Getting started: Moving files

You can use this tutorial with Adobe® Photoshop® Elements versions 7 and 8.

See why it's best to use the Organizer when moving files from one location to another in Adobe® Photoshop® Elements. Learn how to reconnect files you've moved outside Elements.

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Requirements

To complete this tutorial, install the following software:

Adobe Photoshop Elements 7 or later

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Moving a file by using the Organizer

Suppose you want to move a photo that you have edited from its current location in a folder to the desktop of your computer.

1. Start Photoshop Elements and open the Organizer workspace.
2. In the Photo Browser, click the photo to select it.
3. Choose File > Move. The Move Selected Items dialog box appears, as shown in Figure 1.

   

   Figure 1: The Move Selected Items dialog box

4. Click Browse, navigate to the Desktop of your computer, and then click OK.

   If you want to move additional files, you can click Add (green plus sign). If you only want to move this one file, you can click OK.

5. Click Add to move additional files. The Add Photos dialog box appears. You can move your entire catalog, a particular album, and so on, as shown in Figure 2.

   

   Figure 2: The Add Photos dialog box

6. Click Cancel, and in the Move Selected Items dialog box, click OK.

   If you are in Folder Location view (Display > Folder Location), the path to the location of the file appears above the selected photo. See Figure 3.

   

   Figure 3:Folder Location view showing the path to the selected file

   You can tell by this path that the file is now moved to its new location on the desktop. Photoshop Elements has automatically reconnected the Organizer to that file.

Moving a file by using Windows Explorer

Now let's see what happens if you move a file outside the Organizer, in the Windows Explorer.

1. Minimize the Organizer workspace and any other programs so you can see the Windows desktop.

   Notice the file that you just moved to the desktop using the Organizer. You are going to manually move it from the desktop back into its original location.

2. Open the Windows folder that originally contained the file, and then drag the photo from the desktop back into that folder.
3. Maximize the Organizer workspace again.

   Now when you look at the path above the photo thumbnail, Photoshop Elements still thinks the photo is on the desktop. It is important that Photoshop Elements knows where the photo really lives so that it can track it. There are two ways to reconnect this photo. One is automatic, one is manual. For example, if you did something to a photo like adjust its date and time, Photoshop Elements automatically tries to find the photo and reconnect. This process can happen so fast that you don't realize that it happened. However, if you don't plan to do anything to the photo but you want to make sure that it's reconnected, you can reconnect it manually.

4. With the thumbnail selected in the Photo Browser, choose File > Reconnect > Missing File. Photoshop Elements searches for the file, as shown in Figure 4.

   

   Figure 4: Reconnecting a file

   When Photoshop Elements locates the file, it repairs the link. When it is done, the path above the photo in the Photo Browser is corrected.

Where to go from here

If you enjoyed this tutorial, check out these other resources to help get you started using Photoshop Elements.

• Photoshop Elements Essentials for Windows tutorials on lynda.com
• Photoshop Elements shows on Adobe TV
• Photoshop Elements Help and Support
• Using the Guided Edit mode
• Touring the Full Edit interface
• Using tools

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