Adobe Photoshop and CS

[jann1033]

the biggest difference between using the full photoshop and elements is the ability to use actions in the full ps. most other tools are someplace in elements but not necessarily where they are in the full version. i have pse5, am getting lightroom as i shoot in raw exclusively and pse does some multiple processing but not a lot( watermark, some auto stuff) and i hate hate hate hate hate the organizer for ps5. i was totally lost when i tried the full version of ps but maybe now since i have the hang of elements it wouldn't be so hard to manage
not sure how different ps5 and 6 are but i agree with who ever said get elements for things like effects( you can get tons of plugins and some for big photoshop work for elements) and use lightroom for organization etc.

 

[jann1033]

wow. that is a tall order you can find lots of forums that deal with your version of elements...maybe check them out and see if they have a beginning thread. adobe has one that i find not real helpful, about.com has a pretty good one and there are a bunch of others i have found by googleing..i also bought a book ( for pse5) called the missing manual that i like...some like one by scott kelby and they both have websites... the one i have is http://missingmanuals.com/cds/#P
where you can download practice stuff and at least in the pse5 cd has a list of links for more help

 

[JR6ooo4]

The first thing I learned was levels.
Image>adjustments>levels
you will see a graph, the left side is black and the right is white. THe bars show how much of every color is inbetween. Sometimes the graph does not go all the way to each side. Or it could be mostly to one side. It is just a representation of what the camera saw.

Now look under the graph. You will see three triangles. Grab the right one and click-drag it to the left a little bit or all the way over to the bottom of the graph. Watch the changes in the pic. then do the left side and also wiggle the middle one some. See what it does to the pic.

There is no rule as to how much will work for every single pic so just try and see. Usualy it will look better. SOmetimes you can click Auto-Levels and it will do exactly what you just did by hand. But not that often...

and remember to always work on a copy of the original file. That way in two years when you are much much more familiar with editing, and adjusting photos to your liking, you can re-edit the photo again.

Next I would practice adjusting contrast and then color saturation. Sometimes a pic will not need one or all adjustments.

Mikeeee

 

[JR6ooo4]

Oh, and clone stamp is an awesome tool! It copies a selection from one area and pastes it over another area. Great for removing an unwanted object from a picture. It is very easy to learn how to use, and not much harder to do it well.

choose clone stamp
choose the size "brush" (it is usualy a circle) that you want, and the opacity
then hold alt and click on the area you want to copy
release alt
click on the area you want to cover up.
keep clicking until you cover up all that is not wanted
notice that the distance between the "copied area" and the first "paste" click will stay the same, which changes the "copy sample" location as you work.

Mikeeee

 

[AZ JazzyJ]

Unless you plan to edit motion (either Flash or video) or 3D elements, you probably won't need PhotoShop CS3 Extended. I use PhotoShop CS3 but it is overkill for a lot of what I do photographically.

 

[JR6ooo4]

the biggest difference between using the full photoshop and elements is the ability to use actions in the full ps. most other tools are someplace in elements but not necessarily where they are in the full version. i have pse5, am getting lightroom as i shoot in raw exclusively and pse does some multiple processing but not a lot( watermark, some auto stuff) and i hate hate hate hate hate the organizer for ps5. i was totally lost when i tried the full version of ps but maybe now since i have the hang of elements it wouldn't be so hard to manage
not sure how different ps5 and 6 are but i agree with who ever said get elements for things like effects( you can get tons of plugins and some for big photoshop work for elements) and use lightroom for organization etc.

and don't forget Mr Lynch's "Hidden tools of Photoshop Elements" It somehow unlocks tools in elements like batch processing, etc.
But I have not read about or used it since I was using elements 2.0. I assume it is still as good for the newer versions.

Mikeeee

 

[DueyDooDah]

I agree with Mason, lightroom and elements. I seldom use anything but Lightroom.

 

[tchrrx]

wow. that is a tall order

I know...that's why I came to the All-Powerful DisBoards Photographers!

 

[MICKEY88]

another great program is Corel's PAint Shop Pro Photo X2, it wil allow you to do everything photoshop does at a fraction of the cost, plus the learning curve is much easier..

it has auto functions for most things, yet allows you to do things manually once you decide to take more control of your work, the full version is only $80

and you can also download a free trial version, which is good for 30 days

 

[DVCRon]

I'd say judging from your requirements you'll be fine with PS Elements.

 

[Mckymousefn]

I have Elements 4.0. Actually, it's DH's program, but neither of us has really figured it out. I know there's so much here that I'm feeling overwhelmed & don't even know where to start.

Thanks for any ideas you can give. I'll keep playing with it in the meantime!

If you can check your local library... is if they have a book called - Advanced Photoshop Elements 4.0 by Phillip Andrews. I checked it out at ours and i am reading through it now. Or see if they have any books on Photoshop Elements 4.0, maybe they have something other than the one by Phillip Andrews.. this way you can check them out and see if its something that could help you... before you spend the money on the books.

 

[jann1033]

another great program is Corel's PAint Shop Pro Photo X2, it wil allow you to do everything photoshop does at a fraction of the cost, plus the learning curve is much easier..

it has auto functions for most things, yet allows you to do things manually once you decide to take more control of your work, the full version is only $80

and you can also download a free trial version, which is good for 30 days

speaking of corel...
i just downloaded the free trial for corel painter x....sigh, if i found $500 in the street i know what i'd buy

 

[YEKCIM]

I've been using PSE5 since November and like it a lot. Not sure what differences there are between 5 and 6, but I picked up an OEM copy (CD only) of 5 for a pretty reasonable price, here.

Ed

 

[gokenin]

speaking of corel...
i just downloaded the free trial for corel painter x....sigh, if i found $500 in the street i know what i'd buy

i dont know if you have any kids or know anyone that may be in a college anywhere but if you do I would suggest you check out a website called campusestore.com the same software there is academically priced at 99.98 well worth looking into if you can

 

[AZ JazzyJ]

i dont know if you have any kids or know anyone that may be in a college anywhere but if you do I would suggest you check out a website called campusestore.com the same software there is academically priced at 99.98 well worth looking into if you can

Do be careful in purchasing academic versions of software. There are some unscrupulous vendors selling these and you could get burned. Also please not that many of the manufacturers do not allow upgrades to academic versions meaning you will need to buy a new version each time an upgrade occurs. I'm still fighting with Adobe over my daughter's version of Photoshop CS2 and whether we will be allowed to upgrade it to CS3 or if I will need to purchase an entirely new software package.

 

[boBQuincy]

I use a student version of CS3 (I am in school) that sells for about $200 for Photoshop and $300 for a CS3 Design suite (journeyed.com).
They do check to see if you are in school but if you are it's a great deal.

 

[orchjoe]

Photoshop express is now up and running a beta

Article

Photoshop Express

 

[bostran1]

this is definitely great news. I don't knownthat I will use it but it is exciting. One question for those who have signed up or are more familiar with this service though: is this also free online photo storage and sharing as well as the editing?

 

[MassJester]

Just starting to get the hang of CS3, and I was wondering what plug-ins are your favorites and why?

 

[jann1033]

not sure if technically it's a plug in but it does come up in my filter list so alien skins, i use exposure most..while i have been having fun playing in lightroom( haven't had much time since i am making a site for hubs faux finishes...head ache for a not skilled highly amateur webdesiger since it has 40 pages and counting, full of images etc but i digress) while i like the presets there, i still like the opportunity to make my own b&w quirks etc. for instance ae has a place to change the color filter you use so different colors and lots of cross processing options as well i e i just did this first with the konica film cross process but different filters( and not something you might do with vacation snaps) ...and the leaf one is b&w with red bleach ( i think, unfortunately i forget what i do. ) i'm doing a number series ie one thing, two things..these are from the "4" hence they have 4 parts

i also like mehdi( may not be exact spelling) since he has some kwool effects and better yet is free!

like kaleidoscopic stuff.only thing is i don't like his mirror sometimes is makes them backward and not mirror image so i usually duplicate and rotate instead.