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  • Photoshop Elements 6

    I decided I wanted more control over my image editing so I downloaded PS6. OMG, what a huge program! Does anybody here use it?
    The best, the most successful adventurer, is the one having the most fun.

  • #2
    Originally posted by Neil View Post
    I decided I wanted more control over my image editing so I downloaded PS6. OMG, what a huge program! Does anybody here use it?
    They usually come free with scanners and even my graphics tablet (basically a digital pen which I wanted, then hated for a few weeks, and now can't work without it. Even use it as my mouse!).

    The last one I have is elements 4 or 5 I think. Since I reformatted i haven't put Elements back on.

    As far as usefulness, it's a very good program and should do about 90-99% of what you need. By the time you figure it all out, you'll know if you need full photoshop or not.

    Since every release of Elements comes closer to the utility of the full photoshop, it's hard to say how much you won't have. 2 things I know have always been missing is full color management (proofing), and layer mask.

    Beyond that, I think it covers most of what photoshop does for 1/6th the price.
    sigpic

    "As to every healthy boy with a taste for outdoor life, the northern forest -the Adirondacks- were to me a veritable land of enchantment." -Theodore Roosevelt

    Mountain Visions: The Wilderness Through My Eyes

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    • #3
      I'm not certain, but I think Elements 6 added layer masking.

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      • #4
        That makes sense...they have increased the ability to work with layers with each release. I remember the original elements lacked any layer options at all.

        And I'm certain they might be phasing out CS or dedicating it to it's original role, graphic artist.

        So Elements and Lightroom should do probably 98% of the full photoshop within the next 1-2 release cycles, really if they just add full color management with the layer masking most people wouldn't need to buy CS.

        But they have the pros by the balls so to speak because of the color management and soft proofing.
        sigpic

        "As to every healthy boy with a taste for outdoor life, the northern forest -the Adirondacks- were to me a veritable land of enchantment." -Theodore Roosevelt

        Mountain Visions: The Wilderness Through My Eyes

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        • #5
          So is this a good alternative to the more expensive full photoshop?

          And if so is this a good book to go with it: http://www.amazon.com/Adobe-Photosho...3460673&sr=8-2

          Sometimes rather than paging thru the help index in the software, it helps me to have a book open with instructions in front of me as I do things and also can read it in bed or in the car when my wife drives.
          "The way I see it, you're hooked.Trout have you. Another soul lost." Elias Wonder, The Earth is Enough by Harry Middleton

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          • #6
            I can't remember life before photoshop...

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            • #7
              Elements lacks layer mask but I posted a trick a while back to essentially create layer mask without actually having layer mask.

              For $89 it does most of what anyone could ever need.

              I agree about the book, I got one with my copy of Photoshop 6.0 and it was a great help understanding all the tools and possible options. And while the book isn't great reading on it's own, you definitely could kill some time on a long car ride just familarizing yourself with everything that is possible in the program.
              sigpic

              "As to every healthy boy with a taste for outdoor life, the northern forest -the Adirondacks- were to me a veritable land of enchantment." -Theodore Roosevelt

              Mountain Visions: The Wilderness Through My Eyes

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              • #8
                Maybe someone can give me a hand. In a lot of pictures I want to correct the exposure for only a part of the picture. Once I have selected the part I want to fix and copied it to a layer what are my choices? I seem to get stuck. The best I could figure out was to make the basic background layer invisible and use the enhance tools. There must be something better....
                The best, the most successful adventurer, is the one having the most fun.

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                • #9
                  You are on the right track. Once you have the sections selected, simply copy as a new layer. From that point make sure the new layer in the layers pallette is highlighted and then do what you want, it will only affect that layer.

                  you might want to feather a bit. Depends on image size and the subject. But skys against mountain backdrops usually need a little feathering. anywhere from 5-20 pixels usually works.

                  You can unclick the eyeball on the base layer so only the top layer shows while you are working on it, or leave it showing so you can see how it will interact as a final image.

                  Once it's a layer you can do anything you want to it, keeping in mind it needs to resemble the background or it will just look silly (or photoshopped). Generally, Shadow/Highlight, levels, saturation, color balance, even noise reduction and selective sharpening can be used. For instance, on a portrait, you can selectively sharpen the eyes to make them pop. Or in a scene with lots of blank sky but a lot of noise, you can be more agressive in noise reduction on the blank blue sky without robbing the image of foreground details.

                  I like to save the layered PSD's on anything complicated if I want to fine tune it later I won't have to start over.

                  One last thing if the image looks a little too over done, simply back off the opcacity till it looks good. If it's really out of whack, delete the layer and start over. Usually no matter what I set the overlayed layers down to 95-97% to smooth out the transitions a bit.

                  Once you are finished, flatten the image or just save it as a layered PSD, and then flatten and save as JPEG/TIFF (depending on the use, web use must be JPEG, printing can be either JPEG or TIFF).

                  The only thing you should not use layers on is standard unsharp mask. Don't sharpen till the image is flattened and ready to post/print.

                  Layers are essentially non destructive to the image, but not completely lossless, anytime you alter pixels you are degrading the quality of the file. Color files handle this degradation much less than black and white. Just remember to never resave the originals.

                  Example, you shoot JPEGs or scan from film. Don't edit and then resave the original file, make sure to SAVE AS. And save it as a TIFF/PSD, don't ever save intermediate files as JPEGs, even JPEG 100 (no compression). And then when you are finished save the final web JPEG to a different folder. I personally put all my web jpegs into a folder called "web upload" this way I don't get confused.
                  sigpic

                  "As to every healthy boy with a taste for outdoor life, the northern forest -the Adirondacks- were to me a veritable land of enchantment." -Theodore Roosevelt

                  Mountain Visions: The Wilderness Through My Eyes

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                  • #10
                    Originally posted by pico23 View Post
                    you might want to feather a bit. Depends on image size and the subject. But skys against mountain backdrops usually need a little feathering. anywhere from 5-20 pixels usually works.
                    I used the magnetic lasso to select the underexposed foreground in a picture where the sky was properly exposed and wound up with a black line between the sky and the foreground.

                    Btw, when I start up PS I get a dialog box telling me my monitor is defective and to run the calibration software. When I right click my desktop and go to advanced properties for display everything looks OK. If I click add for color profile a list of about 12 different profiles (ICC profiles) pops up. What's that all about?
                    The best, the most successful adventurer, is the one having the most fun.

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                    • #11
                      Not sure about the monitor issue, check that it's set to 32 bit color and a reasonable resolution like 1024x768. Don't change the ICC profiles unless you've already changed them. it can open a whole bunch of issues. Ideally, and probably in the future, every monitor will come with a built in color calibrator, but until that happens I really recommend something like a Pantone Huey or a Colorvision Spider. You'd be surprised how off your default monitor settings are, and even by trying to color match by eye it's a very hard thing to do. I believe this is where most people get most disappointed in sending off for internet printers and receiving inacurrate photos.

                      The black line is from lack of feathering. If you don't feather at all your changes occur at the 1 pixel level on the magnetic lasso selection. But if you feather you essentially "graduate" the changes over a larger area.

                      I'll let you in on a little secret. Feather 2x which makes an even finer grad so instead of doing 10 or 20 pixels, try 5 pixels 2x or 10 pixels 2x.

                      Feathering though is an image by image basis, some things need a big feather and others a small one, generally it's based on the scene contrast.
                      sigpic

                      "As to every healthy boy with a taste for outdoor life, the northern forest -the Adirondacks- were to me a veritable land of enchantment." -Theodore Roosevelt

                      Mountain Visions: The Wilderness Through My Eyes

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