lock or unlock a layer
You can fully or partially lock layers to protect their contents. When a layer is locked, a lock icon appears to the right
of the layer name, and the layer cannot be deleted. Except for the Background layer, you can move locked layers to
different locations in the stacking order of the Layers palette.
❖ Select the layer in the Layers palette, and do one of the following:

• Click the Lock All icon

at the top of the Layers palette to lock all layer properties. Click the icon again to unlock

them.

• Click the Lock Transparency icon

at the top of the Layers palette to lock the transparent areas of the layer, so
that no painting occurs in them. Click the icon again to unlock.

Note: For type and shape layers, transparency is locked by default and cannot be unlocked without first simplifying the
layer.

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See also
“About the Layers palette” on page 50

Rename a layer
As you add layers to an image, it’s helpful to rename layers according to their content. Use descriptive layer names so
that you can easily identify layers in the Layers palette.
Note: You can’t rename the Background layer unless you change it into a normal layer.
❖ Double-click the layer’s name in the Layers palette, and enter a new name.

See also
“Understanding layers” on page 49
“About the Layers palette” on page 50
“Convert the Background layer into a regular layer” on page 53

Simplify a layer
You simplify a smart object, frame layer, type layer, shape layer, solid color layer, gradient layer, or pattern fill layer
(or a layer group imported from Photoshop) by converting it into an image layer. You need to simplify these layers
before you can apply filters to them or edit them with the painting tools. However, you can no longer use the typeand shape-editing options on simplified layers.
1 Select a type layer, shape layer, fill layer, or a Photoshop layer group in the Layers palette.
2 Simplify the layer or imported layer group:

• If you selected a shape layer, click Simplify in the options bar.
• If you selected a type, shape, or fill layer, or a Photoshop layer group, choose Simplify Layer from either the Layer
menu or the Layers palette More menu.

See also
“About adjustment and fill layers” on page 63
“Understanding layers” on page 49

Delete a layer
Deleting layers that you no longer need reduces the size of your image file.
1 Select the layer in the Layers palette.
2 Do one of the following:

• Drag the layer to the Delete Layer icon

at the top of the Layers palette.

• Click the Delete Layer icon at the top of the Layers palette, and click Yes in the delete confirmation dialog box. To
bypass this dialog box, press Option as you click the Delete icon.

• Choose Delete Layer from either the Layer menu or the Layers palette More menu, and click Yes.

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See also
“Understanding layers” on page 49
“Create and name a new blank layer” on page 52

Sample color from all visible layers
By default, when you work with certain tools, the color you apply is sampled only from the active layer. With this
default behavior, you can smudge or sample in a single layer even when other layers are visible, and you can sample
from one layer and paint in another one.
If you want to paint using sampled data from all visible layers, do the following:
1 Select the Magic Wand tool, Paint Bucket tool, Smudge tool, Blur tool, Sharpen tool, or Clone Stamp tool.
2 In the options bar, select All Layers.

See also
“Understanding layers” on page 49
“About painting tools” on page 198

Copying and arranging layers
Duplicate a layer within an image
You can duplicate any layer, including the Background layer, within an image.
❖ Select one or more layers in the Layers palette, and do one of the following to duplicate it:

• To duplicate and rename the layer, choose Layer > Duplicate Layer, or choose Duplicate Layer from the Layers
palette More menu. Name the duplicate layer, and click OK.

• To duplicate without naming, select the layer and drag it to the New Layer button

at the top of the Layers

palette.

• Right-click the layer name or thumbnail, and choose Duplicate Layer.

See also
“Understanding layers” on page 49

Duplicate one or more layers in another image
You can take any layer, including the Background layer, from one image and duplicate it in another. Keep in mind
that the pixel dimensions of the destination image determine how large the printed copy of the duplicated layer can
be. Also, if the pixel dimensions of the two images are not the same, the duplicated layer may appear smaller or larger
than you’d expect.
1 Open the source image. If you plan to copy a layer to an existing image rather than a new one, open the destination
image as well.
2 In the source image’s Layers palette, select the name of the layer or layers you want to duplicate. To select more
than one layer, hold down the Command key and click each layer’s name.

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3 Choose Layer > Duplicate Layer, or choose Duplicate Layer from the More menu in the Layers palette.
4 Type a name for the duplicate layer in the Duplicate Layer dialog box, and choose a destination document for the
layer, and then click OK:

• To duplicate the layer in an existing image, choose a filename from the Document pop-up menu.
• To create a new document for the layer, choose New from the Document menu, and enter a name for the new file.
An image created by duplicating a layer has no background.

See also
“Understanding layers” on page 49
“About image size and resolution” on page 134

Copy a layer from one image to another
You can copy any layer, including the Background layer, from one image to another. Keep in mind that the resolution
of the destination image determines how large the printed copy of the layer can be. Also, if the pixel dimensions of
the two images are not the same, the copied layer may appear smaller or larger than you’d expect.
1 Open the two images you want to use.
2 In the Layers palette of the source image, select the layer that you want to copy.
3 Do one of the following:

• Choose Select > All to select all of the pixels in the layer, and choose Edit > Copy. Then make the destination image
active, and choose Edit > Paste.

• Drag the layer’s name from the Layers palette of the source image into the destination image.
• Use the Move tool

to drag the layer from the source image to the destination image.

The copied layer appears in the destination image, above the active layer in the Layers palette. If the layer you’re
dragging is larger than the destination image, only part of the layer is visible. You can use the Move tool to drag other
sections of the layer into view.
Hold down Shift as you drag a layer to copy it to the same position it occupied in the source image (if the source and
destination images have the same pixel dimensions) or to the center of the destination image (if the source and destination images have different pixel dimensions).

Dragging the bamboo layer to another image

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See also
“Understanding layers” on page 49
“About image size and resolution” on page 134

Move the content in a layer
Layers are like stacked images on panes of glass. You can “slide” a layer in a stack to change what portion of its content
is visible in relation to the layers above and below.
1 Select a layer in the Layers palette. To move multiple layers at the same time, link the layers together in the Layers
palette by selecting the layers and then clicking the Link Layers icon .
2 Select the Move tool

3 Do one of the following:

• Drag within the image to slide the selected layer or layers to the desired position.
• Press the arrow keys on your keyboard to move the layer or layers in 1-pixel increments, or press Shift and an
arrow key to move the layer in 10-pixel increments.

• Hold down Shift as you drag to move the layer or layers directly up or down, directly to either side, or on a 45˚
diagonal.

See also
“Understanding layers” on page 49

Change the stacking order of layers
The stacking order determines whether a layer appears in front of or behind other layers.
By default, the Background layer must remain at the bottom of the stack. To move the Background layer, you need
to convert it into a regular layer first.

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Dragging a layer below another layer changes the stacking order

1 In the Layers palette, select one or more layers. To select more than one layer, hold down the Command key and
click each layer.
2 To change the stacking order, do one of the following:

• Drag the layer or layers up or down the Layers palette to the new position.
• Choose Layer > Arrange, and then choose Bring To Front, Bring Forward, Send Backward, or Send To Back.

See also
“Understanding layers” on page 49
“Convert the Background layer into a regular layer” on page 53

Link and unlink layers
When layers are linked, you can move their contents together. You can also copy, paste, merge, and apply transformations to all linked layers simultaneously. At some point, you may want to edit or move one linked layer. You can
simply unlink the layers to work on one layer at a time
1 Select the layers you’d like to link in the Layers palette. To select more than one layer, hold down the Command
key and click each layer.
2 Click the Link Layer icon

at the top of the Layers palette. The linked icon

appears in the linked layers.

3 To unlink layers, select a linked layer in the Layers palette and click the Link Layers icon at the top of the Layers

palette.

See also
“Understanding layers” on page 49
“About layer clipping groups” on page 68

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Merge layers
Layers can greatly increase the file size of an image. Merging layers in an image reduces file size. You should merge
layers only after you have finished manipulating them to create the image you want.

Example of merging

You can choose to merge only the linked layers, only the visible layers, only a layer with the layer below it, or only
selected layers. You can also merge the contents of all visible layers into a selected layer, yet not delete the other visible
layers (in this case, there is no reduction in file size).
When you complete work on an image, you can flatten it. Flattening merges all visible layers, discards all hidden
layers, and fills transparent areas with white.
1 Go to the Layers palette and make sure that an eye icon

appears next to each of the layers you want to merge.

2 Do one of the following:

• To merge selected layers, select more than one layer by holding down the Command key and clicking each layer.
Then choose Merge Layers from the Layers palette More menu.

• To merge a layer with the one below, select the top layer of the pair and choose Merge Down from either the Layer
menu or the Layers palette More menu.
Note: If the bottom layer in the pair is a shape, type, or fill layer, you must simplify the layer. If the bottom layer in the
pair is linked to another layer or is an adjustment layer, you can’t choose Merge Down.

• To merge all visible layers, hide any layers you don’t want to merge and choose Merge Visible from the Layer menu
or Layers palette More menu.

• To merge all visible linked layers, select one of the linked layers and choose Merge Linked from the Layer menu
or Layers palette More menu.
Note: If the bottom-most merged layer is a type, shape, solid color fill, gradient fill, or pattern fill layer, you must first
simplify the layer.

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See also
“Merging adjustment layers” on page 66
“Simplify a layer” on page 55

Merge layers into another layer
Use this procedure when you want to keep the layers you are merging intact. The result is a new merged layer plus
all the original layers.
1 Click the eye icon next to layers you don’t want to merge, and make sure that the eye icon is visible for the layers
you do want to merge.
2 Specify a layer in which to merge all visible layers. You can either create a new layer in which to merge or select

an existing layer in the Layers palette.
3 Hold down Option, and choose Merge Visible from either the Layers menu or the Layers palette More menu.
Photoshop Elements merges a copy of all visible layers into the selected layer.

See also
“Understanding layers” on page 49
“Merging adjustment layers” on page 66

Flatten an image
When you flatten an image, Photoshop Elements merges all visible layers into the background, greatly reducing the
file size. Flattening an image discards all hidden layers, and fills any transparent areas with white. In most cases, you
won’t want to flatten a file until you’ve finished editing individual layers.
1 Make sure that the layers you want to keep in your image are visible.
2 Choose Flatten Image from either the Layer menu or the Layers palette More menu.

You can see the difference between your image’s layered file size and its flattened file size by choosing Document Sizes
from the status bar pop-up menu at the bottom of the image window.

See also
“Understanding layers” on page 49

Opacity and blending modes
About opacity and blending options in layers
A layer’s opacity determines the degree to which it obscures or reveals the layer beneath it. A layer with 1% opacity
is nearly transparent, while a layer with 100% opacity is completely opaque. Transparent areas remain transparent
regardless of the opacity setting.
You use layer blending modes to determine how a layer blends with the pixels in layers beneath it. Using blending
modes, you can create a variety of special effects.

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Keep in mind that a layer’s opacity and blending mode interact with the opacity and blending mode of painting tools.
For example, if a layer uses Dissolve mode at 50% opacity, and you paint on this layer with the Paintbrush tool set to
Normal mode at 100% opacity, the paint appears in Dissolve mode at 50% opacity. Similarly, if a layer uses Normal
mode at 100% opacity, and you use the Eraser tool at 50% opacity, only 50% of the paint disappears from the layer
as you erase.

Blending layers.
A. Bamboo layer and Borders layer B. Bamboo layer with 100% opacity and Color Burn mode C. Bamboo layer with 50% opacity and Color
Burn mode

See also
“Understanding layers” on page 49
“About blending modes” on page 199
“About painting tools” on page 198

Specify the opacity of a layer
1 Select the layer in the Layers palette.
2 In the Layers palette, enter a value between 0 and 100 for Opacity, or click the arrow at the right of the Opacity
box and drag the Opacity slider that appears.

See also
“Understanding layers” on page 49

Specify a blending mode for a layer
1 Select the layer in the Layers palette.
2 Choose an option from the Blending Mode menu.

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See also
“Understanding layers” on page 49
“About blending modes” on page 199

Select all opaque areas in a layer
You can quickly select all the opaque areas in a layer. This procedure is useful when you want to exclude transparent
areas from a selection.
1 In the Layers palette, Command-click the layer thumbnail.
2 To add the pixels to an existing selection, press Command+Shift and click the layer thumbnail in the Layers
palette.
3 To remove the pixels from an existing selection, press Command+Option and click the layer thumbnail in the
Layers palette.
4 To load the intersection of the pixels and an existing selection, press Command+Option+Shift and click the layer
thumbnail in the Layers palette.

See also
“Understanding layers” on page 49
“About selections” on page 81

Customize the transparency grid
The checkerboard grid identifies transparency in a layer. You can change the appearance of this grid; however, do
not change it to solid white because you’ll eliminate the visual distinction between opaque (white) and transparent
(checkerboard).
1 Choose Photoshop Elements > Preferences > Transparency.
2 Choose a pattern size from the Grid Size menu.
3 Choose a pattern color from the Grid Colors menu. To choose a custom color instead, click one of the two boxes
below the Grid Colors menu and select a color from the Color Picker.

See also
“About the Layers palette” on page 50
“Use the Adobe Color Picker” on page 205

Adjustment and fill layers
About adjustment and fill layers
Adjustment layers let you experiment with color and make tonal adjustments without permanently modifying the
pixels in an image. You can think of an adjustment layer as a veil coloring the underlying layers. By default, an
adjustment layer affects all layers below it, although you can change this behavior. When you create an adjustment
layer, the Layers palette displays a white box representing the adjustment for that layer.

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Fill layers let you fill a layer with a solid color, gradient, or pattern. Unlike adjustment layers, fill layers do not affect
the layers below them. To paint on a fill layer, you must first convert it (simplify it) into a regular layer.
Adjustment and fill layers have the same opacity and blending mode options as image layers, and you can move and
reposition them just as you do image layers. By default, adjustment and fill layers are named for their type (for
example, Solid Color fill layer and Invert adjustment layer).

Create Adjustment Layer menu
A. Fill layers B. Adjustment layers

See also
“Edit the layer masks” on page 67
“About opacity and blending options in layers” on page 61
“Simplify a layer” on page 55

Create adjustment layers
1 In the Layers palette, select the topmost layer you want to affect.
2 To confine the effects of the adjustment layer to a selected area in that layer, make a selection.
3 Do one of the following:

• To affect all the layers below the adjustment layer, click the Create Adjustment Layer button

at the top of the
Layers palette, and choose one of the following adjustment types. (The first three options in the menu are fill
layers, not adjustment layers.)

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Original image, and image with Hue/Saturation adjustment applied. Only the layers under the adjustment layer are affected.

• To affect only one layer or several successive layers below the adjustment layer, choose Layer > New Adjustment
Layer > [adjustment type]. In the New Layer dialog box, select Group With Previous Layer, and then click OK.
Levels Corrects tonal values in the image.
Brightness/Contrast Lightens or darkens the image.
Hue/Saturation Adjusts colors in the image. (Available only in color mode or on color layers)
Gradient Map Maps pixels to the color in the selected gradient.
Photo Filter Adjust the color balance and color temperature of the image.
Invert Produces a photonegative effect by creating a negative based on the brightness values of the image.
Threshold Renders the image in black and white, with no gray, so that you can locate the lightest and darkest areas.
Posterize Gives a flat, poster-like appearance to a photo by reducing the number of brightness values (levels) in the

image, thus reducing the number of colors.
4 In the dialog box, specify options and click OK. (Invert has no options.)

If you selected Group With Previous Layer in step 3, Photoshop Elements groups the adjustment layer with the layer
immediately below it and the effect is confined to the group.
5 To add more layers to the group, press Option and position the pointer over the line dividing the bottommost layer
in the group from the layer below it. Click when the pointer changes to two overlapping circles .

See also
“About histograms” on page 105

Create fill layers
1 In the Layers palette, select the layer above which the fill layer should be.
2 To confine the effects of the fill layer to a selected area, make a selection.
3 Do one of the following:

• Click the New Fill or Adjustment Layer button

at the top of the Layers palette, and choose the fill type you
want to create. (The first three options listed in the palette are fill layers, the others are adjustment layers.)

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• Choose Layer > New Fill Layer > [fill
type]. In the New Layer dialog box that appears, click OK.
Solid Color Creates a layer filled with a solid color chosen from the Color Picker.
Gradient Creates a layer filled with a gradient. You can choose a predefined gradient from the Gradient menu. To

edit the gradient in the Gradient Editor, click the color gradient. You can drag within the image window to move the
center of the gradient.
You can also specify the shape of the gradient (Style) and the angle at which it is applied (Angle). Select Reverse to
flip its orientation, Dither to reduce banding, and Align With Layer to use the layer’s bounding box to calculate the
gradient fill.
Pattern Creates a layer filled with a pattern. Click the pattern, and choose a pattern from the pop-up palette. You

can scale the pattern and choose Snap To Origin to position the origin of the pattern with that of the document
window. To specify that the pattern moves with the Fill layer as it is relocated, select Link With Layer. When this
option is selected, you can drag within the image to position the pattern while the Pattern Fill dialog box is open. To
create a new preset pattern after editing pattern settings, click the New Preset button .

Edit an adjustment or fill layer
1 Open the adjustment or fill options dialog box by doing one of the following:

• Double-click the adjustment or fill layer’s leftmost thumbnail in the Layers palette.
• Select the layer in the palette and choose Layer > Layer Content Options.
• Select the layer in the palette, choose Layer > Change Layer Content, and then select a different fill or adjustment
layer from the list.
2 Make your changes, and click OK.

Merging adjustment layers
You can merge an adjustment or fill layer in several ways: with the layer below it, with other selected layers, with the
layers in its own group, with the layers it’s linked to, and with all other visible layers. You cannot, however, use an
adjustment layer or fill layer as the base or target layer for a merge.
When you merge an adjustment layer or fill layer with the layer below it, the adjustments are simplified and permanently applied to the merged layer. The adjustment no longer affects other layers below the merged adjustment layer.
You can also convert (simplify) a fill layer into an image layer without merging it.
Adjustment layers and fill layers with masks (the layer’s rightmost thumbnail in the Layers palette) that contain only
white values do not add significantly to the file size, so you don’t need to merge these adjustment layers to conserve
file space.

See also
“Merge layers” on page 60
“Simplify a layer” on page 55

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Edit the layer masks
A layer mask prevents sections of a layer, or an entire layer, from being visible. You use the mask to show or hide
sections of an image or an effect. When the layer mask (right thumbnail) attached to an adjustment layer is
completely white, the adjustment effect is applied to all underlying layers. If you don’t want to apply the effect to
certain portions of the underlying layers, paint the corresponding area of the mask with black. When attached to a
fill layer, the mask defines the filled-in area in the fill layer.

Painting a mask with black increases the area protected.

1 Select the adjustment or fill layer in the Layers palette.
2 Select the Paintbrush tool, or any painting or editing tool.
3 Use the following methods to view the layer mask:

• To view only the mask, Option-click the Layer Mask’s thumbnail (the rightmost thumbnail). Option-click the
thumbnail again to redisplay the other layers.

• To view the mask in a red masking color, hold down Option+Shift and click the Layer Mask’s thumbnail (the
rightmost thumbnail). Hold down Option+Shift and click the thumbnail again to turn off the red display.

• To constrain editing to part of the mask, select the corresponding pixels.
4 Edit the layer mask:

• To remove areas of the adjustment effect or fill, paint the layer mask with black.
• To add areas to the adjustment effect or fill, paint the layer mask with white.
• To partially remove the adjustment effect or fill so that it shows in various levels of transparency, paint the layer
mask with gray. (Single-click the foreground color swatch in the toolbox to choose a gray shade from the Swatches
palette.) The extent to which the effect or fill is removed depends on the tones of gray you use to paint. Darker
shades result in more transparency; lighter shades in more opacity.
Shift-click the mask thumbnail (the layer’s rightmost thumbnail) in the Layers palette to turn off the mask; click the
thumbnail again to turn on the mask.

See also
“About selections” on page 81

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Layer groups
About layer clipping groups
A clipping group is a group of layers to which a mask is applied. The bottommost layer, or base layer, defines the
visible boundaries of the entire group. For example, you might have a shape in the base layer, a photograph in the
layer above it, and text in the topmost layer. If you group them, the photograph and text appear only through the
shape outline in the base layer; they also take on the opacity of the base layer.
You can group only successive layers. The name of the base layer in the group is underlined, and the thumbnails for
the overlying layers are indented. Additionally, the overlying layers display the clipping group icon
.
You can link the layers in a clipping group so that they move together.

The shape in the bottom layer of the clipping group determines what area of the photo layer above shows through.

See also
“Understanding layers” on page 49
“Link and unlink layers” on page 59

Create a clipping group
1 Do one of the following:

• Hold down Option, position the pointer over the line dividing two layers in the Layers palette (the pointer changes
to two overlapping circles

), and then click.

• In the Layers palette, select the top layer of a pair of layers you want to group, and choose Layer > Group With
Previous.
2 When making a clipping group from an existing layer and one you are about to create, first select the existing layer
in the Layers palette. Then choose New Layer from the Layer menu or the Layers palette More menu. In the New
Layer dialog box, select Group With Previous, and click OK.

The layers in the clipping group have the opacity and mode attributes of the bottommost base layer in the group.
If you need to change the stacking order of the clipping group relative to other layers in the image, select all layers in
the group, then drag the group’s base layer up or down in the Layers palette. (Dragging a layer without selecting all
the layers in the group will remove that layer from the group.)

See also
“Link and unlink layers” on page 59

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Remove a layer from a clipping group
Ungrouping the base layer from the layer above it ungroups all layers in the clipping group.
❖ Do one of the following:

• Hold down Option, position the pointer over the line separating two grouped layers in the Layers palette (the
pointer changes to two overlapping circles

), and click.

• In the Layers palette, select a layer in the clipping group, and choose Layer > Ungroup. This command removes
the selected layer and any layers above it from the clipping group.

• In the Layers palette, select any layer in the group except the base layer, and either drag the layer below the base
layer, or drag it between two ungrouped layers in the image.

Ungroup layers in a clipping group
1 In the Layers palette, select the layer immediately above the base layer.
2 Choose Layer > Ungroup.

Layer styles
About layer styles
Layer styles let you quickly apply effects to an entire layer. In the Effects palette, you can view a variety of predefined
layer styles and apply a style with just a click of the mouse.

Three different layer styles applied to text

The boundaries of the effect are automatically updated when you edit that layer. For example, if you apply a drop
shadow style to a text layer, the shadow changes automatically when you edit the text.
Layer styles are cumulative, which means that you can create a complex effect by applying multiple styles to a layer.
You can apply one style from each style library per layer. You can also change a layer’s style settings to adjust the final
result.
When you apply a style to a layer, a starburst icon
appears to the right of the layer’s name in the Layers palette.
Layer styles are linked to the layer contents. When you move or edit the contents of the layer, the effects are modified
correspondingly.

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Once you choose Layer > Layer Style > Style Settings, you can edit the settings of a layer’s style or apply other style
settings or attributes available in the dialog box.
Lighting Angle Specifies the lighting angle at which the effect is applied to the layer.
Shadow Distance Specifies the distance of a drop shadow from the layer’s content. You can also set the size and
opacity with the sliders.
Outer Glow Size Specifies the size of a glow that emanates from the outside edges of the layer’s content. You can also
set the opacity with the slider.
Inner Glow Size Specifies the size of a glow that emanates from the inside edges of the layer’s content. You can also
set the opacity with the slider.
Bevel Size Specifies the size of beveling along the inside edges of the layer’s content.
Bevel Direction Specifies the direction of the bevel, either up or down.
Stroke Size Specifies the size of the stroke.
Stroke Opacity Specifies the opacity of the stroke.

See also
“Using the Effects palette” on page 167

Work with layer styles
You can apply special effects to a layer, hide or show the styles in a layer, and even change the scale of a layer style
(for example, decrease or increase the size of a glow effect). It’s easy to copy a style from one layer to another.
Apply a layer style
1 Select a layer in the Layers palette.
2 In the Effects palette, choose Layer Styles from the category menu.
3 Do any of the following:

• Select a style, and click Apply.
• Double-click a style.
• Drag a style onto a layer.

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A starburst icon indicates a layer style is applied to the layer.

If you don’t like the result, press Command+Z to remove the style, or choose Edit > Undo.
You can also drag the style to the image, where it is applied to the selected layer.

Hide or show all layer styles in an image
❖ Choose one of the following:

• Layer > Layer Style > Hide All Effects.
• Layer > Layer Style > Show All Effects.
Edit a layer’s style settings

You can edit a layer’s style settings to adjust the effect. You can also copy style settings between layers and remove a
style from a layer.
1 Do one of the following:

• Double-click the starburst icon

in the Layers palette.

• Choose Layer > Layer Style > Style Settings.
2 To preview the changes in your image, select Preview.
3 Adjust one or more of the layer style settings or add new ones, and click OK.
Change the scale of a layer style
1 In the Layers palette, select the layer containing style effects you want to scale.
2 Choose Layer > Layer Style > Scale Effect.
3 To preview the changes in your image, select Preview.

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4 Specify how much you want to scale the effects. For example, if you are increasing the size of an outer glow, 100%
is the current scale; 200% doubles the glow size. Then click OK.
Copy style settings between layers
1 In the Layers palette, select the layer containing the style settings you want to copy.
2 Choose Layer > Layer Style > Copy Layer Style.
3 Select the destination layer in the Layers palette, and choose Layer > Layer Style > Paste Layer Style.
Remove a layer style
1 In the Layers palette, select the layer containing the style you want to remove.
2 Choose Layer > Layer Style > Clear Layer Style.

Chapter 6: Camera raw files
You can process camera raw files from within Photoshop Elements and set certain values that are common to all
image file formats (such as contrast, tonal range, and sharpness). After you process the raw image files, you can open
the file, edit it, and then save it in any format supported by Photoshop Elements. By processing the raw files, which
are like digital negatives, and then working on them in Photoshop Elements, you can experiment with your images
while keeping the original “raw” files.

Processing camera raw image files
About camera raw image files
A camera raw file contains unprocessed picture data from a camera’s image sensor. Think of camera raw files as
photonegatives. Many digital cameras can save raw format files. You can open a raw file in Photoshop Elements,
process it, and save it, rather than relying on the camera to process the file. Working with camera raw files lets you
set the proper white balance, tonal range, contrast, color saturation, and sharpness.
You can reprocess the file repeatedly to achieve the results you want. Photoshop Elements doesn’t save your changes
to the original raw file; it saves the last settings you specified before importing the file from your camera to your
computer.
After processing the raw image file using the features of the Camera Raw dialog box, you open the image in
Photoshop Elements, where you can edit it in the same way that you edit any photo, such as fixing red eye or making
color adjustments. Then, you can save the file in any format supported by Photoshop Elements. It’s best to use PSD.
To use raw files, you need to set your camera to save files in its own raw file format. When you download the files
from the camera, they have file extensions like NEF, CRW, and so on. Photoshop Elements can open raw files only
from supported cameras. Visit the Adobe website to view a list of supported cameras.

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G
H
I

J
K

Camera Raw dialog box
A. View options B. Click the Basic or Detail tab to access different controls C. RGB values D. Histogram E. Image settings F. More menu
G. Camera and some EXIF information H. Tools I. Rotate buttons J. Zoom levels K. Bit depth options

Open and process camera raw files
1 Choose File > Open.
2 Browse to select one or more camera raw files, and click Open.

The histogram in the Camera Raw dialog box shows the tonal range of the image at the current settings. As you make
settings adjustments, the histogram automatically updates.
3 (Optional) Adjust the image view using the controls, such as the Zoom tool, and options, such as Shadows and
Highlights, which reveal clipping in the preview area. (See “Camera raw controls” on page 76.)

Note: Selecting Preview displays a preview of the image with the settings changes you make. Deselecting Preview displays
the camera raw image at the original settings of the current tab combined with the settings in the hidden tabs.
4 To rotate the image 90˚ counterclockwise or 90˚ clockwise, click the Rotate Image buttons

5 To apply the settings used in the previous camera raw image or the default settings for your camera, choose an
option from the Settings menu. Using the same options is useful, for example, if you want to quickly process images
with similar lighting conditions. (See “Set custom camera settings” on page 77.)
6 (Optional) Set options to adjust the white balance. (See “White balance controls for camera raw” on page 78.)

You can monitor the RGB values of pixels in your image as you adjust them in the Camera Raw dialog box. Position
the Zoom tool, Hand tool, White Balance tool, or Crop tool over the preview image to display the RGB values directly
beneath the pointer.
7 Make tonal adjustments using the Exposure, Shadow, Brightness, Contrast, and Saturation sliders. (See “Tonal
and image adjustments in camera raw files” on page 79.)

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To undo your manual adjustments and make the adjustments automatically, select Auto. To restore all options to
their initial settings, press Option and click Reset.
Note: By default, Auto is always selected. To change this default, deselect one or more Auto options, click the triangle to
the right of the Settings menu, and choose Save New Camera Raw Defaults.
8 Do one of the following:

• To open a copy of the camera raw image file (with the camera raw settings applied) in Photoshop Elements, click
Open. You can edit the image and save it in a Photoshop Elements-supported format. The original camera raw file
remains unaltered.

• To save the adjustments to a DNG file, click Save Image. (See “Save changes to camera raw images” on page 76.)
• To cancel the adjustments and close the dialog box, click Cancel.
Note: The Digital Negative (DNG) format is Adobe’s proposed standard format for camera raw files. DNG files are useful
for archiving camera raw images because they contain the raw camera sensor data and data specifying how the image
should look. Camera raw image settings can be stored in DNG files instead of in sidecar XMP files or the camera raw
database.

Adjust sharpness in camera raw files
The Sharpness slider adjusts the image sharpness to provide the edge definition you want. The Sharpness adjustment
is a variation of the Photoshop Unsharp Mask filter, which locates pixels that differ from surrounding pixels based
on the threshold you specify and increases the pixels’ contrast by the amount you specify. When opening a camera
raw file, the Camera Raw plug-in calculates the threshold to use based on the camera model, ISO, and exposure
compensation. You can choose whether sharpening is applied to all images or just to previews.
1 Zoom the preview image to at least 100%.
2 Click the Details tab.
3 Move the Sharpness slider to the right to increase sharpening and to the left to decrease it. A value of zero turns
off sharpening. In general, set the Sharpness slider to a lower value for cleaner images.

If you don’t plan to edit the image extensively in Photoshop Elements, use the camera raw Sharpness slider. If you do
plan to edit the image extensively in Photoshop Elements, turn off camera raw sharpening. Then use the sharpening
filters in Photoshop Elements as the last step after all other editing and resizing is complete.

Reducing noise in camera raw images
The Detail tab in the Camera Raw dialog box contains controls for reducing image noise—the extraneous visible
artifacts that degrade image quality. Image noise includes luminance (grayscale) noise, which makes an image look
grainy, and chroma (color) noise, which is usually visible as colored artifacts in the image. Photos taken at high ISO
speeds or with less sophisticated digital cameras can have noticeable noise.
Moving the Luminance Smoothing slider to the right reduces grayscale noise, and moving the Color Noise
Reduction slider to the right reduces chroma noise.
When making Luminance Smoothing or Color Noise Reduction adjustments, it’s a good idea to preview images at
100% for a better view.

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Moving the Luminance Smoothing slider to the right reduces grayscale noise.

Save changes to camera raw images
The Camera Raw dialog box lets you save changes you’ve made to a camera raw file. Be aware that saving the file does
not open it in Photoshop Elements. (To open a camera raw file, just use the Open command, like you would with
any other file. Then you can edit and save the file like any other image.)
1 In the Camera Raw dialog box, apply adjustments to one or more camera raw images.
2 Click the Save button.
3 In the Camera Raw Save Options dialog box, specify where to save the file and how to name the file if you're saving
more than one camera raw file.
4 Click Save.

Open a camera raw image
After you process a camera raw image in the Camera Raw dialog box, you can open the image and edit it.
1 In the Camera Raw dialog box, apply adjustments to one or more camera raw images.
2 Click the Open Image button. The Camera Raw dialog box closes, and the photo opens.

Settings and controls
Camera raw controls
Zoom tool
Sets the preview zoom to the next preset zoom value when you click within the preview image.
Option-click to zoom out. Drag the Zoom tool in the preview image to zoom in on a selected area. To return to 100%,
double-click the Zoom tool.

Moves the image in the preview window if the preview image is set at a zoom level higher than 100%.
Hold down the spacebar to access the Hand tool while using another tool. Double-click the Hand tool to fit the
preview image in the window.
Hand tool

White Balance tool
Sets the area you click to a neutral gray tone to remove color casts and adjust the color of the
entire image. The Temperature and Tint values change to reflect the color adjustment.

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Removes part of an image. Drag the tool within the preview image to select the portion you want to
keep, and then press Enter.

Crop tool

You can use the Straighten tool to realign an image vertically or horizontally. This tool also
resizes or crops the canvas to accommodate straightening the image.

Straighten tool

Red Eye Removal

Removes red eye in flash photos of people and green or white eye in pets.

Open Preferences Dialog
Rotate buttons

Opens the preferences dialog.

Rotates the photo either counterclockwise or clockwise.

Set custom camera settings
When you open a camera raw file, Photoshop Elements reads information in the file to see which model of camera
created it, and then applies the appropriate camera settings to the image. If you are always making similar adjustments, you can change the default settings of your camera. You can also change settings for each model of camera
you own, but not for multiple cameras of the same model.
1 Open a camera raw file and adjust the image.
2 To save the current settings as the default for the camera that created the image, click the triangle next to the
Settings menu and choose Save New Camera Raw Default.
3 To use the Photoshop Elements default settings for your camera, click the triangle next to the Settings menu and
choose Reset Camera Raw Default.

Color and camera raw
Using the histogram and RGB values in camera raw
The Camera Raw histogram shows all three channels (red, green, and blue) of the image simultaneously. The
histogram changes automatically as you adjust the settings in the Camera Raw dialog box.
As you move the Zoom tool, Hand tool, or White Balance tool over the preview image, you see the RGB values in
the upper-right corner of the dialog box.

RGB values of an image

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White balance controls for camera raw
A digital camera records the white balance at the time of exposure as metadata, which you can see when you open
the file in the Camera Raw dialog box. This setting usually yields the correct color temperature. You can adjust it if
the white balance is not quite right.
The Adjust tab in the Photoshop Camera Raw dialog box includes the following three controls for correcting a color
cast in your image:
White Balance Sets the color balance of the image to reflect the lighting conditions under which the photo was taken.

In some cases, choosing a white balance from the White Balance menu provides satisfactory results. In many cases,
you may want to customize the white balance using the Temperature and Tint adjustments.
Note: The Camera Raw plug-in can read the white balance settings of some cameras. Leave White Balance set to As Shot
to use the camera’s white balance settings. For cameras whose white balance settings are not recognized, selecting As Shot
is the same as choosing Auto: the Camera Raw plug-in reads the image data and automatically adjusts the white balance.
Temperature Fine-tunes the white balance to a custom color temperature. Set the color temperature using the Kelvin

color temperature scale. Move the slider to the left to correct a photo taken at a lower color temperature of light: the
plug-in makes the image colors cooler (bluish) to compensate for the lower color temperature (yellowish) of the
ambient light. Conversely, move the slider to the right to correct a photo taken at a higher color temperature of light:
the plug-in makes the image colors warmer (yellowish) to compensate for the higher color temperature (bluish) of
the ambient light.
A

Correcting the white balance
A. Moving the Temperature slider to the right corrects a photo taken at a higher color temperature of light. B. Moving the Temperature slider
to the left corrects a photo taken at a lower color temperature of light. C. Photo after the color temperature has been adjusted.

Tint Fine-tunes the white balance to compensate for a green or magenta tint. Move the slider to the left (negative
values) to add green to the photo; move it to the right (positive values) to add magenta.

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To adjust the white balance quickly, select the White Balance tool, and then click an area in the preview image that
should be a neutral gray or white. The Temperature and Tint sliders automatically adjust to make the selected color
exactly neutral (if possible). If you’re clicking whites, choose a highlight area that contains significant white detail rather
than a specular highlight.

Using White Balance to click a neutral white area, and resulting correction

Tonal and image adjustments in camera raw files
Exposure Adjusts the brightness or darkness of an image. Move the slider to the left to darken the image; move it to

the right to brighten the image. The values are in increments equivalent to f-stops. An adjustment of +1.50 is similar
to widening the aperture one and one-half stops. Likewise, an adjustment of -1.50 is similar to reducing the aperture
one and one-half stops.
Hold down Option while moving the Exposure slider to preview where the highlights are clipped. (Clipping is the
shifting of pixel values to either the highest highlight value or the lowest shadow value. Clipped areas are either
completely white or completely black and have no image detail.) Move the slider until the highlights (not specular
highlights) are completely clipped, and then reverse the adjustment slightly. Black indicates unclipped areas, and color
indicates areas clipped in only one or two channels.

Hold down Option while moving the Exposure slider to show clipped highlights.

Recovery Attempts to recover details from highlights. Camera Raw can reconstruct some details from areas in which

one or two color channels are clipped to white.
Fill Light Attempts to recover details from shadows, without brightening blacks. Camera Raw can reconstruct some

details from areas in which one or two color channels are clipped to black. Using Fill Light is similar to using the
shadows portion of the Photoshop Shadow/Highlight filter or the After Effects Shadow/Highlight effect.

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Blacks Specifies which input levels are mapped to black in the final image. Increasing Blacks expands the areas that
are mapped to black. This sometimes creates the appearance of increased contrast in the image. The greatest change
is in the shadows, with less change in the midtones and highlights. Using the Blacks slider is similar to using the black
point slider for input levels when using the Photoshop Levels command or the After Effects Levels effect.
Brightness Adjusts the brightness of the image, much as the Exposure slider does. However, instead of clipping the
image in the highlights (areas that are completely white, with no detail) or shadows (areas that are completely black,
with no detail), Brightness compresses the highlights and expands the shadows when you move the slider to the
right. In general, use the Brightness slider to adjust the overall brightness after you set the white and black clipping
points with the Exposure and Shadow sliders.
Contrast Adjusts the midtones in an image. Higher values increase the midtone contrast, and lower values produce
an image with less contrast. Generally, use the Contrast slider to adjust the contrast of the midtones after setting the
Exposure, Shadow, and Brightness values.
Clarity Sharpens the clarity of edges in the image. This process helps restore detail and sharpness that tonal adjust-

ments may reduce.
Vibrance Adjusts the saturation so that clipping is minimized as colors approach full saturation, changing the
saturation of all lower-saturated colors with less impact on the higher-saturated colors. Vibrance also prevents skin
tones from becoming oversaturated.
Saturation Adjusts the color saturation of the image from –100 (pure monochrome) to +100 (double the saturation).
Sharpening Sharpening enhances the definition of edges in an image. Additional controls are available in the Detail
panel. The zoom level must be set to 100% or greater in order to view the effects of these controls.

• Amount: Adjusts edge definition. Increase the Amount value to increase sharpening. A value of zero turns off
sharpening. In general, set Amount to a lower value for cleaner images. The adjustment locates pixels that differ
from surrounding pixels based on the threshold you specify and increases the pixels’ contrast by the amount you
specify.

• Radius: Adjusts the size of the details that sharpening is applied to. Photos with very fine details may need a lower
radius setting. Photos with larger details may be able to use a larger radius. Using too large a radius generally
results in unnatural results.

• Detail: Adjusts how much high-frequency information is sharpened in the image and how much the sharpening
process emphasizes edges. Lower settings primarily sharpen edges to remove blur. Higher values are useful for
making the textures in the image more pronounced.

• Masking: Controls an edge mask. At a setting of zero, everything in the image receives the same amount of sharpening. At a setting of 100, sharpening is mostly restricted to areas near the strongest edges.
Noise Reduction Adjusts the color saturation of the image from –100 (pure monochrome) to +100 (double the

saturation).

• Luminance: Adjusts grayscale noise.
• Color: Adjusts chroma noise.

Chapter 7: Selecting parts of an image
A selection defines the editable area in a photo (for example, you might want to lighten one part of a photo without
affecting the rest). You can make a selection with either a selection tool or a selection command. A selection border,
which you can hide, surrounds the selection. You can change, copy, or delete pixels inside the selection border, but
you can’t touch areas outside the selection border until you deselect the selection.

Making selections
About selections
Photoshop Elements contains several selection tools that suit different kinds of selections. For example, the Elliptical
Marquee tool selects circular and elliptical areas, and the Magic Wand tool can select an area of similar colors with
one click. More complex selections can be made with one of the Lasso tools. You can even smooth the edges of a
selection with feathering and anti-aliasing.
Note: Selections are limited to the active layer—to make changes to all layers at once, you first need to flatten the image.

Selection made with Elliptical Marquee tool, color adjusted in selected area

See also
“Flatten an image” on page 61
“Define a feathered edge for a selection tool” on page 94
“Smooth the edges of a selection by anti-aliasing” on page 94

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About the selection tools
The selection tools are located in the Tools palette, which is located, by default, on the left side of your screen.

Rectangular Marquee tool Draws
square or rectangular selection borders.

Elliptical Marquee tool Draws round or Lasso tool Draws freehand selection
elliptical selection borders.
borders. This tool is great for making very
precise selections.

Polygonal Lasso tool Draws multiple
straight-edged segments of a selection
border.

Magnetic Lasso tool Draws a selection
border that automatically snaps to edges
you drag over in the photo.

Quick Selection Brush tool Quickly and
automatically makes selection based on
color and texture when you click or clickdrag an area.

Selection Brush tool Automatically
selects or deselects the area you paint,
depending on whether you’re in selection
or mask mode.

Magic Wand tool Selects pixels of similar
color with one click.

Use the Rectangular and Elliptical Marquee tools
The Rectangular Marquee tool draws square or rectangular selection borders, and the Elliptical Marquee tool draws
round or elliptical selection borders.

C D E F

Rectangular and Elliptical Marquee tool options
A. Rectangular Marquee tool B. Elliptical Marquee tool C. New selection D. Add to selection E. Subtract from a selection F. Intersect with
a selection

1 Select the Rectangular Marquee tool

or the Elliptical Marquee tool

in the toolbox.

2 (Optional) Set marquee tool options in the options bar located above your image:

• Specify whether to create a new selection, add to a selection, subtract from a selection, or select an area intersected
by other selections.

• To soften the selection border so that it blends into the area outside the selection, enter a Feather value.

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• To smooth the edges of your selection, select Anti-aliased (Elliptical Marquee tool only).
• From the Mode pop-up menu, choose Normal to visually set the size and proportions of the selection border;
Fixed Aspect Ratio to set a width-to-height ratio for the selection border; or Fixed Size to specify the marquee’s
height and width.
3 Drag over the area you want to select. Hold down the Shift key as you drag to constrain the selection marquee to
a square or circle.

To reposition a marquee tool selection border, hold down the spacebar as you drag with the selection tool. Release
the spacebar once the selection border is in the correct area.

Use the Lasso tool
The Lasso tool draws freehand selection borders. This tool lets you make very precise selections.

D E F G

B C

Lasso tool options
A. Lasso tool B. Polygonal Lasso tool C. Magnetic Lasso tool D. New selection E. Add to selection F. Subtract from selection G. Intersect
with selection

1 Select the Lasso tool

from the toolbox.

2 (Optional) Set Lasso tool options in the options bar located above your image:

• Specify whether to create a new selection, add to an existing selection, subtract from a selection, or select an area
intersected by other selections.

• To soften the selection border so that it blends into the area outside the selection, enter a Feather value.
• To smooth the edges of your selection, select Anti-aliased.
3 Drag to draw a freehand selection border:

• To add to the selection, release the mouse button; then press Shift and, when the pointer changes to
• To subtract from the selection, release the mouse button; then press Option and when the pointer changes to

, drag.
, drag.

• To add straight-edge segments, press Option (while pressing the mouse); then release the mouse button and, when
the pointer changes to

, click where you want to position the end of the segment.

4 To close the selection border, release the mouse button. A straight selection segment is drawn from where you
released the mouse button to the starting point of your selection.

Use the Polygonal Lasso tool
The Polygonal Lasso tool draws straight-edged segments of a selection border. You can create as many segments as
you need to draw a selection border.

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B C

D E F G

Polygonal Lasso tool options
A. Lasso tool B. Polygonal Lasso tool C. Magnetic Lasso tool D. New selection E. Add to selection F. Subtract from selection G. Intersect
with selection

1 Select the Polygonal Lasso tool

from the toolbox.

2 (Optional) Set Polygonal Lasso tool options in the options bar located above your image:

• Specify whether to create a new selection, add to an existing selection, subtract from a selection, or select an area
intersected by other selections.

• To soften the selection border so that it blends into the area outside the selection, enter a Feather value.
• To smooth the edges of your selection, select Anti-aliased.
3 Click where you want the first straight segment to begin, and click a second time where you want the segment to
end and the next one to begin. Continue clicking to create segments.

If you make a mistake, press the Delete key to erase segments. You can switch from creating straight-edge segments
to drawing freehand by pressing Option.
4 Close the selection border by doing one of the following:

• Position the pointer over the starting point and click. A closed circle appears next to the pointer when you are over
the starting point.

• If the pointer is not over the starting point, double-click, or Command-click. A straight selection segment is drawn
from your pointer to the starting point of your selection.

Use the Magnetic Lasso tool
The Magnetic Lasso tool draws a selection border that automatically snaps to the edges of objects you drag over in
the photo. This makes it easy to draw precise selection borders. The Magnetic Lasso tool
is useful for quickly
selecting objects with complex edges set against high-contrast backgrounds.

B C

D E F G

Magnetic Lasso tool options
A. Lasso tool B. Polygonal Lasso tool C. Magnetic Lasso tool D. New selection E. Add to selection F. Subtract from selection G. Intersect
with selection

1 Select the Magnetic Lasso tool from the toolbox.

To switch between the Magnetic Lasso and other lasso tools when the Magnetic Lasso tool is selected, do one of the
following:

• To activate the Lasso tool, Option-drag.
• To activate the Polygonal Lasso tool, Option-click.

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2 (Optional) Set Magnetic Lasso tool options in the options bar located above your image:

• Specify whether to create a new selection, add to an existing selection, subtract from a selection, or select an area
intersected by other selections.

• To soften the selection border so that it blends into the area outside the selection, enter a Feather value.
• To smooth the edges of your selection, select Anti-aliased.
• To specify the area of edge detection, enter a pixel value between 1 and 256 for Width. The tool detects edges only
within the specified distance from the pointer.
To change the Magnetic Lasso pointer so that it indicates the area of edge detection (the Width value), press the Caps
Lock key.

• To specify the Magnetic Lasso tool’s sensitivity to edges in the photo, enter a value between 1% and 100% for Edge
Contrast. A higher value detects only edges that contrast sharply with their surroundings; a lower value detects
lower-contrast edges.

• To specify the rate at which the Magnetic Lasso tool sets fastening points, enter a value between 0 and 100 for
Frequency. A higher value anchors the selection border in place more quickly.
3 Add segments of a selection border by doing one of the following:

• Click points along the edge.
• Drag along the edge while pressing the mouse button.
The selection border snaps to the edge in the photo. If the border doesn’t snap to the desired edge, click once to add
a point manually; then continue tracing the border and clicking points as needed. If you make a mistake, press the
Delete key to erase points along the border.
4 Close the selection border by doing one of the following:

• To close the border manually, drag back over the starting point and click. A closed circle appears next to the
pointer when you are over the starting point.

• To close the border with a freehand magnetic segment, double-click or press Enter.
• To close the border with a straight segment, double-click while pressing Option.

Use the Magic Wand tool
The Magic Wand tool selects pixels within a similar color range with one click. You specify the color range, or
tolerance, for the Magic Wand tool’s selection. Use the Magic Wand tool when you have an area of similar colors, like
a blue sky.

B C D E

Magic Wand tool options
A. Magic Wand tool B. New selection C. Add to selection D. Subtract from selection E. Intersect with selection

1 Select the Magic Wand tool

2 (Optional) Set Magic Wand tool options in the options bar located above your image:

• For Tolerance, enter a value between 0 to 255. Enter a low value to select colors very similar to the pixel you click,
or enter a higher value to select a broader range of colors.

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• To define a smooth selection edge, select Anti-aliased.
• To select only adjacent areas using the same colors, select Contiguous. When this option is deselected, pixels using
the same colors are selected throughout the entire photo.

• To select colors using data from all the visible layers, select Use All Layers. When this option is deselected, the
Magic Wand tool selects colors from only the active layer.
3 In the photo, click the color you want to select.
4 To add to the selection, Shift+click unselected areas. To remove an area from the selection, Option+click the area
you want to remove.

Use the Quick Selection tool
The Quick Selection tool makes a selection based on color and texture similarity when you click or click-drag the
area you want to select. The mark you make doesn’t need to be precise, because the Quick Selection tool automatically and intuitively creates a border.

D E

Quick Selection Brush tool options
A. Quick Selection tool B. Selection Brush tool C. New selection D. Add to selection E. Subtract from selection

1 Select the Quick Selection Brush tool

2 In the options bar, choose one of the following:
New Selection Lets you draw a new selection. This option is selected by default.
Add To Selection Lets you add to an existing selection.
Subtract From Selection Lets you subtract from an existing selection. This option is only available after you make a

selection.
3 Choose a brush from the Brush Picker in the options bar. If you want to select a large area, you can use a larger
brush. For more precise selections, choose a smaller brush size.
4 Click or click-drag over the area that covers the range of colors in the object you want to select, and then release
the mouse button.

The selection border appears.
5 Do any of the following to refine the selection:

• To add to the selection, click the Add To Selection button

in the options bar, and click or click-drag across the

area you want to add.

• To remove an area from the selection, click the Subtract From Selection button

in the options bar, and click or

click-drag across the area you want to subtract from the selection.

• To start a new selection, click the New Selection brush
selection area.

in the options bar, and click or draw to specify the new

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Use the Selection Brush tool
The Selection Brush tool makes selections two ways: you can paint over the area you want to select in Selection mode,
or you can paint over areas you don’t want to select using a semiopaque overlay in Mask mode.
You can first make a rough selection with a marquee tool, Quick Selection Brush, or other selection tool, and then
fine-tune your selection with the Selection Brush tool. You can add to the selection using the Selection Brush tool in
Selection mode, or subtract from it in Mask mode.
A B

Selection Brush tool options
A. Add to selection B. Subtract from selection C. Brush pop-up palette D. Brush size E. Mode F. Hardness G. Selection Brush tool

1 Select the Selection Brush tool
from the toolbox. You may need to click the Quick Selection Brush tool in the
toolbox and select the Selection Brush from the list of hidden tools that appears.
2 By default, the tool is set to Add To Selection
in the options bar.

. To subtract from the selection, click Subtract From Selection

3 (Optional) Set Selection Brush tool options in the options bar located above your image:

• Choose a brush from the brush presets pop-up palette.
• Specify the brush size.
• Choose Selection (to add to the selection) or Mask (to subtract from the selection) from the Mode menu.
• Set the brush tip’s hardness to a value between 1% and 100%.
If you use a soft-edged brush with the Selection Brush tool, changing the Mode option to Mask can help you see the
soft edges of the selection.

• When using Mask mode, specify an Overlay Opacity between 1% and 100%.
• When using Mask mode, click the Overlay Color swatch and select a color in the Color Picker to set the mask
color. This is useful when the mask color (Overlay Color) is too similar to the colors in the photo.
4 Draw in your photo to select or deselect areas.

Adding to a selection while in Selection mode (left), and subtracting from a selection while in Mask mode (right)

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Use the Magic Extractor
Use the Magic Extractor to make accurate selections based on the appearance of foreground and background areas
that you specify. You can specify these areas by placing colored marks in the areas you want to select. After you mark
the areas and close the dialog box, only the foreground area appears in the photo.
The Magic Extractor makes it easy to select people or objects so that you can superimpose them on other
backgrounds. For example, you can remove yourself from a photo of you on your bicycle at home, and superimpose
it on a photo of cyclists in the Tour de France. You can save the extracted image as a file that you can use again and
again.

Using the Magic Extractor
A. Area you want to extract marked with red dots B. Background marked with blue dots C. Extracted image

1 Open the photo containing the object you want to extract.
2 To limit what appears in the Magic Extractor dialog box, make a preliminary selection using the Oval or Rectangular selection tool.
3 Choose Image > Magic Extractor.

The Magic Extractor dialog box opens with the Foreground Brush tool

selected by default.

4 Click multiple times or draw lines to mark the area you want to extract.
5 Click the Background Brush tool
included in your selection.

and click multiple times or draw lines to mark the area that you do not want

When selecting objects with varied colors and textures, drag across all the colors and textures to ensure a more
accurate selection.

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6 To help mark your selection, use the Zoom tool
or the Hand tool
photo. Press Option as you use the Zoom tool to zoom out.

to magnify and navigate around the

7 To specify a different brush size or color, do any of the following:

• Choose a new size from the Brush Size menu.
• Click the Foreground Color or Background Color swatch, choose a new color in the Color Picker, and then click OK.
8 Click Preview to see the current selection.
9 To specify preview settings, do any of the following:

• To change what is displayed in the preview area, choose either Selection Area or Original Photo from the Display
menu. Or press the X key on your keyboard to switch between the two views.

• To specify a different background, choose an option from the Background menu.
10 Do any of the following to fine-tune the selection, and then preview the results again:

• To add to or subtract from the selection, draw more dots or lines using either the Foreground or Brush tool.
Note: When you change the foreground or background color, the related brush tool becomes active.

• To erase foreground or background dots, select the Point Eraser tool

and click or drag over the marks you

want to remove.

• To add areas to a selection, select the Add To Selection tool

, and click or drag over the area you want to add.

• To remove areas from the selection, select the Remove From Selection tool

and drag over the areas you want

to remove.

• To smooth the edges of your foreground selection, select the Smoothing Brush tool

and drag over the areas

you want to smooth.

• To soften the edges of your selection, specify a higher value in the Feather box.
• To fill remaining holes in the main selection, click Fill Holes.
• To separate and remove an area from the main selection, select the Remove From Selection Tool

and drag a

line between the main selection and the area you want to remove. Then click Fill Holes.

• To remove fringe colors left between the foreground and background, click Defringe. To increase or decrease the
amount of fringe removed, specify a value from the Defringe Width menu.
11 Click OK to extract the selected areas. If you want to start over, click Reset to remove all marks.

Delete a selected area
If you delete a selection on a Background layer or a layer that uses the Lock Transparency option, the selected area
is replaced with the background color or checkerboard background pattern.
❖ Do any of the following:

• Choose Edit > Delete to remove the selection. (If you delete a selection by mistake, you can choose Edit > Undo
to get it back.)

• Press the Backspace or Delete key to remove the selection.
• Choose Edit > Cut to cut the selection to the Clipboard. You can then paste it elsewhere.

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See also
“Understanding layers” on page 49
“Lock or unlock a layer” on page 54

Select and deselect areas using commands
1 Do any of the following:

• To select all pixels in a layer, select the layer in the Layers palette and choose Select > All.
• To deselect selections, choose Select > Deselect. This is the safest way to deselect the area.
• To reselect the most recent selection, choose Select > Reselect.
2 To show or hide selection borders, choose View > Selection.

Note: You can also deselect by clicking anywhere in the photo outside the selected area. However, you might accidentally
make further selections if you’re using a selection tool that selects based on clicking, such as the Magic Wand tool.

Modifying selections
Move a selection border
Moving a selection border repositions just the border without altering the photo.
1 Using any selection tool, click New Selection
in the options bar, and position the pointer inside an existing
selection border. The pointer changes to indicate that you can move the selection .

Note: The New Selection option appears in the options bar when any selection tool is selected—except the Selection Brush
tool. Switch to another selection tool temporarily, if necessary, to select this option.
2 Do one of the following:

• Drag the border to enclose a different area of the photo. You can drag a selection border beyond the canvas boundaries; however, this makes it hard to get back. You can also drag the selection border to another image window.

• To move the selection in 1-pixel increments, use an arrow key.
• To move the selection in 10-pixel increments, hold down Shift, and use an arrow key.
• To constrain the direction to multiples of 45˚, begin dragging, and then hold down Shift as you continue to drag.

See also
“Move a selection” on page 95

Invert a selection
Inverting a selection changes the unselected areas into selected areas, protecting the area you previously selected.
❖ In a photo with an existing selection border, choose Select > Inverse.

You can use this command to easily select an object that appears against a solid-colored area. Select the solid color
using the Magic Wand tool, and then choose Select > Inverse.

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Add to or subtract from a selection
You can add to or subtract from an existing selection to fine-tune selection borders. For example, you could make a
donut-shaped selection by first making a circular selection and then subtracting a circular selection within it.
❖ Select a selection tool, and do one of the following:

• Hold down Shift (a plus sign appears next to the pointer) to add to the selection, or hold down Option to subtract
(a minus sign appears next to the pointer) from a selection. Then select the area to add or subtract and make
another selection.

• Click Add To Selection

or Subtract From Selection
in the options bar, and make another selection. (The
Add To Selection and Subtract From Selection options appear in the options bar when any selection tool is
selected.)

Select an area that intersects an existing selection
You can limit the area a selection affects. For example, in a picture of snow-capped mountains, you can select white
clouds in the sky without selecting parts of the white mountain below them by selecting the entire sky, and then using
the Magic Wand tool with Intersect With Selection selected and Contiguous deselected to select only the white areas
included within the existing sky selection.

Selecting the sky and top of mountains with the Rectangular Marquee tool (top). Selecting the Intersect With Selection option and using the
Magic Wand tool to select the clouds (middle). Resulting image after increasing the brightness of the clouds (bottom).

❖ Select a selection tool, and do one of the following:

• Select Intersect With Selection

in the options bar, and select an area that intersects the existing selection.

• Hold down Option+Shift so that cross hairs appear next to the pointer, and select an area that intersects the
existing selection.

Expand or contract a selection by a specific number of pixels
You can use commands in the Select menu to increase or decrease the size of an existing selection and to clean up
stray pixels left inside or outside a color-based selection.
1 Use a selection tool to make a selection.

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2 Choose Select > Modify > Expand or Contract.
3 For Expand By or Contract By, enter a pixel value between 1 and 100, and click OK.

The selection border is moved outward or inward by the specified number of pixels. Any portion of the selection
border that runs along the canvas edge is unaffected.

Frame an existing selection with a new selection border
The Border command creates a soft-edged, anti-aliased selection border. When you add the new selection border,
only pixels between the two selection borders are selected.

Using the Border command to create a 4-pixel border selection (top). Copying the selection to a new layer and filling to make an outline of the
image (center). Filling the selection into the original image to create an outline around the image (bottom).

1 Use a selection tool to make a selection.
2 Choose Select > Modify > Border.
3 Enter a value between 1 and 200 pixels in the Width text box, and click OK.

See also
“Blur the edges of a selection by feathering” on page 94

Include areas of similar color in a selection
1 Make a selection with a selection tool and do one of the following:

• Choose Select > Grow to include all adjacent pixels falling within the tolerance range specified in the options bar.
(You may have to switch to a selection tool that includes a tolerance range, such as the Magic Wand tool.) A higher
Tolerance value adds a broader range of colors.

• Choose Select > Similar to include pixels throughout the photo, not just adjacent ones, that fall within the
tolerance range.
2 To increase the selection incrementally, choose either command multiple times.

Note: You cannot use the Grow and Similar commands on photos in bitmap mode.

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Remove stray pixels from a color-based selection
The Smooth command searches around each selected pixel for other pixels within the specified color range and
selects them.
1 Make a selection with a selection tool and choose Select > Modify > Smooth.
2 For Sample Radius, enter a pixel value between 1 and 100, and click OK.

Defringe a selection
When you move or paste a selection, some of the pixels surrounding the selection border are included with the
selection. These extra pixels can result in a fringe or halo around the edges of the selection. The Defringe Layer
command replaces the color of any fringe pixels with the colors of nearby pixels containing pure colors (those
without background color). For example, if you select a yellow object on a blue background and then move the
selection, some of the blue background is moved with the object. Defringe Layer replaces the blue pixels with yellow
pixels.

Dog selected and copied to a new image where artifacts from the dark background are visible (top). Image after using the Defringe Layer
command (bottom).

1 Copy and paste a selection into a new or existing layer.
2 Choose Enhance > Adjust Color > Defringe Layer.
3 In the Defringe dialog box, type the number of pixels you’d like to replace around the object. A value of 1 or 2
should be sufficient.
4 Click OK.

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Smoothing selection edges with anti-aliasing and
feathering
Smooth the edges of a selection by anti-aliasing
You can smooth the hard edges of a selection by anti-aliasing or feathering. Anti-aliasing smooths the jagged edges
of a selection by softening the color transition between edge pixels and background pixels. Because only the edge
pixels change, no detail is lost. Anti-aliasing is useful when cutting, copying, and pasting selections to create
composite images.
You can select anti-aliasing with the Lasso, Polygonal Lasso, Magnetic Lasso, Elliptical Marquee, and Magic Wand
tools. To anti-alias, you must select the Anti-Alias option before making the selection; you cannot add anti-aliasing
to an existing selection.
1 Select the Lasso, Polygonal Lasso, Magnetic Lasso, Elliptical Marquee, or Magic Wand tool.
2 Select Anti-aliased in the options bar.
3 Make a selection in the image window.

Blur the edges of a selection by feathering
❖ You can smooth the hard edges of a selection by feathering. Feathering blurs edges by building a transition

between the selection and surrounding pixels. This blurring can cause some loss of detail at the edge of the selection.
You can create a feathered selection with the Elliptical Marquee, Rectangular Marquee, Lasso, Polygonal Lasso, or
Magnetic Lasso tool. You can also add feathering to an existing selection by using the Select menu. Feathering effects
are apparent when you move, cut, copy, or fill the selection.

Original image (left), and after making a feathered selection, applying the Inverse command, and filling with white (right)

Define a feathered edge for a selection tool
1 Do one of the following:

• Select any of the lasso or marquee tools from the toolbox, and enter a Feather value in the options bar to define
the width of the feathering. The feathering begins at the selection border.

• Select the Selection Brush tool, and select a soft-edged brush from the brushes pop-up palette in the options bar.
2 Make a selection in the image window.

Define a feathered edge for an existing selection
1 Use a selection tool from the toolbox to make a selection.

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2 Choose Select > Feather.
3 Type a value between .2 and 250 in the Feather Radius text box, and click OK. The feather radius defines the width
of the feathered edge.

Moving and copying selections
Move a selection
The Move tool
lets you cut and drag a pixel selection to a new location in the photo. You can also use the tool to
move or copy selections between photos and between photos in other applications.

Moving a selection from one photo into another using the Move tool

To activate the Move tool when another tool is selected, hold down the Command key. (This technique does not work
with the Hand tool.)
1 Make a selection with a selection tool and select the Move tool

from the toolbox.

2 (Optional) Change Move tool settings in the options bar.
3 Move the pointer inside the selection border, and drag the selection to a new position. If you’ve selected multiple
areas, all pixel selections move as you drag.
Move tool options

When you select the Move tool

, you can change the following settings in the options bar:

Auto Select Layer Selects the topmost layer that has pixels under the Move tool, rather than the selected layer.
Show Bounding Box Displays the bounding box around the selected item. The boxes on the sides and corners of the

selection border allow you to resize the selection.
Show Highlight On Rollover Highlights individual layers as the mouse hovers over the image. Click on a highlighted

layer to select and move it. Layers that are already selected do not highlight on rollover.
Arrange menu Moves the selected layer in front, in between, or in back of other layers. Options include Bring To

Front, Bring Forward, Send Backward, and Send To Back. To arrange a layer, select the layer, and then choose an item
from the Arrange menu.
Align menu Aligns the selected layers. Options include aligning on the Left, Center, Right, Top, Middle, and Bottom.
Multiple layers can be aligned simultaneously. To align layers, select a layer, hold down Shift, select another layer, and
then choose an item from the Align menu.

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Distribute menu Spaces selected layers apart. Options include spacing on the Left, Center, Right, Top, Middle, and
Bottom. Multiple layers can be spaced simultaneously. To space layers apart, select a layer, hold down Shift, select
another layer, and then choose an item from the Distribute menu.

Copying selections or layers
You can copy and paste selections using the Move tool or the Copy, Copy Merged, Cut, Paste, or Paste Into Selection
commands in the Edit menu.
Keep in mind that when a selection or layer is pasted between photos with different resolutions, the pasted data
retains its original pixel dimensions. This can make the pasted portion appear out of proportion to the new image.
Use the Image > Resize > Image Size command to make the source and destination photos the same resolution before
copying and pasting.
Selections that you cut or copy are stored in the Clipboard. Only one selection is stored in the Clipboard at a time.
When you exit Photoshop Elements, anything in the Clipboard is lost unless Export Clipboard is selected in the
General Preferences.

Copy selections with the Move tool
When copying between photos, drag the selection from the active image window into the other image window. A
border highlights the image window when you can drop the selection into it.
1 Select the part of the image you want to copy.
2 Select the Move tool

from the toolbox.

3 Press the Option key while dragging the selection you want to copy and move.
4 To make additional copies of the same selection, do one of the following:

• Hold down the Option key while dragging the selection to each new location.
• To offset the duplicate by 1 pixel, hold down the Option key, and press an arrow key. (This moves the pixels and
copies the pixels, creating a blur effect.)

• To offset the duplicate by 10 pixels, press Option+Shift and press an arrow key. (This moves the pixels rather than
copies them.)

Copy a selection using commands
1 Use a selection tool to select the area you want to copy.
2 Do one of the following:

• Choose Edit > Copy to copy the selection to the Clipboard.
• Choose Edit > Copy Merged to copy all layers in the selected area to the Clipboard.
When you exit Photoshop Elements, anything in the Clipboard is lost unless Export Clipboard is selected in the
General Preferences.

Paste one selection into another
You can use the Paste Into Selection command to paste one selection into another. This command lets you take
advantage of elements within the selected area and prevent the pasted image from looking flat and unnatural. For
example, you can use a Hard Light blending mode at 85% opacity to retain the reflection in a pair of sunglasses.
When using blending modes this way, you need to create a new layer and paste the selection into that layer.

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Copying a selection from one image to another
A. Part of the original photo selected B. Photo to copy and paste into original C. Resulting image

1 Use the Copy command to copy the part of the photo you want to paste. (You can even copy from photos in other
applications.)
2 Make a selection in the photo into which you want to paste the copied photo.

Note: The copied photo appears only within the selection border. You can move the copied photo within the border, but
if you move it completely out of the border, it won’t be visible.
3 Choose Edit > Paste Into Selection.
4 With your pointer within the selection border, drag the pasted image to the proper location.
5 When you’re satisfied with the results, deselect the pasted image to commit the changes.

To activate the Move tool when another tool is selected, hold down the Command key. (This technique does not work
with the Hand tool.)

Saving selections
Save, load, or delete a selection
Saving a selection allows you to edit a selected area of a photo at a later time. You can work on other parts of the photo
before loading the saved selection.

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Saving selection (top), loading selection (center), and using the selection to fill with a solid color (bottom)

1 Make a selection in your photo.
2 Choose Select > Save Selection.
3 In the Save Selection dialog box, choose New from the Selection pop-up menu.
4 Enter a name for the selection in the Name box, and then click OK.
5 To load the selection, choose Select > Load Selection, choose the saved selection from the Selection menu, and
then click OK.
6 To delete a selection, choose Select > Delete Selection, choose a saved selection from the Selection menu, and then

click OK.

Modify a saved selection
You can modify saved selections by replacing, adding to, or subtracting from them.
1 Make a selection in your photo.
2 Choose Select > Save Selection.
3 In the Save Selection dialog box, choose the selection you want to modify from the Selection menu.
4 Select one of the following and click OK:
Replace Selection Replaces the saved selection with the current selection.
Add To Selection Adds the current selection to the saved selection.
Subtract From Selection Subtracts the current selection from the saved selection.

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Intersect With Selection Replaces the saved selection with the intersection between the current selection and the

saved selection.
You can also modify a saved selection by loading it and using selection tools to add to it (Shift-drag) or subtract from
it (Option-drag). (See “Add to or subtract from a selection” on page 91.)

Modify a new selection with a saved selection
1 Open a photo that contains a saved selection.
2 Make a new selection in your photo.
3 Choose Select > Load Selection.
4 Choose a saved selection from the Selection menu.
5 Select one of the following operations:
Add To Selection Adds the saved selection to the current selection.
Subtract From Selection Subtracts the saved selection from the current selection.
Intersect With Selection Replaces the current selection with the intersection between the current selection and the

saved selection.
6 To invert the selected area, select Invert and click OK.

100

Chapter 8: Color and tonal correction
Adobe® Photoshop® Elements has tools that let you adjust the tonal range, color, and sharpness of your photos. You
can also remove dust spots or other defects from your photos. You can accomplish these tasks in different modes,
depending on your experience and needs.

Color and tonal correction basics
Color correction overview
Photoshop Elements provides several tools and commands for fixing the tonal range, color, and sharpness in your
photos, and for removing dust spots or other defects. You can work in one of three workspaces, depending on your
experience and needs.
Guided Edit If you are new to digital imaging and Photoshop Elements, you can use Guided Edit to guide you

through the color correction task. This is also a good way to increase your understanding of the workflow.
Quick Fix If you have limited knowledge of digital imaging, Quick Fix is a good place to start fixing photos. It has
many of the basic tools for correcting color and lighting.
Full Edit If you’ve worked with images before, you’ll find that the Full Edit workspace provides the most flexible and
powerful image-correction environment. It has the lighting and color-correction commands, along with tools for
fixing image defects, making selections, adding text, and painting on your images.

When working with some of the adjustment commands, you can make adjustments directly to the image pixels. Or
you can use adjustment layers to make nondestructive adjustments that you can easily tweak until your image is
right.
Camera Raw If you shoot digital images in your camera’s raw format, you can open and correct raw files in the
Camera Raw dialog box. Because your camera has not yet processed the raw files, you can adjust the color and
exposure to improve the images. Often you won’t have to make other adjustments in Photoshop Elements. To open
camera raw files in Photoshop Elements, first save them in a supported file format.

See also
“About camera raw image files” on page 73

Correct color in Quick Fix
Quick Fix conveniently assembles many of the basic photo-fixing tools in Photoshop Elements. As you work in
Quick Fix, you should limit the number of color and lighting controls that you apply to a photo. Generally, you use
only one of the Auto controls on a photo. If that control doesn’t achieve what you want, click the Reset button and
try another one. You can also adjust your image using the slider controls, whether you’ve used an Auto control or
not. Sharpening is the last fix you should perform on an image.

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Using the Auto Contrast adjustment in Quick Fix to instantly fix the photo

1 With a photo open, click the Quick Fix button in the Edit tab of the Palette Bin.
2 (Optional) Set preview options by making a selection from the View menu (located under the image preview).
You can set the preview to show how the photo looks before and after you make a fix, or to show both previews side
by side.
3 (Optional) Use the Quick Fix tools to zoom, move, and crop the image, to make a selection, or to fix red eye.
4 To rotate the image in 90˚ increments, click either the Rotate Left
the window.

or Rotate Right

button at the bottom of

5 Set any of the image fixing options on the right side of the window. Click the Reset button if you don’t get the result
you are looking for, and then try the other controls.
Smart Fix Adjusts lighting and color. Smart Fix corrects overall color balance and improves shadow and highlight

detail, if necessary. The Smart Fix slider allows you to vary the amount of the adjustment. Click the Auto button to
apply this command.
Red Eye Fix Automatically finds and fixes red eyes in the image.
Levels Adjusts the overall contrast of an image and may affect its color. If your image needs more contrast and it has

a color cast, try this command, which works by individually mapping the lightest and darkest pixels in each color
channel to black and white. Click the Auto button to apply this command. (See “About Levels adjustments” on
page 107.)
Contrast Adjusts the overall contrast of an image without affecting its color. Use Auto Contrast when your image
needs more contrast but the colors look right. Auto Contrast maps the lightest and darkest pixels in the image to
white and black, which makes highlights appear lighter and shadows appear darker. Click the Auto button to apply
this command.
Lighten Shadows Drag the slider to lighten the darkest areas of your photo without affecting the highlights. Pure

black areas are not affected.
Darken Highlights Drag the slider to darken the lightest areas of your photo without affecting the shadows. Pure

white areas are not affected.
Midtone Contrast Adjusts the contrast within the middle tonal values (those that are about half way between pure

white and pure black) without affecting the extreme highlights and shadows.

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Color Adjusts the contrast and color by identifying shadows, midtones, and highlights in the image rather than in

individual color channels. It neutralizes the midtones and clips the white and black pixels using a default set of values.
Click the Auto button to apply this command.

Adjusting color values in Quick Fix

Saturation Makes colors more vivid or more muted.
Hue Shifts all colors in an image. This control is best used in small amounts or with selected objects whose color you
want to change.
Temperature Makes colors warmer (red) or cooler (blue). Use this control to enhance sunsets or skin tones, or when

the color balance set by your camera is off.
Tint Makes color more green or magenta. Use this control to fine-tune the colors after using the Temperature

control.
Sharpen Sharpens your photo. Click Auto Sharpen to use the default amount of sharpening. Drag the slider to vary

the amount of sharpening. Zoom your preview at 100% to get a more accurate view of the amount of sharpening you
are applying.
Quick Fix options
Zoom tool
Sets the magnification of the preview image. Controls and options work like the Zoom tool in the
toolbox. (See “Zoom in or out” on page 36.)
Hand tool
Moves the image around in the preview window if the entire image is not visible. Press the spacebar
to access the Hand tool when another tool is selected. (See “Viewing images” on page 36.)
Quick Selection tool
Selects portions of the image based on where you click or drag the tool. Use this tool to
make an adjustment to only part of a photo, such as flower petals, without affecting other parts of the photo.(See
“Use the Quick Selection tool” on page 86.)

Removes part of an image. Drag the tool within the preview image to select the portion you want to
keep, and then press Enter. (See “Crop an image” on page 129.)

Crop tool

Removes red eye in flash photos of people and green or white eye in pets. Drag the tool
within the preview image around an eye you want to fix, or click the Auto button in the options bar. (See “Precisely
remove red eye” on page 138.)

Red Eye Removal tool

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Correcting color in Full Edit
If you’ve worked with images before, you’ll find that the full workspace provides the most flexible and powerful
image-correction environment. It has lighting and color-correction commands, along with tools for fixing image
defects, making selections, adding text, and painting on your images. When working with some of the adjustment
commands, you can make adjustments directly on the image pixels. Or you can use adjustment layers to make
nondestructive adjustments that you can easily tweak until your image is right.
A
B

Editing in Full Edit
A. There are many tools for correcting problems and selecting portions of a photo. B. The Project Bin lets you see which photos are open. C. The
Palette Bin holds palettes that you use to transform and enhance photos and contains the tabs to access all the workspace modes: Full Edit,
Quick Fix, and Guided Edit.

As you work on your photos, perform the following tasks that apply to your image. Not all tasks are required for every
image, but the following list is a recommended workflow:
1. Specify a color management option.

Specify color management options. (See “Set up color management” on page 166.)
2. View the image at 100% and crop, if necessary.

Before making any color corrections, view the image at a zoom percentage of 100%. At 100%, Photoshop Elements
displays the image most accurately. You can also check for image defects, such as dust spots and scratches. If you plan
to crop the file, do it now to reduce memory requirements and to ensure that the histogram uses only relevant information. Using the Zoom tool to zoom out may optimize the view before cropping an image, so that you crop a wellcentered selection.

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3. Check the scan quality and tonal range.

Look at the image’s histogram to evaluate whether the image has sufficient detail to produce high-quality output.
4. Resize your image, if necessary.

Resize your image to the size that you need if you are going to use it in another application or project. If you are going
to print it or use it in a Photoshop Elements project, you generally don’t need to resize it. (See “About image size and
resolution” on page 134.)
5. Adjust the highlights and shadows.

Begin corrections by adjusting the values of the extreme highlight and shadow pixels in the image (also known as
the tonal range). Setting an overall tonal range allows for the most detail possible throughout the image. This process
is known as setting the highlight and shadow or setting the white and black points. (See “About Levels adjustments”
on page 107.)
6. Adjust the color balance.

After correcting the tonal range, you can adjust the image’s color balance to remove unwanted color casts or to
correct oversaturated or undersaturated colors. With some Photoshop Elements auto commands, both the tonal
range and color are corrected in one step. (See “Adjust saturation and hue” on page 116.)
7. Make other special color adjustments.

Once you have corrected the overall color balance of your image, you can make optional adjustments to enhance
colors. For example, you can increase the vividness of color in your image by increasing its saturation.
8. Retouch the image.

Use the retouching tools, like the Spot Healing Brush, to remove any dust spots or defects in the image. (See “Remove
spots and small imperfections” on page 138.)
9. Sharpen the clarity of the image.

As a final step, sharpen the clarity of edges in the image. This process helps restore detail and sharpness that tonal
adjustments may reduce. (See “Sharpening overview” on page 148.)

See also
“About camera raw image files” on page 73

Automatically correct lighting and color
Photoshop Elements provides several automatic lighting and color-correction commands in both Full Edit and
Quick Fix. The command you choose depends on the needs of your image.
You can experiment with each of the auto commands. If you don’t like the result of one, undo the command by
choosing Edit > Undo, and try another command. You will rarely need to use more than one auto command to fix
an image.
1 To adjust a specific image area, select it with one of the selection tools. If no selection is made, the adjustment

applies to the entire image.
2 Choose one of the following commands from the Enhance menu:
Auto Smart Fix Corrects overall color balance and improves shadow and highlight detail, if necessary.

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Auto Levels Adjusts the overall contrast of an image and may affect its color. If your image needs more contrast, and
it has a color cast, try this command. Auto Levels works by individually mapping the lightest and darkest pixels in
each color channel to black and white.
Auto Contrast Adjusts the overall contrast of an image without affecting its color. Use when your image needs more

contrast, but the colors look right. Auto Contrast maps the lightest and darkest pixels in the image to white and black,
which makes highlights appear lighter and shadows appear darker.
Auto Color Correction Adjusts the contrast and color by identifying shadows, midtones, and highlights in the image,

rather than in individual color channels. It neutralizes the midtones and sets the white and black points using a
default set of values.
Auto Sharpen Adjusts the sharpness of the image by clarifying the edges and adding detail that tonal adjustments

may reduce.
Auto Red Eye Fix Automatically detects and repairs red eyes in an image.

See also
“Precisely remove red eye” on page 138
“Replace colors in an image” on page 142
“Sharpen an image” on page 148

About histograms
You can use the histogram to analyze the image’s tonal distribution to see if you need to correct it. A histogram shows
the distribution of an image’s pixel values in a bar chart. The left side of the chart shows the values of the image
shadow (starting at level 0), and the right side shows the highlight (level 255). The vertical axis of the chart represents
the total number of pixels within a given level.
You can view an image’s histogram in the Histogram palette. Histograms are also available in the Levels dialog box
and the Camera Raw dialog box. You can update the histogram as you work so that you can see how your adjustments
are affecting the tonal range. When the cached data warning icon appears, click it to refresh the histogram’s data.
A

C
D

Histogram palette
A. Channel menu B. Palette menu C. Uncached Refresh button D. Cache Data Warning icon E. Statistics

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If many pixels are bunched up at either the shadow or highlight ends of the chart, it may indicate that image detail
in the shadows or highlights may be clipped—blocked up as pure black or pure white. There is little you can do to
recover this type of image. If you are working with a scanned image, you can try rescanning to produce a better tonal
range. If your digital camera can display an image histogram, check it to see whether your exposure is correct and
make exposure adjustments if necessary. See your camera’s documentation for more information.
The histogram may show that an image is not using the full tonal range available if some pixels aren’t available in the
shadows and highlights. You can fix an image with limited tonal range by stretching the tonal range using either the
Levels command or one of the Enhance > Auto commands.

How to read a histogram
A. Overexposed photo with clipped highlights B. Properly exposed photo with full tonality C. Underexposed photo with clipped shadows

See also
“About camera raw image files” on page 73
“Using the histogram and RGB values in camera raw” on page 77

View a histogram
1 If the Histogram palette is not open in the Palette Bin, choose Window > Histogram.
2 Choose the source of the histogram’s display from the Source menu:
Entire Image Displays a histogram of the entire image, including all layers in the multilayered document.
Selected Layer Displays a histogram of the selected layer in the Layers palette.
Adjustment Composite Displays a histogram of an adjustment layer selected in the Layers palette, including all the

layers below the adjustment layer.

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3 To view the histogram for a portion of your image, make a selection in your image, and choose an option from
the Channel menu:
RGB Displays a histogram that is a composite of individual color channels placed on top of each other.
Red, Green, and Blue Displays the histograms for the individual color channels.
Luminosity Displays a histogram representing the luminance or intensity values of the composite channel.
Colors Displays the composite RGB histogram individually by color. Red, green, and blue represent the pixels in

those channels. Cyan, magenta, and yellow represent where the histograms of two channels overlap. Gray represents
areas where all three color channel histograms overlap.
Grayscale images have a single channel option: Gray.
4 To view the following statistical information about a range of values, drag and hold in the histogram to highlight
the range, or to view information about a specific area of the histogram, place the pointer over the area:
Mean Represents the average intensity value.
Standard Deviation (Std Dev) Represents how widely intensity values vary.
Median Shows the middle value in the range of intensity values.
Pixels Represents the total number of pixels used to calculate the histogram.
Level Displays the intensity level of the area underneath the pointer.
Count Shows the total number of pixels at the intensity level underneath the pointer.
Percentile Displays the percentage of pixels at and below the level underneath the pointer. This value is expressed as

a percentage of all the pixels in the image, from 0% at the far left to 100% at the far right.
Cache Level Shows the setting for the image cache. If Use Cache For Histograms is selected in the Preferences dialog
box, Photoshop Elements displays histograms more quickly but less accurately. To display more accurate histograms,
deselect this option.

Adjusting shadows and light
About Levels adjustments
The Levels dialog box is a powerful tonal and color-adjustment tool. You can make levels adjustments in the entire
image or a selected portion. (To access the dialog box, choose Enhance > Adjust Lighting > Levels.)
A

Levels dialog box
A. Channels to adjust color B. Shadow values C. Middle tones D. Highlight values

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You can do any of the following with the Levels dialog box:

• Set the shadow and highlight values to make sure that your image uses the full tonal range.
• Adjust the brightness of the image’s middle tones without affecting the shadow and highlight values.
• Fix a color cast by making grays neutral. You can also enhance an image by adding a slight color cast, for example,
by adding a warming effect on a sunset.

• Target shadow and highlight RGB values if you are preparing images for commercial printing.
When you work with Levels, you can work directly on the image pixels or through an adjustment layer. Adjustment
layers give you flexibility in the following ways:

• You can modify an adjustment at any time by double-clicking the adjustment layer to reopen the Levels dialog box.
• You can reduce the effect of an adjustment by lowering the adjustment layer’s opacity in the Layers palette.
• You can stack adjustment layers to make multiple adjustments without degrading the image because of too many
successive adjustments.

• You can use the adjustment layer’s layer mask to confine an adjustment to a portion of your image.

See also
“About adjustment and fill layers” on page 63

Improve shadow and highlight detail
1 Choose Enhance > Adjust Lighting > Shadow/Highlights.
2 Drag any of the adjustment sliders or enter values in the text boxes, then click OK.
Lighten Shadows Brightens the dark areas of your photo and reveals more of the shadow detail that was captured in

your image.
Darken Highlights Darkens the light areas of your photo and reveals more of the highlight detail that was captured

in your image. Pure white areas of your photo don’t have any detail and aren’t affected by this adjustment.
Midtone Contrast Adds or reduces the contrast of the middle tones. Use this slider if the image contrast doesn’t look

right after you’ve adjusted shadows and highlights.
To reset the image to how it looked when you opened the dialog box, hold down Option and click the Reset button.

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Before adjusting shadows and highlights (top) and after (bottom). Adjusting softens the face and reveals more detail behind sunglasses.

See also
“Remove a color cast automatically” on page 114

Adjust shadows and brightness using Levels
1 Do one of the following:

• Choose Enhance > Adjust Lighting > Levels.
• Choose Layers > New Adjustment Layer > Levels, or open an existing Levels adjustment layer.
2 Choose RGB from the Channel menu. When set to RGB, your adjustment affects all three (red, green, and blue)
channels. If you are working on a grayscale image, it will only have the gray channel.
3 Set the shadow and highlight values by dragging the black and white Input Levels sliders (the left and right sliders
directly under the histogram) to the edge of the first group of pixels on either end of the histogram. You can also
enter values directly into the first and third Input Levels text boxes.

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Dragging the highlight slider to the left lightens the photo.

Option-drag the Shadow slider to see which areas will be clipped to black (level 0). Option-drag the Highlight slider
to see which areas will be clipped to white (level 255). Colored areas show clipping in individual channels.
4 To adjust the brightness of the middle tones without affecting the shadow and highlight values, drag the gray Input
Levels (middle) slider. You can also enter values directly in the middle Input Levels text box. (A value of 1.0 represents the current unadjusted midtone value.) Click OK.

You can see the adjustment reflected in the Histogram palette.
Note: You can click Auto to move the Highlight and Shadow sliders automatically to the brightest and darkest points in
each channel. This is the same as using the Auto Levels command and may cause a color shift in your image.

See also
“Setting target values for print” on page 126
“Adjust saturation and hue” on page 116
“Automatically correct lighting and color” on page 104

Adjust brightness and contrast in selected areas
The Brightness/Contrast command is best used on selected portions of an image. Use this command to adjust the
brightness of an entire image or to reduce contrast results in an image that doesn’t use the entire available tonal range.
The Levels and Shadow/Highlight commands are better choices for making tonal adjustments.
1 Do one of the following:

• Choose Enhance > Adjust Lighting > Brightness/Contrast to make adjustments directly to image pixels.

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• Choose Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Brightness/Contrast to make adjustments to a layer.
2 Drag the sliders to adjust the brightness and contrast, then click OK.

Dragging to the left decreases the level; dragging to the right increases it. The number at the right of each slider
displays the brightness or contrast value.

Quickly lighten or darken isolated areas
The Dodge tool and the Burn tool lighten or darken areas of the image. You can use the Dodge tool to bring out
details in shadows and the Burn tool to bring out details in highlights.

Original image (left), after using the Burn tool (top center), and after using the Dodge tool (bottom right)

1 Select the Dodge tool

or the Burn tool

. If you do not see these tools, look for the Sponge tool

2 Set tool options in the options bar:
Brushes pop-up menu Sets the brush tip. Click the arrow next to the brush sample, choose a brush category from
the Brushes pop-up menu, and then select a brush thumbnail.
Size Sets the size of the brush, in pixels. Drag the Size slider or enter a size in the text box.
Range Sets the image tonal range that the tool adjusts. Select Midtones to change the middle range of grays, Shadows

to change the dark areas, and Highlights to change the light areas.
Exposure Sets the effect of the tool with each stroke. A higher percentage increases the effect.

To dodge or burn an area gradually, set the tool to a low exposure value and drag several times over the area you
want to correct.
3 Drag over the part of the image you want to modify.

See also
“Adjust saturation and hue” on page 116

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Quickly saturate or desaturate isolated areas
The Sponge tool saturates or desaturates areas of the image. You can use the Sponge tool to bring out or mute the
color on an object or area.
1 Select the Sponge tool

. If you do not see the Sponge tool, look for the Dodge

or Burn

tool.

2 Set the tool options in the Options bar.
Brushes pop-up menu Sets the brush tip. Click the arrow next to the brush sample, choose a brush category from
the Brushes pop-up menu, and then select a brush thumbnail.
Size Sets the size of the brush, in pixels. Drag the Size slider or enter a size in the text box.
Mode Sets whether to saturate or desaturate.
Flow Sets the strength of the tool with each stroke. In Saturate mode, a higher percentage increases the saturation.

In Desaturate mode, a higher percentage increases the desaturation.

Correcting color casts
Correct color casts by comparing variations of an image
You can make color and tonal adjustments in the Color Variations dialog box by comparing and choosing different
thumbnail variations of the photo. Color Variations works best for average tone images that don’t require precise
color adjustments.
Note: You can’t use the Color Variations command with images in Indexed Color mode.

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Comparing color adjustments in the Color Variations dialog box

1 Choose Enhance > Adjust Color > Color Variations.

The two preview images show the original image (Before) and the adjusted image after you’ve made changes (After).
2 Select an option to choose what you want to adjust in the image:
Midtones, Shadows, or Highlights Specify which part of the tonal range to adjust: dark, middle, or light areas.
Saturation Makes the image colors more vivid (more saturation) or muted (less saturation).

3 Set the amount, or intensity, of each adjustment by using the Adjust Color slider. Dragging the slider to the left
decreases the amount, and dragging to the right increases it.
4 If you are adjusting the color of midtones, shadows, or highlights, do either of the following:

• To add a color to the image, click the corresponding Increase color thumbnail.
• To subtract a color, click the corresponding Decrease color thumbnail.
Each time you click a thumbnail, all thumbnails are updated.
5 If you are adjusting color saturation, click either the Less Saturation or More Saturation buttons.
6 To undo or redo adjustments, do any of the following, then click OK to apply the adjustments to your image.

• Click Reset Image to start over and undo all adjustments.
• Click Undo once or multiple times for each successive adjustment you want to undo. You cannot undo the Reset
Image option.

• After undoing a new adjustment, click Redo once or multiple times for each adjustment you want to redo.

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See also
“Improve shadow and highlight detail” on page 108
“Adjust shadows and brightness using Levels” on page 109

Remove a color cast automatically
A color cast is an unpleasant color shift in a photo. For example, a photo taken indoors without a camera flash may
have too much yellow. The Remove Color Cast command changes the overall mixture of colors to remove color casts
from an image.

Original (left), and after removing the green color cast (right)

1 Choose Enhance > Adjust Color > Remove Color Cast.
2 In your image, click an area that should be white, black, or neutral gray. The image changes based on the color you
selected.
3 To start over, and undo the changes made to the image, click the Reset button.
4 Click OK to accept the color change.

See also
“Automatically correct lighting and color” on page 104

Remove a color cast using Levels
This technique requires color correction experience and some knowledge of the RGB color wheel.
1 Do one of the following:

• Choose Enhance > Adjust Lighting > Levels.
• Choose Layers > New Adjustment Layer > Levels, or open an existing Levels adjustment layer.
2 Choose a color channel to adjust from the Channel pop-up menu:

• Red to add red or cyan to the image.
• Green to add green or magenta to the image.
• Blue to add blue or yellow to the image.
3 Drag the middle input slider left or right to add or subtract color.
4 Click OK when you are satisfied with the overall color.

You can use the gray eyedropper in the Levels dialog box to quickly remove a color cast. Double-click the eyedropper
and make sure that the RGB values are equal. After you close the Color Picker, click an area in your image that
should be a neutral gray.

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See also
“Color wheel” on page 159
“Adjust shadows and brightness using Levels” on page 109
“Remove a color cast automatically” on page 114

Adjust color curves
The Adjust Color Curves command improves color tones in a photo by adjusting highlights, midtones, and shadows
in each color channel. For example, this command can fix photos with silhouetted images resulting from strong
backlighting, or slightly washed-out objects that were too close to the camera’s flash.
In the Adjust Color Curves dialog box, you can compare and choose different tonal presets by selecting from the list
of styles in the Select A Style box. To fine-tune the adjustment, adjust the highlights, midtone brightness and
contrast, and shadows.

Adjusting color curves in an image
A. Select a Style (choose from presets) B. Adjust Sliders (custom options)

1 Open an image.
2 To adjust a specific image area or layer, select it with one of the selection tools. (If no selection is made, the
adjustment applies to the entire image.)

To preserve the original photo while experimenting with tonal adjustments, adjust the color curves in a duplicate
layer.
3 Choose Enhance > Adjust Color > Adjust Color Curves.
4 Select a style (for example, Backlight or Solarize).
5 Adjust the sliders for Highlights, Midtone Brightness, Midtone Contrast, and Shadows.
6 To apply the adjustment to your image, click OK. To cancel the adjustment and start over, click Reset. To close the
Adjust Color Curves dialog box, click Cancel.

See also
“Understanding layers” on page 49

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Adjusting color saturation and hue
Adjust saturation and hue
The Hue/Saturation command adjusts the hue (color), saturation (purity), and lightness of the entire image or of
individual color components in an image.
Use the Hue slider to add special effects, to color a black and white image (like a sepia effect), or to change the range
of colors in a portion of an image.

Changing colors in an image using the Hue/Saturation command
A. Original B. Entire image changed to sepia using the Colorize option C. Magenta colors targeted in the Edit menu and changed using the
Hue slider

Use the Saturation slider to make colors more vivid or more muted. A good use of this adjustment would be to add
a color punch to a landscape by adding saturation to all the colors, or to tone down a distracting color, like a vivid
red sweater in a portrait.

Before and after adjusting color saturation

Use the Lightness slider in conjunction with the other adjustments to lighten or darken a portion of an image. Take
care not to use it on an entire image—this adjustment reduces the overall tonal range.

See also
“Color wheel” on page 159
Change color saturation or hue
1 Do one of the following:

• Choose Enhance > Adjust Color > Adjust Hue/Saturation.

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• Choose Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Hue/Saturation, or open an existing Hue/Saturation adjustment layer.
The two color bars in the dialog box represent the colors in their order on the color wheel. The upper bar shows the
color before the adjustment; the lower bar shows how the adjustment affects all hues at full saturation.
2 In the Edit drop-down menu, choose which colors to adjust:

• Choose Master to adjust all colors at once.
• Choose one of the other preset color ranges listed for the color you want to adjust. An adjustment slider appears
between the color bars, which you can use to edit any range of hues.
3 For Hue, enter a value or drag the slider until the colors appear as you want.

The values displayed in the text box reflect the number of degrees of rotation around the color wheel from the pixel’s
original color. A positive value indicates clockwise rotation, a negative value counterclockwise rotation. Values range
from -180 to +180.
4 For Saturation, enter a value or drag the slider to the right to increase the saturation or to the left to decrease it.
Values range from -100 to +100.
5 For Lightness, enter a value or drag the slider to the right to increase the lightness or to the left to decrease it.

Values range from -100 to +100. Be careful when using this slider on an entire image. It will reduce the tonal range
of the overall image.
6 Click OK. Or, to cancel your changes and start over, hold down Option, and click Reset.
Modify the range of Hue/Saturation sliders
1 Do one of the following:

• Choose Enhance > Adjust Color > Adjust Hue/Saturation.
• Choose Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Hue/Saturation, or open an existing Hue/Saturation adjustment layer.
2 Choose an individual color from the Edit menu.
3 Do any of the following to the adjustment slider:

• Drag one of the triangles to adjust the amount of color fall-off without affecting the range.
• Drag one of the gray bars to adjust the range without affecting the amount of color fall-off.
• Drag the gray center part to move the entire adjustment slider, selecting a different color area.
• Drag one of the vertical white bars next to the dark gray center part to adjust the range of the color component.
Increasing the range decreases the color fall-off, and vice versa.
To move the color bar and the adjustment slider bar together, Command-drag the color bar.

Adjustment slider
A. Adjusts color fall-off without affecting range B. Adjusts range without affecting color fall-off C. Adjusts the range of color component
D. Moves entire slider

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If you modify the adjustment slider so that it falls into a different color range, the name changes to reflect this. For
example, if you choose Yellow and alter its range so that it falls in the red part of the color bar, the name changes to
Red 2. You can convert up to six of the individual color ranges to varieties of the same color range (for example, Red
1 through Red 6).
Note: By default, the color range selected when you choose a color component is 30˚ wide, with 30˚ color fall-off on either
side. Setting the fall-off too low can produce banding in the image.
4 To edit the range by choosing colors from the image, select the eyedropper, and click the image. Use the
eyedropper + tool to add to the range; use the eyedropper - tool to subtract from the range.

While the eyedropper tool is selected, you can also press Shift to add to the range or press Option to subtract from it.

Adjust the color of skin tone
The Adjust Color For Skin Tone command adjusts the overall color in a photo to bring out more natural skin tones.
When you click an area of skin in the photo, Photoshop Elements adjusts the skin tone—as well as all other colors in
the photo. You can manually adjust the brown and red colors separately to achieve the final color you want.

Original (top), and after adjusting skin tone (bottom)

1 Open the photo and select the layer that needs correction.
2 Choose Enhance > Adjust Color > Adjust Color For Skin Tone.
3 Click an area of skin.

Photoshop Elements automatically adjusts the colors in the image. Changes might be subtle.
Note: Make sure Preview is selected so that you can see the color changes as they occur.
4 (Optional) Drag any of the following sliders to fine-tune the correction:
Tan Increases or decreases the level of brown in skin tones.
Blush Increases or decreases the level of red in skin tones.
Temperature Changes the overall color of skin tones.

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5 When you’re finished, click OK. Or, to cancel your changes and start over, click Reset.

Adjust saturation in isolated areas
The Sponge tool changes the color saturation or vividness of an area.

Increasing saturation by scrubbing with the Sponge tool

1 Select the Sponge tool

2 Set tool options in the options bar:
Brushes pop-up menu Sets the brush tip. Click the arrow next to the brush sample, choose a brush category from
the Brushes pop-up menu, and then select a brush thumbnail.
Size Sets the size of the brush, in pixels. Drag the Size slider or enter a size in the text box.
Mode Increases or decreases color saturation. Choose Saturate to intensify the color’s saturation. In grayscale,

Saturate increases contrast. Choose Desaturate to dilute the color’s saturation. In grayscale, Desaturate decreases
contrast.
Flow Sets the rate of saturation change. Drag the Flow pop-up slider or enter a value in the text box.

3 Drag over the part of the image you want to modify.

Change the color of an object
The Replace Color command replaces a specific color in an image. You can set the hue, saturation, and lightness of
the color.
1 Choose Enhance > Adjust Color > Replace Color.
2 Select a display option under the image thumbnail:
Selection Displays the mask, which looks like a black and white version of the image, in the preview box.
Image Displays the image in the preview box. This option is useful when you are working with a magnified image

or have limited screen space.
3 Click the Eyedropper button, and then click the color you want to change in the image or in the preview box. Use

the eyedropper + tool to add colors, or use the eyedropper - tool to remove colors to keep them from changing.
4 Drag the Fuzziness slider to control the degree to which related colors are included in the selection.
5 Do one of the following to specify a new color:

• Drag the Hue, Saturation, and Lightness sliders (or enter values in the text boxes) Hue and Saturation are available
only in color mode or on color layers.

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• Click the Results box and specify a new color in the Color Picker, then click OK.
6 To cancel your changes and start over, hold down Option, and click Reset.

Precisely convert to black and white
The Convert To Black And White command lets you choose a specific conversion result, unlike the Remove Color
command, which automatically converts to black and white for you.
In the Convert To Black And White dialog box, you compare and choose different conversion presets represented by
image styles. Select a style and then use the available sliders to fine-tune the conversion.

Convert to black and white
A. Displays Before and After views B. Select a style C. Adjust intensity

1 Open an image.
2 Select an area or layer to convert. If you do not select an area or layer, the entire image is converted.

To experiment with black and white conversion while preserving the original photo, convert a duplicate layer.
3 Choose Enhance > Convert To Black And White.
4 Select a style option that reflects the content of your image (for example, Portraits or Scenic Landscape).
5 Drag the Adjustment Intensity sliders to adjust red, green, blue, or contrast.

Note: The Adjustment Intensity sliders for red, green, and blue don’t colorize your image; they simply include more or
less data from the original color channels in the new black and white image.

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6 To convert your image, click OK. Or, to cancel your changes and start over, click Reset. To close the Convert To
Black And White dialog box, click Cancel.

See also
“Understanding layers” on page 49

Automatically convert to black and white
The Remove Color command converts to black and white by assigning equal red, green, and blue values to each pixel
in an RGB image. The overall brightness of each pixel remains constant. This command has the same effect as setting
Saturation to -100 in the Hue/Saturation dialog box.
1 To adjust a specific image area, select it with one of the selection tools. If no selection is made, the adjustment
applies to the entire image.
2 Choose Enhance > Adjust Color > Remove Color.

Add custom presets for black and white conversion
You can manually add custom presents to the black and white converter by editing a specific text file.
Note: This is a task for advanced users.
1 Navigate to the folder /Applications/Photoshop Elements 6.
2 Command-click Adobe Photoshop Elements and select Show Package Contents.
3 Navigate to the folder Contents/Required.
4 Open the bwconvert.txt file in a plain text editor (such as TextEdit).
5 Following the same naming convention as the presets already in the file, add your new preset and give it a unique
name.
6 Save the file (keeping the original filename).
7 Choose Enhance > Convert To Black And White to view the presets.

Add color to a grayscale image
You can colorize an entire grayscale image, or select areas to colorize with different colors. For example, you can
select a person’s hair and color it brown, and then add pink to the person’s cheeks after making another selection.
Note: If the image you are coloring is in grayscale mode, convert it into RGB by choosing Image > Mode > RGB.
1 Choose Enhance > Adjust Color > Adjust Hue/Saturation, or Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Hue/Saturation to
work on an adjustment layer.
2 Select Colorize. If the foreground color isn’t black or white, Photoshop Elements converts the image into the hue
of the current foreground color. The lightness value of each pixel does not change.
3 Use the Hue slider to select a new color if desired. Use the Saturation slider to adjust the saturation. Then click OK.

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Adjustment filters
Apply the Equalize filter
The Equalize filter redistributes the brightness values of the pixels in an image so that they more evenly represent the
entire range of brightness levels. When you apply this command, Photoshop Elements finds the brightest and darkest
values in the composite image and remaps them so that the brightest value represents white and the darkest value
represents black. Photoshop Elements then equalizes the brightness—that is, distributes the intermediate pixel
values—evenly throughout the grayscale.
1 Select an image, layer, or area.
2 Choose Filter > Adjustments > Equalize.
3 If you selected an area of the image, select what to equalize in the dialog box, and click OK:

• Equalize Selected Area Only to evenly distribute only the selection’s pixels.
• Equalize Entire Image Based On Selected Area to evenly distribute all image pixels based on those in the selection.

See also
“About filters” on page 172
“Apply a filter” on page 173

Apply the Gradient Map filter
The Gradient Map filter maps the grayscale range of an image to the colors of a specified gradient fill.

Using the Gradient Map filter to simulate a sepia tone

1 Select an image, layer, or area.
2 Do one of the following:

• Choose Filter > Adjustments > Gradient Map.
• Using the Layers palette or Layer menu, create a new Gradient Map adjustment layer, or open an existing Gradient
Map adjustment layer.
3 Specify the gradient fill you want to use:

• To choose from a list of gradient fills, click the triangle to the right of the gradient fill displayed in the Gradient
Map dialog box. Click to select the desired gradient fill, and then click in a blank area of the dialog box to dismiss
the list.

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• To edit the gradient fill currently displayed in the Gradient Map dialog box, click the gradient fill. Then modify
the existing gradient fill or create a new gradient fill.
By default, the shadows, midtones, and highlights of the image are mapped respectively to the starting (left) color,
midpoint, and ending (right) color of the gradient fill.
4 Select neither, one, or both of the Gradient Options:

• Dither adds random noise to smooth the appearance of the gradient fill and reduce banding effects.
• Reverse switches the direction of the gradient fill, reversing the gradient map.
5 Click OK.

See also
“About filters” on page 172
“About gradients” on page 220
“About adjustment and fill layers” on page 63

Apply the Invert filter
The Invert filter inverts the colors in an image. You might use this command to make a positive black-and-white
image negative or to make a positive from a scanned black-and-white negative.
Note: Because color print film contains an orange mask in its base, the Invert command cannot make accurate positive
images from scanned color negatives. Be sure to use the proper settings for color negatives when scanning film on slide
scanners.
When you invert an image, the brightness value of each pixel is converted into the inverse value on the 256-step
color-values scale. For example, a pixel in a positive image with a value of 255 is changed to 0.
1 Select an image, layer, or area.
2 Choose Filter > Adjustments > Invert.

See also
“Apply a filter” on page 173
“About adjustment and fill layers” on page 63

Apply the Posterize filter
The Posterize filter lets you specify the number of tonal levels (or brightness values) for each channel in an image
and then maps pixels to the closest matching level. For example, choosing two tonal levels in an RGB image gives six
colors, two for red, two for green, and two for blue.
This command is useful for creating special effects, such as large, flat areas in a photograph. Its effects are most
evident when you reduce the number of gray levels in a grayscale image. But it also produces interesting effects in
color images.

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If you want a specific number of colors in your image, convert the image to grayscale and specify the number of levels
you want. Then convert the image back to the previous color mode, and replace the various gray tones with the colors
you want.
1 Select an image, layer, or area.
2 Do one of the following:

• Choose Filter > Adjustments > Posterize.
• From the Layers palette or Layer menu, create a new Posterize adjustment layer, or open an existing Posterize
adjustment layer.
3 Enter the number of tonal levels you want, and click OK.

See also
“About filters” on page 172
“Apply a filter” on page 173
“About adjustment and fill layers” on page 63

Apply the Threshold filter
The Threshold filter converts grayscale or color images into high-contrast, black-and-white images. You can specify
a certain level as a threshold. All pixels lighter than the threshold are converted to white; and all pixels darker are
converted to black. The Threshold command is useful for determining the lightest and darkest areas of an image.
1 Select an image, layer, or area.
2 Do one of the following:

• Choose Filter > Adjustments > Threshold.
• From the Layers palette or Layer menu, create a new Threshold adjustment layer, or open an existing Threshold
adjustment layer.
The Threshold dialog box displays a histogram of the luminance levels of the pixels in the current selection.
3 Select Preview and do any of the following:

• To change the image to black and white, drag the slider below the histogram until the threshold level you want
appears at the top of the dialog box, and click OK. As you drag, the image changes to reflect the new threshold
setting.

• To identify a representative highlight, drag the slider to the right until the image is pure black. Then drag the slider
back until some solid white areas appear in the image.

• To identify a representative shadow, drag the slider to the left until the image is pure white. Then drag the slider
back until some solid black areas appear in the image.
4 (Optional) To return to default settings, hold down Option and click Reset.
5 (Optional) Click Cancel to close the Threshold dialog box without applying changes to the image.

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See also
“About filters” on page 172
“Apply a filter” on page 173
“About adjustment and fill layers” on page 63

Apply the Photo filter
The Photo Filter command mimics the technique of putting a colored filter in front of the camera lens to adjust the
color balance and color temperature of the light transmitted through the lens and exposing the film. The Photo Filter
command also lets you choose a color preset to apply a hue adjustment to an image. If you want to apply a custom
color adjustment, the Photo Filter command lets you specify a color using the Adobe Color Picker.

Original image (left), and Warming Filter (81) with 60% Density applied (right)

1 Do one of the following:

• Choose Filter > Adjustments > Photo Filter.
• Choose Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Photo Filter. Click OK in the New Layer dialog box.
2 To choose the filter color, do one of the following in the Photo Filter dialog box:
Warming Filter (85) and Cooling Filter (80) Color conversion filters that tune the white balance in an image. If an

image was photographed at a lower color temperature of light (yellowish), the Cooling Filter (80) makes the image
colors bluer to compensate for the lower color temperature of the ambient light. Conversely, if the photo was taken
at a higher color temperature of light (bluish), the Warming Filter (85) makes the image colors warmer to
compensate for the higher color temperature of the ambient light.
Warming Filter (81) and Cooling Filter (82) Light balancing filters for minor adjustments in the color quality of an
image. The Warming Filter (81) makes the image warmer (yellower), and the Cooling Filter (82) makes the image
cooler (bluer).
Individual Colors Apply a hue adjustment to the image depending on the color preset you choose. Your choice of

color depends on how you're using the Photo Filter command. If your photo has a color cast, you can choose a
complement color to neutralize the color cast. You can also apply colors for special color effects or enhancements.
For example, the Underwater color simulates the greenish-blue color cast caused when photographing underwater.

• Select the Filter option, and choose a preset from the Filter menu.

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• Select the Color option, click the color square, and use the Adobe Color Picker to specify the color of a custom
color filter.
Make sure Preview is selected to view the results of using a color filter.
If you don’t want the image darkened by adding the color filter, be sure that the Preserve Luminosity option is
selected.
3 To adjust the amount of color applied to the image, use the Density slider or enter a percentage in the Density text
box. A higher Density applies a stronger color adjustment.
4 Click OK.

See also
“About filters” on page 172
“Apply a filter” on page 173
“Adjust the color of skin tone” on page 118
“About adjustment and fill layers” on page 63

Setting press target values
Setting target values for print
If you are preparing an image for printing by a commercial press, you can set target values for shadows and
highlights. The values that you use depend on the ink percentages that the press can accommodate. For example, if
you know that the press can’t reproduce detail in shadows at an ink percentage greater than 90%, set the target value
of the image shadow to 90%. Similarly, if the press can’t reproduce detail in highlights at an ink percentage below 5%,
set the highlight value to 5% or higher.
When you set your highlight and shadow points, Photoshop Elements compresses the tonal scale so that detail in
shadows and highlights is preserved rather than rendered as (“blown out” to) pure black or white.

Using Output sliders to set target values
A. Shadow point output slider B. Highlight point output slider C. Shadow and highlight eyedroppers

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You can set target values in two ways:

• Using the Output sliders in the Levels dialog box is the most straightforward way; however, the Output slider
doesn’t work if you have specular highlights in the image that need to remain as pure white. Specular white has no
detail, and so no ink is printed on the paper. For example, a spot of glare is specular white, not a printable highlight.

• Using the shadow and highlight eyedroppers in the Levels dialog box.

Set press target values for images without specular highlights
Use this press targeting method if you don’t have specular highlights in your image. If you do have specular
highlights, use the Levels eyedropper method.
1 Do one of the following:

• Choose Enhance > Adjust Lighting > Levels.
• Choose Layers > New Adjustment Layer > Levels, or open an existing Levels adjustment layer.
2 Enter the press target values for the shadow in the left output box and the highlight in the right output box, or drag
the output sliders to set the target values, then click OK.

Note: Press values are typically given as percentages of cyan, magenta yellow, and key (black)—CMYK. Photoshop
Elements only supports RGB values of 0-256. So you will need to supply RGB equivalent values to enter in the Levels text
boxes (for example, RGB of 10, 10, 10 may be used for shadows, and RGB of 244 may be used for highlights).

See also
“Create adjustment layers” on page 64

Set press target values for images with specular highlights
1 Select the eyedropper tool, and choose 3 By 3 Average from the Sample Size menu in the eyedropper tool options.
This ensures a representative sample of an area rather than the value of a single screen pixel.
2 Choose View > Actual Pixels to make sure you view the true color and tonal values of your image as you make
adjustments to it.
3 Do one of the following:

• Choose Enhance > Adjust Lighting > Levels.
• Choose Layers > New Adjustment Layer > Levels, or open an existing Levels adjustment layer.
When you open the Levels dialog box, you still have access to the scroll controls in the document window, the View
menu, and to the Hand and Zoom tools by using keyboard shortcuts.
4 To identify areas of representative highlights and shadows in the image, move the pointer around the image, and
look at the Info palette to find the lightest and darkest areas. If the Info palette isn’t open, choose Window > Info.

To identify the darkest pixels, press Option and move the Black point slider; to identify the brightest pixels, press
Option and move the White point slider.
5 Double-click the Set White Point eyedropper tool in the Levels dialog box to display the Color Picker. Enter the
color values to assign to the lightest area in the image, and click OK. Follow these guidelines:

• When you are printing on white paper, you can achieve a good highlight in an average-key image using RGB
values of 244, 244, 244. An approximate grayscale equivalent is a 4% dot.

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• You can approximate these target values quickly by entering 96 in the Brightness (B) text box under the HSB
section of the Color Picker.

• With a low-key image, you might want to set the highlight to a lower value to avoid too much contrast. Experiment
with Brightness values between 96 and 80.
6 In the image, click the highlight area that you identified. If you accidentally click the wrong highlight, click Reset
and try again.

The pixel values throughout the image are adjusted proportionately to the new highlight values. Any pixels lighter
than the area you clicked become specular white. The Info palette shows the values both before and after the color
adjustment.
7 Double-click the Set Black Point eyedropper tool in the Levels dialog box to open the Color Picker. Enter the
values to assign to the darkest area in the image, and click OK. Follow these guidelines:

• When you’re printing on white paper, you can achieve a good shadow in an average-key image by using RGB
values of 10, 10, 10. An approximate grayscale equivalent is a 96% dot.

• You can approximate these same values quickly by entering 4 in the Brightness (B) text box under the HSB section
of the Color Picker.

• With a high-key image, you might want to set the shadow to a higher value to maintain detail in the highlights.
Experiment with Brightness values between 4 and 20.
8 In the image, click the shadow area that you identified, then click OK.

See also
“About Levels adjustments” on page 107
“Create adjustment layers” on page 64

129

Chapter 9: Cropping, resizing,
retouching, and transforming photos
To create a customized image composition, you can crop and resize images. Cropping a photo can create a focal point
for a picture, or remove distracting background images. Resizing a photo lets you include more pictures on a page,
or fit photos better into a layout. You can retouch certain areas of a photo to fix red eye, replace colors, and soften,
blur, and sharpen an image. You can also rotate, resize, distort or apply perspective to a photo, layer, or selection, and
even manipulate a flat, two-dimensional image as if it were a solid, three-dimensional object.

Cropping
Crop an image
The Crop tool removes the part of an image surrounding the crop marquee, or selection. Cropping is useful for
removing distracting background elements and creating a focus for your photo. By default, when you crop a photo,
the resolution remains the same as the original photo. Using the Photo Ratio option allows you to view and modify
the size and resolution when cropping a photo. If you use a preset size, the resolution changes to fit the preset.

Crop a photo to remove some of the distracting background.

1 Select the Crop tool

, select Image, and click

Crop or click the green check mark.

2 If you want to use a resolution other than that of the original photo, select one of the following options from the
Aspect Ratio menu or specify new custom values in the Width and Height boxes in the options bar:
No Restriction Lets you resize the image to any dimension.
Photo Ratio Displays the original aspect ratio of the photo when you crop. The Width and Height boxes show the
values that are used for the cropped image. The Resolution box allows you to change the image resolution.
Preset Size Specifies a preset size for the cropped photo. If you want your final output to be a specific size, such as 4
x 6 inches to fit a picture frame, choose that preset size.

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Note: When you specify values for the Width and Height boxes, the Aspect Ratio menu changes to Custom.
3 Drag over the part of the image you want to keep. When you release the mouse button, the crop marquee appears
as a bounding box with handles at the corners and sides.
4 (Optional) Adjust the crop marquee by doing any of the following:

• To change the preset size or aspect ratio, choose new values from the Aspect Ratio menu in the options bar.
• To move the marquee to another position, place the pointer inside the bounding box and click-drag, or hold down
Shift and use the arrow keys to move the marquee.

• To resize the marquee, drag a handle. (If you choose No Restriction from the Aspect Ratio menu, you can
constrain the proportions while scaling by holding down Shift as you drag a corner handle.)

• To swap Width and Height values, click the Swap icon

in the options bar.

• To rotate the marquee, position the pointer outside the bounding box (the pointer turns into a curved arrow

and drag. (You can’t rotate the crop marquee for an image in Bitmap mode.)
Note: You can change the color and opacity of the crop shield (the cropped area surrounding the image) by changing the
Crop tool preferences. Choose Photoshop Elements > Preferences > Display & Cursors and specify a new Color and
Opacity value in the Crop Tool area of the Preferences dialog box. If you don’t want to see a colored shield while cropping,
deselect Use Shield.
5 Click the green Commit button
located in the lower-right corner of the marquee, or press Enter to finish the
cropping. If you want to cancel the cropping operation, click the red Cancel button
or press Esc.

Click the Commit button to accept a crop.

See also
“Resample an image” on page 136

Crop to a selection boundary
Using the Crop command, you can remove the areas that fall outside of the current selection. When you crop to a
selection boundary, Photoshop Elements trims the image to the bounding box that contains the selection. (Irregularly shaped selections, such as those made by using the Lasso tool, are cropped to a rectangular bounding box that
contains the selection.) If you use the Crop command without first making a selection, Photoshop Elements trims
the image by 50 pixels from each visible edge.
1 Use any selection tool, such as the Rectangular Marquee tool
2 Choose Image > Crop.

, to select the part of the image you want to keep.

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Use the Cookie Cutter tool
The Cookie Cutter tool crops a photo into a shape that you choose. After you drag the shape in your photo, you can
move and resize the bounding box until you have just the area you want.

Use the Cookie Cutter tool to clip a photo into a fun shape.

1 Select the Cookie Cutter tool

2 Click the Shapes menu in the options bar to view a library of shapes from which to choose. To view other libraries,
click the triangle on the right side of the currently open library and choose a new library from the list that appears.
3 Double-click a shape to select it.
4 Set Shape Options:
Unconstrained Draws the shape to any size or dimension.
Defined Proportions Keeps the height and width of the cropped shape in proportion.
Defined Size Crops the photo to the exact size of the shape you chose.
Fixed Size Specifies the exact measurements of the finished shape.
From Center Draws the shape from the center.

5 Enter a value for Feather to soften the edges of the finished shape.

Note: Feathering softens the edges of the cropped image so that the edges fade out and blend into the background.
6 Drag within the image to create the shape boundary and move it to the desired location in the image.
7 Click the Commit button
, or press Enter to finish the cropping. If you want to cancel the cropping operation,
click the Cancel button
or press Esc.

Change the size of the canvas
You can add space to one or all sides of an image. Added canvas appears in the currently selected background color
on the Background layer; in other layers, the added canvas is transparent. In the new canvas space, you can add text
or resize your photo to fit the space.

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Increasing the size of the canvas makes room for a colored border.

1 Choose Image > Resize > Canvas Size.
2 Do one of the following:

• In the Width and Height boxes, enter the full dimensions of the new canvas. Choose the units of measurement
you want from the adjacent menus. The Columns option measures width in terms of the columns specified in the
Units & Rulers preferences, and only applies to size reductions, not size increases.

• Select Relative, and enter the amount by which you want to increase or decrease the size of the canvas. Enter a
negative number to decrease the size of the canvas. Use this option if you want to increase the canvas by a specified
amount, such as 2 inches on each side.
3 For Anchor, click an arrow to indicate where to position the existing image on the new canvas.
4 To change the color of the added canvas, choose an option from the Canvas Extension Color menu and click OK.

Straighten an image
You can use the Straighten tool to realign an image vertically or horizontally. When the resulting image is bigger than
the original image, this tool also resizes or crops the canvas to accommodate straightening the image.
Manually straighten an image
1 Select the Straighten tool
.
2 To straighten all of the layers in the image, select Rotate All Layers, and then choose an option from the Canvas
Options menu (this menu is available only if you select Rotate All Layers):
Grow Or Shrink Canvas To Fit Resizes the canvas to fit the rotated image. Straightening causes corners of the image

to fall outside of the current canvas. The straightened image will contain areas of blank background, but no pixels
are clipped.

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Crop To Remove Background Crops the image to remove any blank background area that becomes visible after

straightening. Some pixels will be clipped.
Crop To Original Size Keeps the canvas the same size as the original image. The straightened image will include areas

of blank background and some pixels will be clipped.

Straightening and cropping to remove the background

3 To straighten the image, do one of the following:

• To align horizontally, draw a line in the image to represent the new straight horizontal edge.
• To align vertically, hold down the Command key and draw a line to represent the new straight vertical edge.
Automatically straighten an image

• To automatically straighten the image and leave the canvas around the image, choose Image > Rotate > Straighten
Image. The straightened image will contain areas of blank background, but no pixels are clipped.

• To automatically straighten and crop the image, choose Image > Rotate > Straighten And Crop Image. The
straightened image will not contain areas of blank background, but some pixels will be clipped.

Divide a scanned image containing multiple photos
If you scanned several pictures at once on a flatbed scanner, you can automatically divide and straighten the scanned
image into its component photos. The photos must have a clear separation between them.

Separating images scanned from one page into three separate images

❖ Choose Image > Divide Scanned Photos. Photoshop Elements automatically divides the image and places each

photo in a separate file.
For images with white around the border (images of light skies, snow, and so on), this command works best if you
cover the image on the scanner with a piece of dark paper.

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Image size and resolution
About image size and resolution
The image size (or pixel dimensions) of an image is a measure of the number of pixels along an image’s width and
height. For example, your digital camera may take a photo that is 3000 pixels wide and 2000 pixels high. These two
measurements have a direct correlation to the image’s file size, and both are an indication of the amount of image
data in a photo.
Resolution is the fineness of detail you can see in an image. It is measured in pixels per inch (ppi). The more pixels
per inch, the greater the resolution. Generally, the higher the resolution of your image, the better the printed image
quality.
Although a digital image contains a specific amount of image data, it doesn’t have a specific physical output size or
resolution. As you change the resolution of a file, its physical dimensions change, and as you change the width or
height of an image, its resolution changes.
You can see the relationship between image size and resolution in the image size dialog box (choose Image > Resize >
Image Size). Deselect Resample Image, because you don’t want to change the amount of image data in your photo.
Then change the width, height, or resolution. As you change one value, the other two values change accordingly.

The same image printed at 72 ppi and 300 ppi; inset zoom at 200%

If you need to print at a specific resolution, or if you want to print an image significantly smaller or larger than the
image’s pixel dimensions allow, you can resample the image. Resampling involves either removing or adding pixels
to the image to achieve the desired dimensions or resolution.

About printer resolution
Printer resolution is measured in ink dots per inch (dpi). Generally, the more dots per inch, the finer the printed
output you’ll get. Most inkjet printers have a resolution of 720 to 5760 dpi, the latter being the smallest dot size a
printer can use.
Printer resolution is different from, but related to, image resolution. To print a high-quality photo on an inkjet
printer, an image resolution of about 220 ppi should provide good results. Using a lower resolution, you can print a
slightly larger photo—if you are willing to accept some image degradation. You’ll see a warning if you chose a print
size that causes the photo to print at less than 150 ppi.

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About monitor resolution
Your monitor’s resolution is described in pixel dimensions. For example, if your monitor resolution is set to 1600 x
1200 and your photo’s pixel dimensions are the same size, at 100%, the photo will fill the screen. The size an image
appears on-screen depends on a combination of factors: the pixel dimensions of the image, the monitor size, and the
monitor resolution setting. In Photoshop Elements, you can change the image magnification on-screen, so you can
easily work with images of any pixel dimensions.
20"
15"

832 x 624 / 640 x 480

1024 x 768 / 640 x 480

A 620 x 400-pixel image displayed on monitors of various sizes and resolutions

When preparing images for on-screen viewing, you should consider the lowest monitor resolution that your photo
is likely to be viewed on.

Display the image size of an open file
❖ Click-hold the file information box at the bottom of the document. The box displays the width and height of the

image (in the unit of measurement currently selected for the rulers), dimensions in total image pixels, the number
of color channels, and the image resolution (ppi).

View the print size on-screen
❖ Do one of the following:

• Choose View > Print Size.
• Select the Hand tool or Zoom tool, and click Print Size in the options bar.
The magnification of the image is adjusted to display its approximate printed size, as specified in the Document Size
section of the Image Size dialog box. Keep in mind that the size and resolution of your monitor affect the on-screen
print size.

Change print dimensions and resolution without resampling
You might need to change the print dimensions and resolution if you are sending the image to a print shop that
requires files to be at a specific resolution.
If you are printing directly from Photoshop Elements, you don’t have to perform this procedure. Instead, you can
choose a size in the Print dialog box and Photoshop Elements applies the appropriate image resolution.
Note: To change only the print dimensions or the resolution, and adjust the total number of pixels in the image proportionately, you must resample the image.
1 Choose Image > Resize > Image Size.

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2 Make sure that Resample Image is deselected. If deselected, you can change the print dimensions and resolution
without changing the total number of pixels in the image, but the image may not keep its current proportions.

Note: Resample Image must be selected in order to use the Constrain Proportions. Resample Image and Constrain
Proportions must be selected to use Scale Style functions.
3 To maintain the current aspect ratio, select Constrain Proportions. This option automatically updates the width
as you change the height, and vice versa.
4 Under Document Size, enter new values for the height and width. If desired, choose a new unit of measurement.
For Width, the Columns option uses the width and gutter sizes specified in the Units & Rulers preferences.
5 For Resolution, enter a new value. If desired, choose a new unit of measurement, and then click OK.

To return to the original values displayed in the Image Size dialog box, use Option and click Reset.

Resample an image
Changing the pixel dimensions of an image is called resampling. Resampling affects not only the size of an image
on-screen, but also its image quality and its printed output—either its printed dimensions or its image resolution.
Resampling can degrade image quality. When you downsample, meaning that you decrease the number of pixels in
your image, information is removed from the image. When you upsample, or increase the number of pixels in your
image, new pixels are added based on the color values of existing pixels, and the image loses some detail and
sharpness.

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Resampling an image
A. Image downsampled B. Original image C. Image upsampled

To avoid the need for upsampling, scan or create the image at the resolution required for your printer or output
device. If you want to preview the effects of changing pixel dimensions on-screen or print proofs at different resolutions, resample a duplicate of your file.
If you’re preparing images for the web, it’s useful to specify image size in terms of the pixel dimensions.
1 Choose Image > Resize > Image Size.
2 Select Resample Image, and choose an interpolation method:
Nearest Neighbor Fast, but less precise. This method is recommended for use with illustrations containing edges
that are not anti-aliased, to preserve hard edges and produce a smaller file. However, this method can create jagged
edges, which become apparent when distorting or scaling an image or performing multiple manipulations on a
selection.
Bilinear Medium-quality.
Bicubic Slow, but more precise, resulting in the smoothest tonal gradations.
Bicubic Smoother Use when you're enlarging images.
Bicubic Sharper Use when you’re reducing the size of an image. This method maintains the detail in a resampled
image. It may, however, oversharpen some areas of an image. In this case, try using Bicubic.

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3 To maintain the current aspect ratio, select Constrain Proportions. This option automatically updates the width
as you change the height, and vice versa.
4 In Pixel Dimensions, enter values for Width and Height. To enter values as percentages of the current dimensions,

choose Percent as the unit of measurement.
The new file size of the image appears next to Pixel Dimensions, with the old file size in parentheses.
5 Click OK to change the pixel dimensions and resample the image.

For best results in producing a smaller image, downsample and apply the Unsharp Mask filter. To produce a larger
image, rescan the image at a higher resolution.

Retouching
Precisely remove red eye
The Red Eye Removal tool removes red eye in flash photos of people. Red eye is caused by the illumination of the
subject’s retina by the camera’s flash. You’ll see it more often when taking pictures in a darkened room because the
subject’s iris is wide open. To avoid red eye, use the camera’s red-eye reduction feature, if available.

Correct red eye by selecting an eye (top) or clicking an eye (center).

1 To manually fix red eyes, select the Red Eye Removal tool

2 In the Options bar, set the Pupil Size and Darken Amount.
3 In the image, do one of the following:

• Click a red area of an eye.
• Draw a selection over the eye area.
When you release the mouse button, the red is removed from the eyes.
Note: You can also automatically fix red eyes by clicking Auto in the Red Eye Removal tool.

See also
“Automatically correct lighting and color” on page 104
“Adjust the color of skin tone” on page 118

Remove spots and small imperfections
The Spot Healing Brush quickly removes blemishes and other imperfections from your photos. You can either click
once on a blemish, or click and drag to smooth away imperfections in an area.

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Easily remove spots or imperfections using the Spot Healing Brush tool.

1 Select the Spot Healing Brush tool

2 Choose a brush size. A brush that is slightly larger than the area you want to fix works best so that you can cover
the entire area with one click.
3 Choose a Type option in the options bar.
Proximity Match Uses the pixels around the edge of the selection to find an image area to use as a patch for the

selected area. If this option doesn’t provide a satisfactory fix, choose Edit > Undo, and try the Create Texture option.
Create Texture Uses all the pixels in the selection to create a texture in which to fix the area. If the texture doesn’t

work, try dragging through the area a second time.
Note: Click All Layers to apply your change to all layers of the image.
4 Click the area you want to fix in the image, or click and drag over a larger area.

See also
“Adjust the color of skin tone” on page 118

Fix large imperfections
The Healing Brush fixes large areas of imperfections when you drag over them. You can remove objects from a
uniform background, such as an object in a field of grass.

Before and after using Healing Brush

1 Select the Healing Brush tool

2 Choose a brush size from the options bar and set healing brush options:
Mode Determines how the source or pattern blends with existing pixels. Normal mode lays new pixels over the

original pixels. Replace mode preserves film grain and texture at the edges of the brush stroke.

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Source Sets the source to use for repairing pixels. Sampled uses pixels from the current image. Pattern uses pixels
from the pattern you specify in the Pattern palette.
Aligned Samples pixels continuously without losing the current sampling point, even if you release the mouse

button. Deselect Aligned to continue using the sampled pixels from the initial sampling point each time you stop and
resume painting.
All Layers Choose All Layers to sample data from the current layer, the current layer and below, or all visible layers.

3 Position the pointer in any open image and Option-click to sample data.

Note: If you are sampling from one image and applying to another, both images must be in the same color mode unless
one of the images is in Grayscale mode.
4 Drag the image over the flaw to meld existing data with sampled data. The sampled pixels meld with the existing
pixels each time you release the mouse button.

If there is a strong contrast at the edges of the area you want to heal, make a selection before you use the Healing
Brush tool. The selection should be bigger than the area you want to heal but should precisely follow the boundary
of contrasting pixels. When you paint with the Healing Brush tool, the selection prevents colors from bleeding in from
the outside.

See also
“Adjust the color of skin tone” on page 118
“About blending modes” on page 199
“About patterns” on page 219

Clone images or areas in an image
The Clone Stamp tool paints with an image sample, which you can use to duplicate objects, remove image imperfections, or paint over objects in your photo.

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Original photo (top), after adding two starfish with the Clone Stamp tool (center), and after removing a person with the Clone Stamp tool
(bottom)

1 Select the Clone Stamp tool

2 (Optional) Set options in the options bar:
Brushes Sets the brush tip. Click the arrow next to the brush sample, choose a brush category from the Brushes
pop-up menu, and then select a brush thumbnail.
Size Sets the size of the brush in pixels. Drag the Size pop-up slider or enter a size in the text box.
Mode Determines how the source or pattern blends with existing pixels. Normal mode lays new pixels over the

original pixels.
Opacity Sets the opacity of the paint you apply. A low opacity setting allows pixels under a paint stroke to show
through. Drag the pop-up slider or enter an opacity value.
Aligned Moves the sampled area with the cursor as you begin to paint, regardless of how many times you stop and

resume painting. Selecting this option is useful when you want to eliminate unwanted areas, such as a telephone line
across the skyline or a rip in a scanned photo. If Aligned is deselected, the Clone Stamp tool applies the sampled area
from the initial sampling point each time you stop and resume painting. Deselecting this option is useful for applying
multiple copies of the same part of an image to different areas within the same image or to another image.
All Layers To sample (copy) data from all visible layers, select Use All Layers. To sample data from only the active

layer, deselect this option.
3 Position the pointer on the part of any open image you want to sample, and Option-click. The tool duplicates the
pixels at this sample point in your image as you paint.
4 Drag or click to paint with the tool.

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See also
“About blending modes” on page 199

Replace colors in an image
The Color Replacement tool simplifies replacing specific colors in your image. You can paint over a targeted color—
for example, a yellow flower in an image—with a different color, like red. You can also use the Color Replacement
tool to correct colors.

Use the Sample Once option to click on an area and replace the color (top). Sample the background and use the Background Swatch option to
replace the color of the background (bottom).

1 Select the Color Replacement tool

. (The Color Replacement tool is nested under the Brush tool

2 Choose a brush tip from the Brush menu in the options bar. For Mode, generally, you’ll want to keep the blending
mode set to Color.
3 Click one of the following Sampling options:
Continuous
Once

Samples colors continuously as you drag.

Replaces the targeted color only in areas containing the color that you first click.

Background Swatch

Erases only areas containing the current background color.

4 For Limits, choose one of the following:
Discontiguous Replaces the sampled color wherever it occurs under the pointer.
Contiguous Replaces colors that are contiguous with the color immediately under the pointer.

5 For Tolerance, specify a low percentage to replace colors very similar to the pixel you click, or raise the percentage
to replace a broader range of colors.
6 To give a smooth edge to the areas you correct, select Anti-alias.
7 Choose a foreground color to use to replace the unwanted color.
8 Click the color you want to replace in the image.
9 Drag within the image to replace the targeted color.

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See also
“Adjust the color of skin tone” on page 118

Blur or soften edges
The Blur tool softens hard edges or areas in an image by reducing detail. Blurring a busy background can bring your
target images more into focus. You can also use Blur filters for this purpose.

Original photo (left), and photo after blurring the background (right)

1 Select the Blur tool

2 Set options in the options bar:
Brushes pop-up menu Sets the brush tip. Click the arrow next to the brush sample, choose a brush category from
the Brushes pop-up menu, and then select a brush thumbnail.
Size Sets the size of the brush, in pixels. Drag the Size pop-up slider or enter a size in the text box.
Mode Specifies how the pixels you blur blend into other pixels in the image.
Strength Specifies the amount of blur that occurs with each stroke
All Layers Blurs all visible layers. If this is deselected, the tool blurs only the active layer.

3 Drag over the part of the image you want to blur.

See also
“Blur and Blur More” on page 179
“Gaussian Blur” on page 179
“About blending modes” on page 199

Correct camera distortion
The Correct Camera Distortion dialog box enables you to fix common lens distortion problems, like darkened edges
caused by lens faults or improper lens shading. For example, in a picture of the sky taken in low light, the corners of
the image may be darker than the center. Changing the vignette amount and midtone settings fixes the distortion.
You can also use the perspective controls to rotate an image or fix image perspective caused by vertical or horizontal
camera tilt. The Correct Camera Distortion filter’s image grid allows you to make these adjustments easily and
accurately.

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Correct camera distortion

1 Select Filter > Correct Camera Distortion.
2 Click Preview.
3 Set any of the following options to correct your image, and then click OK:
Remove Distortion Corrects lens barrel or pincushion distortion. Type a number in the box, or move the slider to
straighten horizontal and vertical lines that bend either away from or toward the center of the image.
Vignette Amount Sets the amount of lightening or darkening along the edges of an image. Type a number in the box,
or move the slider to gradually shade the image.
Vignette Midpoint Specifies the width of area affected by the Amount slider. Move the slider, or type a lower number
to affect more of the image. Type a higher number to restrict the effect to the edges of the image.
Vertical Perspective Corrects image perspective caused by tilting the camera up or down. Type a number in the box
or use the slider to make vertical lines in an image parallel.
Horizontal Perspective Detects the edges and detail in an image, provides finer detail, and reduces halos. Type a

number or use the slider to reduce the blur caused by camera or subject movement. Set the Angle control if you
choose Motion Blur.
Angle Rotates the image to correct for camera tilt or to make adjustments after correcting perspective. Type a
number in the box or drag the angle dial to rotate the image to the left (counterclockwise) or right (clockwise).
Scale Adjusts the image scale up or down. The image pixel dimensions aren’t changed. Type a number in the box or

use the slider to remove blank areas of the image caused by pincushion, rotation, or perspective corrections. Scaling
up effectively results in cropping the image and interpolating up to the original pixel dimensions.
Show Grid Shows the grid when selected. Hides the grid when deselected.
Zoom Shows a closer view when you zoom in, and shows a more distant view when you zoom out.
Color Specifies the grid color.

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See also
“Adjust color curves” on page 115
“Improve shadow and highlight detail” on page 108

Use Photomerge Group Shot
Use Photomerge Group Shot to create the perfect group photo from multiple photos.
Note: For best results, the multiple images used to create Photomerge Group Shot should be from the same photo session.
1 Open two to 10 group shots you want to use as source images for the Photomerge Group Shot.
2 Choose File > New > Photomerge Group Shot.
3 Choose the best group shot of the multiple source files and drag it from the Project Bin to the Final window.
4 Click other photos in the Project Bin (color-coded to help you keep track) and use the Pencil tool to draw a line
over the areas that you would like to merge into the final photo. To fine-tune the final image, use the Pencil tool to
add additional content or the Eraser tool to remove content.
5 Set any of the following:
Show Strokes Click this to show your Pencil strokes in the source image.
Show Regions Click this to reveal the selected regions in the final image.
Advanced Options Expand or collapse this arrow for Advanced Options.
Alignment Tool To correct the alignment of the multiple photos, click the Alignment Tool, place three markers in
the source image and three markers in the final image, then click Align Photos.
Pixel Blending Click this to blend pixels.

6 Click Reset to start the process over, Done to complete the Photomerge Group Shot, or Cancel to close

Photomerge Group Shot.

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Photomerge Group Shot window

Note: Photomerge Group Shot does not support the PSE file format. If you try to create a photomerge group shot with a
PSE file, you will get an error message. This is a known issue.

Photomerge Group Shot error message

Use Photomerge Faces
Use Photomerge Faces to combine multiple facial features to create one composite face.
1 Open all the face images you want to use as source images for the Photomerge Faces.
2 Choose File > New > Photomerge Faces.

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3 Pick a face photo as your base image and drag it from the Project Bin to the Final window.
4 Click another image in the Project Bin and click the Alignment tool. Place the three alignment markers on the
eyes and mouth on the source image and the final image and click Align Photos.
5 Click other photos in the Project Bin (color-coded to help you keep track) and use the Pencil tool to draw a line
over the areas that you would like to merge into the final photo. To fine-tune the final image, use the Pencil tool to
add additional content or the Eraser tool to remove content.
6 Set the following:
Show Strokes Click this to show your Pencil strokes in the source image.
Show Regions Click this to reveal the selected regions in the final image.

7 Click Reset to start the process over, Done to complete the Photomerge Faces, or Cancel to close Photomerge

Group Shot.

Photomerge Faces window

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Sharpening
Sharpening overview
Sharpening enhances the definition of edges in an image. Whether your images come from a digital camera or a
scanner, most images can benefit from sharpening. When sharpening images, keep the following in mind:

• Sharpening cannot correct a severely blurred image.
• Sharpen your image on a separate layer so that you can resharpen it later if you need to change the adjustment. Set
the layer’s blending mode to Luminosity to avoid color shifts along edges. If you find that highlights or shadows
are lessened after you sharpen, use the layer blending controls to prevent sharpening in highlights and shadows.

• If you need to reduce image noise, do so before sharpening so that you don’t intensify the noise.
• Sharpen your image multiple times in small amounts. Sharpen the first time to correct blur captured by a scanner
or digital camera. After you’ve color corrected and resized your image, sharpen it again.

• If possible, judge your sharpening by outputting your image. The amount of sharpening needed varies depending
on whether the image is printed or displayed on a web page.

Sharpen an image
The Auto Sharpen command increases clarity or focus without the risk of oversharpening an image.
The Sharpen tool focuses soft edges in a photo to increase clarity or focus. Oversharpening a photo gives it a grainy
look. You can avoid oversharpening by setting a lower Strength value in the options bar. It’s best to make the sharpening subtle and increase it as necessary by dragging over the area several times, building up the sharpness each time.
The Adjust Sharpness dialog box has sharpening controls not available with the Sharpen tool or with Auto Sharpen.
You can set the sharpening algorithm or control the amount of sharpening that occurs in shadow and highlight areas.

Adjust sharpening

Automatically sharpen an image
❖ Select Enhance > Auto Sharpen.

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Sharpen areas of an image

Original image (top), two faces sharpened correctly (bottom left), and two faces oversharpened (bottom right)

1 From the Blur tool menu, select the Sharpen tool

2 Set options in the options bar:
Brushes menu Sets the brush tip. Click the arrow next to the brush sample, choose a brush category from the
Brushes menu, and then select a brush thumbnail.
Size Sets the size of the brush, in pixels. Drag the Size pop-up slider or enter a size in the text box.
Mode Determines how the paint that you apply blends with the existing pixels in the image.
Strength Specifies the amount of sharpening that occurs with each stroke.
Sample All Layers Sharpens all visible layers. If this is deselected, the tool sharpens only the active layer.

3 Drag over the part of the image you want to sharpen.
Precisely sharpen an image
1 Select Enhance > Adjust Sharpness.
2 Click Preview.
3 Set any of the following options to sharpen your image, and then click OK.
Amount Sets the amount of sharpening. Type a number in the box or drag the slider to increase or decrease the

contrast between edge pixels, giving the appearance of greater sharpness.
Radius Determines the number of pixels surrounding the edge pixels affected by the sharpening. Type a number in

the box or drag the slider to change the radius value. As you increase the radius, sharpening becomes more obvious.
Remove Sets the sharpening algorithm used to sharpen the image. Gaussian Blur is the method used by the Unsharp

Mask filter. Lens Blur detects the edges and detail in an image, and provides finer sharpening of detail and reduced
sharpening halos. Motion Blur attempts to reduce the effects of blur due to camera or subject movement. Select a
blur option from the pop-up menu.
Angle Sets the direction of motion for the Motion Blur option of the Remove control. Type a number in the box or

drag the angle dial to change the angle percentage to the left (counterclockwise) or right (clockwise).
More Refined Processes the file more slowly for more accurate blur removal.

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Use the Unsharp Mask filter
The Unsharp Mask filter reproduces a traditional film technique used to sharpen edges in an image. The Unsharp
Mask filter corrects blur introduced during photographing, scanning, resampling, or printing. It is useful for images
intended for both print and online viewing.
Unsharp Mask locates pixels that differ from surrounding pixels by the threshold you specify and increases the pixels’
contrast by the amount you specify. For neighboring pixels within the specified radius, the lighter pixels get lighter,
and the darker pixels get darker.
The effects of the Unsharp Mask filter are far more pronounced on-screen than in high-resolution printed output. If
your final destination is printed output, experiment to determine what settings work best for your image.

The Unsharp Mask filter adds contrast to reduce fuzziness.

1 Select an image, layer, or area.
2 Choose Enhance > Unsharp Mask.
3 Select the Preview option.
4 Set any of these options and click OK:
Amount Determines how much to increase the contrast of pixels. For high-resolution printed images, an amount

between 150% and 200% is usually best.
Radius Specifies the number of pixels to sharpen around edges. For high-resolution images, a radius between 1 and

2 is usually recommended. A lower value sharpens only the edge pixels, whereas a higher value sharpens a wider
band of pixels. This effect is much less noticeable in print than on-screen, because a 2-pixel radius represents a
smaller area in a high-resolution printed image.
Threshold Determines how far different pixels must be from the surrounding area before they are considered edge

pixels and sharpened. To avoid introducing noise (in images with flesh tones, for example), experiment with
Threshold values between 2 and 20. The default Threshold value (0) sharpens all pixels in the image.

Transforming
Rotate or flip an item
You can rotate or flip a selection, a layer, or an entire image. Make sure to choose the correction command depending
on the item you want to rotate or flip.
1 Select the photo, layer, selection, or shape you want to rotate or flip.
2 Choose Image > Rotate, and choose one of the following commands from the submenu:
90˚ Left, Layer 90˚ Left, and Selection 90˚ Left Rotates the photo, layer, or selection a quarter-turn counter-

clockwise. (Rotate Selection is only available when you have an active selection in an image.)

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90˚ Right, Layer 90˚ Right, and Selection 90˚ Right Rotates the photo, layer, or selection a quarter-turn clockwise.
180˚, Layer 180˚, and Selection 180˚ Rotates the photo, layer, or selection a half-turn.
Custom Rotates the item by the amount you specify. If you select this option, enter the number of degrees you want

to rotate the item by, and the direction in which you want to rotate the item.
Note: A positive number rotates the object clockwise, and a negative number rotates the object counterclockwise.
When you are finished, click OK.
Flip Horizontal, Flip Layer Horizontal, and Flip Selection Horizontal Flips the photo, layer, or selection horizontally.
Flip Vertical, Flip Layer Vertical, and Flip Selection Vertical Flips the photo, layer, or selection vertically.

Rotating an image
A. Rotate 90˚ left B. Flip Horizontal C. Rotate 90˚ right D. Rotate 180˚ E. Original image F. Free rotate G. Flip Vertical

Freely rotate an item
With the Free Rotate Layer and Free Rotate Selection commands, you can rotate an item by any amount.

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Use the Free Rotate Layer command to straighten image, and click the Commit button to apply the rotation.

1 Select the layer or selection you want to rotate.
2 Choose Image > Rotate > Free Rotate Layer or Selection. A bounding box appears in the image.

Note: If you select an image that is a Background layer (such as a photo imported from a camera or scanner), you are
given the option of turning it into a regular layer so that you can transform it.
3 (Optional) To change the point around which the item rotates, click a square on the reference point locator
the options bar.

4 Do one of the following to specify the rotation amount:

• Click and drag the rotate handle at the bottom of the bounding box. The cursor will change to concentric arrows
when it’s hovering over the handle. To constrain the rotation to 15˚ increments, hold down Shift as you drag.

• Type an angle of rotation between -180 (maximum counterclockwise rotation) and 180 (maximum clockwise
rotation) in the Rotate

text box of the options bar.

5 Do one of the following:

• To apply the transformation, double-click inside the bounding box, click the Commit button
• To cancel the transformation, click the Cancel button

, or press Enter.

, or press Esc.

Scale an item
1 Select the photo, layer, selection, or shape you want to scale.
2 Choose Image > Resize > Scale.

Note: If you select a photo that is a Background layer (such as a photo imported from a camera or scanner), you are
given the option of turning it into a regular layer so that you can transform it.
3 Do any of the following to specify the scale amount:

• To maintain the relative proportions (avoiding image distortion) as you scale, select Constrain Proportions, and
then drag a corner handle. Alternatively, press Shift as you drag a corner handle.

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• To scale only the height or the width, drag a side handle.
• Enter a percentage for the Width, Height, or both in the options bar.
4 Do one of the following:

• To apply the transformation, double-click inside the bounding box, click the Commit button
• To cancel the transformation, and click the Cancel button

or press Enter.

or press Esc.

Scaling proportionally by dragging the corner with the scaling icon

Skew or distort an item
Skewing applies a vertical or horizontal slant to an item. Distorting stretches or squishes an item.
1 Select the photo, layer, selection, or shape you want to transform.
2 Choose Image > Transform > Skew or Image > Transform > Distort. If you are transforming a shape with the
Shape tool selected, choose Image > Transform Shape > Skew or Image > Transform Shape > Distort.

Note: If you select a photo that is a Background layer (such as a photo imported from a camera or scanner), you are
given the option of turning it into a regular layer so that you can transform it.
3 Drag a handle to skew or distort the bounding box.
4 Do one of the following:

• To apply the transformation, double-click inside the bounding box, click the Commit button
• To cancel the transformation, click the Cancel button

, or press Esc.

Apply perspective to an item
Applying perspective creates the appearance of objects existing in three dimensions.

, or press Enter.

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Original image (left), and image after perspective applied (right)

1 Select the item you want to transform.
2 Choose Image > Transform > Perspective. If you are transforming a shape with the Shape tool selected, choose
Image > Transform Shape > Perspective.

Note: If you select a photo that is a background layer (such as a photo imported from a camera or scanner), you are given
the option of turning it into a regular layer so that you can transform it.
3 Drag a corner handle on the bounding box to apply perspective.
4 Do one of the following:

• To commit the transformation, double-click inside the bounding box, click the Commit button

, or press

Enter.

• To cancel the transformation, click the Cancel button

, or press Esc.

Freely transform an item
The Free Transform command lets you apply transformations (rotating, scaling, skewing, distorting, and
perspective) in one step. Instead of choosing different commands, you simply hold down a key on your keyboard to
switch between transformation types.
1 Select the item you want to transform.
2 Choose Image > Transform > Free Transform. If you are transforming a shape, choose Image > Transform
Shape > Free Transform Shape.

Note: If you select a photo that is a Background layer (such as a photo imported from a camera or scanner), you are
given the option of turning it into a regular layer so that you can transform it.
3 (Optional) To change the point around which the item rotates, click a square on the reference point locator
the options bar.

4 Do one or more of the following to transform the object:

• To scale, drag any handle of the bounding box. To scale the width and height proportionally, either press Shift as
you drag a corner handle, or select Constrain Proportions in the options bar, and then drag a corner handle.

• To rotate, move the pointer outside of the bounding box and drag. When positioned outside the bounding box,
the pointer becomes a curved, two-sided arrow
ments.

. Press Shift and drag to constrain the rotation to 15˚ incre-

• To distort, press Command, and drag any handle. When positioned over a handle, the pointer becomes a gray
arrowhead

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• To skew, press Command+Shift and drag a handle in the middle of any side of the bounding box. When positioned
over a side handle, the pointer becomes a gray arrowhead with a small double arrow

• To apply perspective, press Command+Option+Shift, and drag a corner handle. When positioned over a corner
handle, the pointer becomes a gray arrowhead

5 Do one of the following:

• To commit the transformation, double-click inside the bounding box, and then click the Commit button

, or

press Enter.

• To cancel the transformation, click the Cancel button

, or press Esc.

Apply a transformation to a Background layer
Before you can apply transformations to the Background layer, you need to convert it into a regular layer.
1 Select the Background layer in the Layers palette.
2 Convert the background.
3 Apply the transformation.

See also
“Convert the Background layer into a regular layer” on page 53

About the 3D Transform filter
The 3D Transform filter lets you manipulate a flat, two-dimensional image as if it were a solid, three-dimensional
object. Take, for example, a photograph showing a cereal box in perspective. You can specify the corners of the box
using a wireframe, and then manipulate the box as if it were a three-dimensional object. You can reposition the box,
turn or rotate it, shrink or enlarge it, and change its field of view.
You can transform a two-dimensional object into a cube, sphere, or cylinder and manipulate it using wireframes
based on that shape. Cylinders can include anything from simple objects, such as a can of soup, to more complex
shapes, such as a bottle or a lamp.
You can create and manipulate any grouping of cubes, spheres, and cylinders in the same image. For example, you
can create and rotate a box, three spheres, and a bottle together in the same image.
Use the Zoom and Hand tools in the 3D Transform dialog box to change your preview of an image. These actions
do not modify the transformation itself, only your view of it.

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3D Transform filter
A. Image of 2D label B. Cylinder wireframe in 3D Transform preview C. Tilting the bottle by using the Trackball tool with the Display
Background option deselected D. Completed image with the Lens Flare effect applied and background changed to white

Transform an item into three dimensions
1 Select the photo, layer, or selection you want to transform. The filter works on a single layer, so make sure to flatten
your image into a single layer first, if necessary.
2 Choose Filter > Render > 3D Transform. The 3D Transform dialog box previews the active layer.
3 (Optional) Click Options, specify any of the following items, and click OK:
Resolution Determines the quality of the rendered image. This setting has little effect on the image quality of cubes,

but produces smoother curved surfaces in cylinders and spheres.
Anti-aliasing Sets the level of anti-aliasing to apply to the rendered image.
Display Background Includes the portions of the original image outside of the wireframe in the preview and the

rendered image. Deselect this option to separate the transformed object from the original background.
4 Create a 3D wireframe by dragging one of the following tools over the image area that you want to transform into 3D:
Cube tool
Sphere tool
Cylinder tool

Maps the image (such as a file cabinet) to a cubic surface.
Maps the image (such as a globe or ball) to a spherical surface.
Maps the image (such as a can or bottle) to a cylindrical surface.

Note: To delete the wireframe, select it, and press Backspace or Delete.
5 To move or reshape the wireframe, do any of the following:

• To move the entire frame, choose the Selection tool
wireframe.

in the 3D Transform dialog box and drag an edge of the

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• To move an anchor point, choose the Direct Selection tool

in the dialog box and drag an anchor point on the

wireframe.

• To add an anchor point, select the Add Anchor Point tool

in the dialog box, and click the right side of the
wireframe. For example, you can add an anchor point to more closely fit the cylindrical wireframe to a photo of a
bottle.

• To change an added anchor point from a smooth anchor point to a corner anchor point and vice versa, select the
Convert Anchor Point tool in the dialog box, and click the point. A smooth anchor point creates a gentle curve
when you adjust it; a corner anchor point creates a sharp corner.

• To delete an added anchor point, select the Delete Anchor Point tool

in the dialog box, and click the point. You

can delete only round or diamond-shaped points.
Note: The anchor points should line up with the corners of the box, or the top and bottom of the sphere or cylinder you
want to manipulate. The manipulated wireframe turns red if recreating it in 3D is impossible.
6 To move the object within the wireframe, click the Pan Camera tool

in the dialog box, and drag the object.

7 To rotate the object within the wireframe in any direction, click the Trackball tool

, and drag the object.

8 For Field Of View, enter a value between 1 and 130. This technique can make the wireframe fit the image better.
If you know the field of view angle used to photograph the image, you can enter it here.
9 For Dolly Camera, enter a value between 0 and 99, and then click OK. This option has the effect of moving the

camera further from or closer to the image.

See also
“About filters” on page 172
“Flatten an image” on page 61

158

Chapter 10: Understanding color
In Adobe® Photoshop® Elements, you use two color models to manipulate color. One model is based on the way the
human eye sees color—hue, saturation, and brightness (HSB), while the other model is based on the way computer
monitors display color (in amounts of red, green, and blue or RGB). The color wheel is another tool that helps you
understand the relationships between colors. Photoshop Elements provides four image modes that determine the
number of colors displayed in an image: RGB, bitmap, grayscale, and indexed color.

Understanding color
About color
The human eye perceives color in terms of three characteristics—hue, saturation, and brightness (HSB)—whereas
computer monitors display colors by generating varying amounts of red, green, and blue (RGB) light. In Photoshop
Elements, you use the HSB and RGB color models to select and manipulate color. The color wheel can help you
understand the relationships between colors.

HSB model
Based on the human perception of color, the HSB model describes three fundamental characteristics of color:
Hue The color reflected from or transmitted through an object. It is measured as a location on the standard color

wheel, expressed as a degree between 0 and 360. In common use, hue is identified by the name of the color, such as
red, orange, or green.
Saturation The strength or purity of the color. Saturation, which is sometimes called chroma, represents the amount
of gray in proportion to the hue, measured as a percentage from 0 (gray) to 100 (fully saturated). On the standard
color wheel, saturation increases from the center to the edge.
Brightness The relative lightness or darkness of the color, usually measured as a percentage from 0 (black) to 100

(white).
Although you can use the HSB model in Photoshop Elements to define a color in the Color Picker dialog box, you
cannot use the HSB mode to create and edit images.
B

360

100

0
HSB view in the Adobe Color Picker
A. Saturation B. Hue C. Brightness

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RGB model
A large percentage of the visible spectrum can be represented by mixing red, green, and blue (RGB) light in various
proportions and intensities. These three colors are called the additive primaries. Added together, red, green, and blue
light make white light. Where two colors overlap, they create cyan, magenta, or yellow.
The additive primary colors are used for lighting, video, and monitors. Your monitor, for example, creates color by
emitting light through red, green, and blue phosphors.
B

Additive colors (RGB).
A. Red B. Green C. Blue D. Yellow E. Magenta F. Cyan

Color wheel
The color wheel is a convenient way to understand and remember the relationship between colors. Red, green, and
blue are the additive primaries. Cyan, magenta, and yellow are the subtractive primaries. Directly across from each
additive primary is its complement: red-cyan, green-magenta, and blue-yellow.
Each subtractive primary is made up of two additive primaries, but not its complement. So, if you increase the
amount of a primary color in your image, you reduce the amount of its complement. For example, yellow is
composed of green and red light, but there is no blue light in yellow. When adjusting yellow in Photoshop Elements,
you change the color values in the blue color channel. By adding blue to your image, you subtract yellow from it.
0/360
B

270

90
F

180
Color wheel.
A. Magenta B. Red C. Yellow D. Green E. Cyan F. Blue

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Using image modes and color tables
About image modes
An image mode determines the number of colors that can be displayed in an image and can also affect the file size
of the image. Photoshop Elements provides four image modes: RGB, bitmap, grayscale, and indexed color.

Image modes
A. Bitmap mode B. Grayscale mode C. Indexed-color mode D. RGB mode

Bitmap mode Uses one of two color values (black or white) to represent the pixels in an image. Images in bitmap

mode are called 1-bit images because they have a bit depth of 1.
Grayscale mode Uses up to 256 shades of gray. Grayscale images are 8-bit images. Every pixel in a grayscale image

has a brightness value ranging from 0 (black) to 255 (white). Grayscale values can also be measured as percentages
of black ink coverage (0% is equal to white, 100% to black).
Indexed-color mode Uses up to 256 colors. Indexed-color images are 8-bit images. When converting into indexed
color, Photoshop Elements builds a color lookup table (CLUT), which stores and indexes the colors in the image. If
a color in the original image does not appear in the table, the program chooses the closest one or simulates the color
using available colors. By limiting the palette of colors, indexed color can reduce file size while maintaining visual
quality—for example, for a web page. Limited editing is available in this mode. For extensive editing, you should
convert temporarily into RGB mode.

When you choose a different color mode for an image (Image > Mode > [image mode]), you permanently change the
color values in the image. You might want to convert into a different mode for several reasons. For example, you may
have an old scanned photo in grayscale mode in which you want to add color, so you would need to convert it into
RGB mode. Before converting images, it’s best to do the following:

• Edit as much as possible in RGB mode.
• Save a backup copy before converting. Be sure to save a copy of your image that includes all layers in order to edit
the original version of the image after the conversion.

• Flatten the file before converting it. The interaction of colors between layer blending modes will change when the
mode changes.

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Note: Hidden layers are discarded and images are flattened automatically when you convert them into bitmap or
indexed-color mode, because these modes do not support layers.
RGB mode The default mode of new Photoshop Elements images and images from your digital camera. In RGB
mode, the red, green, and blue components are each assigned an intensity value for every pixel—ranging from 0
(black) to 255 (white). For example, a bright red color might have an R value of 246, a G value of 20, and a B value
of 50. When the values of all three components are equal, the result is a shade of neutral gray. When the value of all
components is 255, the result is pure white; when the value is 0, the result is pure black.

Convert an image to bitmap mode
To convert an image to bitmap mode, you must first convert it to grayscale mode, simplifying the color information
in the image and reducing its file size. Converting to grayscale removes the hue and saturation information from the
pixels and leaves just the brightness values. However, because few editing options are available for bitmap-mode
images, it’s usually best to edit the image in grayscale mode and then convert it.
1 Choose Image > Mode > Bitmap.
2 If the image is RGB, click OK to convert it to grayscale.
3 For Output, enter a value for the output resolution of the bitmap-mode image, and choose a unit of measurement.
By default, the current image resolution appears as both the input and the output resolutions.
4 Select one of the following bitmap conversion methods, and click OK:
50% Threshold Converts pixels with gray values above the middle gray level (128) to white, and those below to black.

The result is a very high-contrast, black-and-white representation of the image.

Original grayscale image (left), and 50% Threshold conversion method applied (right).

Pattern Dither Converts an image by organizing the gray levels into geometric configurations of black and white dots.
Diffusion Dither Converts an image by using an error-diffusion process, starting at the pixel in the upper-left corner

of the image. If the pixel’s value is above middle gray (128), the pixel is changed to white—if it’s below middle gray,
it’s changed to black. Because the original pixel is rarely pure white or pure black, error is inevitably introduced. This
error is transferred to surrounding pixels and diffused throughout the image, resulting in a grainy, film-like texture.
This option is useful for viewing images on a black-and-white screen.

Pattern Dither and Diffusion Dither conversion methods

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Convert a bitmap-mode image to grayscale
Before converting, keep in mind that a bitmap-mode image edited in grayscale mode may not look the same when
converted back to bitmap mode. For example, consider a pixel that is black in bitmap mode and then edited to a
shade of gray in grayscale mode. If the gray value of the pixel is light enough, it will become white when converted
back to bitmap mode.
1 Choose Image > Mode > Grayscale.
2 Enter a value from 1 to 16 for the size ratio.

The size ratio is the factor for scaling down the image. For example, to reduce a grayscale image by 50%, enter 2 for
the size ratio. If you enter a number greater than 1, the program averages multiple pixels in the bitmap-mode image
to produce a single pixel in the grayscale image. This process lets you generate multiple shades of gray from an image
scanned on a 1-bit scanner.

Convert an image to indexed color
Converting to indexed color reduces the number of colors in the image to a maximum of 256—the standard number
of colors supported by the GIF and PNG-8 formats and many web browsers. This conversion reduces file size by
deleting color information from the image.
Note: To convert to indexed color, you must start with either a grayscale or an RGB image.
1 Choose Image > Mode > Indexed Color.
2 Click OK to flatten layers.

Note: This will flatten all visible layers and discard hidden layers.
For grayscale images, the conversion happens automatically. For RGB images, the Indexed Color dialog box appears.
3 Select Preview in the Indexed Color dialog box to display a preview of the changes.
4 Specify any of the following conversion options and click OK.
Palette Specifies the color palette to apply to the indexed-color image. There are 10 color palettes available:

• Exact Creates a palette using the exact colors that appear in the RGB image—an option available only if the image
uses 256 or fewer colors. Because the image’s palette contains all of the colors in the image, there is no dithering.

• System (Mac OS) Uses the Mac OS default 8-bit palette, which is based on a uniform sampling of RGB colors.
• System (Windows) Uses the Windows system’s default 8-bit palette, which is based on a uniform sampling of RGB
colors.

• Web Uses the 216 colors that web browsers, regardless of platform, use to display images on a monitor limited to
256 colors. Use this option to avoid browser dither when images are viewed on a monitor display limited to 256
colors.
• Uniform Creates a palette by uniformly sampling colors from the RGB color cube. For example, if Photoshop
Elements takes 6 evenly spaced color levels, each of red, green, and blue, the combination produces a uniform palette
of 216 colors (6 cubed = 6 x 6 x 6 = 216). The total number of colors displayed in an image corresponds to the nearest
perfect cube (8, 27, 64, 125, or 216) that is less than the value in the Colors text box.
• Local or Master Perceptual Creates a custom palette by giving priority to colors to which the human eye has
greater sensitivity. Local Perceptual applies the palette to individual images; Master Perceptual applies the selected
palette to multiple images (for example, for multimedia production).

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• Local or Master Selective Creates a color table similar to the Perceptual color table, but favoring broad areas of
color and the preservation of web colors. This option usually produces images with the greatest color integrity. Local
Selective applies the palette to individual images; Master Selective applies the selected palette to multiple images (for
example, for multimedia production).
• Local or Master Adaptive Creates a palette by sampling the colors from the spectrum appearing most often in the
image. For example, an RGB image with only the colors green and blue produces a palette made primarily of greens
and blues. Most images concentrate colors in particular areas of the spectrum. To control a palette more precisely,
first select a part of the image that contains the colors you want to emphasize. Photoshop Elements weights the
conversion toward these colors. Local Adaptive applies the palette to individual images; Master Adaptive applies the
selected palette to multiple images (for example, for multimedia production).
• Custom Creates a custom palette by using the Color Table dialog box. Either edit the color table and save it for
later use, or click Load to load a previously created color table. This option also displays the current Adaptive palette,
which is useful for previewing the colors most often used in the image.
• Previous Uses the custom palette from the previous conversion, making it easy to convert several images with the
same custom palette.
Colors Specifies the number of colors to include in the color table (up to 256) for Uniform, Perceptual, Selective, or

Adaptive palettes.
Forced Provides options to force the inclusion of certain colors in the color table. Black And White adds a pure black
and a pure white to the color table; Primaries adds red, green, blue, cyan, magenta, yellow, black, and white; Web
adds the 216 web-safe colors; and Custom lets you define custom colors to add.
Transparency Specifies whether to preserve transparent areas of the image during conversion. Selecting this option

adds a special index entry in the color table for a transparent color. Deselecting this option fills transparent areas with
the matte color, or with white if no matte color is chosen.
Matte Specifies the background color used to fill anti-aliased edges that lie adjacent to transparent areas of the

image. With Transparency selected, the matte is applied to edge areas to help blend the edges into a web background
of the same color. With Transparency deselected, the matte is applied to transparent areas. Choosing None for the
matte creates hard-edged transparency, if Transparency is selected; otherwise, all transparent areas are filled with
100% white.
Dither Specifies whether to use a dither pattern or not. Unless you’re using the Exact color table option, the color

table may not contain all the colors used in the image. To simulate colors not in the color table, you can dither the
colors. Dithering mixes the pixels of the available colors to simulate the missing colors.

• None Does not dither colors but, instead, uses the color closest to the missing color. This tends to result in sharp
transitions between shades of color in the image, creating a posterized effect.
• Diffusion Uses an error-diffusion method that produces a less structured dither than the Pattern option. To
protect colors in the image that contain entries in the color table from being dithered, select Preserve Exact Colors.
This is useful for preserving fine lines and text for web images.

• Pattern Uses a halftone-like square pattern to simulate any colors not in the color table.
• Noise Helps to reduce seam patterns along the edges.
Amount Specifies the percentage of image colors to dither. A higher amount dithers more colors, but may increase

file size.
Preserve Exact Colors Prevents colors in the image that are in the color table from being dithered.

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Edit colors in an indexed-color table
You can edit colors in the color table to produce special effects, or assign transparency in the image to a single color
in the table.
1 Open the indexed-color image.
2 Choose Image > Mode > Color Table.
3 Click or drag within the table to choose the color or range of colors you want to change.
4 Choose a color from the Color Picker or sample a color from the image.

If you are changing a range of colors, Photoshop Elements creates a gradient in the color table between the starting
and ending colors. The first color you choose in the Color Picker is the beginning color in the range. When you click
OK, the Color Picker reappears, so that you can choose the last color in the range.
The colors you selected in the Color Picker are placed in the range you selected in the Color Table dialog box.
5 Click Preview to view the results of the changes you have made to the image.
6 Click OK in the Color Table dialog box to apply the new colors to the indexed-color image.

Assign transparency to a single color in an indexed-color table
1 Choose Image > Mode > Color Table.
2 Select the eyedropper, and click the desired color in the table or in the image. The sampled color is replaced with
transparency in the image. Click OK.

Use a predefined indexed-color table
1 Choose Image > Mode > Color Table.
2 Select an option from the Table menu:
Black Body Displays a palette based on the different colors a black body radiator emits as it is heated—from black to

red, orange, yellow, and white.
Grayscale Displays a palette based on 256 levels of gray—from black to white.
Spectrum Displays a palette based on the colors produced as white light passes through a prism—from violet, blue,

and green to yellow, orange, and red.
System Displays the standard 256-color system palette for Mac OS or Windows.

Save or load an indexed-color table
• To save a table, click the Save button in the Color Table dialog box.
• To load a table, click the Load button in the Color Table dialog box. After you load a color table into an image, the
colors in the image change to reflect the color positions they reference in the new color table.
Note: You can also load saved color tables into the Color Swatches palette.

See also
“Use the Color Swatches palette” on page 204

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Setting up color management
About color management
Color management helps you to achieve consistent color among digital cameras, scanners, computer monitors, and
printers. Each of these devices reproduces a different range of colors, called a color gamut. As you move an image
from your digital camera to your monitor, and finally to a printer, the image colors shift. This shift occurs because
every device has a different color gamut and thus reproduces the colors differently.
RGB
CMYK
A

Photoshop Elements

The color gamuts of different devices and documents
A. Lab color space (entire visible spectrum) B. Documents (working space) C. Devices

Color management translates the image colors so that each device can reproduce them in the same way and the
colors you see on your monitor will be close to the colors in your printed image. All colors may not match exactly
because the printer may not reproduce the same range of colors as the monitor.

B
C
D

Managing color with profiles
A. Profiles describe the color spaces of the input device and the document. B. Using the profiles’ descriptions, the color management system
identifies the document’s actual colors. C. The monitor’s profile tells the color management system how to translate the numeric values into
the monitor’s color space. D. Using the output device’s profile, the color management system translates the document’s numeric values into the
color values of the output device, so the actual colors are printed.

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Profiling devices

For color management to work, you must profile your devices or use an ICC profile created by the device’s manufacturer.
Capture devices Profiling is not critical for capture devices such as digital cameras or scanners. You may want to
profile a scanner, however, if you want to accurately reproduce the colors in scanned transparencies, and reduce your
color correction workload in Photoshop Elements.
Monitors Calibrating and profiling your monitor is important. If you are using a laptop or other LCD monitor, you
can use the profile provided by the manufacturer. If you own a colorimeter and corresponding software to create
profiles, you can use those profiles in Photoshop Elements.
Printers Profiling your inkjet printer will generally give you better results, though you can make excellent prints
without a printer profile by using the controls in your printer driver. Many printer manufacturers provide ICC
printer profiles on their websites. You need a separate profile for each printer, ink, and type of paper. You can also
have profiles made for your favorite combination of ink and paper.

When you work on a photo and save it, Photoshop Elements can embed (tag) an ICC profile that reflects the colors
on your computer monitor or the device that produced it. Embedding profiles with an image makes its color
portable, so that different devices can translate its color values. For example, if you send the photo to your inkjet
printer, the color management system reads the embedded profile and translates the color data using the printer’s
profile. Your printer can then use the translated color data to accurately translate its color into the selected media.
Color management tasks

If you want to use color management, you need to perform the following tasks:

• Set up color management by embedding a color profile and using device profiles when scanning or printing. (See
“Set up color management” on page 166)

• Calibrate and profile your computer monitor. If you use an LCD monitor, use the profile that came with your
monitor. See your LCD monitor documentation for instructions.

• When you print an image from Photoshop Elements, make sure that the correct color profile is specified in the
Color Management area of the Print dialog box. Or, if you don’t have a printer profile, specify colors using the
color controls in the printer driver. In addition, choose a color setting that’s appropriate for your workflow, such
as Optimize For Printing.

Set up color management
1 Choose Edit > Color Settings.
2 Select one of the following color management options, then click OK.
No Color Management Leaves your image untagged. This option uses your monitor profile as the working space. It
removes any embedded profiles when opening images, and does not tag when saving.
Always Optimize Colors For Computer Screens Uses sRGB as the RGB working space; the Grayscale working space

is Gray Gamma 2.2. This option preserves embedded profiles, and assigns sRGB when opening untagged files.
Always Optimize For Printing Uses Adobe RGB as the RGB working space; the Grayscale working space is Dot Gain

20%. This option preserves embedded profiles and assigns Adobe RGB when opening untagged files.
Allow Me To Choose Lets you choose sRGB (the default) or Adobe RGB when opening untagged files.

3 When you save a file, select ICC Profile in the Save As dialog box.

167

Chapter 11: Filters, effects, styles, and
artwork
You can enhance images by using a variety of filters, effects, styles, and artwork. Using the deinterlace and NTSC
color filters, you can smooth lines in a video or prepare it for television reproduction. You can also install and use
third-party plug-in filters or create custom filters.

Effects
Using the Effects palette
The Effects palette provides a single location from which you can apply effects. By default, the Effects palette is
located on the top of the Palette Bin.
C
A
D

Effects palette
A. Category B. Sample thumbnails C. More menu D. Subcategory E. Apply (save)

Filters

Apply filters to your image.

Layer Styles
Photo Effects

Apply layer styles to your image.
Apply photo effects to your image.

Each section displays thumbnail examples of the artwork or effects that you can add or apply to an image. Most
sections offer a menu of category options and corresponding subcategories.

See also
“About projects” on page 241

Using the Content palette
The Content palette provides a single location from which you can apply artwork, theme decorations, and text styles
to your images.

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B
A

Content palette
A. Category B. More menu C. Sample thumbnails D. Apply (save)

In the Content palette, the following sections provide a variety of items that can enhance your images:
Choose from a selection of decorative backgrounds.

Filter For Backgrounds
Filter For Frames
Filter For Graphics
Filter For Shapes
Filter For Text Effects
Filter For Themes

Choose from preset frames to enhance your image or project.
Apply graphics to your image or project.
Apply shapes to your image or project.
Apply text to your image or project.
Choose from a selection of themes to apply to your project.

Each section displays thumbnail examples of the artwork or effects that you can add or apply to an image. Most
sections offer a menu of category options and corresponding subcategories.
Note: Clicking these buttons will activate or deactivate the display of the thumbnails related to these buttons.

See also
“About projects” on page 241

Add stylized shapes or graphics to an image
When you add a shape or graphic to an image, the shape or graphic is a new layer and does not affect the original
image.
1 In the Content palette, do one of the following:

• Click the Filter For Graphics or Filter For Shapes icon.
• Choose from the category menu (for example, Event or Activity), and choose a subcategory (for example, Baby or
Cooking).
2 Then, in the toolbox, choose a color for the shape.
3 Do one of the following:

• Select a thumbnail and click Apply.
• Double-click a thumbnail.
• Drag the thumbnail to the image.

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4 Use the Move tool to relocate or resize the shape or graphic.

See also
“About projects” on page 241
“About shapes” on page 236
“Select or move a shape” on page 239

Add an artistic background to an image
When you add an artistic background to an image, you replace the existing background layer. For example, you could
use the selection tools to create a layer separating your family members from a kitchen background, and then replace
the kitchen with a nature background.
1 If your image has only a background layer, select it, and choose Layer > Duplicate Layer. Name the layer and click OK.
2 Select the Background layer in the Layers palette.
3 In the Content palette, click the Background icon

4 Do one of the following:

• Select a thumbnail, and click Apply.
• Double-click a thumbnail.
• Drag the thumbnail to the image.

See also
“About projects” on page 241

Add a frame or theme to an image
When you add a frame or theme to a photo project, frames appear with a blank (gray) area for the image. Click and
drag an image from the Project Bin to the blank area.
1 In the Content palette, do one of the following:

• Click the Filter For Themes or Filter For Frames icon.
• Choose from the category menu (for example, Event or Activity, and choose a subcategory (for example, Baby or
Cooking).
2 Do one of the following:

• Select a thumbnail and click Apply.
• Double-click a thumbnail.
• Drag the thumbnail to the blank background.
3 Drag the desired image from the Project Bin to the frame.
4 Use the slider to resize the image in the frame or theme border, then click the Commit icon

change, or click the Cancel icon

to apply the

5 Use the Move tool to center the image, then click the Commit icon
icon .

to apply the change, or click the Cancel

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See also
“About projects” on page 241

About photo effects
Photo effects lets you quickly create different looks for your images. In the Effects palette, click Photo Effects
choose one of the subcategories, such as Faded Photo, Misc. Effects, Monotone Color, or Vintage Photo.

and

Frame Apply a variety of effects to the edges of a selected layer, or to a portion of a layer. A frame also creates a drop
zone where you can add or change the contents easily.
Image Effects Apply effects to a copy of a selected layer. Adding the Blizzard effect to an image makes it look like it’s

snowing. The Neon Glow effect turns the image into a dramatic neon picture. You can use Image effects, such as Oil
Pastel or Soft Focus, to soften colors or blur an image. You can also combine Image effects, but you may be prompted
to flatten layers first.
Textures Apply texture layers to an image. You can add texture to a new, blank image as a background, or add a

texture to an existing image. By arranging layers, and working with opacity and other layer tools, you can create interesting and attractive images.
Many photo effects apply filters with modified values.

See also
“Using the Effects palette” on page 167
“About projects” on page 241
“Improve performance with filters and effects” on page 176
“Flatten an image” on page 61

Apply an effect
If you want to experiment with an effect, modify a duplicate layer and preserve the original image.
1 Do one of the following:

• To apply an effect to an entire layer, deselect any selected areas in the image, and then select the layer in the Layers
palette.

• To apply an effect to a portion of a layer, use any selection tool to select the area.
• To apply an effect to text, select or create text, and use any text effect from the Content palette.
2 In the Effects palette, choose Photo Effects and do one of the following:

• Double-click an effect.
• Drag an effect to the image.
• Select an effect, and click Apply.
Note: In some cases, when applying an effect to an image with multiple layers, you are prompted to flatten the image first.

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Dragging an image effect to a photo

See also
“About projects” on page 241
“About photo effects” on page 170
“Improve performance with filters and effects” on page 176
“Understanding layers” on page 49

Add stylized text to an image
When you add text to an image, a text layer is added, so you can modify the text without affecting the original image.
1 In the Content palette, click the Text icon

, and then do one of the following:

• Select a thumbnail, and click Apply.
• Double-click a thumbnail.
• Drag a thumbnail to the image.
2 A text frame appears over the image and the Text tool becomes active. Type in the new text.
3 When you are finished changing the text, either click the Commit icon
icon .

to apply the change, or click the Cancel

4 Use the Move tool to relocate or resize the text frame.
5 (Optional) Add color to the text using the pop-up Color palette in the options bar.
6 When you finish adjusting the text, either click the Commit icon

icon

to apply the change, or click the Cancel

7 (Optional) To experiment with different text effects, drag a different thumbnail over the text frame.

See also
“About projects” on page 241
“About text” on page 228

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“Edit type in a type layer” on page 230
“Change the orientation of a type layer” on page 234

Add artwork or effects to Favorites
When you see artwork or effects that you would like to quickly access in the future, add it to the Favorites section of
the Effects palette.
❖ In the Effects or Content palette, right-click on the thumbnail and choose Add To Favorites.

Filters
About filters
Filters let you change the look of your images—for example, by applying mosaic tile, lighting, and three-dimensional
effects. You can also use some filters to clean up or retouch your photos. In addition to the filters provided by Adobe,
some third-party filters are available as well. Once installed, these filters appear at the bottom of the Filter lists.

Filters can radically change the mood of a photo or image.

You can apply filters in any of three ways:
Filter menu Contains all of the available filters and lets you apply filters individually.
Filter Gallery Displays thumbnail examples of what each filter does, like the palette. The Filter Gallery lets you apply

filters cumulatively and apply individual filters more than once. You can also rearrange filters and change the settings
of each filter you’ve applied to achieve the effect you want. Because it is so flexible, the Filter Gallery is often the best
choice for applying filters. However, not all filters listed in the Filter menu are available in the Filter Gallery.
Effects palette Displays thumbnail examples of what each filter listed in the Filter menu does. However, you can also
use it to apply effects and layer styles.

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Tips for applying filters

The following information can help you understand the process of applying filters to your images.

• Preview the filter’s result. Applying filters to a large image can be time-consuming. It’s quicker to preview what the
filter does in the Filter Gallery. Most filters also let you preview their result in the Filter Options dialog box and
the document window. You can then choose to apply the filter or cancel the operation without losing time.

• Filters apply only to the active part of an image. Filters affect only the active, visible layer or a selected area of the
layer.

• Filters don’t work on all images. You can’t use some filters on images in grayscale mode, or any filters on images
in bitmap or Indexed-color mode. Many filters don’t work on 16-bit images.

• You can reapply the previous filter. The last filter you applied appears at the top of the Filter menu. You can reapply
it with the same settings you last used to further enhance the image.
Tips for creating visual effects with filters

Use the following techniques to create special visual results with filters:

• Feature the filter edges. If you’re applying a filter to a selected area, you can soften the edges of the filter effect by
feathering the selection before you apply the filter.

• Apply filters in succession to build up effects. You can apply filters to individual layers or to several layers in
succession to build up an effect. Choosing different blending modes in the Layers palette blends the effect. For a
filter to affect a layer, the layer must be visible and must contain pixels.

• Create textures and backgrounds. By applying filters to solid-color or grayscale images, you can generate a variety
of backgrounds and textures. You can then blur these textures. Although some filters (for example, the Glass filter)
have little or no visible effect when applied to solid colors, others produce interesting effects. For such colors, you
can use Add Noise, Chalk & Charcoal, Clouds, Conté Crayon, Difference Clouds, Glass, Graphic Pen, Halftone
Pattern, Mezzotint, Note Paper, Pointillize, Reticulation, Rough Pastels, Sponge, or Underpainting. You can also
use any of the filters in the Texture submenu.

• Improve image quality and consistency. You can disguise faults, alter or enhance images, or make a series of images
look similar by applying the same filter to each.

See also
“Using the Effects palette” on page 167
“Improve performance with filters and effects” on page 176

Apply a filter
1 Choose the area you want to apply the filter to:

• To apply a filter to an entire layer, deselect any selected areas, and then select the layer in the Layers palette.
• To apply a filter to a portion of a layer, use any selection tool to select an area.
2 Choose how to apply the filter:

• To use the Filter gallery, choose Filter > Filter Gallery, select a category, and click the filter you want to apply.
• To use the Effects palette, choose Window > Effects, select a category, and double-click the filter you want to apply.
• To use the Filter menu, choose Filter, then choose a submenu followed by the filter you want to apply. If a filter
name is followed by ellipses (…), a Filter Options dialog box appears.

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3 If a dialog box appears, enter values or select options.
4 If available, select the Preview option to preview the filter in the document window. Depending on the filter and
how you are applying it, use one of the following methods to preview the filter:

• Use the + button or - button under the preview window to zoom in or zoom out.
• Click the zoom bar (where the zoom percentage appears) to choose a zoom percentage.
• Click-drag within the preview window to center a specific area of the image in the window.
• Click the Show/Hide button

at the top of the dialog box to hide the filter thumbnails. Hiding the thumbnails

expands the preview area.

• Click the eye icon

next to a filter to hide the effect in the preview image.

5 If the dialog box contains sliders, hold down Option while dragging a slider to see a real-time preview (real-time
rendering).
6 Click in the image window to center a specific area of the image in the preview window. (This may not work with

all preview windows.)
Note: A blinking line beneath the preview size indicates that the preview is being rendered.
7 If you are using the Filter Gallery, or the filter opens in the Filter Gallery, do any of the following and click OK:

• Click the New Effect Layer button

at the bottom of the dialog box and choose an additional filter to apply. You
can add multiple effect layers to apply multiple filters.

• Rearrange applied filters by dragging a filter name to another position in the list of applied filters at the bottom of
the dialog box. Rearranging the order of filters can dramatically change the way your image looks.

• Remove applied filters by selecting the filter and clicking the Delete Effect Layer button

8 If you are using a Filter command or the Effects palette, do one of the following and click OK:

• Double-click the filter.
• Drag the filter onto the image.

See also
“Using the Effects palette” on page 167

Filter categories
You can apply the following categories of filters:
Adjustment filters Change the brightness values, color, grayscale range, and tonal levels of pixels in an image.

Convert color pixels into black and white.
Artistic filters Simulate a painterly appearance on traditional media, and create a unique look.
Blur filters Soften a selection or an image. Useful for retouching.
Brush Stroke filters Give a painterly or fine-arts look using different brush and ink stroke effects.
Distort filters Geometrically distort an image, creating three-dimensional and other reshaping effects.
Noise filters Blend a selection into the surrounding pixels and remove problem areas, such as dust and scratches.
Pixelate filters Sharply define an image or selection by clumping pixels of similar color values.
Render filters Create 3D shapes, cloud patterns, refraction patterns, and simulated light reflections.

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Sharpen filters Sharpens an image.
Sketch filters Add texture for depth or to give a hand-drawn look.
Stylize filters Produce a painted or impressionistic effect by displacing pixels and heightening contrast.
Texture filters Give the appearance of depth or substance, or add an organic look.
Video filters Restrict the gamut of colors to those acceptable for television reproduction, and smooth moving images

captured from video.
Other filters Let you create your own filter effects, modify masks, offset a selection within an image, and make quick

color adjustments.
Plug-in filters Represent filters developed by non-Adobe software developers.
Digimarc filter Lets you read a Digimarc watermark.

Filter Gallery
The Filter Gallery (Filter > Filter Gallery) lets you apply filters cumulatively, and apply individual filters more than
once. You can also rearrange filters and change the settings of each filter you’ve applied to achieve the effect you want.
Because you can apply more than one filter to an image when you use the Filter Gallery dialog box, you have a lot of
control over the way your image is affected by each filter. The Filter Gallery is often the best choice for applying filters
because it’s flexible and easy to use.

Applying filters through the Filters Gallery
A. Original photo B. Photos each with a single filter applied C. Three filters applied cumulatively

However, not all filters are available from the Filter Gallery. Some are available only as individual commands from
the Filter menu. Also, you cannot apply effects and layer styles from the Filter Gallery, as you can from the Effects
palette.

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F
G
H
I

Filter Gallery dialog box
A. Filter category B. Thumbnail of selected filter C. Show/Hide filter thumbnails D. Filters menu E. Options for selected filter F. List of filter
effects to apply or arrange G. Hidden filter H. Filters applied cumulatively but not selected I. Filter selected but not applied

See also
“Using the Effects palette” on page 167

Texture and glass surface options
The Conté Crayon, Glass, Rough Pastels, Texturizer, and Underpainting filters have texturizing options. These
options make images appear as if they were painted onto textures, such as canvas and brick, or viewed through glass
blocks.
Texture Specifies the type of texture to apply. You can also click Load Texture

to specify a Photoshop file.

Scaling Increases and decreases the effect on the image surface.
Relief (if available) Adjusts the depth of the texture’s surface.
Light Angle (if available) Sets the direction of the light source on the image.
Invert Reverses the surface’s light and dark colors.

Improve performance with filters and effects
Some filters and effects are memory intensive, especially when applied to high-resolution images. You can use these
techniques to improve performance:

• Try filters and settings on a small selected area of the image.
• Try filters and settings on a smaller, resized copy of your image. When you’re satisfied with the results, apply the
filter with the same settings to your original image.

• Free up memory before running the filter or effect by clearing the clipboard, the undo history, or both. Choose
Edit > Clear > [command].

• Exit from other applications to make more memory available.

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• Adjust filter settings to make memory-intensive filters less complex. Memory-intensive filters include Lighting
Effects, Cutout, Stained Glass, Chrome, Ripple, Spatter, Sprayed Strokes, and Glass. (For example, to reduce the
complexity of the Stained Glass filter, increase cell size. To reduce the complexity of the Cutout filter, increase Edge
Simplicity, decrease Edge Fidelity, or both.)

See also
“About photo effects” on page 170

Artistic filters
Colored Pencil
The Colored Pencil filter redraws an image using colored pencils on a solid background. This filter retains important
edges and gives them a rough crosshatch appearance; the solid background color shows through the smoother areas.
You can set the pencil width, stroke pressure, and paper brightness.
Note: For a parchment effect, change the background color before applying the Colored Pencil filter to a selected area.

Cutout
The Cutout filter portrays an image as though it were made from roughly cut-out pieces of colored paper. Highcontrast images appear as if in silhouette, while colored images are built up from several layers of colored paper. You
can set the tonal levels, edge simplicity, and edge fidelity.

Dry Brush
The Dry Brush filter paints an image using a dry brush technique (between oil and watercolor). The filter simplifies
an image by reducing its range of colors to areas of common color. You can set the brush size, brush detail, and
texture amount.

Film Grain
The Film Grain filter applies an even, grainy pattern to an image. It adds a smoother, more saturated pattern to the
image’s lighter areas. This filter is useful for eliminating banding in blends and visually unifying elements from
various sources. You can set the grain amount, highlight area range, and intensity level.

Fresco
The Fresco filter paints a layer in a coarse style using short, rounded, and hastily applied dabs. You can set the brush
size, brush detail, and texture.

Neon Glow
The Neon Glow filter uses the foreground color, background color, and glow color to colorize an image while
softening its look. You can set the glow size, glow brightness, and glow color. Lower glow size values restrict the glow
color to the shadow areas, and higher values move the glow color to the midtones and highlight areas of a layer. To
select a glow color, click the Glow Color box, and select a color in the Color Picker.

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Paint Daubs
The Paint Daubs filter makes an image appear painted. You can set the brush size, image sharpness, and brush types.

Palette Knife
The Palette Knife filter reduces detail in an image to give the effect of a thinly painted canvas that reveals the texture
underneath. You can set the stroke size, stroke detail, and edge softness.

Plastic Wrap
The Plastic Wrap filter renders a layer as if it were coated in shiny plastic, accentuating the surface detail. You can set
the highlight strength, plastic wrap detail, and plastic smoothness.

Poster Edges
The Poster Edges filter reduces the number of colors in an image according to the posterization option you set, finds
the edges of the image, and draws black lines on them. Large broad areas of the image receive simple shading, while
fine dark details are distributed throughout the image. You can set the edge thickness, edge intensity, and posterization.

Rough Pastels
The Rough Pastels makes an image appear as if it were made with rough strokes of pastel chalk on a textured
background. In areas of bright color, the chalk appears thick with little texture; in darker areas, the chalk appears
scraped off to reveal the texture. You can set the stroke length, stroke detail, and texture. Texture options make
images appear as if they were painted onto textures, such as canvas and brick, or viewed through glass blocks.

Smudge Stick
The Smudge Stick filter softens an image using short diagonal strokes to smudge or smear the darker areas of the
images. Lighter areas become brighter and lose detail. You can set the stroke length, highlight area, and intensity.

Sponge
The Sponge filter paints a layer with highly textured areas of contrasting color. You can set the brush size, image
definition, and edge smoothness.

Underpainting
The Underpainting filter paints a layer as if it were on a textured background. You can set the brush size, texture
coverage area, and texture options. Texture options make images appear as if they were painted onto textures, such
as canvas and brick, or viewed through glass blocks.

Watercolor
The Watercolor filter paints an image in a watercolor style, simplifying details in an image by using a medium brush
loaded with water and color. Where significant tonal changes occur at edges, the filter saturates colors. You can set
the brush detail, shadow intensity, and texture.

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Blur filters
Average
The Average filter finds the average color of an image or selection, and then fills the image or selection with the color
to create a smooth look. For example, if you select an area of grass, the filter changes the area into a homogeneous
patch of green.

Blur and Blur More
The Blur filters soften a selection or an image, and are useful for retouching. They smooth transitions by averaging
the color values of pixels next to the hard edges of defined lines and shaded areas.
Blur Eliminates noise where significant color transitions occur in an image. Blur filters smooth transitions by
averaging the color values of pixels next to the hard edges of defined lines and shaded areas.
Blur More Produces an effect several times stronger than that of the Blur filter.

Note: Before applying a Blur filter, deselect the Lock transparent pixels option in the Layers palette.

Blurring the background of a photo

Gaussian Blur
The Gaussian Blur filter quickly blurs a selection by an adjustable amount. Gaussian refers to the bell-shaped curve
that Photoshop Elements generates when it applies a weighted average to the pixels. The Gaussian Blur filter adds
low-frequency detail and can produce a hazy effect. You can set the blur radius in the filter options to determine how
far the filter searches for dissimilar pixels to blur.

Motion Blur
The Motion Blur filter blurs in a particular direction (from -360º to +360º) and at a specific distance (from 1 to 999).
The filter’s effect is analogous to taking a picture of a moving object with a fixed exposure time. You can set the blur
angle, and distance.

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Radial Blur
The Radial Blur filter simulates the blur of a zooming or rotating camera to produce a soft blur. The Amount option
controls the blur amount. Spin blurs along concentric circular lines, and lets you specify a degree of rotation. Zoom
blurs along radial lines, as if zooming in on or out of the image, and lets you specify an amount from 1 to 100. Blur
quality ranges from Draft for fast, but grainy, results to Good and Best for smoother results, which are indistinguishable
except on a large selection. You can specify the origin of the blur by dragging the pattern in the Blur Center box.

Smart Blur
The Smart Blur filter precisely blurs an image. You can specify a radius to determine how far the filter searches for
dissimilar pixels to blur, a threshold to determine how different the pixels’ values must be before they are eliminated,
and a blur quality. You can also set a mode for the entire selection (Normal) or for the edges of color transitions (Edge
Only and Overlay Edge). Where significant contrast occurs, Edge Only applies black-and-white edges, and Overlay
Edge applies white.

Brush Stroke filters
Accented Edges
The Accented Edges filter accentuates the edges of an image. When the edge brightness control is set to a high value,
the accents resemble white chalk; when set to a low value, the accents resemble black ink. You can set the edge width,
edge brightness, and smoothness.

Angled Strokes
The Angled Strokes filter repaints an image using diagonal strokes. The strokes in the lighter areas of the image go
in the opposite direction of the strokes in the darker areas. You can set the stroke direction balance, stroke length,
and sharpness.

Crosshatch
The Crosshatch filter preserves the details and features of the original image while adding texture and roughening
the edges of the colored areas in the image with simulated pencil hatching. You can set the stroke length, sharpness,
and strength (the number of hatching passes).

Dark Strokes
The Dark Strokes filter paints dark areas of an image closer to black with short, tight strokes, and paints lighter areas
of the layer with long, white strokes. You can set the stroke balance, and black and white intensity levels.

Ink Outlines
The Ink Outlines filter redraws an image with fine narrow lines over the original details, in pen-and-ink style. You
can set the stroke length, and dark and light intensity levels.

Spatter
The Spatter filter replicates the effect of a spatter airbrush. You can set the spray radius and smoothness.

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Sprayed Strokes
The Sprayed Strokes filter repaints a layer using its dominant colors with angled, sprayed strokes of color. You can
set the stroke length, spray radius, and stroke direction.

Sumi-e
The Sumi-e filter redraws a layer in a Japanese style, as if with a wet brush full of black ink on rice paper. The effect
is soft blurry edges with rich blacks. You can set stroke width, stroke pressure, and contrast.

Distort filters
Diffuse Glow
The Diffuse Glow filter renders an image as though it were viewed through a soft diffusion filter. This filter adds seethrough white noise to an image, with the glow fading from the center of a selection.

Displace
The Displace filter uses an image, called a displacement map, to determine how to distort a selection. For example,
using a parabola-shaped displacement map, you can create an image that appears to be printed on a cloth held at its
corners.

See also
“About filters” on page 172
“Flatten an image” on page 61
Apply the Displace filter
1 Select an image, layer, or area.
2 Choose Distort > Displace from the Filter menu.
3 To define the magnitude of the displacement, enter a value between -999 and 999 in the Horizontal and Vertical
Scale text boxes.

When the horizontal and vertical scales are 100%, the greatest displacement is 128 pixels (because middle gray
produces no displacement).
4 If the displacement map is not the same size as the selection, select how you want the map to fit the image:
Stretch To Fit Resizes the map.
Tile Fills the selection by repeating the map in a pattern.

5 Select how to fill voids that are created by the filter in the image, and click OK.
Wrap Around Fills voids with content from the opposite edge of the image.
Repeat Edge Pixels Extends the colors of pixels along the image’s edge in the direction you specify.

6 Select and open the displacement map. Photoshop Elements applies the map to the image.

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Glass
The Glass filter makes an image appear as if it were being viewed through different types of glass. You can choose a
glass effect or create your own glass surface as a Photoshop file and apply it. You can adjust scaling, distortion, and
smoothness settings. When using surface controls with a file, follow the instructions for the Displace filter.

Liquify
The Liquify filter makes it easy to manipulate areas of an image as if those areas had been melted. You work with a
preview image of the current layer, using special tools to warp, twirl, expand, contract, shift, and reflect areas of the
image. You can make subtle changes to retouch an image or drastic distortions to create an artistic effect.

See also
“About filters” on page 172
Apply the Liquify filter
1 Select an image, layer, or area.
2 Choose Filter > Distort > Liquify.
3 To zoom in on or out of the image preview, do one of the following:

• Choose a zoom level from the pop-up menu in the lower- left area of the dialog box.
• Select the zoom tool from the toolbox in the dialog box, and click in the image to zoom in, or Option-click to zoom
out. You can also use the zoom tool to drag over an area of the preview you want to magnify.

• Select a tool from the toolbox.
4 Select one of the following tools from the toolbox:
Warp

Pushes pixels forward as you drag.

Smoothly scrambles pixels and creates fire, clouds, waves, and similar effects. To adjust the
smoothness, drag the Turbulent Jitter pop-up slider in the Tool Options section, or enter a value between 1 and 100
in the text box. Higher values increase smoothness.
Turbulence

Twirl Clockwise

Rotates pixels clockwise as you hold down the mouse button or drag.

Twirl Counterclockwise

Moves pixels toward the center of the brush area as you hold down the mouse button or drag.

Pucker
Bloat

Rotates pixels counterclockwise as you hold down the mouse button or drag.

Moves pixels away from the center of the brush area as you hold down the mouse button or drag.

Shift Pixels
Moves pixels perpendicularly to the stroke direction. Drag to move pixels to the left, and Optiondrag to move pixels to the right.

Copies pixels to the brush area. Drag to reflect the area perpendicular to the direction of the stroke
(to the left of or below the stroke). Option-drag to reflect the area in the direction opposite the stroke (for example,
the area above a downward stroke). Use overlapping strokes to create an effect similar to a reflection in water.

Reflection

Reconstruct

Fully or partially reverses the changes you’ve made.

5 In the Tool Options section, adjust the brush size and pressure of the tool, as needed:

• To change the brush size, drag the pop-up slider, or enter a brush size value from 1 to 600 pixels.
• To change the brush pressure, drag the pop-up slider, or enter a brush pressure value from 1 to 100.

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A low brush pressure makes more gradual changes.

• If you’re using a stylus tablet, select Stylus Pressure.
To create the effect of dragging in a straight line between the current point and the previous point that you clicked,
Shift-click with the Warp, Shift Pixels, and Reflection tools.
6 To apply the changes in the preview image to the actual image, click OK.
7 (Optional) To revert to a previous state, do one of the following:

• Select the Reconstruct tool

, and hold down the mouse button or drag over the distorted areas. The restoration
occurs more quickly at the brush center. Shift-click to reconstruct in a straight line between the current point and
the previous point that you clicked.

• To restore the entire preview image to its state when you opened the dialog box, press Option and click Reset.
Alternatively, click Revert to restore the original image and reset the tools to their previous settings.

Ocean Ripple
The Ocean Ripple filter adds randomly spaced ripples to the image's surface, making the image look as if it were
under water.

Pinch
The Pinch filter squeezes a selection or layer inward or outward.
Apply the Pinch filter
1 Select an image, layer, or area.
2 Choose Distort > Pinch from the Filter menu.
3 Drag the slider to the right, into positive values, to pinch a selection inward toward its center; or to the left, into

negative values, to shift a selection outward. Then click OK.

See also
“About filters” on page 172

Polar Coordinates
The Polar Coordinates filter converts a selection from its rectangular to polar coordinates, and vice versa, according
to a selected option. You can use this filter to create a cylinder anamorphosis—art popular in the 18th century—in
which the distorted image appears normal when viewed in a mirrored cylinder.

Ripple
The Ripple filter creates an undulating pattern on a selection, like ripples on the surface of a pond. For greater
control, use the Wave filter. Options include the amount and size of ripples.

Shear
The Shear filter distorts an image along a curve.

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See also
“About filters” on page 172
Apply the Shear filter
1 Select an image, layer, or area.
2 Choose Distort > Shear from the Filter menu.
3 To define a distortion curve, do one of the following in the Shear dialog box:

• Click anywhere on either side of the vertical line.
• Click on the vertical line, and then drag the new curve point.
You can drag any point along the curve to adjust the distortion, and you can add additional curve points.
4 Select one of the following in the Undefined Areas options and click OK:
Wrap Around Fills new voids in the image with content from the opposite side of the image.
Repeat Edge Pixels Extends the colors of pixels. Banding may result if the edge pixels are different colors.

You can click Defaults to start over and return the curve to a straight line.

Spherize
The Spherize filter gives objects a 3D effect by wrapping a selection around or inside a spherical shape, distorting
and stretching the image.
Apply the Spherize filter
1 Select an image, layer, or area.
2 Choose Distort > Spherize from the Filter menu.
3 For Amount, enter a positive value to stretch the image outward as though it were wrapped around a sphere. Enter
a negative amount to compress the image inward as though it were wrapped inside a sphere.
4 For Mode, choose whether to apply the filter horizontally, vertically, or in both directions, and then click OK.

See also
“About filters” on page 172

Twirl
The Twirl filter rotates an image or selection more sharply in the center than at the edges. Specifying an angle
produces a twirl pattern. You can drag the slider to the right into positive values to twirl the image clockwise, drag
to the left into negative values to twirl counterclockwise, or enter a value between -999 and 999.

Wave
The Wave filter creates an undulating pattern on a layer or selection.
Apply the Wave filter
1 Select an image, layer, or area.
2 Choose Distort > Wave from the Filter menu.

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3 Select a wave type in the Type section: Sine (creates a rolling wave pattern), Triangle, or Square.
4 To set the number of wave generators, drag the slider or enter a number between 1 and 999.
5 Drag the minimum and maximum Wavelength sliders to set the distance from one wave crest to the next. Set both
sliders to the same value to create a consistent pattern of wave crests.
6 Drag the minimum and maximum Amplitude sliders to set the wave strength.
7 Drag the horizontal and vertical Scale sliders to set the height and width of the wave effect.
8 To apply random results based on the set of values in the dialog box, click Randomize. You can click Randomize

multiple times to get more results.
9 Select one of the following and click OK:
Wrap Around Fills the voids in the image with content from the opposite edge of the image.
Repeat Edge Pixels Extends the colors of pixels along the image’s edge in the direction specified.

See also
“About filters” on page 172

ZigZag
The ZigZag filter distorts a selection radially, depending on the radius of the pixels in your selection.
Apply the ZigZag filter
1 Select an image, layer, or area.
2 Choose Distort > ZigZag from the Filter menu.
3 Drag the Amount slider to set the level and direction of distortion.
4 Drag the Ridges slider to set the number of direction reversals for the zigzag from the center to the edge of the
selection.
5 Choose a displacement option from the Style menu and click OK:
Around Center Rotates the pixels around the center of the selection.
Out From Center Produces a rippling effect toward or away from the center of the selection.
Pond Ripples Produces a rippling effect that distorts the selection to the upper left or lower right.

See also
“About filters” on page 172

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Noise filters
Add Noise
The Add Noise filter applies random pixels to an image, simulating the result of shooting pictures on high-speed
film. This filter can also be used to reduce banding in feathered selections or graduated fills, to give a more realistic
look to heavily retouched areas, or to create a textured layer. You can set the amount of noise, the type of noise distribution, and color mode. The Uniform option creates a subtle distribution appearance, and Gaussian creates a
speckled distribution look. Monochromatic applies the filter using the existing tones of the image without changing
the colors.

Despeckle
The Despeckle filter detects the edges in a layer (areas where significant color changes occur) and blurs all of the
selection except those edges. This blurring removes noise while preserving detail. You can use this filter to remove
banding or visual noise that often appears in scans of magazines or other printed materials.

Dust & Scratches
The Dust & Scratches filter reduces visual noise by changing dissimilar pixels.

Median
The Median filter reduces noise in a layer by blending the brightness of pixels within a selection. The filter searches
for pixels of similar brightness, discarding pixels that differ too much from adjacent pixels, and replaces the center
pixel with the median brightness value of the searched pixels. This filter is useful for eliminating or reducing the
appearance of motion in an image, or undesirable patterns that may appear in a scanned image.

Reduce Noise
The Reduce Noise filter reduces luminous noise and color noise, such as the noise introduced by photographing with
insufficient light. Select the Remove JPEG Artifacts option to remove the blocky artifacts and halos that are caused
by saving an image at a low JPEG quality setting.

In this photo, taken with a mobile phone, there’s noise in the boy’s face (left). The Reduce Noise filter smooths away the stray pixels (right).

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Pixelate filters
Color Halftone
The Color Halftone filter simulates the result of using an enlarged halftone screen on the layer. The filter divides the
image into rectangles and replaces each rectangle with a circle. The circle size is proportional to the brightness of the
rectangle.
Apply the Color Halftone filter
1 Select an image, layer, or area.
2 Choose Pixelate > Color Halftone from the Filter menu.
3 Enter a value for the maximum radius of a halftone dot, from 4 to 127 pixels.
4 Enter a screen-angle value between -360 and 360 (the angle of the dot from the true horizontal) for one or more
channels:

• For grayscale images, enter a value in channel 1. Values in the other channel text boxes do not affect the filter.
• For color images, use channels 1, 2, 3, and 4, which correspond to CMYK channels (cyan, magenta, yellow, and
black).
5 Click Defaults to return all the screen angles to their default values, and then click OK.

See also
“About filters” on page 172

Crystalize
The Crystalize filter redraws a layer as polygon-shaped clumps of color. You can set the cell size of the crystals.

Facet
The Facet filter redraws a layer as blocks of solid color. You can use this filter to make a scanned image look hand
painted or to make a realistic image resemble an abstract painting.

Fragment
The Fragment filter redraws a layer so that it appears offset and blurred.

Mezzotint
The Mezzotint filter redraws a layer as a random pattern of black-and-white areas in a grayscale image, or fully
saturated colors in a color image. You can choose a dot, line, or stroke pattern.

Mosaic
The Mosaic filter redraws a layer as square blocks of color. You can set the mosaic cell size.

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Pointillize
The Pointillize filter redraws a layer as randomly placed dots, as in a pointillist painting, and uses the background
color in the toolbox as a canvas area between the dots. You can set the cell size.

Render filters
3D Transform
The 3D Transform filter maps images to cubes, spheres, and cylinders, which you can then rotate in three dimensions.

Clouds
The Clouds filter generates a soft cloud pattern using random values that vary between the foreground and the
background color in the toolbar.
To generate a starker cloud pattern, hold down Option as you choose Filter > Render > Clouds.

Difference Clouds
The Difference Clouds filter uses randomly generated values that vary between the foreground and background
color in the toolbox to produce a cloud pattern. The first time you choose this filter, portions of the image are
inverted in a cloud pattern. Applying the filter several times creates rib and vein patterns that resemble a marble
texture.

Fibers
The Fibers filter creates the look of woven fibers using the foreground and background colors. You can control how
the colors vary with the Variance option (a low value creates longer streaks of color, while a high value makes very
short fibers with more varied distribution of color). The Strength option controls how each fiber looks. A low setting
creates spread out fibers, while a high setting produces short, stringy fibers. Randomize changes how the pattern
looks; you can select this option until you find a pattern you like. When you apply the Fibers filter, the image data
on the active layer is replaced with fibers.
Add a gradient map adjustment layer to colorize the fibers. (See “About adjustment and fill layers” on page 63.)

Lens Flare
The Lens Flare filter simulates the light refraction caused by shining a bright light into a camera lens. You can set the
flare brightness, flare location, and flare shape (the lens type). Click in the preview window in the dialog box to set
the flare location.

Lighting Effects
The Lighting Effects filter lets you produce sophisticated lighting effects in RGB images. You can create multiple
lights, set individual light properties, and easily drag lights around in the preview window to test different lighting
setups. You can also use textures from grayscale files called texture maps to produce 3D-like effects, and save your
own styles for use in other images.

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Apply the Lighting Effects filter
1 Select an image, layer, or area.
2 Choose Render > Lighting Effects from the Filter menu.
3 Specify options, as desired, and click OK.
Preview area Displays a preview of the lighting effect so you can adjust each light (see “Adjust a light” on page 190).

You can also create a new light by dragging the light icon
into the preview area (you can create up to 16 lights).
To delete a light, select the light in the preview window and drag the light (by its center circle) to the Trash.
To copy an existing light, select a light in the preview window, press Option, and drag to a new location in the
window.
Save Lets you name and save the style. Saved styles include all of the settings for each light and appear in the Style

menu whenever you open an image in Photoshop Elements.
Delete Removes the selected style. You can’t delete default styles.
Style menu Lets you choose from the following default light styles, plus any custom styles you have saved:

Note: If you choose a style that has multiple lights, you must set options for each light individually.

• Blue Omni Adds a blue overhead omni light with full intensity and no focus.
• Circle Of Light Adds four spotlights. White has full intensity and a concentrated focus. Yellow has strong intensity
and a concentrated focus. Red has medium intensity and a concentrated focus. Blue has full intensity and medium
focus.
• Crossing Adds one white spotlight with medium intensity and a wide focus.
• Crossing Down Adds two white spotlights with medium intensity and a wide focus.
• Default Adds a white spotlight with a medium intensity and a wide focus.
• Five Lights Down/Five Lights Up Add five white spotlights down or up with full intensity and wide focus.
• Flashlight Adds an omni yellow light with medium intensity.
• Flood Light Produces a medium intensity and wide focus white spotlight.
• Parallel Directional Is a blue light with full intensity and no focus, or a white directional light with medium
intensity and no focus.

• RGB Lights Are red, green, and blue lights producing a light of medium intensity and wide focus.
• Soft Direct Lights Adds two unfocused white (soft intensity) and blue (medium intensity) directional lights.
• Soft Omni Is a soft omni light of medium intensity.
• Soft Spotlight Is a white spotlight with full intensity and wide (100) focus.
• Three Down Adds three white spotlights with medium intensity and wide focus.
• Triple Spotlight Adds three spotlights with medium intensity and wide focus.
Light Type Contains these options for each light in the selected style:

• On Turns the selected light on or off in the preview window. This is useful if your lighting effects style uses
multiple lights and you want to look at a particular light.
• Intensity Specifies the light’s brightness.
• Focus Specifies the width of the beam of light.

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• Color box Displays the Color Picker so you can change the color of the light. Click this white box to use it.
Properties Contains these options for the image you’re shining the light on:

• Gloss Determines how much the surface reflects light, from Matte (low reflectance) to Shiny (high reflectance).
• Material Determines whether the light or the object on which the light is cast reflects more light. Plastic reflects
the light’s color; Metallic reflects the object’s color.
• Exposure Increases the light (positive values) or decreases the light (negative values). A value of 0 has no effect.
• Ambience Diffuses the light as if it were combined with other light in a room, such as sunlight or fluorescent light.
Choose a value of 100 to use only the light source, or a value of -100 to completely diffuse the light source.
• Color box Displays the Color Picker so you can change the color of the ambient light. Click this white box to use it.
Texture Channel Contains these options for creating a texture for the image you’re shining the light on:

• Texture Channel menu Lets you select the red, green, and blue color channels in your image so you can manipulate how light reflects off of each channel, creating a texture effect. You can also choose to use the layer transparency
of the active layer to create a texture effect.
• White Is High Raises the light parts of the channel from the surface. Deselect this option to raise the dark parts.
• Height Varies the depth of the texture from Flat (0) to Mountainous (100).
Adjust a light

Do any of the following in the Lighting Effects preview, depending on the type of light:

• (Directional, Omni, and Spotlights) To move the light, drag the center circle.
• (Directional lights) To change the direction of the light, drag the handle at the end of the line at an angle from the
line. Command-drag to keep the light’s height constant.

• (Directional lights) To change the height of the light, drag the handle at the end of the line in the direction of the
line. Shift-drag to keep the angle constant and change the light’s height (line length).

• (Omni lights) To increase or decrease the size of the light, drag one of the handles defining the edges of the light.
• (Spotlights) To change the light angle, drag the handle at the end of the line.
• (Spotlights) To stretch the ellipse or rotate the light, drag one of the handles. Shift-drag to keep the angle constant
and change only the size of the ellipse. Command-drag to keep the size constant and change the angle or direction
of the spotlight.

See also
“Apply the Lighting Effects filter” on page 189
“Lighting Effects” on page 188

Texture Fill
The Texture Fill filter uses a grayscale Photoshop image as a texture for an image.

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Sketch filters
Bas Relief
The Bas Relief filter transforms an image to appear carved in low relief and lit to accent the surface variations. Dark
areas of the image take on the foreground color, light areas use the background color. You can set relief detail and
smoothness.

Chalk & Charcoal
The Chalk & Charcoal filter redraws an image’s highlights and midtones with a solid midtone gray background
drawn in coarse chalk. Shadow areas are replaced with black diagonal charcoal lines. The charcoal is drawn in the
foreground color, the chalk in the background color. You can set stroke pressure, and the charcoal and chalk areas.

Charcoal
The Charcoal filter redraws an image to create a smudged effect. Major edges are boldly drawn, and midtones are
sketched using a diagonal stroke. Charcoal is the foreground color, and the paper is the background color. You can
set the charcoal thickness, level of image detail, and light/dark balance.

Chrome
The Chrome filter gives the image a polished chrome surface using highlights as high points and shadows as low
points in the reflecting surface. You can set the level of chrome surface detail and smoothness.
After applying the Chrome filter, use the Levels dialog box to add more contrast to the image.

Conté Crayon
The Conté Crayon filter replicates the texture of dense dark and pure white Conté crayons on an image. The Conté
Crayon filter uses the foreground color for dark areas and the background color for light areas. You can set the level
of foreground and background emphasis, and texture options. Texture options make images appear as if they were
painted onto textures, such as canvas and brick, or viewed through glass blocks, for example.
For a more realistic effect, change the foreground color to one of the common Conté Crayon colors (black, sepia, or
sanguine) before applying this filter. For a muted effect, change the background color to white with some foreground
color added to it.

Graphic Pen
The Graphic Pen filter uses fine, linear ink strokes to capture the details in the original image and is especially
striking with scanned images. The filter replaces color in the original image, using the foreground color for ink and
background color for paper. You can set the stroke length and direction, and the light/dark balance.

Halftone Pattern
The Halftone Pattern filter simulates the effect of a halftone screen while maintaining the continuous range of tones.
You can set the halftone size, contrast, and pattern type.

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Note Paper
The Note Paper filter simulates the texture of handmade paper by combining the effects of the Emboss and Grain
filters. Dark areas in the image appear as holes in the top layer of paper, revealing the background color. You can set
the image balance, graininess, and relief.

Photocopy
The Photocopy filter simulates the effect of photocopying an image. Large areas of darkness tend to copy only around
their edges, and midtones fall away to either solid black or white. You can set the level of detail and darkness.

Plaster
The Plaster filter molds the layer into a 3D plaster effect, and then colorizes the result using the foreground and
background color. Dark areas are raised, light areas are sunken. You can set the image balance, smoothness, and light
direction.

Reticulation
The Reticulation filter simulates the controlled shrinking and distorting of film emulsion to create an image that
appears clumped in the shadow areas and lightly grained in the highlights. You can set the density, foreground, and
background levels.

Stamp
The Stamp filter simplifies the image so that it seems made with a rubber or wood stamp. You can set the smoothness,
and the balance between light and dark. This filter works best with black-and-white images.

Torn Edges
The Torn Edges filter reconstructs the image as ragged, torn pieces of paper, and then colorizes the image using the
foreground and background color. You can set the image balance, smoothness, and contrast. This filter is particularly
useful for images consisting of text or high-contrast objects.

Water Paper
The Water Paper filter uses blotchy daubs that appear to be painted onto fibrous, damp paper, causing the colors to
flow and blend. You can set the paper’s fiber length, brightness, and contrast.

Stylize filters
Diffuse
The Diffuse filter shuffles pixels in a selection to make the selection look less focused according to the option you
select: Normal moves pixels randomly, ignoring color values; Darken Only replaces light pixels with darker pixels;
Lighten Only replaces dark pixels with lighter pixels; and Anisotropic softens all pixels.

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Emboss
The Emboss filter makes a selection appear raised or stamped by converting its fill color to gray and tracing the edges
with the original fill color. You can set the embossing angle, height, and a percentage for the amount of color within
the selection.

Extrude
The Extrude filter gives a three-dimensional texture to a selection or layer.
Apply the Extrude filter
1 Select an image, layer, or area.
2 Choose Stylize > Extrude from the Filter menu.
3 Set the following options and click OK:
Blocks Creates objects with a square front face and four side faces.
Pyramids Creates objects with four triangular sides that meet at a point.
Size Determines the length of the object’s base, from 2 to 255 pixels.
Depth Indicates how far the tallest object appears to protrude from the screen, from 1 to 255.
Random Gives each block or pyramid an arbitrary depth.
Level-based Makes each object’s depth correspond to its brightness—bright objects protrude more than dark.
Solid Front Faces Fills the front face of each block with an averaged color of the block. Deselect Solid Front Faces to

fill the front face of each block with the image. This option is not available for Pyramids.
Mask Incomplete Blocks Hides any object extending beyond the selection.

See also
“About filters” on page 172

Find Edges
The Find Edges filter identifies areas of the image with significant transitions and emphasizes edges. Like the Trace
Contour filter, Find Edges outlines the edges of an image with dark lines against a white background and is useful
for creating a border around an image.
Note: After using filters like Find Edges and Trace Contour that highlight edges, you can apply the Invert filter to outline
the edges of a color image with colored lines or a grayscale image with white lines.

Glowing Edges
The Glowing Edges filter identifies the edges of color and adds a neon-like glow to them. You can set the edge width,
brightness, and smoothness.

Solarize
The Solarize filter blends a negative and a positive image, for a result similar to exposing a photographic print briefly
to light during development.

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Tiles
The Tiles filter breaks up an image into a series of tiles, offsetting the selection from its original position. You can set
the number of tiles and the offset percentage. You can also choose one of the following to fill the empty area between
the tiles: Background Color, Foreground Color, Inverse Image, or Unaltered Image, which puts the tiled version on
top of the original and reveals part of the original image underneath the tiled edges.

Trace Contour
The Trace Contour filter finds the transitions between major areas of brightness and thinly outlines them for an
effect similar to the lines in a contour map. You can set the level for evaluating color values, and specify whether to
outline pixels that are below (Lower) or above (Upper) that level.
Use the Info palette in grayscale mode to identify a color value that you want traced. Then enter the value in the Level
text box.

Wind
The Wind filter creates tiny horizontal lines in the image to simulate a wind effect. You can set the wind strength and
direction.

Texture filters
Craquelure
The Craquelure filter paints an image onto a high-relief plaster surface, producing a fine network of cracks that
follow the contours of the image. Use this filter to create an embossing effect with images that contain a broad range
of color or grayscale values. You can set the crack spacing, depth, and brightness.

Grain
The Grain filter adds texture to an image by simulating different kinds of grain. The sprinkles and stippled grain
types use the background color. You can set the grain intensity, contrast, and type.

Mosaic Tiles
The Mosaic Tiles filter draws the image as if it were made up of small chips or tiles and adds grout between the tiles.
(In contrast, the Pixelate > Mosaic filter breaks up an image into blocks of different-colored pixels.) You can set the
tile size, grout width, and grout highlights.

Patchwork
The Patchwork filter breaks up an image into squares filled with the predominant color in different areas of the
image. The filter randomly reduces or increases the tile depth to replicate the highlights and shadows. You can set
the square size and relief.

Stained Glass
The Stained Glass filter repaints an image as single-colored adjacent cells outlined in the foreground color. You can
set the cell size, border thickness, and light intensity.

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Texturizer
The Texturizer filter allows you to simulate different texture types or select a file to use as a texture. Texture options
make images appear as if they were painted onto textures, such as canvas and brick, or viewed through glass blocks.

Video filters
De-Interlace
The De-Interlace filter smooths moving images captured on video by removing either the odd or even interlaced
lines in a video image. You can choose to replace the discarded lines by duplication or interpolation.

NTSC Colors
The NTSC Colors filter restricts the gamut of colors to those acceptable for television reproduction to prevent
oversaturated colors from bleeding across television scan lines.

Other filters
High Pass
The High Pass filter retains edge details in the specified radius where sharp color transitions occur and suppresses
the rest of the image. (A radius of 0.1 pixel keeps only edge pixels.) The filter removes low-frequency detail in an
image and has an effect opposite to that of the Gaussian Blur filter.
You can use the High Pass filter to extract line art and large black-and-white areas from scanned images. To do so,
apply the filter before using the Filter > Adjustments > Threshold command or converting the image to bitmap mode.

Maximum and Minimum
The Maximum and Minimum filters look at individual pixels in a selection, like the Median filter. Within a specified
radius, the Maximum and Minimum filters replace the current pixel’s brightness value with the highest or lowest
brightness value of the surrounding pixels. The Maximum filter has the effect of applying a choke—spreading out
white areas and choking in black areas. The Minimum filter has the effect of applying a spread—spreading out black
areas and shrinking white areas.

Offset
The Offset filter moves a selection a specified amount to the right horizontally or down vertically, leaving an empty
space at the selection’s original location. Depending on the size of the selection, you can fill the empty area with a
transparent background, with the edge pixels, or with pixels from the right or bottom edges of an image.

Custom filters
Custom filters let you design your own filter effect. With the Custom filter, you can change the brightness values of
each pixel in the image according to a predefined mathematical operation known as convolution. Each pixel is
reassigned a value based on the values of surrounding pixels. You can save the custom filters you create and use them
with other Photoshop images.

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Use the Save and Load buttons to save and reuse custom filters.
Apply a Custom filter
1 Select an image, layer, or area.
2 Choose Other > Custom from the Filter menu.
3 Select the center text box, which represents the pixel being evaluated. Enter the value by which you want to

multiply that pixel’s brightness value, from -999 to +999.
4 Select a text box representing an adjacent pixel. Enter the value by which you want the pixel in this position multiplied.

For example, to multiply the brightness value of the pixel to the immediate right of the current pixel by 2, enter 2 in
the text box to the immediate right of the center text box.
Note: To avoid turning the image completely white or black, the sum of the values in the matrix should equal 1.
5 Repeat steps 3 and 4 for all pixels you want to include in the operation. You don’t have to enter values in all the
text boxes.
6 For Scale, enter the value by which to divide the sum of the brightness values of the pixels included in the calculation.
7 For Offset, enter the value to be added to the result of the scale calculation.
8 Click OK. The custom filter is applied to each pixel in the image, one at a time.

See also
“About filters” on page 172

Plug-in filters
You can install plug-in filters developed by non-Adobe software developers. Once installed, the plug-in filters appear
at the bottom of the Filter menu unless the developer has specified another location.
If you are interested in creating plug-in modules, contact Adobe Systems Developer Support.
Important: If you have problems or questions about a third-party plug-in, contact the plug-in’s manufacturer for
support.

See also
“About filters” on page 172
“Apply a filter” on page 173
“About plug-in modules” on page 23

Digimarc filter
Photoshop Elements automatically scans opened images for Digimarc® watermarks. If a watermark is detected, the
application displays a copyright symbol in the image window’s title bar and includes the information in the
Copyright Status, Copyright Notice, and Owner URL sections of the File Info dialog box.

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See also
“About filters” on page 172
“Filter categories” on page 174
“Apply a filter” on page 173
Detect the Digimarc filter
1 Choose Filter > Digimarc > Read Watermark. If the filter finds a watermark, a dialog box displays the Digimarc

ID, copyright year (if present), and image attributes.
2 Click OK. If you have a web browser installed, click Web Lookup to get more information about the owner of the
image. This option opens the browser and displays the Digimarc website, where contact details appear for the given
Digimarc ID.

198

Chapter 12: Painting
The painting tools change the color of pixels in an image. The Brush tool and the Pencil tool work like traditional
drawing tools by applying color with brush strokes. The Gradient tool, Fill command, and Paint Bucket tool apply
color to large areas. Tools like the Eraser tool, Blur tool, and Smudge tool modify the existing colors in an image.
The power of painting in Adobe® Photoshop® Elements is in the options that you can set to specify how a tool applies
or modifies color. You can apply color gradually, with soft edges, with large brush strokes, with various brush
dynamics, with different blending properties, and with brushes of different shapes. You can simulate spraying paint
with an airbrush.

Painting overview
About painting tools
The workspace in Photoshop Elements provides a variety of tools for applying and editing color. When you select a
painting tool, the option bar displays a variety of preset brush tips and settings for brush size, paint blending, opacity,
and airbrush effects. You can create new brush presets and save them in brush libraries. You can customize the brush
and settings for any of the painting and editing tools and manage them using the Preset Manager.
A

Brush options in the options bar
A. Brush pop-up palette and brush thumbnail B. Brush size pop-up slider and text box C. More menu

The Brush tool paints smooth, anti-aliased lines. Other painting tools include the Pencil tool for making hard-edged
lines and the Eraser tool for erasing color pixels from layers. The Paint Bucket tool and Fill command fill areas of
your image with color or patterns. The pattern Stamp tool paints with one of the predefined patterns or a pattern that
you design.
The Impressionist Brush tool affects existing color by applying stylized brush strokes. The Smudge tool also affects
existing image colors by simulating the action of dragging a finger through wet paint.

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About foreground and background colors
You apply the foreground color when you paint with the Brush or Pencil tools, and when you fill selections with the
Paint Bucket tool. The color you apply to the Background layer with the Eraser tool is called the background
color. You can see and change the foreground and background colors in the two overlapping boxes at the bottom of
the toolbox. The top box is the foreground color, and the bottom box is the background color. The foreground and
background colors are also used together by the Gradient tool and some special effects filters.
C
A
D
B

Foreground and background color boxes in toolbox
A. Foreground color box B. Click to use default colors (black and white) C. Click to switch the foreground and background colors
D. Background color box

You can change the foreground or background color in the toolbox by using the Eyedropper tool, the Color Swatches
palette, or the Color Picker.

See also
“Choosing colors” on page 203

About blending modes
Blending modes control how pixels in an image are affected by a painting or editing tool. It’s helpful to think in terms
of the following colors when visualizing a blending mode’s effect:

• The base color is the original color in the image.
• The blend color is the color applied by the painting or editing tool.
• The result color is the color resulting from the blend.

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The Multiply blending mode (top), Screen blending mode (center), and Luminosity blending mode (bottom) applied to the starfish layer.

You can choose any of the following blending modes from the Mode menu in the options bar:
Normal Edits or paints each pixel to make it the result color. This is the default mode. (Normal mode is called
Threshold when you’re working with an image in bitmap or indexed-color mode.)
Dissolve Edits or paints each pixel to make it the result color. However, the result color is a random replacement of

the pixels with the base color or the blend color, depending on the opacity at any pixel location. This mode works
best with the brush tool and a large brush.
Behind Edits or paints only on the transparent part of a layer. This mode works only on layers with Lock Trans-

parency deselected, and is analogous to painting on the back of transparent areas on a sheet of glass.
Clear Edits or paints each pixel and makes it transparent. You must be on a layer with Lock Transparency deselected

in the Layers palette to use this mode.
Darken Looks at the color information in each channel and selects the base or blend color—whichever is darker—

as the result color. Pixels lighter than the blend color are replaced, and pixels darker than the blend color do not
change.
Multiply Looks at the color information in each channel and multiplies the base color by the blend color. The result

color is always a darker color. Multiplying any color by black produces black. Multiplying any color by white leaves
the color unchanged. When you’re painting with a color other than black or white, successive strokes with a painting
tool produce progressively darker colors. The effect is similar to drawing on the image with multiple felt-tipped pens.
Color Burn Looks at the color information in each channel and darkens the base color to reflect the blend color.
Blending with white produces no change.
Linear Burn Looks at the color information in each channel and darkens the base color to reflect the blend color by

decreasing the brightness. Blending with white produces no change.

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Lighten Looks at the color information in each channel and selects the base or blend color—whichever is lighter—

as the result color. Pixels darker than the blend color are replaced, and pixels lighter than the blend color do not
change.
Screen Looks at each channel’s color information and multiplies the inverse of the blend and base colors. The result
color is always a lighter color. Screening with black leaves the color unchanged. Screening with white produces white.
The effect is similar to projecting multiple photographic slides on top of each other.
Color Dodge Looks at the color information in each channel and brightens the base color to reflect the blend color.
Blending with black produces no change.
Linear Dodge (Add) Looks at the color information in each channel and brightens the base color to reflect the blend

color by increasing the brightness. Blending with black produces no change.
Lighter Color Compares the total of all channel values for the blend and base color and displays the higher value

color. Does not produce a third color, which can result from the Lighten blend, because it chooses the highest
channel values from both the base and blend color to create the result color.
Overlay Multiplies or screens the colors, depending on the base color. Patterns or colors overlay the existing pixels
while preserving the highlights and shadows of the base color. The base color is mixed with the blend color to reflect
the lightness or darkness of the original color.
Soft Light Darkens or lightens the colors, depending on the blend color. The effect is similar to shining a diffused

spotlight on the image. If the blend color is lighter than 50% gray, the image is lightened. If the blend color is darker
than 50% gray, the image is darkened. Painting with pure black or white produces a distinctly darker or lighter area
but does not result in pure black or white.
Hard Light Multiplies or screens the colors, depending on the blend color. The effect is similar to shining a harsh

spotlight on the image. If the blend color is lighter than 50% gray, the image is lightened. This is useful for adding
highlights to an image. If the blend color is darker than 50% gray, the image is darkened. This is useful for adding
shadows to an image. Painting with pure black or white results in pure black or white.
Vivid Light Burns or dodges the colors by increasing or decreasing the contrast, depending on the blend color. If the

blend color (light source) is lighter than 50% gray, the image is lightened by decreasing the contrast. If the blend color
is darker than 50% gray, the image is darkened by increasing the contrast.
Linear Light Burns or dodges the colors by decreasing or increasing the brightness, depending on the blend color. If
the blend color (light source) is lighter than 50% gray, the image is lightened by increasing the brightness. If the blend
color is darker than 50% gray, the image is darkened by decreasing the brightness.
Pin Light Replaces the colors, depending on the underblend color. If the blend color (light source) is lighter than
50% gray, pixels darker than the blend color are replaced, and pixels lighter than the blend color do not change. If
the blend color is darker than 50% gray, pixels lighter than the blend color are replaced, and pixels darker than the
blend color do not change. This mode is useful for adding special effects to an image.
Hard Mix Reduces colors to white, black, red, green, blue, yellow, cyan, and magenta—depending on the base color
and the blend color.
Difference Looks at the color information in each channel and subtracts either the blend color from the base color

or the base color from the blend color, depending on which has the greater brightness value. Blending with white
inverts the base color values; blending with black produces no change.
Exclusion Creates an effect similar to, but lower in contrast, than the Difference mode. Blending with white inverts

the base color values. Blending with black produces no change.
Hue Creates a result color with the luminance and saturation of the base color and the hue of the blend color.

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Saturation Creates a result color with the luminance and hue of the base color and the saturation of the blend color.
Painting with this mode in an area with zero saturation (a neutral gray area) causes no change.
Color Creates a result color with the luminance of the base color and the hue and saturation of the blend color. This

preserves the gray levels in the image and is useful for coloring monochrome images and for tinting color images.

Using the Color blending mode to change the color of a shirt

Luminosity Creates a result color with the hue and saturation of the base color and the luminance of the blend color.
This mode creates an inverse effect from that of the Color mode.

Web-safe colors
Web-safe colors are the 216 colors used by browsers on both the Windows and Mac OS platforms. By working only
with these colors, you ensure that colors in art you prepare for the web display accurately in a web browser.
You can identify web-safe colors in the Adobe Color Picker by using either of the following methods:

• Select Only Web Colors in the lower-left corner of the Color Picker, and then choose any color in the Color Picker.
When this option is selected, any color you pick is web-safe.

• Choose a color in the Color Picker. If you choose a color that isn’t web-safe, an alert cube

appears next to the
color rectangle in the upper-right area of the Color Picker. Click the alert cube to select the closest web-safe color.
(If no alert cube appears, the color you chose is web-safe.)

See also
“Use the Color Swatches palette” on page 204
“Use the Adobe Color Picker” on page 205
“About dithering” on page 266

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Choosing colors
Choose a color with the Eyedropper tool
The Eyedropper tool makes it easy to copy a color without having to select a swatch. It copies, or samples, the color
of an area in your photo to set a new foreground or background color. You can sample from the active image, from
another open image, or from your computer’s desktop.
If you want the color always to be available, you can add the sampled color to the Color Swatches palette. You can
also specify the size of the area that the Eyedropper tool samples. For example, you can set the eyedropper to sample
the average color values of a 5-by-5- or 3-by-3-pixel area under the pointer.

Selecting a foreground color with the eyedropper.
A. Point sample B. 5 by 5 Average sample

1 Select the Eyedropper tool

in the toolbox.

2 (Optional) To change the sample size of the eyedropper, choose an option from the Sample Size menu in the

options bar:

• Point Sample to get the precise value of the pixel you click.
• 3 By 3 Average or 5 By 5 Average to get the average value of the specified number of pixels within the area you click.
3 Do one of the following to choose a color:

• To select a new foreground color from an image, click the desired color in your image. To select a color that
appears elsewhere on your computer screen, click inside your image and drag away from it.

• To select a new background color from an image, Option-click the color you want.
As you click and drag the Eyedropper tool, the foreground color box changes.
4 Release the mouse button to pick the new color.

Note: You can temporarily switch to the Eyedropper tool while using most painting tools, which allows you to change
colors quickly without selecting another tool. Simply hold down the Option key. Once you’ve chosen your color, release
the Option key.

See also
“About foreground and background colors” on page 199

Choose a color from the toolbox
❖ Do one of the following:

• To set the foreground and background boxes to black and white, click the Default Colors icon
• To switch the colors in the two boxes, click the Switch Colors icon

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• To change the foreground color, click the topmost color box in the toolbox, and then choose a color from the Color
Picker.

• To change the background color, click the bottom color box in the toolbox, and then choose a color from the Color
Picker.

See also
“About foreground and background colors” on page 199

Use the Color Swatches palette
The Color Swatches palette (Window > Color Swatches) is a good place to store the colors that you use often in your
images. You can select a foreground or background color by clicking a color swatch in the Color Swatches palette.
You can add or delete colors to create a custom swatch library, save a library of swatches, and reload them for use in
another image. You can change the way thumbnails are displayed in the Color Swatches palette by choosing an option
from the More menu.
Although you can add many colors to the Color Swatches palette, you should manage its size and organization to
improve performance. Creating libraries can help you group related or special swatches and manage palette size.
The Photoshop Elements/Presets/Color Swatches folder contains the various swatch libraries. When you create
custom libraries, saving them to the Color Swatches folder makes them automatically appear in the palette libraries
pop-up menu.

See also
“Use the Preset Manager” on page 226
Choose a color using the Color Swatches palette
1 If the Color Swatches palette is not already open, choose Window > Color Swatches.
2 (Optional) Choose a swatch library name from the Swatches menu in the upper-left corner of the palette.
3 Do one of the following:

• To choose a foreground color, click a color in the palette.
• To choose a background color, Command-click a color in the palette.
Add a color to the Color Swatches palette

If there is a color you’d like to use often, you can save the color as a swatch in the Color Swatches palette. Saved
swatches are added to the library of colors in the palette. To permanently save your custom swatches, you must save
the entire library.
1 Set the foreground color in the toolbox to the color you want to add.
2 Do one of the following in the Color Swatches palette:

• Click the New Swatch button

at the bottom of the palette. The color swatch is added and automatically named

Swatch 1.

• Choose New Swatch from the More menu.
• Position the pointer over an empty space in the bottom row of the Color Swatches palette (the pointer turns into
the Paint Bucket tool), and click to add the color.

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Selecting a color with the eyedropper and adding it as a new swatch

3 Enter a name for the new color and click OK.
4 If prompted to save the swatch library, enter a new name in the Save dialog box and click Save.
Save and use custom swatch libraries
❖ Do any of the following in the Color Swatches palette:

• To save a library of swatches, choose Save Swatches from the More menu. To make the set appear in the palette’s
swatch libraries pop-up menu, save the file to the Photoshop Elements\Presets\Color Swatches folder.
Note: To see the new swatch set in the menu, you must restart Photoshop Elements.

• To select and load a swatch library, choose Load Swatches from the More menu in the palette.
• To replace the current swatch library with a different library, choose Replace Swatches from the More menu in the
palette and select a library.
Reset a swatch library to its default color swatches
1 Choose a swatch library from the pop-up menu in the Color Swatches palette.
2 From the More menu in the Color Swatches palette, choose Preset Manager.
3 In the Preset Manager dialog box, choose Swatches from the Preset Type menu.
4 Choose Reset Swatches from the More menu, and click Done.
Delete a color from the Color Swatches palette
1 Do one of the following:

• Drag the color swatch to the Trash button in the palette, and click OK to confirm the deletion.
• Press Option to change the pointer to a scissors icon, and click a color in the Color Swatches palette.
2 If prompted to save the library, enter a name in the Save dialog box and click Save.

Note: To permanently remove swatches you delete, you must resave the library that contained them.

Use the Adobe Color Picker
You can use the Adobe Color Picker to select the foreground or background color by choosing from a color spectrum
or by defining colors numerically. In addition, you can select colors based on HSB or RGB color models, or choose
to select only web-safe colors.

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B
C

Adobe Color Picker.
A. Adjusted color B. Original color C. HSB color values D. RGB color values E. Displays only web colors F. Color field G. Color slider
H. Hexadecimal color value

1 Click the foreground or background color boxes in the toolbox to display the Color Picker.
2 Click inside the color field. When you click in the color field, a circular marker indicates the color’s position in the
field, and the numerical values change to reflect the new color.
3 Drag the white triangles along the slider to move to another color.
4 Alternately, to specify a number visually, do any of the following:

• Enter the hexadecimal value for your color in the text box under the RGB values. (Hexadecimal color values are
often used by web designers.)

• For RGB color, select a radio button and specify component values from 0 to 255 (0 is no light and 255 is the
brightest light).

• For HSB color, select a radio button and specify saturation and brightness as percentages; specify hue as an angle
from 0˚ to 360˚ that corresponds to a location on the color wheel.
5 The color rectangle to the right of the color slider displays the new color in the top section of the rectangle. The
original color appears at the bottom of the rectangle.
6 Click OK to begin painting with the new color.

Note: You can select colors using your system’s built-in color picker or a plug-in color picker. Choose Photoshop
Elements > Preferences > General and choose the color picker.

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Painting tools
Use the Brush tool
The Brush tool
creates soft or hard strokes of color. You can use it to simulate airbrush techniques. (If you don’t
see it in the toolbox, select either the Impressionist Brush
or the Color Replacement tool
, and then click the
Brush tool icon in the options bar.)
1 Select a color to paint by setting the foreground color.
2 Select the Brush tool in the toolbox.
3 Specify Brush tool options in the options bar as desired, and then drag within the image to paint.

To draw a straight line, click a starting point in the image. Then hold down Shift and click an ending point.
You can specify any of the following Brush tool options:
Brushes Sets the brush tip. Click the arrow next to the brush sample, choose a brush category from the Brushes
pop-up menu, and then select a brush thumbnail.
Size Sets the size of the brush in pixels. Drag the Size pop-up slider or enter a size in the text box.
Mode Specifies how the paint that you apply blends with the existing pixels in the image.
Opacity Sets the opacity of the paint you apply. A low opacity setting allows pixels under a paint stroke to show
through. Drag the pop-up slider or enter an opacity value.
Airbrush
Enables airbrush capabilities. This option applies gradual tones to an image, simulating traditional
airbrush techniques.
Brush Tablet Options

Sets the options to control with your stylus if you are using a pressure sensitive drawing

tablet instead of a mouse.
More Options

Sets additional brush options.

See also
“About blending modes” on page 199
“About foreground and background colors” on page 199
“About brush options” on page 213
“Add a new brush to the brush library” on page 215
“Set up pressure-sensitive tablet support” on page 216

Use the Pencil tool
The Pencil tool

creates hard-edged freehand lines.

1 Select a color to paint by setting the foreground color.
2 Select the Pencil tool in the toolbox. (The Pencil tool is nested with the Brush tool

3 Set Pencil tool options in the options bar, as desired, and then drag within the image to paint.

To draw a straight line, click a starting point in the image. Then hold down Shift and click an ending point.

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You can specify any of the following Pencil tool options:
Brushes Sets the brush tip. Click the arrow next to the brush sample, choose a brush category from the Brushes
pop-up menu, and then select a brush thumbnail.
Size Sets the size of the brush in pixels. Drag the Size pop-up slider or enter a size in the text box.
Mode Specifies how the paint that you apply blends with the existing pixels in the image.
Opacity Sets the opacity of the paint you apply. A low opacity setting allows pixels under a paint stroke to show
through. Drag the pop-up slider or enter an opacity value.
Auto Erase Paints with the background color over areas containing the foreground color. If you begin dragging from

an area that doesn’t contain the foreground color, the tool paints with the foreground color.

See also
“About blending modes” on page 199
“About foreground and background colors” on page 199
“About painting tools” on page 198
“About brush options” on page 213

Use the Impressionist Brush tool
The Impressionist Brush tool changes the existing colors and details in your image so your photo looks like it was
painted using stylized brush strokes. By experimenting with different style, area size, and tolerance options, you can
simulate the textures associated with painting in different artistic styles.
1 Select the Impressionist Brush tool

tool

or the Color Replacement tool

from the toolbox. (If you don’t see it in the toolbox, select either the Brush
, and then click the Impressionist Brush tool icon in the options bar.)

2 Set options in the options bar as desired, and then drag within the image to paint.

Original photo (left), and after using the Impressionist Brush tool (right)

You can specify any of the following options:
Brushes Sets the brush tip. Click the arrow next to the brush sample, choose a brush category from the Brushes
pop-up menu, and then select a brush thumbnail.
Size Sets the size of the brush in pixels. Drag the Size pop-up slider or enter a size in the text box.

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Mode Specifies how the paint that you apply blends with the existing pixels in the image. See “About blending

modes” on page 199 for more information.
Opacity Sets the opacity of the paint you apply. A low opacity setting allows pixels under a paint stroke to show
through. Drag the pop-up slider or enter an opacity value.
More Options Style affects the shape of the brush stroke. Area controls the size of the brush stroke. A larger area

value also increases the number of strokes. Tolerance controls how similar in color value adjacent pixels must be
before they are affected by the brush stroke.

See also
“About brush options” on page 213

Use the Smudge tool
The Smudge tool simulates the actions of dragging a finger through wet paint. The tool picks up color where the
stroke begins and pushes it in the direction you drag. You can smudge existing colors in your image, or smear
foreground color on the image.

Original image (left), and after smudging parts of the photo (right)

1 Select the Smudge tool
in the toolbox. (If you don’t see it in the toolbox, select either the Blur tool
Sharpen tool , and then click the Smudge tool icon in the options bar.)

or the

2 Set options in the options bar, and then drag within the image to smudge color.

To temporarily use the Finger Painting option as you drag with the smudge tool, press the Option key.
You can specify any of the following Smudge tool options:
Brushes Sets the brush tip. Click the arrow next to the brush sample, choose a brush category from the Brushes
pop-up menu, and then select a brush thumbnail.
Size Sets the size of the brush in pixels. Drag the Size pop-up slider or enter a size in the text box.
Mode Specifies how the paint that you apply blends with the existing pixels in the image. See “About blending

modes” on page 199 for more information.
Strength Sets the amount of the smudge effect.
All Layers Smudges using color from all visible layers. If this option is deselected, the smudge tool uses colors from

only the active layer.

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Finger Painting Smears the foreground color at the beginning of each stroke. If this option is deselected, the smudge

tool uses the color under the pointer at the beginning of each stroke.

See also
“Understanding layers” on page 49
“About brush options” on page 213

Use the Eraser tool
The Eraser tool changes pixels in the image as you drag through them. If you’re working in the Background layer or
in a layer with locked transparency, erased pixels change to the background color; otherwise, erased pixels become
transparent. Transparent pixels are indicated by the transparency grid.
1 Select the Eraser tool

from the toolbox.

2 Set options in the options bar as desired, and then drag through the area you want to erase.

You can specify any of the following Eraser tool options:
Brushes Sets the brush tip. Click the arrow next to the brush sample, choose a brush category from the Brushes

pop-up menu, and then select a brush thumbnail.
Size Sets the size of the brush in pixels. Drag the Size pop-up slider or enter a size in the text box.
Mode Brush mode erases by using characteristics of the brush tool, so you can make soft-edged erasures. Pencil

mode makes hard-edge erasures like a pencil. Block mode uses a hard-edged 16-pixel square as an eraser.
Opacity Defines the strength of the erasure. An opacity of 100% erases pixels to complete transparency on a layer
and to the background color on the Background layer. A lower opacity erases pixels to partial transparency on a layer
and paints partially with the background color on the Background layer. (If Block mode is selected in the options
bar, the Opacity option isn’t available.)

See also
“About blending modes” on page 199
“About brush options” on page 213

Use the Magic Eraser tool
The Magic Eraser tool changes all similar pixels when you drag within a photo. If you’re working in a layer with
locked transparency, the pixels change to the background color; otherwise, the pixels are erased to transparency. You
can choose to erase contiguous pixels only, or all similar pixels on the current layer.

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Original image (left), and after erasing the clouds (right)

1 In the Layers palette, select the layer containing the areas you want to erase.

Note: If you select the Background, it automatically becomes a layer when you use the Magic Eraser.
2 Select the Magic Eraser tool
or the Background Eraser tool

in the toolbox. (If you don’t see it in the toolbox, select either the Eraser tool
, and then click the Magic Eraser tool icon in the options bar.)

3 Set options in the options bar, as desired, and then click the area of the layer you want to erase.

You can set any of the following Magic Eraser tool options:
Tolerance Defines the range of colors that will be erased. A low tolerance erases pixels within a range of color values

very similar to the pixel you click. A high tolerance erases pixels within a broader range.
Anti-alias Smooths the edges of the area you erase, making the edge look more natural.
Contiguous Erases only pixels that are adjacent to the one you click. Deselect this option to erase all similar pixels
in the image.
All Layers Samples the erased color using combined data from all visible layers. Deselect the option if you want to

erase only the pixels on the active layer.
Opacity Defines the strength of the erasure. An opacity of 100% erases pixels to complete transparency on a layer
and to the background color on a locked layer. A lower opacity erases pixels to partial transparency on a layer and
paints partially with the background color on a locked layer.

See also
“About blending modes” on page 199
“About brush options” on page 213
“About the Layers palette” on page 50
“Smooth the edges of a selection by anti-aliasing” on page 94

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Use the Background Eraser tool
The Background Eraser tool turns color pixels to transparent pixels so that you can easily remove an object from its
background. With careful use, you can maintain the edges of the foreground object while eliminating background
fringe pixels.
The tool pointer is a circle with a cross hair indicating the tool’s hotspot . As you drag the pointer, pixels within
the circle and of a similar color value as the pixel under the hotspot are erased. If the circle overlaps your foreground
object, and it doesn’t contain pixels similar to the hotspot pixel, the foreground object won’t be erased.

Erasing the distracting background. You can replace the background with another background by using the Clone Stamp tool or by adding
another layer.

1 In the Layers palette, select the layer containing the areas you want to erase.

Note: If you select Background, it automatically becomes a layer when you use the Background Eraser.
2 Select the Background Eraser tool
. (If you don’t see it in the toolbox, select either the Eraser tool
Magic Eraser tool
, and then click the Background Eraser tool icon in the options bar.)

or the

3 Set options in the options bar as desired, and then drag through the area you want to erase. Keep the tool’s hotspot
off of areas that you don’t want to erase

You can specify any of the following Background Eraser tool options:
Brush Preset Picker Sets the presets of the brush, such as size, diameter, hardness, and spacing. Drag the Size pop-up
sliders or enter numbers in text boxes.
Limits Choose Contiguous to erase areas that contain the hotspot color and are connected to one another. Discontiguous erases any pixels within the circle that are similar to the hotspot color.
Tolerance Defines how similar in color to the hotspot a pixel must be to be affected by the tool. A low tolerance limits

erasure to areas that are very similar to the hotspot color. A high tolerance erases a broader range of colors.

See also
“About brush options” on page 213

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Setting up brushes
About brush options
You can simulate actual brush strokes by setting the rates at which the brush tool strokes fade out. You can specify
which options dynamically change over the course of a brush stroke, including scattering, size, and color. The brush
thumbnail in the options bar reflects the brush changes as you adjust the brush dynamics options.
You set brush dynamics options by selecting the brush tool and then selecting from the following controls from the
More Options menu in the options bar.
Spacing Controls the distance between the brush marks in a stroke. To change the spacing, type a number, or use

the slider to enter a value that is a percentage of the brush diameter. (The brush thumbnail in the options bar dynamically changes to reflect your spacing adjustments.)

Increasing the spacing makes the brush skip.

Fade Sets the number of steps until the paint flow fades to nothing. A low value makes the paint stroke fade away
very quickly, while a value of zero has no fading effect. Each step is equal to one mark of the brush tip. Possible values
range from 0 to 9999. For example, entering 10 for Fade produces a fade in 10 increments. For smaller brushes, you
may want to set a value of 25 or larger. If strokes fade too quickly, increase the values.

Fade showing setting of 40, 60, and 80 steps

Hue Jitter Sets the rate at which the stroke color switches between the foreground and background colors. Higher

values cause more frequent switches between the two colors than lower values. (To set the colors used by the color
jitter option, see “About foreground and background colors” on page 199.)

Paint stroke without and with color jitter

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Hardness Controls the size of the brush’s hard center. Type a number, or use the slider to enter a value that’s a

percentage of the brush diameter.

Brush strokes with different hardness values

Scatter Brush scattering determines how brush marks are distributed in a stroke. A low value produces a denser

stroke with less paint scattering, and higher values increase the scattering area.

Brush stroke with low and high scatter values

Angle Specifies the angle by which an elliptical brush’s long axis is offset from horizontal. Type a value in degrees,
or drag the arrowhead of the angle icon to mark the desired angle.

Angled brushes create a chiseled stroke

Roundness Specifies the ratio between the brush’s short and long axes. Enter a percentage value, or drag a dot in the

angle icon away from or toward the arrow. A value of 100% indicates a circular brush, a value of 0% indicates a linear
brush, and intermediate values indicate elliptical brushes.

Adjusting roundness affects the shape of a brush tip.

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See also
“About blending modes” on page 199

Add a new brush to the brush library
1 Select the Brush tool

2 Click the arrow next to the brush sample to display the pop-up palette in the options bar; choose a category from
the Brushes pop-up menu, and then select a brush to modify in the brush list.
3 Use the options bar to modify the original brush.
4 Click the arrow next to the brush sample to display the palette menu, and then choose Save Brush.
5 Enter a name in the Brush Name dialog box and click OK.

The new brush is selected in the options bar, and is added to the bottom of the brushes pop-up palette.

Delete a brush
1 Select the Brush tool

2 Click the arrow next to the brush sample to display the brushes pop-up palette in the options bar.
3 Do one of the following:

• Press the Option key to change the pointer to scissors, and then click the brush you want to delete.
• Select the brush in the pop-up palette, and choose Delete Brush from the palette menu.
• Choose Preset Manager from the palette menu, select Brushes from the Preset Type list, select the brush from the
list in the dialog box, and click Delete.

Create a custom brush shape from an image
You can create a custom brush by selecting an area in a photo. The brush uses a grayscale version of that selection to
apply the foreground color to your image. For example, you could select a leaf and then paint using a fall color. You
can also draw a new brush shape using the Brush tool. You can create a custom brush shape either from an entire
layer or from a selection. A custom brush shape can be up to 2500 pixels by 2500 pixels in size.

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Creating a custom brush of a dog. When you paint with this brush, you paint on dogs.

1 Do one of the following:

• To use part of the image as a custom brush, select part of an image.
• To use the entire layer as a custom brush, deselect everything.
Use the painting tools to draw the brush shape and select it. You can use hard-edged or soft-edged strokes, or vary
the opacity of strokes to achieve soft-edge effects.
2 Choose Edit > Define Brush or Edit > Define Brush From Selection.
3 Name the brush and click OK.

See also
“Use the Preset Manager” on page 226

Set up pressure-sensitive tablet support
Photoshop Elements is compatible with most pressure-sensitive digitizing tablets, such as Wacom® tablets. With the
software control panel for your tablet installed, you can vary brush tool properties based on the chosen tablet options
and the amount of pressure you apply with your stylus.
❖ Select the Brush tool in the toolbox and then set the tablet options in the options bar that you want to control with

pen pressure.

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Fills and strokes
Use the Paint Bucket tool
The Paint Bucket tool
fills an area that is similar in color value to the pixels you click. You can fill an area with
the foreground color or a pattern.
1 Choose a foreground color.
2 Select the Paint Bucket tool in the toolbox.
3 Set options in the options bar, as desired, and then click the part of the image you want to fill.

If you don’t want to fill transparent areas in a layer, you can lock the layer’s transparency in the Layers palette.
You can specify any of the following Paint Bucket tool options:
Pattern Sets a pattern to use as the fill.
Mode Specifies how the paint that you apply blends with the existing pixels in the image.
Opacity Sets the opacity of the paint you apply. A low opacity setting allows pixels under a paint stroke to show
through. Drag the pop-up slider or enter an opacity value.
Tolerance Defines how similar in color filled pixels must be. A low tolerance fills pixels with color values very similar

to the pixel you click. A high tolerance fills pixels that have a broader range of colors.
Anti-alias Smooths the edges of the filled selection.
Contiguous Fills similarly colored pixels that are next to each other. Deselect this option to fill all similar pixels in

the image, including those that aren’t touching. The Tolerance option defines how similar the colors must be.
All Layers Fills similar pixels on any visible layer that are within the levels set by the Tolerance and Contiguous

options.

See also
“About foreground and background colors” on page 199
“About blending modes” on page 199
“Smooth the edges of a selection by anti-aliasing” on page 94
“Create fill layers” on page 65

Fill a layer with a color or pattern
You can use a Fill Layer to apply a fill or a pattern to your image, instead of using one of the brush tools. The fill layer
gives you the added flexibility of changing the fill and pattern properties and editing the fill layer’s mask to limit the
gradient to a portion of your image.
1 Specify a foreground or background color.
2 Select the area you want to fill. To fill an entire layer, select the layer in the Layers palette.
3 Choose Edit > Fill Selection.

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4 Set options in the Fill dialog box, and then click OK.
Contents Choose a color from the Use menu. To select a different color, choose Color, and then select a color from

the Color Picker. Choose Pattern to fill with a pattern.
Custom Pattern Specifies the pattern to use if you choose Pattern from the Use menu. You can use patterns from the
pattern libraries or create your own patterns.
Mode Specifies how the color pattern that you apply blends with the existing pixels in the image.
Opacity Sets the opacity of the color pattern to apply.
Preserve Transparency Fills only opaque pixels.

See also
“About patterns” on page 219
“About blending modes” on page 199
“About foreground and background colors” on page 199
“Create fill layers” on page 65

Stroke (outline) objects on a layer
You can use the Stroke command to automatically trace a colored outline around a selection or the content of a layer.
Note: To add an outline to the background, you must first convert it to a regular layer. The background contains no
transparent pixels, so the entire layer is outlined.
1 Select the area in the image or a layer in the Layers palette.
2 Choose Edit > Stroke (Outline) Selection.
3 In the Stroke dialog box, set any of the following options, and then click OK to add the outline:
Width Specifies the width of the hard-edged outline. Values can range from 1 to 250 pixels.
Color Sets the color of the outline. Click the color swatch to select a color in the Color Picker.
Location Specifies whether to place the outline inside, outside, or centered over the selection or layer boundaries.
Mode Specifies how the paint that you apply blends with the existing pixels in the image.
Opacity Sets the opacity of the paint you apply. Enter an opacity value or click on the arrow and drag the pop-up

slider.
Preserve Transparency Strokes only areas containing opaque pixels on a layer. If your image has no transparency,

this option isn’t available.

See also
“About blending modes” on page 199

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Patterns
About patterns
You can paint a pattern with the Pattern stamp tool or fill a selection or layer with a pattern that you choose from the
pattern libraries. Photoshop Elements has several patterns you can choose from.
To customize your images, or to make one-of-a-kind scrapbook pages, you can create your own patterns. You can
save patterns that you create in a library, and then load libraries of patterns using the Preset Manager or the Pattern
pop-up palette, which appears in the options bar of the Pattern Stamp tool and the Paint Bucket tool. Saving patterns
allows you to easily use a pattern in multiple images.

Creating a custom pattern
A. Rectangular selection used to define a pattern B. Custom pattern in pattern picker C. New image filled with custom pattern

See also
“Fill a layer with a color or pattern” on page 217
“Use the Preset Manager” on page 226

Use the Pattern Stamp tool
The Pattern Stamp tool

paints with a pattern defined from your image, another image, or a preset pattern.

1 Select the Pattern Stamp tool from the toolbox.
2 Choose a pattern from the Pattern pop-up palette in the options bar. To load additional pattern libraries, select a
library name from the palette menu, or choose Load Patterns and navigate to the folder where the library is stored.
You can also define your own pattern.
3 Set Pattern Stamp tool options in the options bar, as desired, and then drag within the image to paint.

You can specify any of the following Pattern Stamp tool options:
Brushes Sets the brush tip. Click the arrow next to the brush sample, choose a brush category from the Brushes
pop-up menu, and then select a brush thumbnail.
Size Sets the size of the brush in pixels. Drag the Size pop-up slider or enter a size in the text box.
Mode Specifies how the paint that you apply blends with the existing pixels in the image. (See “About blending

modes” on page 199.)
Opacity Sets the opacity of the pattern you apply. A low opacity setting allows pixels under a pattern stroke to show
through. Drag the pop-up slider or enter an opacity value.

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Aligned Repeats the pattern as a contiguous, uniform design. The pattern is aligned from one paint stroke to the

next. If Aligned is deselected, the pattern is centered on the pointer each time you stop and resume painting.
Impressionist Paints the pattern using paint daubs to create an impressionist effect.

See also
“Fill a layer with a color or pattern” on page 217

Add a custom pattern to the pattern picker
1 Do one of the following:

• To create a pattern from part of the image, make a rectangular selection with Feather set to 0 pixels.
• To create a pattern from the entire image, deselect everything.
2 Choose Edit > Define Pattern.
3 Enter a name for the pattern in the Pattern Name dialog box.
4 To deselect the original selection, choose Select > Deselect.

See also
“About selections” on page 81

Use a preset pattern from the PostScript Patterns folder
Each preset file in the PostScript Patterns folder contains a single pattern in the Adobe Illustrator format. You can
scale these patterns at any resolution.
1 Choose File > Open.
2 Navigate to Photoshop Elements 6.0/Presets/Patterns/PostScript Patterns.
3 Select the pattern file you want to use, and click Open.
4 When the Rasterize Generic EPS dialog opens, click OK to proceed.
5 Choose Select > All, or make a rectangular selection around the pattern with Feather set to 0 pixels in the options bar.
6 Choose Edit > Define Pattern From Selection. The pattern is defined as an Adobe Photoshop Elements pattern.
7 Enter a name for the pattern in the Pattern Name dialog box, and click OK.

See also
“Use the Preset Manager” on page 226

Gradients
About gradients
You fill an area with a gradient by dragging within the image or by selecting with the Gradient tool. The distance
between the starting point (where you first press and the mouse button) and ending point (where you release the
mouse button) affects the gradient appearance, as does the gradient type.

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Using the Gradient tool and Gradient Editor, you can create a custom mix of colors in your photos.

You can choose any of the following gradient types in the options bar.
Linear gradient

Shades from the starting point to the ending point in a straight line.

Radial gradient

Shades from the starting point to the ending point in a circular pattern.

Angle gradient

Shades in a counterclockwise sweep around the starting point.

Reflected gradient

Shades using symmetric linear gradients on either side of the starting point.

Shades from the starting point outward in a diamond pattern. The ending point defines one
corner of the diamond.

Diamond gradient

You can also use a Fill Layer to apply a gradient to your image. The fill layer gives you the added flexibility of
changing the gradient properties and editing the fill layer’s mask to limit the gradient to a portion of your image.
Gradients are stored in libraries. You can choose a different library of gradients to display in the Gradient Picker
menu by clicking the small triangle in the menu and selecting a library at the bottom of the list. You can also save
and load your own libraries of gradients in this menu. You can also manage gradients by using the Preset Manager.

See also
“Create fill layers” on page 65

Apply a gradient
1 To fill part of the image, select the area with one of the selection tools. Otherwise, the gradient fill is applied to the
entire active layer.
2 Select the Gradient tool

3 In the options bar, click the desired gradient type.
4 Choose a gradient fill from the Gradient Picker palette in the options bar.

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5 (Optional) Set gradient options in the options bar.
Mode Specifies how the gradient blends with the existing pixels in the image.
Opacity Sets the opacity of the gradient. A low opacity setting allows pixels under the gradient to show through.
Drag the pop-up slider or enter an opacity value.
Reverse Switches the order of the colors in the gradient fill.
Dither Creates a smoother blend with less obvious bands of color.
Transparency Uses the gradient’s transparency (instead of any transparent areas in the image) if the gradient has

transparent areas.
6 In the image, position the pointer where you want to set the starting point of the gradient, and drag to define the
ending point. To constrain the gradient angle to a multiple of 45˚, hold down Shift as you drag.

Apply gradient fill to text
1 Select the text layer you want to fill.
2 Choose Layer > Simplify Layer to convert the vector text to a bitmap image. You won’t be able to edit the text after
you simplify the layer.
3 Command-click the thumbnail for the text layer in the Layers palette to select the text.
4 Select the Gradient tool.
5 In the options bar, click the desired gradient type.
6 Choose a gradient fill from the Gradient Picker palette.
7 Position the pointer on the text where you want to set the starting point of the gradient, and drag to define the
ending point.

See also
“Simplify a layer” on page 55

Define a gradient
You can define your own gradients in the Gradient Editor dialog box. A gradient can include two or more colors, or
one or more colors that fade to transparency.

Gradient Editor dialog box.
A. Color stop B. Midpoint C. Opacity stop

To define a gradient, you add a color stop to add a color to the gradient, drag the color stop and the midpoint icon
to define the range between two colors, and adjust the Opacity stops to specify the transparency that you want in the
gradient.
1 Select the Gradient tool

2 To display the Gradient Editor dialog box, click the Edit button next to the gradient sample.

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3 In the Presets section of the Gradient Editor dialog box, select a gradient on which to base your new gradient.
4 To choose colors for your gradient, do one of the following:

• Double-click the color stop , or click the Color swatch to display the Color Picker. Choose a color, and click OK.
• Choose Foreground from the Color pop-up menu to use the current foreground color.
• Choose Background from the Color pop-up menu to use the current background color.
• Choose User Color from the Color pop-up menu to always use the color you chose for the gradient, other than
the current foreground or background.
5 To adjust the color stop location of a color, drag the stop left or right.
6 To add a color to the gradient, click below the gradient bar to define another color stop.
7 To adjust the location of the transition midpoint between colors, drag the diamond below the gradient bar to the
left or right.
8 To delete the color stop you are editing, click Delete.
9 To set the color transition’s smoothness, enter a percentage in the Smoothness text box, or drag the pop-up slider.
10 If desired, set transparency values for the gradient by dragging the Opacity stops.
11 To save the gradient in the gradient presets, enter a name for the new gradient, and then click New.
12 Click OK. The newly created gradient is selected and ready to use.

See also
“Use the Adobe Color Picker” on page 205

Specify gradient transparency
Each gradient fill contains settings (opacity stops) that control the opacity of the fill at different locations in the
gradient. The checkerboard pattern indicates the amount of transparency in the gradient preview. Gradients need at
least two opacity stops.
1 Create a gradient.
2 To adjust the starting opacity in the Gradient Editor, click the left opacity stop above the gradient bar. The triangle
below the stop turns black, indicating that you’re editing the starting transparency.
3 Set the Opacity by doing one of the following:

• Enter a value between 0 (fully transparent) and 100% (fully opaque).
• Drag the arrow on the Opacity pop-up slider.
4 To adjust the opacity of the endpoint, click the right transparency stop above the gradient bar. Then set the opacity
as described in step 3.
5 To adjust the location of the starting or ending opacity, do one of the following:

• Drag the corresponding opacity stop to the left or right.
• Select the corresponding opacity stop, and enter a value for Location.
6 To adjust the location of the midpoint opacity (the point midway between the starting and ending opacities), do
one of the following:

• Drag the diamond above the gradient bar to the left or right.

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• Select the diamond, and enter a value for Location.
7 To delete the opacity stop you are editing, click Delete, or drag the stop away from the gradient bar.
8 To add an intermediate opacity, click above the gradient bar to define a new opacity stop. You can then adjust and
move this opacity as you would a starting or ending opacity.

To remove an intermediate opacity, drag its transparency stop up and off the gradient bar, or select the stop and click
the Delete button.
9 To save the gradient to the gradient presets, enter a new name in the Name text box, and then click New. This
creates a new gradient preset with the transparency setting you specified.
10 Click OK to exit the dialog box and select the newly created gradient. Make sure that Transparency is selected in

the options bar.

Create a noise gradient
A noise gradient is a gradient that contains randomly distributed colors within a range of colors that you specify.
A
B
C

Noise gradients with different noise values.
A. 10% noise B. 50% noise C. 90% noise

1 Select the Gradient tool

2 To display the Gradient Editor dialog box, click the Edit button in the options bar.
3 Choose Noise from the Gradient Type menu.
4 Set options for the gradient.
Roughness Sets the amount of softness in the transition between colors in the pattern.
Color Model Specifies the color model to use to set the color range to include in the gradient. To define the range of

colors, drag the sliders for each color component.
Restrict Colors Prevents oversaturated colors.
Add Transparency Adds transparency to random colors.

5 To randomly mix the colors, click the Randomize button until you find a gradient you like.
6 Enter a name for the new gradient.
7 To add your gradient preset, click New.
8 Click OK to exit the dialog box, and then select the newly created gradient.

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Presets and libraries
About presets
In the Full Edit workspace, pop-up palettes appear in the options bar and provide access to predefined libraries of
brushes, color swatches, gradients, patterns, layer styles, and custom shapes. The items in each library are called
presets. When closed, pop-up palettes display a thumbnail image of the currently selected preset.
A

Viewing the Cookie Cutter pop-up palette in the options bar
A. Click to show the pop-up palette. B. Click to view the pop-up palette menu, which contains preset libraries.

You can change the display of a pop-up palette to view presets by their names, as thumbnail icons, or with both names
and icons.
You can use the Presets Manager to load different preset libraries. Presets are stored in separate library files that can
be found in the Presets folder in the Photoshop Elements application folder.

Use preset tool options
1 Select the tool you want to use.
2 In the options bar, open the pop-up palette. (Only certain tools have pop-up palettes.)
3 Do any of the following:

• To view and select currently loaded preset libraries, click the triangle in the upper-right corner of the pop-up
palette.

• To select a preset, click an item in the library.
• To save a brush, open the pop-up palette menu, choose the Save Brush command, then enter a name in the dialog
box provided and click OK.

• To save a gradient or pattern, open the palette menu, choose the New Gradient or New Pattern command, then
enter a name in the dialog box provided and click OK.

• To rename a brush, gradient, or pattern in a palette, open the pop-up palette menu, choose the Rename command,
then enter a new name and click OK.

• To delete a brush, gradient, or pattern from a palette, select an item, open the pop-up palette menu and choose the
Delete command. You can also hold down Option and click a brush or gradient.

• To save a library of brushes, gradients, or patterns, open the pop-up palette menu. From the menu, choose the Save
Brushes, Save Gradients, or Save Patterns command, then enter a name for the library file, and click Save.

• To load a library of brushes, gradients, or patterns, open the pop-up palette menu, choose the Load command,
then select the library file you want to add and click Load.

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Note: Using the Load command adds the brush library to the brushes you have available. If you choose a preset library
of brushes, the preset library replaces your current set of brushes.

• To replace the current set of gradients in a palette, open the pop-up palette menu, choose a library file from the
bottom section of the menu, and click OK. You can also choose the Replace command, browse to select a library
file, and click Load.

• To replace the current set of brushes or patterns in a palette, choose a library from the Brushes menu.
Note: To replace the current set of brushes, gradients, or patterns, you can also choose Preset Manager from the pop-up
palette menu and use the Preset Manager to load a different library of brushes, gradients, or patterns.

• To load the default set of brushes, gradients, or patterns, open the pop-up palette menu and choose the Reset
command.

Change the display of items in a pop-up palette menu
1 Do one of the following:

• To change the display of one palette, open the pop-up palette menu by clicking the triangle

in the upper-right

corner of the pop-up palette.

• To change the display for all palettes, choose Edit > Preset Manager to open the Preset Manager, and then click the
More button.
2 Select a view option:
Text Only Displays the name of each item.
Small Thumbnail or Large Thumbnail Displays a thumbnail of each item.
Small List or Large List Displays the name and thumbnail of each item.
Stroke Thumbnail Displays a sample brush stroke and brush thumbnail. (This option is available for brushes only.)

Note: Not all of the above options are available for all pop-up palettes.

Use the Preset Manager
In the Full Edit workspace, the Preset Manager (Edit > Preset Manager) lets you manage the libraries of preset
brushes, color swatches, gradients, and patterns included in Photoshop Elements. For example, you can create a set
of favorite brushes, or you can restore the default presets.
Each type of library is a file with its own file extension and default folder. Preset files are installed on your computer
inside the Presets folder in the Photoshop Elements program folder.
Note: You can delete a preset in the Preset Manager by selecting the preset and clicking Delete. You can always use the
Reset command to restore the default items to a library.

Dragging a preset to a new position in the Preset Manager

Load a library
1 In the Preset Manager, choose Brushes, Color Swatches, Gradients, or Patterns from the Preset Type menu.

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2 Do one of the following:

• Click Load, select a library from the list, and then click Load. If you want to load a library located in another folder,
navigate to that folder, then select the library. By default, preset files are installed on your computer inside the
Presets folder in the Photoshop Elements program folder.

• Click the More button and choose a library from the bottom section of the menu.
3 Click the Done button when you’re finished.
Restore the default library or replace the currently displayed library
❖ In the Preset Manager, click the More button and choose a command from the menu:
Reset Restores the default library for that type.
Replace Replaces the current library with the contents of another library.

Save a subset of a library
1 In the Preset Manager, Shift-click to select multiple contiguous presets or Command-click to select multiple

noncontiguous presets. Only the selected presets are saved in the new library.
2 Click Save Set, then enter a name for the library. If you want to save the library in a folder other than the default,
navigate to the new folder before saving.

Rename a preset
1 In the Preset Manager, do one of the following:

• Select a preset in the list, and click Rename.
• Double-click a preset in the list.
2 Enter a new name for the preset. If you selected multiple presets, you are prompted to enter multiple names.

228

Chapter 13: Adding text and shapes
You can add text and shapes of different color, styles, and effects to an image. Use the Horizontal Type and Vertical
Type tools to create and edit text. You can create single-line text or paragraph text.
In Photoshop Elements, shapes are resolution-independent vector graphics (lines and curves defined by their
geometric characteristics instead of pixels) that can be moved, resized, or changed without losing detail, clarity, or
quality. Both text and shapes are created in separate layers.

Add and edit text
About text
Use the Horizontal Type and Vertical Type tools to create and edit text. The new text you type is entered in a new
text layer. You can create single-line text or paragraph text. Each line of single line text you enter is independent—
the length of a line grows or shrinks as you edit it, but it doesn’t wrap to the next line. To create a new line of text,
press Enter. Paragraph text wraps within the paragraph boundaries you specify.

Single-line text (top of image) and paragraph text (bottom of image).

You can use the type mask tools (Right-click the Type tool) to create a selection in the shape of text. You can then
create different effects and cutouts with the text.
Clicking in an image with a type tool puts the tool in edit mode so you can enter and edit text. You must commit
changes to the type before you can perform other operations, like selecting menu commands. The Type tool is in edit
mode when you see the Commit button
and Cancel button
in the options bar.
Note: When you add text to an image that’s in indexed color mode, Photoshop Elements does not create a new text layer.
The text you type appears as masked text.

Add text
1 Select the Horizontal Type tool

or the Vertical Type tool

2 Do one of the following:

• To create a single line of text, click in the image to set an insertion point for the type.
• To create paragraph text, drag a rectangle to create a text box for the type.

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The small line through the I-beam marks the position of the type baseline. For horizontal type, the baseline marks
the line on which the type rests; for vertical type, the baseline marks the center axis of the type characters.
3 (Optional) Select type options, such as font, style, size, and color, in the options bar.
4 Type the characters you want. If you did not create a text box, you can press Return to create a new line.

The text appears in its own layer, which is called a text layer.
5 Commit the text layer by doing one of the following:

• Click the Commit button

in the options bar.

• Press the Enter key on the numeric keypad.
• Click in the image, outside of the text box.
• Select a different tool in the toolbox.
Note: To discard the text layer before you commit it, click the Cancel button

See also
“Add stylized text to an image” on page 171
Type tool options

In the options bar, set the following Type tool options:
Font Family Applies a font family to new or existing text.
Font Style Applies font styles, such as bold, to new or existing text.
Font Size Applies a font size to new or existing text.
Anti-aliased Applies anti-aliasing to make text appear smoother.

Applying anti-aliasing
A. Anti-aliasing off B. Anti-aliasing on

Faux Bold Applies a bold style to new or existing text. Use this option if your font doesn’t have a true bold style that
you can select from the Font Style menu.

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Faux Italic Applies an italic style to new or existing text. Use this option if your font doesn’t have a true italic or

oblique style that you can select from the Font Style menu.
Underline Applies an underline to new text or selected existing text.
Strikethrough Applies a line through new text or selected existing text.
Leading menu Sets the space between lines of new or selected text.
Color menu Applies a color to new text or selected text.
Warp text Warps text on the selected layer.
Text Orientation Changes vertical text to horizontal and horizontal text to vertical.

Edit type in a type layer
After you create a text layer, you can edit the text and apply layer commands to it. You can insert new text, change
existing text, and delete text in text layers. If any styles are applied to a text layer, all text inherits the attributes of
those styles.
You can also change the orientation (either horizontal or vertical) of a text layer. When a text layer is vertical, the
type lines flow from top to bottom; when a text layer is horizontal, the type lines flow from left to right.
1 Select the Horizontal Type tool
the text).

or the Vertical Type tool

(or select the Move tool

and double-click on

When you click in an existing text layer, the Type tool changes at the insertion point to match the orientation of the
layer.
2 Select the text layer in the Layers palette, or click the text flow to automatically select a text layer.
3 Position the insertion point in the text, and do one of the following:

• Click to set the insertion point.
• Select one or more characters you want to edit.
• Enter text as desired.
4 Commit the text layer by doing one of the following:

• Click the Commit button

in the options bar.

• Click in the image.
• Select a different tool in the toolbox.

Align text
❖ Using a type tool, click the Align pop-up menu
Left Align
Center
Right Align

and select any of the following:

Aligns the left edge of each text line in the layer to the initial cursor position.
Aligns the center of each text line in the layer to the initial cursor position.
Aligns the right edge of each text line in the layer to the initial cursor position.

Select characters
1 Select a type tool.
2 Select the text layer in the Layers palette, or click in the text flow to automatically select a text layer.

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3 Position the insertion point in the text, and do one of the following:

• Drag to select one or more characters.
• Double-click to select a single word.
• Triple-click to select an entire line of text.
• Click a point in the text and then Shift-click to select a range of characters.
• Choose Select > All to select all the characters in the layer.
• To use the arrow keys to select characters, hold down Shift and press the Right Arrow or Left Arrow key.

Choose a font family and style
A font is a set of characters—letters, numbers, or symbols—that share a common weight, width, and style. When you
select a font, you can select the font family (for example, Arial) and its type style independently. A type style is a
variant version of an individual font in the font family (for example, regular, bold, or italic). The range of available
type styles varies with each font.
If a font doesn’t include the style you want, you can apply faux (fake) versions of bold and italic. A faux font is a
computer-generated version of a font that approximates an alternative typeface design, used only if there is no corresponding style for a given font.
1 If you’re changing the existing text, select one or more characters whose font you want to change. To change the
font of all characters in a layer, select the text layer in the Layers palette, and then use the buttons and menus in the
options bar to change the font type, style, size, alignment, and color.
2 In the options bar, choose a font family from the Font Family pop-up menu.
3 Do one of the following:

• Choose a font style from the Font Style pop-up menu in the options bar.
• If the font family you chose does not include a bold or italic style, click the Faux Bold button
button

, Faux Italic

, or both; then click OK.

Note: The type you enter gets its color from the current foreground color; however, you can change the type color before
or after you enter text. When editing existing text layers, you can change the color of individual characters or all type in
a layer.

Choose a font size
The type size determines how large the type appears in the image. The physical size of the font depends on the
resolution of the image. A capital letter in 72-point text is approximately 1-inch high in an image that is 72 ppi.
Higher resolutions reduce a given text point size because the pixels are packed more tightly in higher resolution
images.
1 If you’re changing existing text, select one or more characters whose size you want to change. To change the size
of all the characters in a layer, select the text layer in the Layers palette.
2 Select the Horizontal Type tool

or the Vertical Type tool

3 In the options bar, enter or select a new value for Size. You can enter a size larger than 72 points. The value you
enter is converted into the default unit of measurement. To use an alternate unit of measurement, enter the unit (in,
cm, pt, px, or pica) after the value in the Size text box.

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The default unit of measurement for type is points. However, you can change the unit of measurement in the Units
& Rulers section of the Preferences dialog box. Choose Photoshop Elements > Preferences > Units & Rulers, and then
select a unit of measurement for Type.

Change text color
You can change the type color before or after you enter text. When editing existing text layers, you can change the
color of individual characters or all type in a layer. You can also apply a gradient to text in a text layer.

The Color menu in the options bar displays many preset color swatches from which you can choose.

1 Do one of the following:

• To change the color of text before you type it, select a type tool.
• To change the color of existing text, select a type tool and then drag to select the text.
2 Do one of the following:

• To choose a color from the Color Picker, click the colored area of the Color menu in the options bar.
• To choose a color from a list of color swatches, click the triangle on the Color menu in the options bar.

See also
“Use the Color Swatches palette” on page 204
“Use the Adobe Color Picker” on page 205

Create and use masked type
The Horizontal Type Mask tool and Vertical Type Mask tool create a selection in the shape of text. You can have fun
with text selection borders by cutting text out of an image to show the background, or pasting the selected text into
a new image. Experiment with different options to personalize your images and compositions.

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Horizontal type mask used to create a filled selection.

1 Select the layer on which you want the selection to appear. For best results, don’t create the type selection border
on a text layer.
2 Select the Horizontal Type Mask tool

or the Vertical Type Mask tool

3 Select additional type options (See “Type tool options” on page 229), and enter your text.

The type selection border appears in the image on the active layer.

Warp type
Warping allows you to distort type to conform to a variety of shapes; for example, you can warp type in the shape of
an arc or a wave. Warping applies to all characters in a text layer—you cannot warp individual characters. Also, you
can’t warp faux bold text.

Text layer with warp applied

1 Select a text layer.
2 Do one of the following:

• Select a type tool, and click the Warp button

in the options bar.

• Choose Layer > Type > Warp Text.
3 Choose a warp style from the Style pop-up menu. The style determines the basic shape of the warped text.
4 Select an orientation for the warp effect—Horizontal or Vertical.
5 (Optional) Specify values for additional warping options to control the orientation and perspective of the warp
effect:

• Bend to specify the amount of warp.
• Horizontal Distortion and Vertical Distortion to apply perspective to the warp.
6 Click OK.

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Unwarp type
1 Select a text layer that has warping applied to it.
2 Select a type tool, and click the Warp button

in the options bar; or choose Layer > Type > Warp Text.

3 Choose None from the Style pop-up menu, and click OK.

Change the orientation of a type layer
1 Select the text layer in the Layers palette.
2 Do one of the following:

• Select a type tool, and click the Flip Orientation button

in the options bar.

• Choose Layer > Type > Horizontal, or choose Layer > Type > Vertical.

Work with Asian type
Display Asian type options
Photoshop Elements provides several options for working with Asian type. Asian fonts are often referred to as
double-byte fonts or CJK fonts, meaning Chinese, Japanese, and Korean fonts.
1 Choose Photoshop Elements> Preferences > Type.
2 Set text options:

• Show Asian Text Options to display Asian type options.
• Show Font Names in English to display Asian font names in English.
3 Click OK. The Asian type options button

is added to the type tool options bar.

Reduce spacing between Asian characters
Tsume reduces the space around a character (but not the character itself) by a specified percentage value. When
tsume is added to a character, spacing around both sides of the character is reduced by an equal percentage.
1 If you’re working with an existing layer, select the text layer in the Layers palette and then select a type tool.
2 Select the characters you want to adjust.
3 Click the Show Asian Text Options button
ences are set to show Asian type options.

in the options bar. If you don’t see the button, make sure that prefer-

4 Select a percentage for Tsume
from the pop-up menu, and press the Enter or Return key. The greater the
percentage, the tighter the compression between characters. At 100% (the maximum value), there is no space
between the character’s bounding box and its em box.

Note: An em box is a space whose height and width roughly correspond to the width of the letter “M” (also called a
mutton).

Turn on or turn off tate-chuu-yoko
Tate-chuu-yoko (also called kumimoji and renmoji) is a block of horizontal type laid out within a vertical type line.

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Before and after tate-chuu-yoko is applied

1 If you’re working with an existing layer, select the text layer in the Layers palette and then select a type tool.
2 Select the characters that you want to rotate.
3 Click the Asian Text Options button

in the options bar.

4 Select Tate-Chuu-Yoko.

Turn on or turn off mojikumi
Mojikumi determines spacing between punctuation, symbols, numbers, and other character classes in Japanese type.
When mojikumi is turned off, full-width spacing is applied to these characters. When mojikumi is on, half-width
spacing is applied to these characters.

Mojikumi on (top), and mojikumi off (bottom)

1 If you’re working with an existing layer, select the text layer in the Layers palette and then select a type tool.
2 Click the Asian Text Options button
3 Select Mojikumi.

in the options bar.

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Creating shapes
About shapes
In Photoshop Elements, shapes are vector graphics, which means they are made up of lines and curves defined by
their geometric characteristics instead of pixels. Vector graphics are resolution-independent—that is, they can be
scaled to any size and printed at any resolution without losing detail or clarity. You can move, resize, or change them
without losing the quality of the graphic. Because computer monitors display images on a pixel grid, vector data is
displayed on-screen as pixels.
Shapes are created in shape layers. A shape layer can contain a single shape or multiple shapes, depending on the
shape area option you select. You can choose to have more than one shape in a layer.
You can change the color of a shape by editing its fill layer and applying layer styles to it. Shape tools provide an easy
way to create buttons, navigation bars, and other items used on web pages.

Vector objects created with the shape tools in Photoshop Elements

See also
“Select or move a shape” on page 239
“Transform a shape” on page 239
“Apply a layer style to a shape” on page 240

Draw a rectangle, square, or rounded rectangle
1 Select the Rectangle tool
or Rounded Rectangle tool
. If necessary, press and hold another shape tool in
the toolbox, and then choose a tool from the list that appears.
2 (Optional) In the options bar, click the Geometry options triangle to access the following options:
Unconstrained Lets you set the width and height of a rectangle by dragging.
Square Constrains a rectangle to a square.
Fixed Size Draws a rectangle at the exact size you specified in the Width and Height text boxes.
Proportional Draws a rectangle based on the numbers you type in the Width and Height text boxes.
From Center Draws a rectangle from the center of where you begin drawing (usually a rectangle is drawn from the

upper-left corner).

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Snap to Pixels Snaps edges of a rectangle to the pixel boundaries.

3 Drag within your image to draw the shape.

Draw a circle or ellipse
1 Select the Ellipse tool
. If necessary, press and hold another shape tool in the toolbox, and then choose this
tool from the list that appears.
2 (Optional) In the options bar, click the Geometry options triangle to use the following options:
Unconstrained Lets you set the width and height of an ellipse by dragging.
Circle Draws a perfect circle instead of an ellipse.
Fixed Size Draws an ellipse at the exact size you specified in the Width and Height text boxes.
Proportional Draws a proportional ellipse based on the numbers you type in the Width and Height text boxes.
From Center Draws an ellipse from the center of where you begin drawing (usually an ellipse is drawn from the

upper-left corner).
3 Drag in your image to draw the ellipse.

Draw a multisided shape
1 Select the Polygon tool
. If necessary, press and hold another shape tool in the toolbox, and then choose this
tool from the list that appears.
2 (Optional) In the options bar, select the Geometry options triangle to use the following options:
Radius Specifies the distance from the center of a polygon to the outer points.
Smooth Corners Renders a polygon with smooth corners.
Star Turns a polygon into a star.
Indent Sides By Specifies the depth of the star’s indentations.
Smooth Indents Renders a star-shaped polygon with smooth indents.

3 In the Sides box, specify the number of sides for the polygon.
4 Drag within your image to draw the polygon.

Draw a line or arrow
1 Select the Line tool
. If necessary, press and hold another shape tool in the toolbox, and then choose this tool
from the list that appears.
2 (Optional) In the options bar, select the Geometry options triangle to use the following options:
Arrowheads Start and End Renders a line with arrowheads. Select Start, End, or both to specify on which end of the

line arrows are rendered. The shape options appear in the pop-up dialog box.

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Choosing options for an arrowhead

Arrowheads Width and Length Specify the proportions of the arrowhead as a percentage of the line width (10% to
1000% for Width, and 10% to 5000% for Length). Enter a value for the concavity of the arrowhead (from -50% to
+50%).
Concavity Defines the amount of curvature on the widest part of the arrowhead, where the arrowhead meets the line.

3 In the Weight box, specify the width of the line in pixels.
4 Drag within your image to draw the line.

Draw a custom shape
The Custom Shape tool provides many different shape options for you to draw. When you select the custom shape
tool, you can access these shapes in the options bar.
1 Select the Custom Shape tool
. If necessary, press and hold another shape tool in the toolbox, and then choose
this tool from the list that appears.
2 In the options bar, select a shape from the Shape pop-up palette. Click the arrow at the top right of the palette to
list the shapes you can choose from and how to display them.
3 (Optional) In the options bar, select the Geometry options triangle to use the following options:
Unconstrained Lets you set the width and height of a rectangle, rounded rectangle, ellipse, or custom shape by

dragging.
Defined Proportions Draws a custom shape based on the proportions with which it was created.
Defined Size Draws a custom shape based on the size at which it was created.
Fixed Size Draws a custom shape as a fixed shape based on the values you enter in the Width and Height text boxes.
From Center Draws a custom shape from the center.

4 Drag within your image to draw the shape.

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The Custom Shape tool has ready-made frames that you can drag around a photo.

Create multiple shapes in the same layer
1 Select a shape layer in the Layers palette or create a new shape layer.
2 If you want to create a different type of shape, select a different shape tool.
3 Select a shape area option to determine how shapes should overlap, and then drag within the image to draw new
shapes:
Add
Adds an additional shape to the existing shape. The combined shape will cover the entire area of the shapes
you drew using the Add option.
Subtract

Removes the area where shapes overlap. The rest of the shapes’ areas are preserved.

Intersect

Shows only the area where shapes intersect. The other areas will be removed.

Exclude

Removes the overlapping areas in the new and existing shapes.

Editing shapes
Select or move a shape
Use the Shape Selection tool to select shapes with one click. If you convert a shape into a bitmap element by simplifying the shape layer, the Shape Selection tool will no longer select the shape (use the Move tool instead).
If a layer contains multiple shapes, you can reposition all the shapes together using the Move tool. However, if you
want to reposition a specific shape in a layer, you must use the Shape Selection tool.
1 Do one of the following:

• Select the Shape Selection tool

in the toolbox.

• If another shape tool is active, click the Shape Selection tool in the options bar.
2 To select the shape, click it.
3 To move the shape, drag it to a new location.

Transform a shape
1 Select the Shape Selection tool

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2 Do one of the following:

• Select the shape you want to transform, choose Image > Transform Shape, and then choose a transformation
command.

• Double-click the shape you want to transform, and then drag an anchor to transform the shape.

See also
“Transform an item into three dimensions” on page 156

Change the color of all shapes in a layer
1 Double-click the thumbnail of the shape layer in the Layers palette.
2 Use the Color Picker tool

to select a new color.

Note: If the color of a shape doesn’t change when you pick a new color, check to see if the layer has a layer style (represented by a starburst icon in the Layers palette). Some layer styles override the base color of a shape.

See also
“Use the Adobe Color Picker” on page 205
“Use the Paint Bucket tool” on page 217

Apply a layer style to a shape
You can apply effects—such as drop shadows and bevels—to shapes quickly and easily using layer styles. Keep in
mind that a layer style is applied to all shapes in a layer. For example, if you apply a drop shadow style to a layer that
contains multiple shapes, all of the shapes will display a drop shadow.

Before (left) and after (right) applying a layer style to a custom shape.

1 In the Layers palette, click the New Layer button.
2 In the Content palette, select a shape and insert it into the new layer.
3 In the Effects palette, click the Layer Styles button and double-click the thumbnail you want to apply to the shape.

241

Chapter 14: Making projects
Projects are albums of images that you create with Photoshop Elements. You can use and share projects in traditional
print formats, in digital format online, and with electronic media.

Projects overview
About projects
You can use your images in photo albums, scrapbooks, greeting cards, CD/DVD labels and jackets, and photo
collages. These print-oriented items are called photo projects and can be printed with your home printer, or professionally printed using online services. Some photo projects, like Photo Books, must be ordered through online
services. You can also use your images in digital projects as well, such as slide shows and Web Photo galleries.
(Services vary by geographic region.).
To make a photo project, click the Create tab and then click the type of project you want to start. First you specify
the size, layout, and theme of the photo project, which then opens so you can make subsequent modifications. You
can print these photo projects with your home printer or order them from an online service.
To make a Web Photo Gallery, click that option on the Create tab. Choose customizing options, such as layout, and
click OK to generate HTML pages for uploading to the web.
Photo and digital projects are stored as projects, meaning the project file and related subfolders that contain the
document for each project are created on your local hard drive. To maintain the link between these project files,
subfolders, and page files, use the Place command in Photoshop Elements.
The .pse format is composed of a small text document and embedded PSD files (one per page). To identify the
embedded PSD files, go to Finder, Control-click the PSE document, and select Show Package Contents. Open the
folder to display the individual pages. (Removing a page will damage the document. Use this method if you wish to
edit PSD files, preferably with Photoshop Elements.)
You can share projects in a variety of ways. For example, you can print or e-mail a scrapbook to a friend, or burn a
slide show onto a CD or DVD. You can also have your projects professionally printed through partner services
available through Adobe Photoshop Services.

Find saved projects
❖ Choose File > Open Recently Edited File. Or, in Adobe Bridge, choose Edit > Find.

Open saved projects
You can open saved projects at any time to make changes or republish them. Projects appear in the Project Bin.

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Making photo projects
About photo projects
Photo projects include Photo Books, photo collages, greeting cards, and jackets and labels for CDs and DVDs.
Note: Photo Books are photo projects. However, they have their own workspace mode, with a limited toolbox and limited
access to the Content palette. Photo Books are designed specifically for online printing. You can print them locally, but
each side of a spread is treated as a separate page.
If a project has a single page, it’s saved in Photoshop format (PSD) by default. If a project has multiple pages, however,
it’s saved in the more versatile Photo Projects Format (PSE). Unlike conventional image formats, which require you
to open and edit each image separately, PSE lets you create Photobooks of up to 80 pages and Photo Collages of up
to 30 pages.
Note: Because multipage files can be quite large, a computer with least 1 GB of RAM is required; 2 GB is recommended
for optimum performance.
When you start a photo project, a panel in the Palette Bin opens for that project type.
When you click the Create button to start a project, you can specify a size, layout, and theme that’s unique or
common to each project type. For example, the CD Jacket template has different size options than the Photo Collage
template, but both offer layout and theme options that are common to most projects. At this time, you also specify
whether to use the Auto-Fill With Project Bin Photos, Include Captions, and Number Of Pages options (when applicable).
After you specify these primary options, the photo project opens, and you can apply designs and styles to images
using the Effects palette. You also can add or modify frames, backgrounds, and layer styles. For example, you can
apply a unique background to every page of a photo album using the Content palette instead of having all pages with
the same background, which occurs by default.
After you finish a project, you can share it in a variety of ways. For example, you can print or e-mail greeting cards
or photo collages, or burn photo albums onto a CD or DVD. You can also have your projects professionally printed
using Adobe Photoshop Services.
Note: Multi-page files cannot be attached to e-mail messages.

See also
“Using the Effects palette” on page 167

Using the photo projects dialog box
The Projects panel in the Palette Bin is the starting point for making new photo projects. To add images to a photo
project, select Auto-Fill With Project Bin Photos, or manually add them later.

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Setting photo project options

The photo projects dialog box provides the following options:
Page Size Provides preset page sizes for each project. The size chosen becomes the default for all pages in the project,

but it can be later modified. Each project type offers different size options. For example, the greeting card template
sizes are smaller than the photo album template sizes.
Choose A Layout Provides preset single and multiple photo collages on a page. The layout chosen becomes the
default for all pages in the project, but it can be later modified. For example, if the original layout is structured for
landscape-oriented photos, you can rotate the image frame for portrait-oriented photos, or choose Fit Frame To
Photo from the context menu.
Choose A Theme Provides a variety of preset designs to complement your images with preset frames and
backgrounds. The theme and frame chosen becomes the default for all pages in the project, but they can be modified
later. For example, you may want to apply a different background to each page of a scrapbook.
Auto-Fill With Project Bin Photos Places selected images in the project automatically in the same order they are

arranged in the Project Bin. You can select open files, albums, or files selected in the Project Bin to auto-fill the
project. To arrange images in a particular order, rearrange them in the Project Bin before starting a project. You can
also rearrange the images later in the photo project.
Note: GIF files must be converted manually to RGB before they can be inserted.
Include Captions Adds a caption on or below the image (depending on layout) in a separate layer. If an image already

has a caption, it will be placed in the project with the image. Caption text can be modified in a variety of ways,
depending on how the text is selected. For example, highlighting the text with the Text tool lets you apply font types,

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styles, and color to the text. Selecting the text frame with the Move tool pointer lets you rotate, resize, and move the
text. Double-clicking the text allows you to edit it as well.
Number Of Pages Specifies the number of pages for the project. If you selected Auto-Fill With Project Bin Photos in
the Projects panel, the required number of pages are identified for a chosen layout. You can change this setting. For
example, if you know that a project will continue to grow, and the selected photos require only four pages, you can
specify 10 pages to accommodate images added later.

Note: Photoshop Elements supports Photo book projects of up to 80 pages and Photo collages of up to 30 pages. If your
project exceeds the maximum number, create a second file that can be appended to the original when you send them to
Adobe Photoshop Services.

About photo collages
Photo collages let you create large picture projects, such as scrapbooks, photo collages, or unique photo prints. Photo
collages can be printed with your home printer, ordered online, saved to your hard drive, and sent by e-mail.

Sample photo collages

See also
“Make a Photo Book, photo collage, greeting card, or other project” on page 246

About Photo Books
Photo Books let you add a variety of layouts and designs to your images. Photo Books can be printed on your home
printer, ordered online from Adobe® Photoshop® Services, saved to your hard drive, and sent by e-mail. Photo Books
are designed to be ordered online using Adobe Photoshop Services.

Sample Photo Book

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See also
“Make a Photo Book, photo collage, greeting card, or other project” on page 246

About greeting cards
Greeting cards let you add a variety of layouts and designs to your images, and allow adding up to 22 photos on a
page. Greeting cards can be printed with your home printer, saved to your hard drive, and sent by e-mail. Greetings
cards can be ordered online from Adobe Photoshop Services from some locales.

Sample photo greeting cards

See also
“Make a Photo Book, photo collage, greeting card, or other project” on page 246

About CD and DVD jackets
Photoshop Elements lets you create disc jackets (covers) for a CD and DVD case. They can be printed with your
home printer, saved to your hard drive, and sent by e-mail in .jpg format.

Sample CD and DVD jackets

See also
“Make a Photo Book, photo collage, greeting card, or other project” on page 246

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About CD and DVD labels
Photoshop Elements lets you create adhesive disc labels for CDs and DVDs, or labels for printable CDs and DVDs,
using an inkjet printer. Labels can be printed with your home printer, or saved to your hard drive and sent by e-mail
in PDF format.

Sample CD and DVD labels

See also
“Make a Photo Book, photo collage, greeting card, or other project” on page 246

Make a Photo Book, photo collage, greeting card, or
other project
1 Select the Create tab
and then the Projects button. Choose one of the project types: Photo Book or Photo
Collage, or click More Options and choose Greeting Cards, CD or DVD Jackets, or CD or DVD Labels.
2 Select a size, a theme, and a layout, or, in the case of CD and DVD disc jackets and labels, a theme and a layout. If
you plan to print your project, choose a standard size that your printer supports. If you plan to order prints from
Adobe Photoshop Services, you can choose a standard size or a nonstandard size.

3 Select any additional options, such as Auto-Fill With Project Bin Photos, Include Captions, and Number Of Pages.
4 Click Done.When the project opens, you can modify the design using the Content, Effects, or Favorites palette.
5 Add photos (if you have not already) or new pages to the photo collage.
6 View and customize your photos by doing any of the following:

• To see each page, click the forward arrow

or backward arrow

in the lower-left corner of the image window,

or select a page in the Project Bin.

• Reposition or resize a photo.
• Rotate a photo.
• Add or edit text.
• Replace or remove a photo.
7 Choose File > Save. By default, projects are saved in your Pictures folder, although you can save projects to another
location.

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8 Type a filename, and click Save.

See also
“Using the photo projects dialog box” on page 242
“Using the Effects palette” on page 167
“Editing photo projects” on page 247

Editing photo projects
About photo projects edits
You can modify photo collages, greeting cards, and CD/DVD disc jackets and labels. The Content palette lets you
add a variety of frames, textures, backgrounds, and graphics to your projects, as well as apply text effects. You can
also resize, rotate, and move images and captions.

See also
“Using the Effects palette” on page 167

Add images to a photo project
You can add images to a photo project, and then can rearrange, modify, or replace them.
1 Open the photo project and do one of the following:

• Click a thumbnail in the Project Bin to activate the photo project.
2 Select a photo from the Project Bin, and drag it into a frame, which is the gray area inside a layout. To replace an
existing photo in a photo project, select another photo from the Project Bin, and drag it into a frame.

See also
“Using the Effects palette” on page 167

Add new pages to a photo project
1 In the Project Bin, select the page that will precede the new page.

Moving pages in a photo project

2 Do any of the following:

• To add a blank page, choose Edit > Add Blank Page, or right-click a page in the Project Bin, and then select this
option from the context menu. You can also drag a blank page to a different location in the photo project. For
example, you might drag it to the beginning of your photo project if you want to use it as your title page.

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Note: Depending on the design of your mouse, either right-click or Control-click it.

• To add a new page that uses the current layout, click Edit > Add Page Using Current Layout, or right-click a page
in the Project Bin, and then select this option from the context menu. You can also drag a new page to a different
location in the project. For example, you might want to move the new page somewhere else in the project.

• To remove a page, click Edit > Delete Current Page, or right-click the page, and then select this option from the
context menu.

See also
“Using the Effects palette” on page 167

Reposition or resize photos in a photo project
1 To adjust a photo and frame together, click the photo once. To adjust a photo within a frame, double-click the
photo.

A bounding box appears showing the edges of the photo, even if the edges are masked by the frame.
2 Do any of the following:

• To reposition the photo, click anywhere within the bounding box and drag the photo.
• To resize the photo, drag the slider. Or, position the Move tool over a corner, top, bottom, or side; when the
diagonal double-headed arrow

appears, drag it.

3 After repositioning or resizing the photo within the frame, click the Commit button
when you’re finished.
A

or the Cancel button

Resizing a photo
A. Drag a corner of the photo to resize it B. Move the resize slider C. Areas outside the photo frame are hidden

Replace or remove photos in a photo project
❖ Do any of the following:

• Double-click the photo, then click Get New Photo
• Drag a new photo from the Project Bin onto a photo. If the photo doesn’t appear in the Project Bin, open it in
Adobe Bridge.

• To replace a photo on a page, right-click and select Replace Photo.
• To remove (clear) a photo from a page, right-click and select Clear Photo.

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Rotate photos in a photo project
1 To rotate a photo and frame together, click the photo once. To rotate a photo within a frame, double-click the
photo.
2 Do any of the following:

• Click anywhere within the bounding box and a circle appears below the selection. Position the cursor over the
circle. When the curved four-headed arrow

appears, drag the track ball handle to rotate the image.

Rotating an image in a photo project

• Position the Move tool over a corner. When the curved double-headed arrow

appears, drag it to rotate the
photo. The further away the cursor is from the corner, the more control you have to make more accurate changes.

• Double-click the photo, and then click the rotate button next to the slider (only rotates in 90˚ increments).
3 When you are finished, click the Commit button

or the Cancel button

Edit photo project pages in Photoshop CS3
If you have Adobe® Photoshop® CS3 and Photoshop Elements installed on the same computer, you can send JPEG,
GIF, and other single-page photo files to Photoshop. (Set file-opening preferences in Adobe Bridge.) Photoshop does
not support the multipage PSE file format, so it cannot edit entire photo projects. However, Photoshop can edit
individual pages of a photo project, which are in the single-page PSD format. Use Show Package Contents to identify
individual PSE and PSD files.
Photoshop offers direct control over many aspects of photo project pages, including direct editing of photo layers
(called Smart Objects in Photoshop) and frames. These features are limited in Photoshop Elements to preserve its
easy, automatic image-editing workflow.
1 Select the Photo Projects document.
2 In the Finder, right-click on the file and select Show Package Contents.
3 Open the folder with the same name as the PSE document.
4 Right-click the PSD file for the page you want to edit, and choose Open With > Photoshop CS.
5 In Photoshop, make your changes, and then choose File > Save. When Photoshop asks if you want to replace the
existing file, click Yes.

Important: Do not reorder or rename layers in the PSD file. Doing so could prevent the automatic editing features in
Photoshop Elements from working as expected.

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Making digital projects
About digital projects
You don’t have to know anything about HTML programming to create a Web Photo Gallery; the Web Photo Gallery
dialog box provides styles that you can easily select, customize, and save. It creates a folder containing all the
necessary web page and linked image files. You send this folder by FTP to your web server (or online service).

Create a Photo Book

Photo Book window

1 Open the files you want to use in your photo book.
2 Select the Projects category in the Create tab.
3 Click Photo Book.
4 Choose a title page photo. The title page photo is automatically the first photo open in the Project Bin; if you want
to change the title page photo, rearrange the photos in the Project Bin. Click Next.
5 Choose layout and theme. Layouts are how photos are arranged on the page.
6 Set additional options:
Auto-Fill with Project Bin Photos Add all the photos already open in the Project Bin.

Note: GIF files must be converted manually to RGB before they can be inserted.
Include Captions Inserts a caption under the photo, if the photo has a caption.
Number Of Pages Sets the number of pages in the Photo Book.

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Note: Minimum and maximum number of pages allowed may vary based on locale.
7 Use the Content palette to add creative designs to your Photo Book.
8 Use the Photo Book Editing Toolbar to fine-tune your Photo Book.

Be sure to click the Commit button after adding photos or editing.

Photo Book toolbar

Create a Web Photo Gallery
Web Photo galleries come in a variety of traditional layouts and designs, and are optimized for viewing images on a
web page. The Web Photo Gallery dialog box guides you through the process of adding and arranging photos,
applying web page layouts and background styles, adding transitions, and sharing the files. The Web Photo Gallery
dialog box only lets you arrange photos, not edit them.
1 Open the photos you want to use.
2 Select the Create tab,

and choose Web Photo Gallery to open the Web Photo Gallery dialog box.

3 Choose a page layout template or select a background design from the Style area.
4 A preview of the web page appears in the dialog box.
5 Specify the Customize options for your web page, such as Gallery Title, Thumbnail Size, and Background Color.
6 Type a name for the gallery folder in the Save Gallery As box. This folder contains the web page and image files
you can share later. If you want to change the default storage location, click Browse, and select the location where you
want to save the Web Photo Gallery files.

Creating slide shows
About slide shows
Slide shows are a fun way to share photos. And because Photoshop Elements, saves your slides as PDFs, you can be
sure that anyone with the free Adobe® Reader will be able to see and enjoy your photos.

Adjust the display time of a slide
❖ In the Presentation Options section of the PDF Slide Show box, click the Presentation button in the Output

settings of the PDF Slide Show dialog box. Then, set the number of seconds in the Advance Every option. You can
open the PDF Slide Show dialog box when you first create a slide show (using the Create tab), or when you share it
(using the Share tab).

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Stitching together panoramas
Creating Photomerge panoramas
The Photomerge Panorama command combines several photographs into one continuous image. For example, you
can take five overlapping photographs of a city skyline, and assemble them into a panorama. The Photomerge
Panorama command can tile photos horizontally as well as vertically.
When you set up a Photomerge panorama composition, you identify the files you want to merge (called your source
files), and then Photoshop Elements automatically assembles them into a single panorama. After the panorama is
complete, you can still make changes to the placement of the individual photos, if necessary.

Creating a Photomerge panorama

Your source photographs play a large role in panoramic compositions. To avoid problems, follow these guidelines
when taking pictures for use with Photomerge Panorama:
Overlap images sufficiently Images should overlap approximately 15% to 40%. If the overlap is less, Photomerge
Panorama may not be able to automatically assemble the panorama. If images overlap by 50% or more, it can be
difficult to work with them, and blending may not be as effective.
Use a consistent focal length Avoid using the zoom feature of your camera while taking your pictures.
Keep the camera level Although Photomerge Panorama can process slight rotations between pictures, a tilt of more
than a few degrees can result in errors when automatically assembling the panorama. Using a tripod with a rotating
head helps maintain camera alignment and viewpoint.

When photographing a panoramic scene from a high place, the natural inclination is to keep the horizon level in the
viewfinder. However, this actually produces a noticeable rotation between images. Try using a tripod to keep the
camera level when taking photographs in this situation.
Stay in the same position Try not to change your location as you take a series of photographs, so that the pictures

are from the same viewpoint. Using the optical viewfinder with the camera held close to the eye helps keep the
viewpoint consistent. Or try using a tripod to keep the camera in the same place.
Avoid using distortion lenses Lenses, such as fish-eye lenses, that noticeably distort the image can interfere with

Photomerge Panorama.
Maintain the same exposure Avoid using the flash in some pictures and not in others. The advanced blending

feature in Photomerge Panorama helps smooth out different exposures, but extreme differences make alignment
difficult. Some digital cameras change exposure settings automatically as you take pictures, so you may need to check
your camera settings to be sure that all the images have the same exposure.

Create a Photomerge panorama composition
1 Choose File > New > Photomerge Panorama.

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2 Open the files you want to stitch together by doing one of the following:

• Click Add Open Files to add files that are open in the Project bin.
• Choose Files from the drop-down menu and browse to a file on your hard disk.
• Choose Use > Folder to add an entire directory.
3 Select a calculation method.
4 Click OK to create the panorama composition. The source files open automatically and are processed

If you chose Interactive Layout calculation method or if the composition can’t be automatically assembled, you can
assemble the composition manually.
5 After the new panorama image appears in the Panorama dialog box, you can work with individual source files and
change your view of the work area. If you need to rearrange the order of the images, drag an image in the work area
to reposition it.
6 If necessary, adjust the composition by changing the vanishing point, changing the calculation method, or using
the Snap To Image option.
7 Click OK to generate the panorama as a new file.

Use the Photomerge dialog box
The Photomerge dialog box contains tools for manipulating the composition, a lightbox for storing source images
that are not in use, a work area for assembling the composition, and options for viewing and editing the composition.
You can also zoom in and out to better see the alignment of each file.
A

Photomerge dialog box.
A. Lightbox B. Tools C. Work area D. Selected image E. Status bar

• To navigate, select the Hand tool

and drag within the work area. Or, drag the view area (the red box) or the

scroll bar of the navigator.

• To zoom, click the Zoom In icon
zoom out with the Zoom tool.

and Zoom Out icon

, or use the Zoom tool

. Hold down Option to

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• To rotate images, select the Select Image tool

, click the image you want to rotate, select the Rotate tool
then drag in a circular motion around the image.

and

• To reorder images in the lightbox, select the Select Image tool and drag an image in the lightbox.
• To add an image to the composition, select the Select Image tool, and then drag the image from the lightbox to the
work area.

• To remove an image from the composition, select the Select Image tool, and then drag the image from the work
area to the lightbox.
Make sure Snap To Image is selected to automatically snap overlapping images into place when a commonality is
detected.

Change the vanishing point
The Vanishing Point tool selects the vanishing point image, which changes the perspective of the Photomerge
panorama composition.
1 Select Perspective in the Settings area of the Photomerge dialog box. The middle image is the default vanishing
point image (it has a blue border around it when selected).
2 Select the Vanishing Point tool , and click on an image in the work area to make it the vanishing point image.
There can only be one vanishing point image in a composition.

Note: Hold down the Option key when you move the pointer over an image to show the selection border of the photo.
3 If necessary, use the Select Image tool to adjust the position of the non-vanishing point images. A nonvanishing point image has a red border around it when selected.

When you apply perspective correction to a composition, the non-vanishing point images are linked to the vanishing
point image. You can break this link by clicking the Reposition Only button, by separating the images in the work
area, or by dragging the vanishing point image back to the lightbox. After the link is broken, images return to their
original shapes.
The perspective correction only works up to an approximately 120˚ angle of view. If your composition has a wider
angle of view, deselect the Perspective option.

Reduce distortion and inconsistent color
Use composition options to reduce distortion in a Photomerge panorama composition.
1 Select composition options:
Cylindrical Mapping Reduces the bow tie distortion that can occur when you apply perspective correction. You must
select the Perspective option in order to apply cylindrical mapping.

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Adding cylindrical mapping
A. Original B. Cylindrical mapping applied

2 Click Preview.

The results of applying these options are visible only in preview mode and in the final, generated image.
3 To return to edit mode, click Exit Preview.

256

Chapter 15: Optimizing for the web
Optimization for the web is the process of compressing images and setting display options for optimal use on the
Internet. When you put images on the Internet, file size becomes important; you want to achieve a file size that is
small enough to allow a reasonable download time, but large enough to preserve colors and details to your satisfaction. There are three major graphic file formats that are used on the web: GIF, JPEG, and PNG.

Optimizing images
About optimizing
When you put images on the web, you need to think about file size. The goal is a file size that is small enough to allow
reasonable download times but that preserves colors and details to your satisfaction.
Three major graphic file formats are used on the web: GIF, JPEG, and PNG. You can optimize images in these formats
using one of the following methods:

• To precisely optimize an image for use in web authoring applications, such as Adobe® GoLive®, you can use the
Save For Web command. The Save For Web dialog box lets you preview your image in different file formats and
with different optimization settings. You can also set transparency and animation settings.

• For basic optimization, you can use the Save As command. Depending on the file format, you can specify image
quality, background transparency or matting, color display, and downloading method.

Using the Save For Web dialog box
Use the Save For Web dialog box to preview the effects of different optimization options on a photo you want to share
on the web. The process is simple. Open a photo and choose File > Save For Web. Then choose a format from the file
format menu (GIF, JPEG, PNG-8, or PNG-24) and set options as desired. (The file format menu is directly beneath
the Preset menu.) This saves a copy of your file, without overwriting the original image.

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A
B

Save For Web dialog box
A. Toolbox B. Eyedropper color C. Optimization settings D. Image Size E. Animation options F. Zoom level menu G. Original image
H. Optimized image I. Browser preview menu

Optimization options appear on the right side of the Save For Web dialog box. In addition to selecting a web file
format, you can choose compression and color options, preserve background transparency or set background
matting, and change the size of the image. You can use predefined settings (by choosing a format from the Preset
menu), or select format-specific options to fine-tune the optimization.
The image windows show your original image (on the left) and a preview of the optimized image (on the right).
Under each window is optimization information—the current settings, the size of the optimized file, and the
estimated download time. As you make adjustments, the information under the optimized image changes to reflect
your new settings.
A small toolbox is located in the upper-left corner of the dialog box. To view different areas of an image, select the
Hand tool
and drag to bring those areas into view. To zoom in on an image, select the Zoom tool
and click
in a view; then hold down Option, and click again to zoom out. (Alternatively, you can use the Zoom box at the
bottom of the dialog box.) To create matte colors, use the Eyedropper Color tool.

See also
“Preview an optimized image in a web browser” on page 268
“Preview variations in color display” on page 269
“View estimated download time” on page 268

Optimized file formats for the web
You can choose between four formats for the web. Use the following guidelines when choosing the format for your
web image:
JPEG In most cases, this is the best format in which to save photographs.

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PNG-24 Like JPEG, this is a good format for photographs. Choose PNG-24 rather than JPEG only when your image
contains transparency. (JPEG does not support transparency; you must fill it with a matte color.) PNG-24 files are
often much larger than JPEG files of the same image.
GIF GIF is the format to use for line art, illustrations with large areas of solid color and crisp detail, and text. Also, if

you want to export an animated image, you must use GIF.
PNG-8 PNG-8 is a lesser-known alternative to GIF. Use it for the same purposes (except animation).

Images in GIF and PNG-8 formats, sometimes called indexed-color images, can display up to 256 colors. To convert
an image to indexed-color format, Photoshop Elements builds a color lookup table. If a color in the original image
does not appear in the color lookup table, the application either chooses the closest color in the table or simulates the
color using a combination of available colors.
JPEG and PNG-24 files support 24-bit color, so they can display up to 16 million colors. Depending on the format,
you can specify image quality, background transparency or matting, color display, and the method a browser should
use to display the image while downloading.
The appearance of an image on the web also depends on the colors displayed by the computer platform, operating
system, monitor, and browser. You may want to preview images in different browsers and on different platforms to
see how they will appear on the web.
About the JPEG format

The JPEG format supports 24-bit color, so it preserves the subtle variations in brightness and hue found in photographs. A progressive JPEG file displays a low-resolution version of the image in the web browser while the full image
is downloading.
JPEG image compression is called lossy because it selectively discards image data. A higher quality setting results in
less data being discarded, but the JPEG compression method may still degrade sharp detail in an image, particularly
in images containing type or vector art.
Note: Artifacts, such as wavelike patterns or blocky areas of banding, are created each time you save an image in JPEG
format. Therefore, you should always save JPEG files from the original image, not from a previously saved JPEG.

Original image (left), and optimized JPEG with Low quality setting (right)

The JPEG format does not support transparency. When you save an image as a JPEG file, transparent pixels are filled
with the matte color specified in the Save For Web dialog box. To simulate the effect of background transparency,
you can match the matte color to the web page background color. If your image contains transparency and you do
not know the web page background color, or if the background is a pattern, you should use a format that supports
transparency (GIF, PNG-8, or PNG-24).

See also
“Create a matted GIF or PNG image” on page 265

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About the GIF format

The GIF format uses 8-bit color and efficiently compresses solid areas of color while preserving sharp details like
those in line art, logos, or type. You also use the GIF format to create an animated image and preserve transparency
in an image. GIF is supported by most browsers.
The GIF format uses LZW compression, which is a lossless compression method. However, because GIF files are
limited to 256 colors, optimizing an original 24-bit image as an 8-bit GIF can subtract colors from an image.

GIF image with selective color (left), and GIF image with web color (right)

You can choose the number of colors in a GIF image and control how colors dither in a browser. GIF supports
background transparency or background matting, by which you blend the edges of the image with a web page
background color.

See also
“Preserve background transparency in a GIF or PNG image” on page 265
About the PNG-8 format

The PNG-8 format uses 8-bit color. Like the GIF format, PNG-8 efficiently compresses areas of solid color while
preserving sharp detail like those in line art, logos, or type.
Because PNG-8 is not supported by all browsers, you may want to avoid this format when you are distributing the
image to a wide audience.
The PNG-8 format uses more advanced compression schemes than GIF does, and a PNG-8 file can be 10% to 30%
smaller than a GIF file of the same image, depending on the image’s color patterns. Although PNG-8 compression is
lossless, optimizing an original 24-bit image as an 8-bit PNG file can subtract colors from the image.
Note: With certain images, especially those with simple patterns and few colors, GIF compression can create a smaller
file than PNG-8 compression. View optimized images in GIF and PNG-8 format to compare file size.
As with the GIF format, you can choose the number of colors in an image and control how colors dither in a browser.
The PNG-8 format supports background transparency and background matting, by which you blend the edges of
the image with a web page background color.

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PNG-8 with 256 colors and no dither (left), and PNG-8 with 16 colors and dithering (right)

See also
“Preserve background transparency in a GIF or PNG image” on page 265
About the PNG-24 format

The PNG-24 format supports 24-bit color. Like the JPEG format, PNG-24 preserves the subtle variations in
brightness and hue found in photographs. Like the GIF and PNG-8 formats, PNG-24 preserves sharp details like
those in line art, logos, or type.
The PNG-24 format uses the same lossless compression method as the PNG-8 format. For that reason, PNG-24 files
are usually larger than JPEG files of the same image. You may want to avoid PNG-24 format when you are distributing your image to a wide audience.
In addition to supporting background transparency and background matting, the PNG-24 format supports multilevel transparency. You can have up to 256 degrees of transparency from opaque to completely transparent, so you
can blend the edges of an image smoothly with any background color. However, not all browsers support multilevel
transparency.

See also
“Preserve background transparency in a GIF or PNG image” on page 265
About animated GIFs

Animated GIFs create the illusion of movement by displaying a sequence of images, or frames, over time. Photoshop
Elements provides a powerful, easy way to create animated GIFs from a multiple-layer image.
To create an animated GIF file, you work with layers. Each layer becomes a frame when Photoshop Elements
generates an optimized animation. The animated GIFs are compiled into an RGB color document.
You can open an existing animated GIF file using the Open command. For each frame in the file, Photoshop
Elements creates a layer. To view a specific frame in the document window, make the layer for that frame visible in
the Layers palette, and hide other layers.

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Images in separate layers can be sequenced together to create an animation.

See also
“Understanding layers” on page 49
“Preview an animation” on page 269

Apply a preset optimization setting
You can quickly and easily optimize an image for the web by choosing a predefined optimization setting, called a
preset, from the Preset menu near the upper-right corner of the Save For Web dialog box. Presets are tailored to meet
the optimization needs of different types of images.
The name of each preset reflects its file format and quality level. For example, choose JPEG High to optimize an
image in JPEG format with high image quality and low compression. Choose GIF 32 Dithered to optimize an image
in GIF format, reduce the number of colors to 32, and apply dithering.
1 In the Save For Web dialog box, choose a setting name from the Preset menu, and then click OK.
2 In the Save Optimized As dialog box, type a filename and click Save.

Note: If you change the options in a preset, the Preset menu displays the word “Custom.” You cannot save a custom
setting; however, the current settings appear in the Save For Web dialog box the next time you display it.

Optimize as JPEG
JPEG is the standard format for compressing photographs.
1 Open an image and choose File > Save For Web.
2 Choose JPEG from the optimization format menu.
3 (Optional) To optimize to a specific file size, click the arrow

to the right of the Preset menu, and then click
Optimize To File Size. Enter a number in the Desired File Size text box, and select either Current Settings, which
optimizes for the current settings, or Auto Select GIF/JPEG, which automatically determines whether JPEG or GIF
is the better format.
4 Do one of the following to specify the compression level:

• Choose a quality option (Low, Medium, High, and so on) from the pop-up menu under the optimization format menu.
• Click the arrow in the Quality menu and drag the Quality pop-up slider.
• Enter a value between 0 and 100 in the Quality box.

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The higher the Quality setting, the more detail is preserved in the optimized image, but the larger the file size. View
the optimized image at several quality settings to determine the best balance between quality and file size.
5 Select Progressive to display the image progressively in a web browser; that is, to display it first at a low resolution,
and then at progressively higher resolutions as downloading proceeds.

Note: Some browsers do not support progressive JPEGs.
6 To preserve the ICC profile of the original image in the optimized file, select ICC Profile.

Some browsers use ICC profiles for color correction. The ICC profile of the image depends on your current color
setting.
7 If the original image contains transparency, select a Matte color that matches the background of your web page.
Transparent areas in your original image are filled with the Matte color.
8 To save your optimized image, click OK. In the Save Optimized As dialog box, type a filename, and click Save.

See also
“About the JPEG format” on page 258
“About color management” on page 165

Optimize as GIF or PNG-8 format
GIF is the standard format for compressing images with large areas of solid colors and crisp details like those in line
art, logos, or type. Like the GIF format, PNG-8 supports transparency and efficiently compresses areas of solid color
while preserving sharp detail; however, not all web browsers can display PNG-8 files.
1 Open an image and choose File > Save For Web.
2 Choose GIF or PNG-8 from the optimization format menu.
3 To display an image at low resolution while the full-resolution image is downloading, select Interlaced. Interlacing
can make downloading time seem shorter and gives viewers feedback that downloading is in progress.
4 Under the optimization format menu, choose a color-reduction algorithm for generating the color lookup table:
Perceptual Creates a custom color table by giving priority to colors for which the human eye has greater sensitivity.
Selective Creates a color table similar to the Perceptual color table, but favoring broad areas of color and the preservation of web colors. This color table usually produces images with the greatest color integrity.
Adaptive Creates a custom color table by sampling colors from the spectrum appearing most commonly in the
image. For example, an image with only shades of green and blue produces a color table made primarily of greens
and blues. Most images concentrate colors in particular areas of the spectrum.
Restrictive (Web) Uses the standard, 216-color, web-safe color table common to the 8-bit (256-color) palettes of
Windows and Mac OS. This option ensures that no browser dither is applied to colors when the image is displayed
using 8-bit color. If your image has fewer than 216 colors, unused colors are removed from the table.

5 To specify the maximum number of colors in the color palette, select a number from the Colors menu, enter a
value in the text box, or click the arrows to change the number of colors. If the image contains fewer colors than the
palette, the color table reflects the smaller number of colors in the image.
6 If you chose Restrictive (Web) for the color-reduction algorithm, you can choose Auto from the Colors menu.
Choose Auto if you want Photoshop Elements to determine the optimal number of colors in the color table based on
the frequency of colors in the image.

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7 Choose a dithering percentage, either by entering a percentage in the Dither text box or by clicking the Dither
menu arrow and dragging the slider that appears.
8 If the image contains transparency, select Transparency to preserve transparent pixels; deselect Transparency to

fill fully and partially transparent pixels with the matte color.
9 To create an animated GIF, select Animation.
10 To save your optimized image, click OK. In the Save Optimized As dialog box, type a filename, and click Save.

See also
“About dithering” on page 266
“About transparent and matted web images” on page 264

Optimize as PNG-24
PNG-24 format is suitable for compressing photographs. However, PNG-24 files are often much larger than JPEG
files of the same image. PNG-24 format is recommended only when you work with an image that includes multiple
levels of partial transparency.
1 Open an image and choose File > Save For Web.
2 Choose PNG-24 for the optimization format.
3 Select Interlaced to create an image that is displayed at low-resolution in a browser while the full-resolution image
is downloading. Interlacing can make downloading time seem shorter and gives viewers feedback that downloading
is in progress.
4 If the image contains transparency, select Transparency to preserve transparent pixels; deselect Transparency to
fill fully and partially transparent pixels with the Matte color.
5 To save your optimized image, click OK. In the Save Optimized As dialog box, type a filename, and click Save.

See also
“Preserve background transparency in a GIF or PNG image” on page 265

Create an animated GIF
1 Place the images you want to appear in each frame of the animation on separate layers of the Layers palette. For
example, to create an animation of an eye blinking, you would place an image of the open eye on one layer, and an
image of the closed eye on another layer.
2 Choose File > Save for Web.

Note: If your image has multiple layers, you can also open the Save For Web dialog box from the Save As dialog box by
choosing CompuServe GIF Format and selecting Layers As Frames.
3 Optimize the image in GIF format.
4 Select Animation.
5 Set additional options in the Animation section of the dialog box:
Loop Continuously repeats the animation in a web browser.
Frame Delay Specifies the number of seconds that each frame is displayed in a web browser. Use a decimal value to

specify fractions of a second. For example, use .5 to specify half a second.

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See also
“Preview an animation” on page 269
“Understanding layers” on page 49

Using transparency and mattes
About transparent and matted web images
Transparency makes it possible to create nonrectangular images for the web. Background transparency, supported
by the GIF and PNG formats, preserves transparent pixels in the image and allows the background of the web page
to show through the transparent areas of your image. (Although the JPEG format does not support transparency, you
can specify a matte color to simulate the appearance of transparency in the original image.)

Web button without transparency (left), and with transparency (right)

Background matting, supported by the GIF, PNG, and JPEG formats, simulates transparency by filling or blending
transparent pixels with a matte color that matches the web page background. Background matting works best if the
web page background is a solid color and if you know what that color is.
To create background transparency or background matting in the optimized image, you must start with an image
that contains transparency. You can create transparency when you create a new layer or use the Background Eraser,
Magic Eraser, or Magic Extractor tools.
When working with GIF or PNG-8 files, you can use a matte setting of None to create hard-edged transparency: all
pixels that are more than 50% transparent in the original image are fully transparent in the optimized image, and all
pixels that are more than 50% opaque in the original image are fully opaque in the optimized image. Use hard-edged
transparency when you don’t know the background color of a web page, or when the web page background contains
a texture or pattern. However, keep in mind that hard-edged transparency can cause jagged edges in the image.

GIF without hard-edges transparency (left), and with hard-edged transparency (right)

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See also
“Adding layers” on page 51
“Optimized file formats for the web” on page 257

Preserve background transparency in a GIF or PNG image
GIF and PNG-8 formats support one level of transparency—pixels can be fully transparent or fully opaque, but not
partially transparent. (By contrast, PNG-24 format supports multilevel transparency; that is, you can have up to 256
degrees of transparency in an image, ranging from opaque to completely transparent.)
1 Open or create an image that contains transparency, and choose File > Save For Web.
2 In the Save For Web dialog box, select GIF, PNG-8, or PNG-24 as the optimization format.
3 Select Transparency.
4 For the GIF and PNG-8 formats, specify how to treat partially transparent pixels in the original image. You can
blend these pixels with a matte color, or you can create hard-edged transparency by applying a matte setting of None.

See also
“About the GIF format” on page 259
“About the PNG-8 format” on page 259
“About the PNG-24 format” on page 260

Create a matted GIF or PNG image
When you know the background color of the web page on which an image will be displayed, you can use the matting
feature to fill or blend transparent pixels with a matte color that matches the web page background.
1 Open or create an image that contains transparency, and choose File > Save For Web.
2 In the Save For Web dialog box, select GIF, PNG-8, or PNG-24 as the optimization format.
3 For GIF and PNG-8 format, do one of the following:

• To keep fully transparent pixels transparent, and blend partially transparent pixels with the matte color, select
Transparency. This option prevents the halo effect you see when you place an anti-aliased image on a web page
background that differs from the image background. This option also prevents the jagged edges of hard-edged
transparency.

• To fill transparent pixels with the matte color and blend partially transparent pixels with the matte color, deselect
Transparency.
4 For GIF and PNG-8 format, select a color from the Matte menu:

• Eyedropper Color (to use the color in the eyedropper sample box)
• White, Black, or Other (to select a color using the Color Picker)

See also
“About the GIF format” on page 259
“About the PNG-8 format” on page 259
“About the PNG-24 format” on page 260

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Create hard-edged transparency in a GIF or PNG-8 file
Use hard-edged transparency when you don’t know the background color of a web page, or when the web page
background contains a texture or pattern. However, keep in mind that hard-edged transparency can cause jagged
edges in the image.
1 Open or create an image that contains transparency, and choose File > Save For Web.
2 In the Save For Web dialog box, select GIF or PNG-8 as the optimization format.
3 Select Transparency.
4 Select None from the Matte menu.

See also
“About the GIF format” on page 259
“About the PNG-8 format” on page 259

Create a matted JPEG image
Although the JPEG format does not support transparency, you can specify a matte color to simulate the appearance
of transparency in the original image. The matte color fills fully transparent pixels and blends with partially transparent pixels. When you place the JPEG on a web page with a background that matches the matte color, the image
appears to blend with the background.
1 Open or create an image that contains transparency, and choose File > Save For Web.
2 In the Save For Web dialog box, select JPEG as the optimization format.
3 Select a color from the Matte menu: None, Eyedropper Color (to use the color in the eyedropper sample box),
White, Black, or Other (to select a color using the Color Picker).

When you select None, white is used as the matte color.

See also
“About the JPEG format” on page 258

Dithering in web images
About dithering
Most web images are created by designers using 24-bit color displays (which display over 16 million colors), although
some users view web pages on computers with 8-bit color displays (which display only 256 colors). As a result, web
images often contain colors not available on some computers. Computers use a technique called dithering to
simulate colors they can’t display. Dithering uses adjacent pixels of different colors to give the appearance of a third
color. For example, a red color and a yellow color may dither in a mosaic pattern to produce the illusion of an orange
color that the 8-bit color palette doesn’t contain.

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Dithering simulates continuous tones

Use colors in the Web palette to ensure that colors won’t dither when displayed in Windows or Mac OS systems
capable of displaying 256 colors. When creating an original image, you can use the Color Picker to choose web-safe
colors.
When optimizing images, keep in mind that two kinds of dithering can occur:
Application dither Occurs in GIF and PNG-8 images when Photoshop Elements attempts to simulate colors that

aren’t in the current color table. You can control application dither by choosing a dithering pattern, or you can try to
avoid application dither by adding more colors to the table.
Browser dither Occurs when a web browser using an 8-bit color display (256-color mode) attempts to simulate
colors that aren’t in the 8-bit color palette. Browser dither can occur with GIF, PNG, or JPEG images. In Photoshop
Elements, you can control the amount of browser dither by shifting selected colors in the image to web-safe colors.
You can also specify web-safe colors when choosing a color in the Color Picker.

You can preview application dither in GIF and PNG-8 images. Images with primarily solid colors may work well
without dithering. Conversely, images with continuous-tone color (especially color gradients) may require dithering
to prevent color banding.

See also
“Optimized file formats for the web” on page 257
“Use the Adobe Color Picker” on page 205
“Optimize as GIF or PNG-8 format” on page 262

Control dither in web images
1 Open an image and choose File > Save For Web.
2 Choose your optimization settings.
3 Enter a value in the Dither text box, or click the Dither menu arrow and drag the slider that appears.
4 The Dither percentage controls the amount of dithering that is applied to the image. A higher dithering
percentage creates the appearance of more colors and more detail in an image but can also increase the file size. For
optimal compression and display quality, use the lowest percentage of application dither that provides the color detail
you require.

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Preview dither
You can preview browser dither directly in Photoshop Elements or in a browser that uses an 8-bit color display
(256-color mode).
1 Open an image and choose File > Save For Web.
2 Choose your optimization settings.
3 To preview dither in Photoshop Elements, choose Browser Dither from the document panel menu in the Save For
Web dialog box. (To view the menu, click the triangle
in the upper-right corner of the optimized image.)
4 To preview dither in a browser, follow these steps:

• Set your computer’s color display to 8-bit color (256 colors). See your operating system’s documentation for information on changing the color display.

• Select a browser from the Preview In menu in the Save For Web dialog box.

See also
“Add a browser to the Preview In menu” on page 268

Previewing web images
Preview an optimized image in a web browser
You can preview an optimized image in any web browser installed on your system. The browser preview displays the
image with a caption listing the image’s file type, pixel dimensions, file size, compression specifications, and other
HTML information.
1 Open the image you want to preview.
2 Select File > Save For Web, and apply your optimization settings.
3 Choose a browser from the Preview In menu in the lower-right corner of the optimized image, or click the browser
icon
to launch your default web browser.

See also
“Using the Save For Web dialog box” on page 256
Add a browser to the Preview In menu
1 Choose File > Save For Web.
2 Click the down arrow in the Preview In menu, and choose Edit List.
3 In the Browsers dialog box, click Find All. The dialog box displays all installed browsers.
4 Select a browser, click Add, and then click OK.

View estimated download time
1 Open an image and choose File > Save For Web.
2 Choose your optimization settings.
3 Click the triangle

to the upper right of the optimized image to view the document panel menu.

4 Choose an Internet access speed, including modem, ISDN, cable, or DSL Internet access.

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5 When you change the Internet access speed, the estimated download time displayed under the optimized image
is updated. If the download time seems too long, try different optimization settings, or change the image size in the
Save For Web dialog box.

See also
“About optimizing” on page 256

Preview variations in color display
When optimizing an image for the web, consider how the image will appear on different monitors. In general, an
image appears darker in Windows systems than on Mac OS systems. You can simulate cross-platform display differences in the Save For Web dialog box.
1 Open an image and choose File > Save For Web.
2 Choose your optimization settings.
3 Click the triangle

to the right of the optimized image to view the document panel menu.

4 Choose a display option:
Uncompensated Color Shows the image with no color adjustment (the default option).
Standard Windows Color Adjusts the color to simulate a standard Windows monitor.
Standard Macintosh Color Adjusts the color to simulate a standard Macintosh® monitor.
Use Document Color Profile Shows image with its color profile, if one exists.

Note: These preview options adjust color only in the Save For Web dialog box; they don’t change colors in the original or
optimized image.

See also
“About optimizing” on page 256

Preview an animation
You can preview an animation in the Save For Web dialog box or in a web browser. The Save For Web dialog box
shows the animation as still frames. You must preview the animation in a browser to view the frames in timed
sequence.
1 Set up an animated image and choose File > Save For Web.
2 To preview an animation from the Save For Web dialog box, do one of the following:

• To view the next frame in the animation, click the Next Frame button

• To view the previous frame in the animation, click the Previous Frame button
• To view the last frame in the animation, click the Last Frame button
• To view the first frame in the animation, click the First Frame button

.
.

3 To preview an animation in a web browser, do the following:

• Choose a browser from the Preview In menu below the lower-right corner of the optimized image, or click the
browser icon

to launch your default web browser.

• Use your browser’s Stop, Refresh, or Reload commands to stop or replay the animation.

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Chapter 16: Printing and sharing photos
Printing photos
Printing overview
Photoshop Elements provides several options for printing your photos. You can have photos professionally printed
by online providers through Adobe Photoshop Services (which you can register for through the Adobe website), or
you can print your photos with your home printer. You can print individual photos, sheets (thumbnails of each
selected photo), and picture packages (a page of one or more photos printed at various sizes). And you can print
projects you’ve made in Photoshop Elements, such as photo books, cards, and photo collages.
Before you print your photos, you need to let Photoshop Elements know some basic information about your print
job, such as the paper size you are using and the page orientation. Set these options in the Page Setup dialog box.
For information on other ways to share photos, see “Making photo projects” on page 242.

Print a photo
1 Open the photos you want to print.
2 Choose File > Print.
3 To change the page printing options, click Page Setup. Photoshop Elements uses these options each time you print,
until you change them.

If you’re using more than one printer at home, you’ll need to go through the setup options each time you change
printers.
4 The page previewed will be printed. Use the navigation arrows to select the page you want to print.
5 Click Print and set the options for your printer in the Print dialog box that appears. These options vary according

to your printer’s driver.
6 Click OK.

If your photos are not printing at a particular size, try resizing the photo to the specific dimensions you want before
you print.
Print options
Print Size Specifies the size of the printed image:

• Actual Size Scales the image based on its document size. To find out the document size, choose Image > Resize >
Image Size.

• Fit On Page Scales the image to fill the printable area of your paper.
• Custom Size Uses the actual size as a basis from which you can start. You can specify new sizes in Scaled Print Size.
Crop To Fit Print Proportions Crops the photo to fit the selected preset size.
Position By default, Center Image is selected, which centers the image in the printable area of your paper. To

reposition an image, deselect Center Image and enter values in the Top and Left text boxes. You can also drag the
preview image to a different position when the Center Image option is deselected.

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Scaled Print Size Enter the values you want in the Scale, Height, and Width text boxes. You don’t have to choose
Custom Size before entering the values.
Show Bounding Box Shows a bounding box with corner handles around the preview image. You can use the corner

handles to scale the image manually.
Border Prints a border around an image. Specify the width of the border by entering a number and choosing inches,
millimeters (mm), or points. To choose a color for the border, click the Choose Border Color box. The border
appears only in the printed image. The image file on your computer is not altered.

Select Choose Border Color to select a border color.

Filename Prints the filename above the photo.
Caption Prints any caption text embedded in the image’s file information. Captions are always printed in 9-point

Helvetica plain type.
Color Management Displays the color profile of the image. To change the profile for printing, choose from the

following options:

• Color Handling You can choose to have either your printer or Photoshop Elements manage colors, or you can
choose no color management.
• Printer Profile Sets a custom printer profile to convert image colors to the printer’s color space, or turns off color
conversion. If you have an ICC profile for your printer and paper combination, choose it from the menu. Make sure
that you turn off the printer driver’s color management.
• Rendering Intent Specifies how colors are translated from the image’s source color space when certain colors are
not available in the print space.
Background Prints a background around an image. To choose a color for the background, click the Choose A Color

For The Background box. The background appears only in the printed image. The image file on your computer is
not altered.
Print Crop Marks Prints crop marks (guide lines on all four edges of the photo) to make it easier to see where to trim

a photo.
Transfer Printing (Flip Image) Prints the image flipped horizontally. This option is useful for making T-shirt

transfers. Select Invert Image to select the Transfer Printing option. If your printer’s driver has its own control for
inverting images, you can select it or Invert Image, but do not select them both at the same time, or you’ll horizontally
flip your image twice.

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Reposition an image

You can change the placement of a photo before printing.
❖ Choose File > Print, and then do one of the following:

• Select Center Image to center the image in the printable area. If Center Image is not available, deselect Crop To Fit
Print Proportions.

• Click Show Bounding Box, deselect Center Image, and drag the image to a new location in the preview area.
• Deselect Center Image, and then enter values for Top and Left to position the image exactly where you want.
Scale an image

Scaling an image changes the size and resolution of the printed image (the file size of the image doesn’t change).
❖ Choose File > Print, and then do any of the following:

• Click Page Setup and choose a Page Size option.
• For Scaled Print Size, enter values for Height and Width to rescale the image numerically. The dimensions are
constrained, meaning changing one dimension proportionately changes the other dimension. If the Scale, Height,
and Width boxes aren’t available, deselect Crop To Fit Print Proportions.

• Make sure that Show Bounding Box is selected, and drag a bounding box handle in the preview area to the scale
you want.

• Type a percentage in the Scale text box.
Print multilayer images

If your image (PSD or TIFF) has more than one layer, you can use the Layers palette to temporarily hide the layers
from view and prevent them from printing.
1 In Full Edit, open a multilayer image.
2 In the Layers palette, click the eye icon

to make a layer invisible.

3 When only the layers you want to print are visible, choose File > Print. The Print dialog box opens with only the
visible layers showing in the thumbnail preview.
4 Set your printing options and click Print.

See also
“Understanding layers” on page 49

Print a contact sheet
Contact sheets let you easily preview groups of images by displaying a series of thumbnail images on a single page.
Note: You must open and select files in Bridge before using the Selected Images From Bridge option.

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Sample contact sheet

1 In Adobe Bridge, select a folder of images or specific image files. From the Bridge Tools menu, choose Photoshop
Elements > Contact Sheet II. Unless you select specific images, the contact sheet will include all images currently
displayed in Adobe Bridge. You can select a different image folder or select other currently open images after the
Contact Sheet II dialog box opens.
2 In Photoshop Elementschoose File > Contact Sheet II.
3 Click to select an image in Bridge. Shift-click to select a series of images. Ctrl-click (Windows) or Command-click
(Mac OS) to select noncontiguous images
4 In the Contact Sheet II dialog box, specify the images to use from the Use menu in the Sources images area.
5 In the Document area, specify the dimensions, resolution, and color mode for the contact sheet. Select Flatten All
Layers to create a contact sheet with all images and text on a single layer. Deselect Flatten All Layers to create a
contact sheet in which each image is on a separate layer and each caption is on a separate text layer.
6 In the Thumbnails area, specify layout options for the thumbnail previews.

• For Place, choose whether to arrange thumbnails across first (from left to right, then top to bottom) or down first
(from top to bottom, then left to right).

• Enter the number of columns (between 1 and 9) and rows that you want per contact sheet. The thumbnail size and
number of rows adjust according to your choice. If the number of photos exceeds the capacity of a single page,
more pages are added to accommodate them.

• Use Auto-Spacing to let Photoshop Elements automatically space the thumbnails in the contact sheet. If you
deselect Use Auto-Spacing, you can specify the vertical and horizontal space around the thumbnails.
7 Select Use Filename As Caption to label the thumbnails using their source image filenames. Use the menu to
specify a caption font and font size.
8 In Photoshop Elements, choose File > Print.

Print a picture package
Picture Package lets you place multiple copies of a photos on a single page, much as traditional portrait studios do.
You can choose from a variety of size and placement options to customize your package layout.

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Picture packages come in a variety of sizes

1 If you are using pictures from Adobe Bridge, open Adobe Bridge and select the images.
2 In Photoshop Elements, choose File > Picture Package.
3 Select the location of the source images.
4 Set Document and Label options. An example of the layout option you select appears in the Layout box.
5 To modify the selected layout, click Edit Layout and make selections in the Picture Package Edit Layout dialog box.

Note: Depending on the layout you choose, the images are oriented to produce the optimum coverage of the printable
area. This feature is automatic and cannot be overridden. You cannot rotate the images placed in the layout.
6 Select the picture package and click Print.

Options for printing and sharing
Print options
Set page and printer options
1 Choose File > Page Setup. In Full Edit, Quick Fix, or Guided Edit, a photo must be open for the Page Setup

command to be available.
Note: You can also click the Page Setup button in the Print dialog box.
2 In the Page Setup dialog box, set options such as paper size and orientation.
Specify measurement units for printing
1 Choose Photoshop Elements > Preferences > Units & Rulers.
2 Choose either Inches or Centimeters/Millimeters from the Photo Project Units box. This setting determines the

sizes you can choose from when you print or crop a photo.
About PRINT Image Matching (PIM) and Exif Print

PRINT Image Matching (PIM) technology ensures that PRINT Image Matching-enabled digital cameras and
printers work together to produce the best possible prints. The PIM technology lets the Epson® printer identify printspecific information for each image captured by the digital camera and provides improved color, quality, and detail
in prints.

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Exif 2.2 (Exif Print) uses the information (Exif tags) in photos from digital cameras that support Epson’s Exif 2.2 (Exif
Print). The Exif Print-supported printer uses these Exif tags to ensure optimal processing and enhance the print
output. Check your printer’s documentation for details.
Keep in mind the following guidelines when using the PIM and Exif Print options in Photoshop Elements:

• If you select the PIM option while printing multiple images, but only some of the images have PIM data, the option
is applied only to images with PIM data.

• The layout preview in the Print Selected Photos (Print Photos) dialog box doesn’t preview the color enhancements
from the PIM or Exif Print data.

• Some printer driver settings are not compatible with PIM or Exif Print, and may disable those options.
• Exif Print is a subset of PIM that is supported by Epson devices. Depending on your printer, it’s possible to select
both the PIM and Exif Print options for a more enhanced print.

Sharing photos using online services
About online services

Online services let you share images and order prints over the Internet. You must register with an online service to
order prints, photo books, and greeting cards, so you need a valid e-mail address to receive correspondence. There
is no charge to join a service, but you will need a credit card number to place an order.
The online services available to you depend on your location. For example, online ordering services may differ
between North America and Asia. The Online menu reflects what’s available in your area and dynamically changes
when new services become available.
To learn more about Adobe Photoshop Services, go to http://www.adobe.com/products/photoshop/psservices.html .

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Chapter 17: Keyboard shortcuts
Shortcuts help you view, select, edit, and use many of the other tools that are available in Full Edit mode.

Shortcuts
Keys for viewing images (Full Edit)
This partial list includes the most helpful shortcuts. You'll find additional shortcuts in menu commands and tool tips.
Result

Shortcut

Fit image in window

Command + 0

Magnify 100%

Command + Option + 0

Switch to Hand tool (when not in text-edit mode)

Spacebar

Switch to Zoom In tool

Spacebar + Command

Switch to Zoom Out tool

Spacebar + Option

Zoom in

Command +

Zoom out

Command -

Reposition zoom marquee while dragging

Spacebar-drag

Zoom in on specified area of an image

Command-drag over preview in Navigator palette

Scroll image with Hand tool

Drag, or drag view area box in Navigator palette

Scroll up or down 1 screen

Page Up or Page Down

Scroll up or down 10 units

Shift + Page Up or Page Down

Scroll left or right 1 screen

Command + Page Up or Page Down

Scroll left or right 10 units

Command + Shift + Page Up or Page Down

Move view to upper-left corner or lower-right corner

Home or End

Keys for selecting tools
This partial list includes the most helpful shortcuts. You'll find additional shortcuts in menu commands and tool tips.
Result

Shortcut

Cycle through tools that have the same keyboard shortcut

Shift-press keyboard shortcut (preference setting, Use Shift Key for
Tool Switch, must be enabled)

Cycle through nested tools

Option-click tool

Move tool

Zoom tool

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Result

Shortcut

Hand tool

Eyedropper tool

Rectangular Marquee tool

Elliptical Marquee tool
Lasso tool

Magnetic Lasso tool
Polygonal Lasso tool
Magic Wand tool

Selection Brush tool (or Quick Selection tool)

Horizontal Type tool

Vertical Type tool
Horizontal Type Mask tool
Vertical Type Mask tool
Crop tool

Cookie Cutter tool

Straighten tool

Red Eye Removal tool

Spot Healing Brush tool

Healing Brush tool
Clone Stamp tool

Pattern Stamp tool
Pencil tool

Eraser tool

Background Eraser tool
Magic Eraser tool
Brush tool

Impressionist Brush
Color Replacement tool
Paint Bucket tool

Gradient tool

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Result

Shortcut

Rectangle tool

Rounded Rectangle tool
Ellipse tool
Polygon tool
Line tool
Custom Shape tool
Shape Selection tool
Blur tool

Sharpen tool
Smudge tool
Sponge tool

Dodge tool
Burn tool
Show/Hide all palettes (not including Content and Layers palette)

Tab

Default foreground and background colors

Switch foreground and background colors

Keys for selecting and moving objects
This partial list includes the most helpful shortcuts. You'll find additional shortcuts in menu commands and tool tips.
Result

Shortcut

Deselect a selection

Command + D

Reposition marquee while selecting

Spacebar-drag

Add to or subtract from a selection

Any selection tool + Shift or Option-drag

Intersect a selection

Any selection tool + Shift + Option-drag

Constrain marquee to square or circle (if no other selections are
active)

Shift-drag

Draw marquee from center (if no other selections are active)

Option-drag

Constrain shape and draw marquee from center

Shift + Option-drag

Switch to Move tool

Command (except when Hand or any shape tool is selected)

Switch from Magnetic Lasso tool to Lasso tool

Option-click and drag

Delete last anchor point for Magnetic or Polygonal Lasso tool

Delete

Apply/cancel an operation of the Magnetic Lasso tool

Enter/Esc

Move copy of selection

Move tool + Option-drag selection

Move selection area 1 pixel

Any selection + Right Arrow, Left Arrow, Up Arrow, or Down Arrow

Move selection 1 pixel

Move tool + Right Arrow, Left Arrow, Up Arrow, or Down Arrow

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Result

Shortcut

Move layer 1 pixel when nothing selected on layer

Command + Right Arrow, Left Arrow, Up Arrow, or Down Arrow

Increase/decrease detection width

Magnetic Lasso tool + [ or ]

Accept cropping or exit cropping

Crop tool + Enter or Esc

Toggle crop shield off and on

/ (forward slash)

Keys for the Magic Extractor dialog box
This partial list includes the most helpful shortcuts. You'll find additional shortcuts in menu commands and tool tips.
Result

Shortcut

Foreground brush

Background brush

Point Eraser

Add To Selection tool

Remove From Selection tool

Smoothing Brush tool

Zoom tool

Hand tool

Keys for transforming selections
This partial list includes the most helpful shortcuts. You'll find additional shortcuts in menu commands and tool tips.
Result

Shortcut

Transform from center or reflect

Option

Constrain

Shift

Distort

Command

Skew

Command + Shift

Change perspective

Command + Shift + Option

Apply

Enter

Cancel

Esc or Command + . (period)

Keys for painting and brushes
This partial list includes the most helpful shortcuts. You'll find additional shortcuts in menu commands and tool tips.

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Result

Shortcut

Switch to Eyedropper tool

Any painting tool or shape tool + Option (except Impressionist
Brush)

Select background color

Eyedropper tool + Option-click

Set opacity, tolerance, or exposure for painting

Any painting or editing tool + number keys (for example, 0 = 100%,
1 = 10%, 4 and 5 in quick succession = 45%).

Cycle through blending modes

Shift + + (plus) or - (minus)

Fill selection/layer with foreground or background color

Option + Delete (Backspace), or Command + Delete (Backspace)

Display Fill dialog box

Shift + Delete (Backspace)

Lock transparent pixels on/off

/ (forward slash)

Connect points with a straight line (draw a straight line)

Any painting tool + Shift-click

Delete brush

Option-click brush

Decrease/increase brush size

[ or ]

Decrease/increase brush softness/hardness in 25% increments

Shift + [ or ]

Select previous/next brush size

, (comma) or . (period)

Select first/last brush

Shift + , (comma) or . (period)

Display precise cross hair for brushes

Caps Lock

Keys for using text
This partial list includes the most helpful shortcuts. You'll find additional shortcuts in menu commands and tool tips.
Result

Shortcut

Move type in image

Command-drag type when Type layer is selected

Select 1 character left/right or 1 line down/up, or 1 word left/right

Shift + Left Arrow/Right Arrow or Down Arrow/Up Arrow, or
Command + Shift + Left Arrow/Right Arrow

Select characters from insertion point to mouse click point

Shift-click

Move 1 character left/right, 1 line down/up, or 1 word left/right

Left Arrow/Right Arrow, Down Arrow/Up Arrow, or Command +
Left Arrow/Right Arrow

Select word, line, or paragraph

Double-click, triple-click, or quadruple-click

Scale and skew text within a bounding box when resizing the
bounding box

Command-drag a bounding box handle

Align left, center, or right

Horizontal Type tool or Horizontal Type Mask tool + Command +
Shift + L, C, or R

Align top, center, or bottom

Vertical Type tool or Vertical Type Mask tool + Command + Shift +
L, C, or R

Return to default font style

Command + Shift + Y

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Result

Shortcut

Turn Underlining on/off

Command + Shift + U

Turn Strikethrough on/off

Command + Shift + / (forward slash)

Decrease or increase type size of selected text 2 pts/px

Command + Shift + < or >

Keys for the Layers palette
This partial list includes the most helpful shortcuts. You'll find additional shortcuts in menu commands and tool tips.
Result

Shortcut

Set layer options

Option-click New button

Delete without confirmation

Option-click Trash button

Apply value and keep text box active

Shift + Enter

Load layer transparency as a selection

Command-click layer thumbnail

Add to current selection

Command + Shift-click layer thumbnail

Subtract from current selection

Command + Option-click layer thumbnail

Intersect with current selection

Command + Shift + Option-click layer thumbnail

Merge visible layers

Command + Shift + E

Create new empty layer with dialog

Option-click New Layer button

Create new layer below target layer

Command-click New Layer button

Activate bottom/top layer

Shift + Option + [ or ]

Select next layer down/up

Option + [ or ]

Move target layer down/up

Command + [ or ]

Merge a copy of all visible layers into target layer

Command + Shift + Option + E

Merge down

Command + E

Copy current layer to layer below

Option + Merge Down command from the palette pop-up menu

Copy all visible layers to active layer

Option + Merge Visible command from the palette pop-up menu

Copy visible linked layers to active layer

Option + Merge Linked command from the palette pop-up menu

Show/hide all other currently visible layers

Option-click the eye icon

Toggle lock transparency for target layer, or last applied lock

/ (forward slash)

Edit layer properties

Double-click layer thumbnail

Select all text; temporarily select Type tool

Double-click text layer thumbnail

Create a clipping mask

Option-click the line dividing two layers

Rename layer

Double-click the layer name

Keys for using blending modes
This partial list includes the most helpful shortcuts. You'll find additional shortcuts in menu commands and tool tips.

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Result

Shortcut

Cycle through blending modes

Shift + + (plus) or - (minus)

Normal

Shift + Option + N

Dissolve

Shift + Option + I

Behind

Shift + Option + Q

Clear

Shift + Option + R

Darken

Shift + Option + K

Multiply

Shift + Option + M

Color Burn

Shift + Option + B

Linear Burn

Shift + Option + A

Lighten

Shift + Option + G

Screen

Shift + Option + S

Color Dodge

Shift + Option + D

Linear Dodge

Shift + Option + W

Overlay

Shift + Option + O

Soft Light

Shift + Option + F

Hard Light

Shift + Option + H

Vivid Light

Shift + Option + V

Linear Light

Shift + Option + J

Pin Light

Shift + Option + Z

Hard Mix

Shift + Option + L

Difference

Shift + Option + E

Exclusion

Shift + Option + X

Hue

Shift + Option + U

Saturation

Shift + Option + T

Color

Shift + Option + C

Luminosity

Shift + Option + Y

Keys for the Info palette
This partial list includes the most helpful shortcuts. You'll find additional shortcuts in menu commands and tool tips.
Result

Shortcut

Change color readout modes

Click eyedropper icon

Change measurement units

Click cross-hair icon

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Keys for the Color Swatches palette
This partial list includes the most helpful shortcuts. You'll find additional shortcuts in menu commands and tool tips.
Result

Shortcut

Create new swatch from foreground color

Click in empty area of palette

Select background color

Command-click swatch

Delete color

Option-click swatch

Keys for the Filter Gallery
This partial list includes the most helpful shortcuts. You'll find additional shortcuts in menu commands and tool tips.
Result

Shortcut

Apply a new filter on top of selected

Option-click on a filter

Open/close all disclosure triangles

Option-click on a disclosure triangle

Change Cancel button to Default

Command

Change Cancel button to Reset

Option

Undo/redo

Command + Z

Step forward

Command + Shift + Z

Step backward

Command + Option + Z

Keys for the Liquify filter
This partial list includes the most helpful shortcuts. You'll find additional shortcuts in menu commands and tool tips.
Result

Shortcut

Warp tool

Turbulence tool

Twirl Clockwise tool

Twirl Counter Clockwise tool

Pucker tool

Bloat tool

Shift Pixels tool

Reflection tool

Reconstruct tool

Zoom tool

Hand tool

Keys for using Photomerge Panorama
This partial list includes the most helpful shortcuts. You'll find additional shortcuts in menu commands and tool tips.

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Result

Shortcut

Select Image tool

Rotate Image tool

Set Vanishing Point tool (Perspective option selected)

Zoom tool

Switch to Hand tool

Spacebar

Step backward

Command + Z

Step forward

Command + Shift + Z

Move selected image 1 pixel

Right Arrow, Left Arrow, Up Arrow, or Down Arrow

Change Cancel button to Reset

Option

Show individual image border

Option-move pointer over image

Keys for the Camera Raw dialog box
This partial list includes the most helpful shortcuts. You'll find additional shortcuts in menu commands and tool tips.
Result

Shortcut

Display highlights that will be clipped in Preview

Option-drag Exposure or Blacks sliders

Enable Open Copy button in the Camera Raw dialog box

Option

285

Chapter 18: Glossary
The glossary is your guide to unfamiliar terms in Photoshop Elements and digital imaging terms. If you don’t find a
term here, search for it in Help to find a feature-specific definition.

Find definitions for terms
❖ In the Contents tab of Help, expand the letters below “Digital imaging terms.” If you don’t find a term there, enter

it in the Search box to find it elsewhere in Help.

Digital imaging terms
A
acquisition module interface A plug-in that allows you to import photos from a digital camera or scanner.
active layer The layer currently selected in the Layers palette.
additive primaries Red, green, and blue. The human eye perceives all other colors as combinations of these three. To

create colors besides the additive primaries, computer monitors combine these three colors of light. For instance, to
create yellow, a monitor emits a combination of red and green light. When combined with each other at maximum
intensity, the additive primaries create white. (See also “subtractive primaries” on page 297.)
adjustment layer A layer that lets you apply color and tonal adjustments to your image without permanently
changing pixel values. Use adjustment layers to experiment with color and color tones. You can think of an
adjustment layer as a veil through which the underlying layers are seen. (See also “layer” on page 292.)
ADM Adobe Dialog Manager. A file required for many plug-ins in Photoshop Elements.
Adobe Bridge Companion product for managing photos.
Adobe Color Engine Manages colors you view on-screen and in print. It is used to map the gamut of one color space
to the gamut of another.
Adobe Color Picker A built-in utility for specifying a foreground or background color in an Adobe application.
Adobe Photo Downloader A feature of Photoshop Elements that automatically searches for and downloads photos

from attached card readers, cameras, or mobile phones. You can disable the automatic detection through General
Preferences in Adobe Bridge.
Adobe RGB The RGB color space profile created by Adobe Systems, Incorporated. It provides a large gamut of colors.

(See also “RGB” on page 295.)
AGMLib An Adobe Graphics Manager library file, which Photoshop Elements installs with and requires.
airbrush An brush option that lets you apply gradual tones to an image, simulating traditional airbrush techniques.

Paint builds up as you apply more pressure. Using this option simulates the effect of spray-painting an image.
aliasing The jagged edges seen at the edges of diagonal lines, arcs, and so on, caused by pixels lining up in a saw-

tooth pattern.

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alpha channels Masks, which let you manipulate, isolate, and protect specific parts of an image. In Photoshop
Elements, alpha channels are called saved selections. To save an alpha channel, choose Select > Save Selection. To
load an alpha channel, choose Select > Load Selection.
ambient light The existing lighting conditions under which a photo is taken, without enhancement from a camera

flash.
animated GIF A series of images in GIF format that create the illusion of movement when they are displayed in
sequence over time.
anti-aliasing The smoothing of jagged edges in digital images by averaging the colors of the pixels at a boundary.
arithmetic coded JPEG A type of file compression used to compress JPEG files.
artifact Any unexpected and undesired change to a digital image caused by incorrect settings or faulty processing.
Examples include blooming, moire, sharpening, and noise.
aspect ratio The ratio of an image’s width to its height. It is used to determine how an image fits on a page or monitor.
associated Related to an application (also, file association). Each file type has an associated application. For example,

PSD files are associated with Photoshop and Photoshop Elements. You receive an alert if you try to open a file that
lacks an associated application.
Auto Levels An automatic color-correction command.

B
Background layer The bottom-most layer in an image, usually containing the image data. The Background layer is

always locked. If you want to change its stacking order, blending mode, or opacity, you must first convert it to a
regular layer.
backlight Light coming from a source behind the photographed subject.
bas relief In digital photography, the illusion that an image is slightly raised from its background surface.
baseline JPEG The standard compression scheme for JPEG files. Baseline JPEG files display in line-by-line passes

when viewed on the web.
batch processing Performing one or more tasks to a group of files at the same time.
bevel A raised or depressed effect around all or part of an image or text. Bevels are created by applying highlight and

shadow to the inside and outside edges of its border to simulate three-dimensional depth.
bit depth The number of colors used to represent a pixel in an image. A 1-bit image is black and white; an 8-bit

image can have 256 colors or shades of gray; a 16-bit image can have 65,536 colors.
bitmap image An image consisting of rows and columns of pixels in computer memory. Also called a raster image.

Bitmap file formats include BMP, GIF, JPEG, PSD, PICT, and TIFF. (See also “vector graphics” on page 298.)
bits/channel Bits per channel. This measurement determines how many tones each color channel can contain.
black body A theoretical material that is black when completely cold and that begins to glow in various colors as it
is heated. As its temperature (measured in degrees Kelvin) rises, it begins glowing in colors ranging from red
(coolest) to white (hottest). (See also “color temperature” on page 288.)
blending mode A feature that controls how pixels in an image are affected by a painting or editing tool. The blend

color is applied to the base (original) color to produce a new color, the result color. When applied to layers, a blending
mode determines how the pixels in a layer blend with pixels in layers beneath it.

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blooming An artifact caused by overflow of color information from one sensor in a camera (corresponding to a
pixel) to adjacent ones. Blooming can cause streaks, halos, and loss of detail. (See also “artifact” on page 286.)
blur The softening of the detail in an image or parts of a image.
BMP A standard file format for saving bitmap files in Windows. Windows can display BMP files on any type of

display device.
bounding box A rectangular border around an image, shape, or text that you can drag to rotate or resize.
brightness The relative lightness or darkness of an image, which determines the intensity of colors. Also, the relative

lightness or darkness of any color. (See also “luminance” on page 292.)
brightness value The brightness of an image or selection, usually measured as a percentage from 0% (black) to 100%

(white).
brush preset A brush with preset settings for size, thickness and so on. Photoshop Elements includes several brush

presets for you to choose from, and you can create your own as well. The maximum number of brush presets that
you can create in Photoshop Elements: 8000.
brush type One of the following brush tool styles: brush, impressionist brush, or airbrush.
burning The selective darkening of a part of an image.

C
cache file A file used for virtual memory. The cache file speeds the performance of Photoshop Elements.
camera raw format A format describing data exactly as it is captured by a camera sensor, with no in-camera

processing applied. Also called raw format. (This format differs from “Photoshop raw format” on page 294.)
canvas The workspace around an existing image, within the image window. Layer data may lie outside of the canvas,
but it will be clipped to the canvas when the image is flattened. You can change the size and color of the canvas by
choosing Image > Resize > Canvas Size.
card reader Portable hardware on which you can store, upload, or download photos, audio, video, and other data.

You can download data from a card reader into Adobe Bridge.
CCITT Comité Consultatif International Téléphonique et Télégraphique. A group that defines communications

standards. Now known as the ITU-T (International Telecommunications Union-Telecommunication Standardization sector). The CCITT has developed a family of lossless compression techniques for black-and-white images.
channel A construct for describing the color data in an image. A black-and-white grayscale image has one channel,

an RGB image has three, and a CMYK image has four. Ordinarily, a channel describes either red, green, or blue,
which are blended to create all colors.
chroma See “saturation” on page 296.
CIE Commission Internationale de l’Éclairage. A group that defined universal color standards in the early 1930s. The

Lab color model was developed by CIE.
clipboard The temporary holding area for data stored with the Cut or Copy commands.
clipboard path data Data for vector paths stored on the clipboard. Vector paths are used with vector data such as
text layers or shape layers.
clone To paint with the Clone Stamp tool. You must set a sampling point on the active layer (by holding the Alt key
and clicking the mouse) before you paint with the Clone Stamp tool.
CMap files Files used to access character sets in double-byte fonts such as Japanese fonts.

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CMYK Cyan, magenta, yellow, and black—the inks most printers use to produce color images. Though Photoshop

Elements does not support CMYK color mode, most desktop printers automatically convert to it.
color cast An unwanted or unexpected color shift in a photo. For example, a photo taken indoors without a camera
flash may have too much yellow.
color channels The component colors from which all colors in an image are created. Usually refers to red, green, and

blue (RGB).
color depth Measures how much color information is available to display or print each pixel in an image. Greater

color depth means more available colors and more accurate color representation in the digital image.
color gamut The range of colors that a device can reproduce in any given color space.
color lookup table (CLUT) A system used to index or reference colors when the bit depth is insufficient to represent

all colors.
color management A system used to achieve consistent color as an image travels from one device to another (for

example, from camera to computer, and computer to printer).
color mode Determines how the components of a color are combined, based on the number of color channels in the

color model. Color modes include grayscale (1 channel), RGB (3 channels), and CMYK (4 channels), among others.
Photoshop Elements supports bitmap, grayscale, indexed, and RGB color modes.
color model Any system for specifying the components of color. The main color models are RGB, CMYK, and HSB.
color separation The conversion of RGB color data into CMYK data for printing.
color space A color mode designed for a particular device or purpose. For instance, Adobe RGB is the color space

used by Adobe applications, and sRGB is the color space used by most monitors. Color spaces are important in color
management, where the color profile of an image is reconciled with the color space of the application or device on
which it is viewed. The color space used by Adobe applications is sometimes called the working space.
color table See “color lookup table (CLUT)” on page 288.
color temperature (1) The position of a color along a continuum from warm (red) to cool (blue). (2) The degree of
heat (in degrees Kelvin) that an object would have to absorb before it glowed in a certain color. Each color is
associated with a color temperature, as are various kinds of light.
color value A mathematical description of the color of a pixel determined from its color components.
color wheel A representation of the colors in the visible spectrum arranged in a circle so that complementary colors
are directly opposite each other.
ColorSync Color management software provided by Apple.
command Refers to any menu item you choose to perform a desired operation.
complementary colors Two colors of light that, when combined, create white light, or two colors of ink that, when

combined, create black. Complementary colors are opposing colors on a color wheel.
composite Multiple photos combined into a single image.
compression A technique that reduces the file size of bitmap images.
content layers Any layer in Photoshop Elements that contains an image, text, or object.
contrast The difference in brightness between light and dark areas of an image. Contrast determines the number of

shades in the image.
cool colors The colors at the blue end of the spectrum.

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CoolType A font technology from Adobe that improves on-screen text resolution.
Cos object An internal part of an Adobe PDF file.
craquelure Hairline surface cracking seen in old paintings, and the effect used to simulate surface cracking in photo-

graphic images.
cropping Trimming a portion of an image to improve its composition or to create a frame around it.
custom shape A shape listed in the Custom Shape menu in the options bar. The Custom Shape menu is available
when you select the Custom Shape tool.

D
definition Sharpness or clarity of detail in an image.
differential JPEG files A type of coding method used with certain JPEG files. Differential JPEG files are not
supported in Photoshop Elements.
digital camera A camera that records image data in pixels, which consist of bits of information that a computer can

process.
dithering The approximation of an unavailable color through the use of two or more available colors. The color of

adjacent pixels is changed in an attempt to reproduce the unavailable color.
dodging The selective lightening of any part of an image.
dots per inch (dpi) A measure of printer resolution. High dpi settings produce prints with fine detail. (See also
“pixels per inch (ppi)” on page 294.)
double-byte fonts A term used to describe Asian fonts, often called CJK (Chinese, Japanese, Korean) fonts. Two
bytes, rather than one, are needed to represent each character.
droplet A small application that batch processes images that you drag onto the droplet icon. Photoshop Elements

does not support droplets.
Duotone A two-color grayscale file that uses two custom inks. Photoshop Elements does not support duotone files.

E
embedded profile An ICC (color) profile resident in an image file. This profile ensures that image colors are

correctly interpreted. (See also “color management” on page 288.)
end-of-file The last line of readable code in a file. The error “Unexpected end-of-file” indicates that the file you are

trying to work with is damaged.
EPS Encapsulated PostScript. A file format used to save images that will be used in illustration and page-layout

programs
EPS file An Encapsulated PostScript file. A graphic file format that can represent both vector and bitmap data and
is supported by virtually all graphic, illustration, and page-layout programs.
EPS PICT preview A low-resolution screen preview saved with a Macintosh EPS file.
EPS TIFF preview A low-resolution screen preview saved with an EPS file.
error log A text file generated when an error occurs while running the Batch Processing command or the Process

Multiple Files command.
errors A system or application message that alerts you to a failed command or operation.

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EXIF Exchangeable Image File Format. A standard for simplifying the exchange of data between cameras and

software. The data may include camera model, date and time the photo was taken, camera settings, shutter speed,
and so on.
export module A plug-in that enables you to export images in different file formats from Photoshop Elements.
exposure A measure of the amount of light in which a photo was taken. Underexposed digital photos are too dark;
overexposed ones, too light.
extension module A plug-in for Photoshop Elements that enhances performance or adds features.

F
fade When used with painting tools, fade controls the number of steps until the paint flow fades to nothing.
fall-off Decrease in light as it travels from its source. Also the length of the transition between related colors in the

Hue/Saturation dialog box.
faux bold style A type style that allows you to apply a bold effect to a font family that does not include a bold style.
faux font A computer-generated version of a font that simulates the appearance of an unavailable font.
FDF File containing comments from an Adobe Acrobat PDF file. Photoshop Elements cannot open FDF files.
feathering The softening of an edge of a selection.
file-format module A plug-in that allows Photoshop Elements to open different file types.
fill layer A type of layer that contains a solid color, a pattern, or a gradient as an interchangeable attribute.
filter module A filter plug-in installed with Photoshop Elements and listed in the Filter menu.
filters Presupplied ways to alter the look of an image, for instance, to make it look like a mosaic, add unique lighting,
apply distortions, and so on.
flattening Merging all visible layers into the Background layer to reduce file size.
font A set of letters, numbers, punctuation marks, and symbols that share a common weight, width, and style. An
example is Times Italic.
font family A collection of fonts with the same name but different styles. For instance, Times Italic, Times Bold, and

Times Bold Italic all belong to the same font family.
font server An internal engine in Photoshop Elements that allows the application to use and display fonts.
font style A variant version of an individual font in a family. Italic, regular, and bold are font styles.
48-bit RGB color A high-bit image mode that can contain thousands of colors per channel. Photoshop Elements

supports 8-bit or 16-bits per color channel, so an RGB image can be a total of 24-bit or 48-bit, depending on the bit
depth per channel.
frame layer A layer masking an image in a photo creation. A frame layer borders an image and can be resized,
rotated, or repositioned using the same methods used for images.
fuzziness A tolerance setting for the Magic Wand tool and the Replace Color command. It controls the degree to
which related colors are included in the selection. See Tolerance.

G
gamma adjustment The contrast resulting from darkening or lightening the midtones of an image. When you adjust

the gamma, you change the brightness of the midtones without substantially affecting the highlights and shadows.

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gamut The range of color that a device can reproduce. (See also “color space” on page 288.)
Gaussian blur A softening effect applied through a bell-shaped distribution of tones and colors.
GIF Graphic image file format. A file format suitable for images that contain line art, large areas of a single color, and

text. Web animations are done with images in GIF format.
gradient Any of several methods for achieving a smooth transition between two adjacent colors, including black and

white.
Gray working space profile A predefined profile that determines how best to display and print grayscale images for

a given color setting.
grayscale A single-channel image that includes only black, white, and shades of gray. Depending on the bit depth,

grayscale images can reproduce various shades of gray.

H
halftone A monochrome image made up of variably sized dots simulating the shades of gray in a photograph. It is

used for reproducing photographs on PostScript printers and printing presses.
highlight and shadow The lightest and darkest colors in an image.
highlights The brightest elements in an image. (See also “shadows” on page 296.)
histogram A bar chart showing the distribution of the pixel values in a digital image. The horizontal axis represents

levels from 0 (darkest) to lightest (255), and the vertical axis represents the numbers of pixels at each level.
history state An image state listed in the Undo History palette.
hotspot An area in which light is concentrated to such a degree that all detail is lost; that is, an area that is blown out

to white.
HSB A color mode that is based on the human perception of color and describes it according to hue, saturation, and
brightness.
hue The color reflected from or transmitted through an object. In common use, hue is the property that allows a
color to be distinguished as red, blue, yellow, and so on; the “color of a color.”
hue jitter Sets the rate at which the stroke color switches between the foreground and background colors. Higher
values cause more frequent switches between the two colors than lower values.

I
ICC International Color Consortium. ICC device profiles are the industry standard for reproducing colors accurately

across devices such as scanners, monitors, and printers. (See also “profile” on page 295.)
ICM Image Color Management, is Windows’s built-in color management system that uses color profiles for images

and devices such as scanners or printers. Similar to Apple’s ColorSync on Mac OS.
illuminance A measure of the light falling upon a subject in a photograph.
image cache A section of hard disk space used as virtual memory. The image cache speeds the on-screen redraw of

high-resolution images.
image mode The color mode of an image, such as Grayscale or RGB.
indexed color A color that is rendered by using a pixel value as an index to a palette of 256 or fewer colors for inter-

pretation.

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interlaced video Video generated by a system developed for early television and still in use in standard television
displays. Video is displayed on-screen at 30 frames per second (NTSC) or 25 frames per second (PAL). Each frame
is divided into two interlaced fields, each displayed for 1/60 of a second. The odd field contains all the odd-numbered
scan lines, and the even field contains all the even-numbered scan lines of a video frame. The human eye perceives
the information in two sequential interlaced fields as one unified frame. (See also “progressive scan” on page 295.)
interlacing The display of a series of low-resolution versions of an image in a browser while the full image file is
downloaded.

J
jitter Specifies the randomness of a brush stroke.
JPEG Joint Photographic Experts Group. A committee of experts that develops algorithms for compressing
computer image files. Also, any graphic file to which a JPEG algorithm is applied. JPEG is the format generally used
to share photographs over the web. JPEG 2000 improves on JPEG and also supports transparency but is not available
for some images.
JPEG compression A lossy compression technique that reduces image data and file size. (See also “lossy

compression” on page 292.)

K
keyword tag A label that you attach to photos to organize them. You create your own tags according to the people,
places, and events that they represent. You can attach multiple tags to a photo. Once tagged, you can easily find
photos by filtering on the keyword tag in Adobe Bridge.
kumimoji See “tate-chuu-yoko” on page 297.

L
layer A mechanism for overlaying and combining multiple images. Layers are like transparent sheets of acetate

(clear plastic) that you can stack and rearrange. In addition to ordinary image layers, there are special kinds of layers.
(See “fill layer” on page 290 and “adjustment layer” on page 285.)
layer group A collection of layers saved with a Photoshop image. When you open a file with a layer group in
Photoshop Elements, individual layers in the set are hidden in a read-only folder. To edit a layer group in Photoshop
Elements, you must first simplify the layer.
layer mask A protected area in an adjustment layer. Areas below the mask cannot be edited.
Levels Functionality for adjusting color and tone. With a Levels adjustment, you can set shadow and highlight values

to use a full tonal range, adjust middle tones only, correct color casts, and so on.
locked A file that is set as Read Only.
locked layer A layer in the Layers palette that has the lock icon applied. No changes can be made to a locked layer.

A Background layer is always locked.
lossless compression An image-compression technique that prevents image degradation caused by data loss.

Lossless techniques usually use lower compression ratios than lossy techniques.
lossy compression An image-compression technique using compression ratios that result in the loss of some image

data.
luminance Lightness. Technically, the highest plus lowest RGB values divided by two.

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LZW (Lemple-Zif-Welch) A lossless technique especially suited for compressing images that contain large areas of a

single color.

M
matting A method for simulating transparency in images displayed on web pages. When transparency is not

supported, you can specify a matte color that matches the background to simulate transparency.
mezzotint An effect that simulates the pattern of light and shade seen in engravings made from a roughened plate.
Microsoft Palette file A color table attached to an image file.
midtone An area that falls between the brightest highlight and the darkest shadow.
moire A wavy striped pattern in an image, resembling the pattern of watered silk. Moire can be an artifact caused

by a camera’s inability to capture the detail in an image.
mojikumi A system for determining spacing between punctuation, symbols, and numbers in Japanese type.
monitor resolution The resolution of a monitor, described in pixel dimensions. The size of an image displayed

on-screen depends on the pixel dimensions of the image, the size of the monitor, and the monitor resolution. (See
also “resolution” on page 295 and “printer resolution” on page 294.)

N
noise An artifact caused by interference or camera error. Noise is often seen as stray pixels of unexpected color or a
generally “grainy” appearance. Certain compression techniques can amplify noise.
noise gradient A gradient that contains randomly distributed colors within a range of specified colors.
non-fringe pixels Pixels that are more than 50 percent selected in an anti-aliased selection.
note annotations A note added to a Photoshop file. In Photoshop Elements you can view and delete note annota-

tions, but you can't add them.

O
online service Any service to which you can connect to and order from over the Internet. You can access online
services directly from Photoshop Elements to order prints, photo books, cards, and such. In addition, you can share
your photos online through online sharing services. Services vary by geographic region.
opacity The extent to which something blocks light. You can change the opacity of layers, filters, and effects so that
more (or less) of the underlying image shows through.
opaque The opposite of transparent. When text, shapes, or layers are opaque you cannot see through them.
Options bar The location of all tools in Full Edit mode.

P
Palette Bin The space located under the Edit, Create, and Share tabs in Full Edit mode. For easy access, drag and
drop any of the nine palettes from the Window menu into the Palette Bin.
panorama A broad view of a subject, usually a landscape, made by overlapping individual shots as they are taken

and then merging them to form one image.
parser module A plug-in that converts vector data into bitmap data.

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pattern A predefined pattern included with Photoshop Elements, or a pattern you create. You can use patterns with

fill layers, the Fill command, the Pattern Stamp tool, or the Paint Bucket tool.
PDF (PDP) Portable Document Format. An Adobe file format that captures the elements of a printed document,

including graphics and photos, as an electronic image. You can search, navigate through, print, and e-mail PDF
documents. PDF and PDP files are identical, except that PDF files are opened in Adobe Acrobat and PDP files are
opened in Adobe Photoshop Elements.
perspective The angle or level from which a photograph is taken; the camera-eye view.
phosphor The substance that coats the interior surface of a CRT monitor. It emits light in response to electrical
stimulation and affects how colors appear on the screen. Over time, changes in the phosphor make it necessary to
recalibrate or reprofile the monitor.
Photomerge A family of features for creating a single composite image from multiple source images.
Photoshop raw format A format designed to accommodate images saved in undocumented formats, such as those
used in scientific applications. (This format differs from “camera raw format” on page 287.)
PICT A file format for storing digital images in Mac OS.
pixel The basic, rectangular unit of data that a digital image consists of. The edges of pixels can produce a saw-tooth
pattern unless anti-aliasing is used. (See also “bitmap image” on page 286.)
pixel dimensions The number of pixels along the width and height of an image. This is a measure of the amount of
image data in the photo, not its physical size when printed or displayed on a monitor.
pixels per inch (ppi) A measure of image resolution stored in a camera or computer file. High ppi settings produce

photographs with fine detail and large file size. (See also “dots per inch (dpi)” on page 289.)
PixMap A bitmap image stored in your computer’s memory.
plug-in module A small software program developed by Adobe or third parties to add functionality to Adobe

products.
PNG-24 Portable Network Graphics. An image format that supports 24-bit color. Like the JPEG format, PNG-24
preserves photographic detail. Unlike JPEG, it supports 256 levels of transparency.
PNG-8 Portable Network Graphics. A bitmap image format that uses 8-bit color. Like the GIF format, PNG-8

efficiently compresses areas of solid color while preserving sharp detail in line art, logos, or type.
point The default unit of measurement for type, for instance Times Roman Regular, 12 points.
pointillism A style of painting in which paint is applied in very small dots that cannot be discerned individually at a

distance. The eye merges the dots into the perceived color.
posterize To reduce the number of continuous tones in an image. Posterization results in a flat, cartoon-like image.

The effect can be deliberately applied but sometimes results from overcompression.
PostScript A programming language developed by Adobe that describes the appearance of text, graphic shapes, and

sampled images on printed or displayed pages.
printable character A text object that can be printed.
printer profiles Profiles that describe how printers reproduce colors.
printer resolution The fineness of detail that a printer can render in an image. It is measured in ink dots per inch

(dpi). Generally a resolution of 240 dpi provides good results when you print high-quality photos on an inkjet
printer. (See also “resolution” on page 295 and “monitor resolution” on page 293.)

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profile Information about the color space of a device, application, or photo file. An ICC device color profile allows

an image’s color data to be converted so that color is reproduced faithfully on that specific device. (See also “color
management” on page 288.)
progressive scan A process of displaying images on-screen that draws 60 complete frames of video from left to right
every second. Progressive scan creates a cleaner, clearer picture than interlaced video.
project A product that you make using your photos in Photoshop Elements. You can create slide shows, greeting
cards, calendars, and more.
Project Bin Location where thumbnails of all open images appear. Some workflows, such as a Faces session, require
that you select images from the Project Bin. To change the active image, double-click on a thumbnail.
PSD The native file format of Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Photoshop Elements.
PSE The file format for saving and opening multiple pages as a single file in Adobe Photoshop Elements. Photoshop

and other editors will open the individual PSDs that compose the PSE.

Q
QuickTime Software from Apple that allows you to view movies and other multi-media files on your computer.

R
RAID Redundant Array of Independent Disks, a category of disk drives that use two or more drives at the same time

to improve performance and ensure a graceful response in the event of a hardware or software failure.
raster image See “bitmap image” on page 286.
rasterizer The engine in Photoshop Elements that converts vector data, such as text, to bitmap data.
red eye The reflection of the camera flash from the retina of a photographed subject, resulting in a red dot in the
subject’s eye. You can eliminate it automatically when you import images or by using the Red Eye Removal tool.
Rename Multiple Files Allows you to automatically rename several files at once. Available with the Process Multiple

Files command.
rendering Converting a vector layer such as a shape layer or a text layer into a normal layer. To convert a vector layer

into a normal layer, choose Layer > Simplify Layer.
renmoji See “tate-chuu-yoko” on page 297.
resample To change the resolution of an image by changing its pixel dimensions. Downsampling is decreasing the
number of pixels, and resampling up (or upsampling) is increasing the number.
resolution A measure of the clarity and sharpness of an image. In digital images, it is measured in pixels per inch.
(See also “monitor resolution” on page 293 and “printer resolution” on page 294.)
resolution independence Lets an image be resized without changing its resolution. In a typical bitmap image, pixel
resolution is fixed, so if you enlarge the image, quality is reduced. With resolution independence, however, an image
isn't rendered into pixels until it is simplified or printed.
reticulation A traditional photographic effect caused by the rapid changing of the film emulsion from hot to cold

(hot developer to cold fixer). It produces a random pattern of lines in a photographic image, less fine than craquelure.
revert The command that reverts the image to the last saved version.
RGB A model for representing colors on a computer display. Red, green, and blue (RGB) are combined in different

proportions to represent any color. The RGB model can represent 256 x 256 x 256 colors.

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RGB working space profile A color profile that defines an RGB working space, such as that for a digital camera or

scanner.
RLE (run length encoding) A lossless technique for compressing the transparent portions of each layer in images.
(See also “lossless compression” on page 292.)

S
sample To select a color with the eyedropper in order to use it with a drawing or painting tool.
saturation The purity, or strength, of a color. A fully saturated color contains no gray. Saturation controls make

colors more vivid (less black or white added) or more muted (more black or white added).
scanning The process of converting a tangible image, such as a slide or print, into a digital image by using light

shining onto sensors such as Charged Couple Devices (CCDs).
scatter Determines how brush marks are distributed in a stroke.
scatter spacing Determines the spacing between elements in a brush stroke.
Scitex file A high-resolution file for use with proprietary Scitex systems. Photoshop Elements can open Scitex files
that are in RGB color mode.
scratch disk Photoshop Elements’ own virtual memory system, which uses any disk drive or drive partition with free
space. You can designate scratch disks to be used whenever there is not enough RAM to perform an operation.
screen resolution The dimensions of the pixel grid used by a monitor.
selection A part of an image selected for manipulation of any kind—duplication in a layer, color correction,

deletion, rotation, and so on. The selection consists of all the pixels—fully or partially selected—contained within
the selection boundary.
selection module A plug-in that enables you to make a selection in Photoshop Elements, such as the TextureSelect
plug-in that is used by the Magic Selection Brush tool and the Magic Extractor.
sepia print A photograph in tones of brown. Photo-editing programs simulate this antique look by applying special

effects.
shadows The darkest elements in an image, and the degree of detail that is discernible in those the dark portions.
(See also “highlights” on page 291.)
shape layer A layer that contains vector-based shapes. (See also “layer” on page 292.)
sharpening In photo-editing programs, any functionality that enhances the details at the edges of photographed

objects and people. Sharpening is often applied as part of in-camera processing as well, although no sharpening is
applied to camera raw file images. (See also “Unsharp Mask” on page 298.)
sharpening halo An artifact, seen as a bright ring or line around edges, caused by too much sharpening. (See also

“artifact” on page 286.)
silhouette A dark mass outlined against a light background.
simplifying Converting a text layer, shape layer, solid color layer, gradient layer, or pattern fill layer to a regular image

layer. You must simplify these layer types before applying filters or using the painting tools.
single channel images An image that contains one channel such as a bitmap-mode, grayscale, or indexed-color

image.
16-bit grayscale A high-bit image mode that can contain thousands of shades of gray. Photoshop Elements supports

flattened 16-bit images (it does not support layers in 16-bit images).

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skewing Deviation of the content of an image from a vertical or horizontal axis. Skewing can be a camera artifact or
an intentionally applied effect.
slices Portions of an image in Photoshop that divide the image into functional areas. Slices are not supported in

Photoshop Elements.
smoothing A technique for averaging the values of neighboring pixels to reduce contrast and create a soft, blurry

effect.
spot channels A Photoshop channel that contains a spot color such as a Pantone color. Photoshop Elements does
not support spot channels.
sRGB An RGB color space that’s now a standard on the web. Most computer monitors can display only the colors in

the sRGB color space. (See also “color space” on page 288.)
stack Photos that you group together under one photo. You can create stacks when you have multiple photos of the
same subject and you don’t want them all to clutter up the Bridge Content panel.
stroke (1) An outline around an image or part of an image created with the Stroke command or with a drawing,

painting, or selection tool. (2) The characteristics of the lines created with one of the painting or drawing tools,
especially brushes.
subtractive primaries Cyan, magenta, and yellow. In theory, when pigments of these three colors are combined in

equal quantities, the result is black. Printers combine these colors in various proportions to represent all printable
colors. The additive primaries are used to combine colors of light, whereas the subtractive primaries are used to
combine colors of ink. (See also “additive primaries” on page 285.)
swatches Preset colors that you can choose from in the Color Swatches palette. The maximum number of color
swatches that you can load in Photoshop Elements: 8190.

T
Targa (TGA) format A file format that is compatible with systems using the Truevision video board.
target channels Selected channels in the Channels palette of Photoshop. Photoshop Elements doesn’t have a
Channels palette.
target colors Colors you specify for highlights, neutral grays, and shadows when you correct a photo.
target layer The selected layer in the Layers palette.
target path The selected path in the Paths palette of Photoshop. Photoshop Elements doesn’t have a Paths palette.
tate-chuu-yoko A block of horizontal type that is laid out in a vertical line.
temperature In regard to color, the degree of heat (in degrees Kelvin) that an object would have to absorb before it
glowed in a certain color. Each color is associated with a color temperature, as are various kinds of light. (See also
“black body” on page 286.)
text layer A layer that contains vector-based text. (See also “layer” on page 292.)
thumbnail A small, low-resolution representation of an image. The program displays thumbnails of the photos you

are working on to help you find them and edit them.
TIFF Tagged Image File Format. A digital image format widely used for images that are to be printed or published.
TIFF images can be compressed losslessly.
tint A variation of a color produced by adding white, thus decreasing saturation and increasing lightness.

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tolerance A measure of the precision with which certain tools work. The tolerance describes the difference in value

between adjacent pixels affected by a tool. If the tolerance is high, many more pixels are affected or selected than if
the tolerance is low.
tonal correction An adjustment made in the tones of an image: shadows, highlights, or midtones. You can adjust
highlight and shadow values to increase the tonal range, adjust the brightness of the midtones without affecting
shadow and highlight values, and so on.
transform To scale, shrink, enlarge, skew, distort, rotate, or change the perspective of a layer, selection, or shape.
transform bounding box The box that surrounds the portion of an image you are changing with a transform

command.
transition An effect added between two photos, for instance in a slide show, that affects the visual presentation of

how one photo changes to the other.
transparency In digital photography, the functionality that supports transparent areas in an image or image layer.
Certain image formats do not support transparency.
trim To remove pixels from an image by using the Trim command in Photoshop. Photoshop Elements doesn’t have

a Trim command.
TWAIN A protocol by which applications and devices, such as scanners and cameras, exchange information.
type mask A selection outline in the shape of text.
type style See “font style” on page 290.

U
underexposed image An image that is overly dark because it was taken in low-light conditions or with incorrect

camera settings.
Unicode character Part of the Worldwide Character coding system for text.
Unsharp Mask A technique that sharpens details in an image by increasing the contrast between light and dark areas.

(The name originates from traditional photography, where contrast is increased by adding a slightly blurred negative
over the original.)

V
vector graphics Lines, shapes, and other graphic image components stored in a format that incorporates geometric

formulas for rendering the image elements. For this reason, the graphics scale without degradation of image quality,
and there are no jagged lines in the output. Adobe Illustrator is a vector graphics program.
video monitor Video monitors use a progressive scanning method to display images (as compared to televisions,

which use interlaced fields).
vignetting An effect in which the edges of an image gradually fade out.

W
warm colors Colors at the red end of the spectrum, including yellow and orange, associated with heat.
warping A distortion of an image, often text, to conform to a variety of shapes. For instance, a line of text can be

warped in the shape of an arc or wave.
Web Photo Gallery A feature for generating a full site of your images, which you can upload to your own web site.

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web-safe color Any of the 216 colors that are displayed consistently on the web, regardless of browser and computer

platform.
white balance A function that compensates for the different rendering of identical colors under different sources of
light: incandescent, fluorescent, sunlight, and so on.
white point A reference point used to represent white. This reference point is used to calculate all other colors in the

image.

Z
zero length images Images without specified dimensions.
zero width images Images without specified dimensions.
ZIP encoding A lossless compression technique best used for images that contain large areas of a single color.

300

Index
Numerics
16-bit and 48-bit grayscale,
defined 296
3D Transform filter 155, 188
A
Accented Edges filter 180
acquisition module interface,
defined 285
active layer, defined 285
Add Noise filter 186
additive primaries, defined 285
Adjust Color Curves command 115
Adjust Hue/Saturation
command 116, 117

animated GIFs
about 260
creating 263
defined 286

bas relief
defined 286
filter 191
baseline JPEG, defined 286

animation, previewing 269

Batch command 33

anti-aliasing

batch processing

defined 286

about 33

in selections 94

defined 286

turning on for selections 94

bevel, defined 286

application dither 266

bit depth, defined 286

arithmetic coded JPEG, defined 286

bitmap color mode

arrow, drawing 237

about 160

artifact, defined 286

converting from grayscale or
RGB 161

artwork and effects

converting to grayscale 162

Adjust Sharpness command 148

about 167

Adjust Skin Tone command 118

adding a background 169

Bitmap command 161

adjustment layers

adding a shape 168, 172

bitmap image, defined 286

about 63

adding text 171

bits/channel, defined 286

creating 64

adding visual effects 170

black and white 121

defined 285

Artwork panel, using 167

black and white conversion 120, 121

editing 66

Asian type

black body, defined 286

merging 66

mojikumi 235

blending modes

Adobe Color Engine, defined 285

options 234

about 199

Adobe Color Picker

spacing 234

defined 286

about 205

tate-chuu-yoko 234

specifying 62

aspect ratio, defined 286

blooming, defined 287

Adobe Dialog Manager (ADM),
defined 285

associated applications, defined 286

Blur filter 179

auto commands 104

Blur More filter 179

Adobe Photo Downloader

Auto Levels, defined 286

Blur tool 143

Auto Sharpen command 148

blur, defined 287

automating

BMP, defined 287

defined 285

defined 285
Adobe Photoshop Elements
new features 3
AGMLib, defined 285

batch processing 33

Border command 92

multiple image layouts 272

bounding box, defined 287
brightness

airbrush, defined 285
album pages
about 244

B
background color 199, 203, 204

aliasing, defined 285

Background Eraser tool 212

aligning text 230

Background layer

All command 90

about 49

alpha channels, defined 286

converting to regular layer 53

ambient light, defined 286
Angled Strokes filter 180

defined 286
backlight, defined 286

adjusting with Levels dialog
box 107
contrast and 110
defined 287
shadows and 109
value defined 287
Brightness/Contrast command 110
browser
choosing for previews 268
dither 266
previewing in 268

INDEX 301

brush library

CIE, defined 287

color casts

adding a brush 215

circle, drawing 237

adjusting with Levels 107, 114

deleting a brush 215

clipboard

correcting 112

Brush options 213

clearing 21

brush preset, defined 287

defined 287

Brush tool

path data defined 287

about 207

clipping groups

defined 288
removing 114
color channels, defined 288
color curves, correcting 115

about 68

color depth, defined 288

Burn tool 111

creating 68

color gamut, defined 288

burning, defined 287

removing layers from 69

Color Halftone filter

blending modes 199

ungrouping layers in 69

about 187

C
cache file, defined 287

Clone Stamp tool 140

applying 187

cloning, defined 287

color management

camera raw files

closing

about 165

about 73

files 34

defined 288

custom camera settings 77

windows in Editor 39

device profiles 166
set up 166

fixing color 100

Clouds filter 188

histogram and RGB values 77

CMap files, defined 287

image options 77

CMYK, defined 288

color mode, defined 288

preview controls 76

color

color model, defined 288

tasks 166

processing 74

about 158

Color Replacement tool 142

saving to other file formats 76

adding to grayscale 121

color separation, defined 288

sharpening 75

adjusting for skin tone 118

Color Settings command 166

tonal adjustment controls for 79

adjusting saturation and hue 116

color space, defined 288

white balance in 78

bitmap mode 160

Color Swatches palette 204

camera raw 100

color tables

cameras
distortion, correcting 143
downloading photos from 25
getting photos from 25
canceling an operation 20
canvas
defined 287
resizing 131
card reader

changing to black and white 120,
121
choosing from Color Swatches
palette 204
Color Swatches palette 204
correcting 100
fixing in Full Edit 100, 103
fixing in Quick Fix 100

defined 287

foreground and background 199,
203

downloading photos 25

grayscale mode 160

getting photos from 25

defined 288
using 160
color temperature, defined 288
color value, defined 288
color wheel
about 159
defined 288
Colored Pencil filter 177
ColorSync, defined 288
commands

HSB model 158

defined 288

cascade windows 38

image modes 160

using context menus 12

CCITT group, defined 287

indexed color mode 160

complementary colors, defined 288

CDs

management 165

completed operations alert 16

previewing in optimized
images 269

composites, Magic Extractor tool 88

Chalk &Charcoal filter 191

replacing 119

contact sheet, printing 272

channel, defined 287

RGB mode 160

Conté Crayon filter 191

characters, selecting 230

RGB model 159

content layers, defined 288

Charcoal filter 191

text 232

context menus 12

checkerboard grid, customizing 63

web-safe 202

contrast

jackets, creating 245
labels for, creating 246

compression, defined 288

chroma, defined 287

adjusting 110

Chrome filter 191

defined 288

INDEX 302

Convert to Black and White
command 120
cool colors, defined 288
CoolType, defined 289

digital camera, defined 289
Displace filter

e-mail
optimizing for 256

about 181

embedded profile, defined 289

applying 181

Emboss filter 193

Copy Merged command 96

distortion, correcting camera 143

Enhance commands 104

copying

dithering

EPS

areas of a photo 140

about 266

defined 289

selections 96

controlling 267

files, defined 289

Cos object, defined 289

defined 289

Craquelure filter 194

previewing 268

previews (PICT and TIFF),
defined 289

craquelure, defined 289
crooked images

Divide Scanned Photos
command 133

straightening 132

Dodge tool 111

straightening and dividing
multiple scanned photos 133

dodging, defined 289

cropping

using 32
Equalize filter
about 122
applying 122

dots per inch (dpi), defined 289

Eraser tool 210

double-byte fonts, defined 289

Crop command 130

downloading photos 25

Exchangeable Image File Format,
defined 290

Crop tool 129

downsample an image 136

Expand Or Contract command 92

defined 289

drawing

export module, defined 290

Crosshatch filter 180

circle or ellipse 237

exposure, defined 290

Crystalize filter 187

custom shapes 238

curve, adjusting 115

lines 237

Extensible Metadata Platform
(XMP), about 34

curves 115

multiple shapes in one layer 239

custom brushes, creating 215

polygons 237

custom filters

rectangles 236

about 195

Dry Brush filter 177

applying 196

duotone, defined 289

custom shape, defined 289

Dust & Scratches filter 186

Cutout filter 177

DVDs
jackets for, creating 245

D
Dark Strokes filter 180
darkening images 111
definition (image), defined 289

labels for, creating 246
E
editing

De-Interlace filter 195

in the Editor 10

Delete Selection command 98

type (text) 230

deleting
layers 55

Editor
about 10

Deselect command 90

palettes 17

deselecting selections 90

printing a photo from 270

Despeckle filter 186

effects

Extrude filter
about 193
applying 193
Eyedropper tool 203
F
Facet filter 187
fade, defined 290
fall-off, defined 290
faux bold style, defined 290
faux font, defined 290
FDF, defined 290
Feather command 95
feathering
about 94
defined 290
existing selections 94
with a selection tool 94
features of Photoshop Elements,
new 3

dialog boxes, using pop-up sliders 17

about 170

Difference Clouds filter 188

Fibers filter 188

applying 170

differential JPEG files, defined 289

file compression, about 45

improving performance 176

file formats 41

Diffuse filter 192

ellipse, drawing 237

Diffuse Glow filter 181

Elliptical Marquee tool

Digimarc watermarks
detecting 197
filter for 196

options for 82
using 82

File Info dialog box
adding or viewing metadata 34
metadata templates 34

INDEX 303

file information
adding in File Info dialog box 34
Info palette 34
files

format
PSE 242

noise 224
specifying transparency 223

Fragment filter 187

Grain filter 194

frame layer, defined 290

Graphic Pen filter 191

camera raw 73

Free Transform 154

grayscale

optimized formats 257

Fresco filter 177

about 160

renaming when downloading 25

Full Edit

adding color to 121

fill layers

about 10

converting to bitmap mode 162

applying fill or pattern 217

auto commands 104

as adjustment layers 63

fixing color 100

Grayscale command 162

workflow 103

greeting cards

changing type of 66
converting to image layers 55

fuzziness, defined 290

defined 290
editing 66
using 65
Film Grain filter 177

defined 291

about 245
grid

G
galleries
web 251

Filter Gallery dialog box 175

gamma adjustment, defined 290

filters

gamut, defined 291

about 39
changing settings 40
Grow command 92

about 172

Gaussian Blur filter 179

H
Halftone Pattern filter 191

applying 173

Gaussian blur, defined 291

halftone, defined 291

categories 174

getting photos

Healing Brush 139

custom 195
defined 290

basic steps for downloading
files 24

gallery 175

by downloading 25

adjusting with Levels 107

improving performance 176

by searching 28

adjusting with tools 111

plug-ins 196

from cameras 25

defined 291

texturizing options 176

from card readers 25

tips for creating visual effects 172

from files and folders 28

tips for using 172
filters. See also individual filter names

from video 29
GIF format

High Pass filter 195
highlights

shadows and 108
histogram
about 105
defined 291

Find Edges filter 193

about 259

fixing

creating matte 265

history state, defined 291

large blemishes 139

defined 291

Horizontal Type Mask tool 232

small blemishes with Spot Healing
Brush 138

hard edge transparency 266

Horizontal Type tool 228

optimizing 257, 262

hotspot, defined 291

preserving transparency 265

HSB (hue, saturation, brightness)

flattening
defined 290
layers 61
flipping a photo

saving as 43
Glass filter 182
glossary 296

using 106

color model 158
defined 291
hue

automatically 150

Glowing Edges filter 193

adjusting 116

manually 151

Gradient Map filter

adjusting sliders 117

font
choosing 231
color 232

about 122
applying 122
gradients

changing 116
defined 291
hue jigger, defined 291

defined 290

about 220

installation 1

applying 221

size 231

applying to text 222

I
ICC, defined 291

defined 291

illuminance, defined 291

defining 222

image cache, defined 291

foreground color 199, 203, 204

INDEX 304

image definition 289
image mode
defined 291
image modes

K
keyboard shortcuts
Editor 276
kumimoji, defined 292

Image Size command 135

locking and unlocking 54
merging 60
merging into another layer 61
renaming 55

using 160
image size 134

linking and unlinking 59

L
Lasso tool

sampling from 56
selecting 53

options for 84

selecting all pixels on 90
selecting opaque areas in 63

in projects 247

switching to Magnetic Lasso
tool 84

opening 30

using 83

specifying blending modes in 62

images
flattening 61

sharpening 148
importing
attached tags 25

layer blending options 61

simplifying 55
specifying opacity for 62

layer content, moving 58

Layers palette, about 50

layer group

Lens Flare filter 188

Impressionist Brush tool 208

about 51

indexed color

defined 292

about 107

simplifying 55

adjusting shadows and
brightness 109

about 160
converting from RGB or
grayscale 162
defined 291

layer masks

Levels

defined 292

editing in adjustment layers 67

removing color casts 114

Indexed Color command 162

editing in fill layers 67

Levels command 109

indexed-color table

using in adjustment layers 67

libraries

editing 164

using in fill layers 67

loading 226

predefined 164

layer opacity options 61

replacing 227

saving or loading 164

layer styles

restoring default 227

transparency 164

about 69

saving a subset 227

Info command 34

applying 70

lighten images 111

Info palette

applying to shapes 240

Lighting Effects filter

setting color modes 35

changing scale of 71

about 188

setting units of measurement 35

copying settings 72

adjusting 190

Ink Outlines filter 180

editing settings 71

interlacing, defined 292

removing 72

line, drawing 237

showing and hiding 71

Liquify filter

Inverse command 90
Invert filter
about 123

layer thumbnails
hiding 54
resizing 54

J
jitter, defined 292

layers
adding to an image 51

JPEG compression, defined 292

changing stacking order of 58

JPEG format

converting to the Background 53

applying 189

about 182
applying 182
Load Selection command 98
locked file, defined 292
locked layers
defined 292
locking 54

about 258

copying between images 57

lossless technique, defined 292

creating matte 266

copying in an image 96

lossy technique, defined 292

defined 292

luminance, defined 292

optimizing 257

creating from parts of other
layers 52

optimizing as 261

defined 292

saving as 43

deleting 55

LZW, defined 293

duplicating in an image 56

M
Magic Eraser tool 210

duplicating in another image 56

Magic Extractor 88

hiding and showing 54

Magic Selection Brush tool 86

INDEX 305

Magic Wand tool

Move tool

options for 85

copying selections with 96

using 85

moving selections with 95

Magnetic Lasso tool
options for 85
switching to Lasso tool 84

options for 95

a view 36
and resizing 37
managed files and managed folder 28
managing color 165

previewing images 268
Save For Web dialog box 256
orientation of type 234

using 95
movies. See video

P
page options, setting 274

N
naming

Page Setup command 274

using 84
magnifying

previewing colors 269

renaming files when
downloading 25
Navigator palette

Paint Bucket tool 217
Paint Daubs filter 178
painting
about 198

Marquee tool, options for 82

about 38

blending modes 199

masks 232

zooming 36

Brush tool 198

Match Location command 38

Neon Glow filter 177

Match Zoom command 38

noise gradient, defined 293

Palette Bin 17

matte

noise, defined 293

Palette Knife filter 178

about 264

non-fringe pixels, defined 293

palettes

creating 265

Note Paper filter 192

about 16

creating in JPEG file 266

NTSC Colors filter 195

menus in 16

defined 293

Palette Bin 17

measurement units, for printing 274

O
Ocean Ripple filter 183

Median filter 186

Offset filter 195

memory

online services

Maximum filter 195

clearing from the clipboard 21
clearing from Undo History
palette 21

Impressionist Brush tool 198

using in Editor 17
panoramas
about 252
defined 293

about 275

paragraph type 228

defined 293

Paste Into Selection command 97

opacity

pasting selections 96

merging layers 60

defined 293

Patchwork filter 194

metadata

options 61

Pattern Stamp tool 219

specifying in layers 62

patterns

File Info dialog box 34
metadata templates
about 34

opaque, defined 293

about 219

opening

creating 220

Mezzotint filter 187

EPS files 32

mezzotint, defined 293

files 30

midtone, defined 293
Minimum filter 195

multiple windows of the same
image 38

moire, defined 293

PDF files 31

mojikumi

recently used file 31

defined 293

operations, undoing or redoing 21

using 235

optimizing

monitor resolution

about 256

defined 293

download time 268

scaling and 135

file formats 257

Mosaic filter 187

GIF 262

Mosaic Tiles filter 194

JPEG 261

Motion Blur filter 179

PNG-24 263
PNG-8 262
presets 261

defined 294
preset 220
PDF files
defined 294
opening 31
Pencil tool 207
performance, of filters and effects 176
perspective
applying 153
defined 294
phosphor, defined 294
photo books
about 244
Photo Creations Format
saving files in 40

INDEX 306

Photo Creations format
defined 41
Photo filter
about 125
applying 125
photo projects
about 242
editing in Photoshop CS2 249
using the dialog box 242

plug-ins
installing 23
using in Photoshop Elements 23
PNG format
creating matte 265

optimization 261
Preset Manager 226
renaming 227
pressure-sensitive tablets 216
previewing

defined 294

animation 269

saving as 45

color in optimized images 269

PNG-24 format

optimized images 268

about 260

print dimensions, changing 135

Photocopy filter 192

optimizing 257

printer profiles, defined 294

Photomerge Panorama

optimizing as 263

printer resolution 134

about 252

PNG-8 format

printing

changing the vanishing point
in 254

about 259

contact sheet 272

hard edge transparency 266

from the Editor 270

dialog box 253

optimizing 257

measurement units 274

reducing distortion and
inconsistent color in 254

optimizing as 262

multilayer images 272

preserving transparency 265

options 274

photos

point, defined 294

press values, about 126

pointillism, defined 294

scaling an image 272

fitting to the screen 37

Pointillize filter 188

scaling in Print Preview 272

in projects 247

Polar Coordinates filter 183

setting target and press values 127

opening multiple windows of 38

Polygonal Lasso tool

target values 127

creating subfolder when
downloading 25

opening one multiple times 38

options for 84

printing multilayer images 272

using 83

renaming files when
downloading 25
replacing or removing in
projects 248

pop-up palettes

target values, setting 126
profile, defined 295
profiling, color management 166

about 225

progressive scan, defined 295

changing display 226

projects

working with presets 225

about 241

reposition or resize in projects 248

Poster Edges filter 178

adding new pages 247

reverting to previous state 21

Posterize filter

adding photos to 247

rotating in projects 249
scaling in the Print Preview dialog
box 272
viewing at 100% 37
Photoshop EPS format, saving as 44
Photoshop PDF format, saving as 44
Photoshop raw format, defined 294
PICT, defined 294
Pinch filter
about 183
applying 183
pixels
defined 294
removing stray 93
pixels per inch (ppi), defined 294
Plaster filter 192
Plastic Wrap filter 178

about 123

album pages 244

posterize, defined 294

CD or DVD jackets 245

PostScript, defined 294

CD or DVD labels 246

preferences

defined 295

completed operations alert 16

finding saved 241

file saving 46

greeting card 245

general 37, 39

opening saved 241

grid 40

photo book 244

units & rulers 231

photo layout 244

Preset Manager
about 226
loading a library 226
renaming a preset 227
replacing library 227
restoring default library 227
saving subset of a library 227
presets
about 225
in a pop-up palette 225

print-oriented 241
replacing or removing photos
in 248
repositioning and resizing photos
in 248
rotating photos in 249
web galleries 251
PSD, defined 295
PSE, photo projects format 242

INDEX 307

Q
Quick Fix

Reticulation filter 192

scratch disks

reticulation, defined 295

about 22

auto commands 104

Revert To Saved command 21

changing 23

color 100

reverting

defined 296

editing photos in 100

to previous state 21

screen resolution, defined 296

fixing color 100

to saved version 21

selecting

viewing images in 36
R
Radial Blur filter 180

RGB

all pixels on a layer 90

defined 295

intersecting areas 91

mode 160

Magic Extractor 88

raster image, defined 295

Ripple filter 183

read me file 1
rectangle, drawing 236

RLE (run length encoding),
defined 296

Rectangular Marquee tool

rotating

options for 82

by a set percentage 150

using 82

freely 151

red eye
defined 295

about 81

color model 159

Rough Pastels filter 178
rulers

Magic Selection Brush tool 86
reselecting recent selections 90
selection borders
hiding and showing 90
moving 90
Selection Brush tool
options for 87
using 87

redoing an operation 20

about 39

Selection command 90

Reduce Noise filter 186

changing settings 39

selection tools 82

reducing a view 36
Remove Color command 121
removing

selections
S
sampling

adding to 91
anti-aliasing 94

objects from a photo 138, 139, 140

defined 296

copying 96

parts of a photo 129

from layers 56

copying with Move tool 96

renaming

saturation

defined 296

adjusting sliders 117

deleting 89

rendering, defined 295

adjusting specific areas 119

deleting saved 98

renmoji, defined 295

adjusting with hue 116

expanding or contracting 91

Replace Color command 119

changing 116

feathering using tools 94

replacing colors in an image 142

defined 296

feathering with Feather
command 94

layers 55

requirements, system 1

Save For Web 256

resampling

Save Selection command 98

defined 295

saving

framing with a new selection
border 92

about 40

including similar colors in 92

Reselect command 90

from Editor 42

inverting 90

reselecting selections 90

options 42

loading saved 98

images 136

Reset All Tools command 16

scaling

modifying saved 98

Reset Tool command 16

in the Print Preview dialog box 272

moving with Move tool 95

resizing

layers 152

pasting into one another 96

automatically 37

photos 152

saving new 97

for print 135

selections 152

selecting intersecting 91

while zooming 37

shapes 152

subtracting from 91

scanning, defined 296

sepia print, defined 296

about 134

scatter, defined 296

Shadow/Highlights command 108

changing 135

Scitex file, defined 296

shadows

resolution

defined 295
resolution independence,
defined 295

about 107
adjusting with Levels 109
adjusting with tools 111

INDEX 308

brightness and 109

selections 153

swatches, defined 297

highlights and 108

shapes 153

system requirements 1

shape layers
about 236
defined 296
simplifying 55
shapes

skin tone, adjusting color for 118
slide shows
about 251
Smart Blur filter 180
Smooth command 93

T
tags
defined 292
importing 25

about 236

smoothing, defined 297

Targa (TGA) format, defined 297

circle 237

Smudge Stick filter 178

target channels, defined 297

color 240

Smudge tool 209

target colors, defined 297

creating multiple 239

soften edges 143

target layer, defined 297

custom shape 238

Solarize filter 193

target values

ellipse 237

Spatter filter 180

for printing 127

layer styles 240

Spherize filter

setting 126, 127

line 237

about 184

moving 239

applying 184

tate-chuu-yoko
defined 297

multi-sided 237

Sponge filter 178

rectangle 236

Sponge tool 119

temperature, defined 297

rounded rectangle 236

spot channels, defined 297

text

selecting 239

Spot Healing Brush 138

square 236

Sprayed Strokes filter 181

Texture Fill filter 190

transforming 239

square, drawing 236

Texturizer filter 195

Sharpen tool 148

sRGB, defined 297

Threshold filter 124

sharpening

stacking order, changing in layers 58

thumbnails

automatically 148
defined 296

stacks
defined 297

using 234

See type

defined 297
TIFF format

halo, defined 296

Stained Glass filter 194

defined 297

images 148

Stamp filter 192

file saving options 45

precisely 148

Standard Edit

tips 148
tool 148
unsharp mask 150
Shear filter
about 183
applying 184
shortcuts

saving 45

fixing color 103

tile windows 38

viewing images 36

Tiles filter 194

straightening images

tint, defined 297

and separating 133

tolerance, defined 298

single images 132

tonal correction, defined 298

stray pixels, removing 93

tonal range, adjusting 107

stroke (outline) 218

toolbox

context menus 12

stroke, defined 297

about 13

keyboard commands, about 12

subfolder

selecting a tool 14

list of 276
silhouette, defined 296
Similar command 92
simplifying layers
converting 55
defined 296

creating when downloading
photos 25
subfolder, creating when
downloading 25
subtractive primaries, defined 297
Sumi-e filter 181

single-channel image, defined 296

superimposing, using the Magic
Extractor 88

skewing

swatch libraries

tools
See also individual tool names
options 16
preferences 15
Torn Edges filter 192
Trace Contour filter 194
transform, defined 298
transforming

defined 297

custom 205

layers 154

layers 153

default 205

photos 154

photos 153

selections 154

INDEX 309

transitions
defined 298
transparency
about 264
creating as matte 265

Unsharp Mask

closing 39

applying 150

magnifying 37

defined 298

opening multiple of same image 38

unwarping type 234

defined 298
hard edges 266

V
vanishing point, changing 254

preserving 265

vector graphics

transparency grid, customizing 63

creating shapes 236

transparency, matte. 274

defined 298

trim, defined 298

Vertical Type Mask tool 232

Tsume 234

Vertical Type tool 228

TWAIN, defined 298

video

type

resizing 37
tile 38

in JPEG file 266

Twirl filter 184

windows

about 150

getting photos from 29
viewing

workspace
about 13
Editor 10
Welcome screen 10
X
XMP, about 34
Z
zero length/width images,
defined 299

aligning 230

fit to the screen 37

Asian type options 234
choosing font 231

multiple windows of the same
image 38

choosing size 231

navigating in window 38

color 232

photos at 100% 37

editing 230

photos in Full Edit 36

ZIP encoding, defined 299

entering 228

photos in Quick Fix 36

zooming

mask 232

print size 135

and resizing 37

mojikumi 235

tiled windows 38

in Editor 36

orientation 234

vignetting, defined 298

selecting 230
tate-chuu-yoko 234

W
warm colors, defined 298

tool options 229

warping

spacing Asian type 234

tools 228
unwarping 234
warping 233
type layers
simplifying 55
type mask, defined 298
type style, defined 298

defined 298
type 233
Water Paper filter 192
Watercolor filter 178
Wave filter
about 184
applying 184
web galleries 251

U
underexposed image, defined 298
Underpainting filter 178
Undo History palette 20

web optimization 256
web-safe colors
defined 299
using 202

clearing memory 21

Welcome Screen 10

deleting states 21

white balance

using 20

camera raw files 78
defined 299
white point, defined 299
Wind filter 194

zero origin, in rulers 39
ZigZag filter
about 185
applying 185

Source Exif Data:

File Type                       : PDF
File Type Extension             : pdf
MIME Type                       : application/pdf
PDF Version                     : 1.4
Linearized                      : Yes
Page Count                      : 314
Page Mode                       : UseOutlines
XMP Toolkit                     : XMP toolkit 2.9.1-13, framework 1.6
Producer                        : Acrobat Distiller Server 6.0.1 (Sparc Solaris, Built: 2003-11-03)
Create Date                     : 2008:02:18 18:34:12Z
Modify Date                     : 2008:02:18 18:34:12Z
Creator Tool                    : FrameMaker 7.1
Format                          : application/pdf
Title                           : Adobe Photoshop Elements 6.0 User Guide
Description                     : Adobe Photoshop Elements 6.0
Creator                         : Adobe Systems Incorporated
Author                          : Adobe Systems Incorporated
Subject                         : Adobe Photoshop Elements 6.0

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Adobe Photoshop Elements 6.0 User Guide Photoshopelements 6 En

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