Getting started: What is Photoshop Elements?

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

Get an overview of the kinds of things you can do in Photoshop Elements. Tour the Organizer and Editor workspaces and check out some of the tools.

• More full-sized videos like this one
• Photoshop Elements 7 videos
• Photoshop Elements 8 videos

Requirements

To complete this tutorial, install the following software:

Adobe Photoshop Elements 7 or later

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• Buy

Adobe® Photoshop® Elements is a photo-editing and photo-organizing program designed for non-professionals. Photoshop Elements is packed with features to help amateur photographers at every stage of digital photo processing, including photo organizing, editing, and output. If you are someone who loves to take snapshots of your family and friends or photography is your hobby, but you don't make your living from it, then Photoshop Elements is made for you. This tutorial is intended to be a quick overview of the kinds of things that you can do in Photoshop Elements. You learn where to go in the program to do those things.

Starting Photoshop Elements

You can start Elements from the Windows Start menu at the bottom of the screen. Or, if you have a shortcut to Elements on your desktop, double-click the shortcut to start the program.

1. Start Photoshop Elements.
2. Explore the Welcome screen.

Photoshop Elements workflow

The first screen you see when you start Photoshop Elements is called the Welcome screen. The Welcome screen includes four buttons, as shown in Figure 1. These buttons represent the four main kinds of tasks that you can do in Photoshop Elements. If you read them from left to right, they represent a typical photography workflow.

Figure 1: Task buttons in the Welcome screen

Consider starting off by organizing your photos, so they are easier to find later. Then, edit a few of them, either improving their photo quality or changing their content. Next, create photo projects like slide shows, books, or calendars. Finally, share your photos or your photo projects with family and friends.

Photoshop Elements workspaces

There are two main workspaces in Photoshop Elements. One is called the Organizer and the other is called the Editor. From the Welcome screen, you can access the Organizer workspace by clicking one of three buttons; the Organizer button, the Create button, or the Share button. From the Welcome screen, you can access the Editor workspace by clicking the Edit button.

The Organizer

To view the Organizer workspace, click the Organize button in the Welcome screen.

1. Click Organize.

   The Organizer workspace has two panes, as shown in Figure 2. The left pane is called the Photo Browser. The pane is blank if you haven't launched the program before. The Task pane is on the right side of the Organizer. The Task pane changes depending on which tab is selected at the top – Organize, Fix, Create, or Share.

   With the Organize tab selected, the Task pane includes features that help you to organize your photos into albums and add suitable keyword tags.

   

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   Figure 2: Organizer workspace with the Organize tab selected

2. Click the Fix tab in the Organizer workspace.

   With the Fix tab selected, the Task pane includes options for applying quick fixes to photos, as shown in Figure 3.

   

   Figure 3: Organizer workspace with Fix tab selected

3. Click the Create tab in the Organizer workspace.

   With the Create tab selected, the Task pane includes options for creating photo projects, as shown in Figure 4.

   

   Figure 4: Organizer workspace with Create tab selected

4. Click the Share tab in the Organizer workspace.

   With the Share tab selected, the Task pane includes options for sharing photos, as shown in Figure 5.

   

   Figure 5: Organizer workspace with Share tab selected

   Note: You can go directly to each of these views by clicking Organize, Create, or Share from the Welcome screen.

The Editor

The Editor workspace is available from the Welcome screen, or by clicking the Edit button in the Organizer. You can also click the Editor button on the menu bar at the top of the screen and choose from one of three Editor modes: Quick Fix Editor, Full Edit, or Guided Edit.

1. Select any photo in the Organizer.
2. Click the Editor button and choose Quick Fix.

   The Quick Fix Editor, shown in Figure 6, shows the image in the left pane. The right pane includes options for fixing common photo problems by using simple sliders.

   

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   Figure 6: Quick Fix Editor

3. Click Guided at the top of the right pane.

   Guided Edit, shown in Figure 7, is a series of tutorials on specific techniques for improving your photos. For example, you can adjust Brightness and Contrast, Enhance Colors, Touch Up Scratches, and so on.

   

   Figure 7: Guided edit

4. Click Full Edit at the top of the right pane.

   Full Edit, shown in Figure 8, gives you complete control over all aspects of editing your photos. This workflow is similar to working in Photoshop.

   

   Figure 8: Full edit

The difference between Photoshop Elements and Photoshop

Do you wonder if you should use Photoshop or Photoshop Elements?

If you are a professional photographer, a professional designer, or a fine artist who makes high-end prints, purchase Adobe Photoshop. Otherwise give Photoshop Elements a try.

There are many similarities between the two programs; however they are not the same. There are a number of features in Photoshop for more advanced users that aren't in Photoshop Elements.

A few examples of features in Photoshop, but not in Photoshop Elements include:

• advanced color management
• the Channels panel
• the Pen tool
• the Paths panel
• CMYK and LAB color
• direct layer masking
• Layer comps
• HDR imaging
• vanishing point
• text on a path
• web page slicing
• the Color Balance adjustment

But most non-professional features are available in Photoshop Elements.

Photoshop Elements is much less expensive than Photoshop and it is designed to be simpler to learn and to use. For example, the Quick Edit and the Guided Edit are available in Photoshop Elements but not in Photoshop. Some of the more advanced features in Photoshop Elements like Curves or Color Management are presented in Photoshop Elements in a more simplified manner than in Photoshop.

Photoshop.com

Adobe has developed a new online service called Photoshop.com that extends Photoshop Elements. Do things like backup and share your photos online, or view fresh inspirational tutorials. The reason you can't dismiss the Welcome Screen is that Adobe wants you to sign into Photoshop.com every time you start Photoshop Elements so that you can take advantage of these features. You can log in from the Photoshop Elements Welcome screen, as shown in Figure 9.

The Welcome Screen is the first screen that you see when you start Photoshop Elements. You can return to the Welcome screen from both the Organizer and Editor workspace by clicking the Welcome button at the top of the window. It looks like a house.

1. Click the Welcome button (the house at the top of the window).
2. View the Photoshop.com login pane in the Welcome screen.

   

   Figure 9: Photoshop.com login (or sign up) on the Welcome screen

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
• Getting photos from a digital camera
• Getting photos from files and folders

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