Some puns can be shot so there will be no manipulation of the image except minor technical enhancements.

In this case, Shira cut out the note and placed in on a book to capture a one shot digital image of the pun “notebook”.

Most students have trouble with contrast and placement in photos. Photoshop Elements features can easily remedy these basic image problems.

Crop your image
First, open your digital image in the Photoshop Elements Work Area. According to good rules of composition (like the Rules of Thirds), an asymmetrical placement of the main subject will generally make a better picture. Use the Crop tool found in the Tool Box to cut out unimportant background detail and move the subject more to one side. In this case, the subject was placed more to the right.

Use the Quick Fix feature

1. Go to Enhance and select the Quick Fix feature.
2. Choose Brightness in the Select Adjustment Category.
3. Move the levers until you get the desired result.
4. Click OK.

You can also make change color variation in the Enhance Menu.

• Enhance > Adjust Color > Color Variations
  This option lets you adjust the brightness of the middle, dark, or light areas.

The final “notebook” pun will look something like the image on the right.

As an imaging project
The note could also have been applied using the Custom Shape tool . An eighth note can easily be chosen from the Custom Shape Picker on the Options bar. Using rotation and distortion features, the note can be placed on the notebook.

Use your “head” and you can come up with a pun like “Head Over Heels”.

We had access to an old plaster head, but a digital shot of a real head would work just as well.

These shots were taken without any special lighting set up because Photoshop Elements can help correct most problems in the Work Area.

Select Enhance > Adjust Brightness/Contrast to darken the head and which also makes it easier to cut out the background later.

Try several angles and subjects

You may need to take several shots of pun parts to make sure you get the final image across clearly. You may be laughing away, but will the viewer get your intended meaning? The second shot of shoes really emphasizes the heel section better.

1. Open up a new document with a preset size of 2 x3.
2. Using a combination of the Magnetic Lasso tool , the Eraser tool , and the Magic Wand clean up the head image.
3. Select the Move tool from the Tool Box and drag the head image over to the new document.
4. Use the Move tool again and drag over the pair of heels to the open window with the head. The pair of heels image will be used just as it was originally photographed.

Try out a pattern background

1. Click on the Background layer of the Layers Palette.
2. Go to Layer > New Fill Layer > Pattern
   
3. Select a Pattern Fill. The Scale box will allow you to change the pattern quite a lot.
   

The current layers of the image are shown in the Layers Palette to the right.

1. Highlight the layer with the head in the Layers palette.
2. Layer > Arrange > Bring to the Front
   This selection allows the head to be brought in front of the heels.
3. Use the Move tool to enlarge the head and reposition it over the heels.

Add layer styles and other imaging features

1. Layer > Layer Styles > Outer Glow > Simple
   This gives a yellow outline around the head.
2. Layer > Layer Styles > Drop Shadow > Low
   This adds a slight shadow to the right hand side of the head.
3. Use the Burn tool in the Tool Box to darken under the shoes and along the horizon line between the Pattern background and the shoes layer.
   
   

Let’s develop a visual pun for “eyeglasses”. Take a photo of an eye and a drinking glass. Using a macro setting on your digital camera may be necessary to get good eye detail.

Create a duplicate layer

1. Open a new document with a 300 resolution.
2. Select the Magnetic Lasso tool and follow the outside contour of the glass. This tool takes practice. If you get wrapped up in its web just hit the Enter key and then deselect. Another way is to go the Layers palette and select the Undo History palette. Use the Eraser tool to clean up any edges. The Smudge tool can also help to smooth the outside glass edges.
3. Add a Simple Outer Glow from the Layer Styles palette.
4. Use the Move tool to drag the picture of the drinking glass over to the open document window.
5. Select Layer and create a Duplicate Layer. Use the Move tool to reposition each glass and make any size changes.
6. Again select the Magnetic Lasso tool and follow the outside contour of the eye picture.
7. Use the Move tool to drag over the eye and reposition it on one of the glasses.
8. Highlight the eye layer on the Layers palette. Go to the Layer Styles palette > Outer Glows > Simple to create a shadow around the eye. Select Image Effects > Color Burn or Color Fade to create a more unusual eye.

Use gradient fill for a cool background effect
From the Color Swatches palette choose black as the foreground color.

Layer > New Fill Layer > Gradient

The gradient fill adds a nice imaging feature to create a better final image for our “eyeglasses” pun.