| help | account  


Photoshop Elements 6: The Missing Manual
View Larger Image
Barbara Brundage
O'Reilly Media, Paperback, Published October 2007, 586 pages, ISBN 0596514441
List Price: $39.99
Our Price: $23.95
You Save: $16.04 (40% Off)


FREE Shipping on Orders over $40!*
Availability: Out-Of-Stock
Read an excerpt:
Chapter 4: The Quick Fix

     

Excerpt provided courtesy of O'Reilly Media. Copyright © O'Reilly Media, Inc. Written permission from the publisher is required for any use of this material.

Be the First to Write a Review and tell the world about this title!

People who purchase this book frequently purchase:

Books on similar topics, in best-seller order:Books from the same publisher, in best-seller order:

With Photoshop Elements 6, the most popular photo-editing program on Earth just keeps getting better. It's perfect for scrapbooking, email-ready slideshows, Web galleries, you name it. But knowing what to do and when is tricky. That's why our Missing Manual is the bestselling book on the topic. This fully revised guide explains not only how the tools and commands work, but when to use them.

Photoshop Elements 6 is packed with new features. You get a new Quick Edit function, Windows Vista compatibility, improved RAW conversion, a handy Quick Selection Tool, and more. In fact, there's so much to the latest version that it can be quite confusing at times. Photoshop Elements 6: The Missing Manual carefully explains every feature the program has to offer by putting each one into a clear, easy-to-understand context --something no other book does!

  • Learn to import, organize, and fix photos quickly and easily.
  • Repair and restore old and damaged photos, and retouch any image.
  • Jazz up your pictures with dozens of filters, frames, and special effects.
  • Learn which tools the pros use -- you'll finally understand how layers work!
  • Create collages and photo layout pages for greeting cards and other projects.
  • Get downloadable practice images and try new tricks right away.

This guide progresses from simple to complex features, but if you're ready for the more sophisticated tools, you can easily jump around to learn specific techniques. As always, author Barbara Brundage lets you know which Elements features work well, which don't, and why -- all with a bit of wit and good humor.

Don't hesitate. Dive into Adobe's outstanding photo editor with Photoshop Elements 6: The Missing Manual right away.

 

Table of Contents

The Missing Credits

Introduction

Part One: Introduction to Elements

Chapter 1. Finding Your Way Around Elements
The Welcome Screen
Organizing Your Photos
Photo Downloader
Editing Your Photos
Your Elements Tools
Panels, Bins, and Palettes
Getting Help
Escape Routes
Getting Started in a Hurry

Chapter 2. Importing, Managing, and Saving Your Photos
Importing from Cameras
The Photo Downloader
Opening Stored Images
Working with PDF Files
Scanning Photos
Capturing Video Frames
Creating a New File
Picking a File Size
Choosing Resolution
Choosing Color Mode
Choosing Your File's Background Contents
Using the Organizer
The Photo Browser
Creating Categories and Tags
Albums and Smart Albums
Searching for Photos
Searching by Metadata
Saving Your Work
The File Formats Elements Understands
Changing the File Format
Backing Up Your Files
Organizer Backups
Making Quick CDs/DVDs

Chapter 3. Rotating and Resizing Your Photos
Straightening Scanned Photos
Straightening Two or More Photos at a Time
Straightening Individual Photos
Rotating Your Images
Rotating and Flipping Options
Straightening the Contents of Your Image
Straighten Tool
Free Rotate
Cropping Pictures
Using the Crop Tool
Cropping Your Image to an Exact Size
Cropping with the Marquee Tool
Zooming and Repositioning Your View
Image Views
The Zoom Tool
The Hand Tool
Changing the Size of Your Image
Resizing Images for Email and the Web
Resizing for Printing
Adding Canvas

Part Two: Elemental Elements

Chapter 4. The Quick Fix
The Quick Fix Window
The Quick Fix Toolbox
The Quick Fix Control Panel
Different Views: After vs. Before and After
Editing Your Photos
Fixing Red Eye
Smart Fix
Adjusting Lighting and Contrast
Color
Sharpening
Quick Fix Suggested Workflow
Adjusting Skin Tones

Chapter 5. Making Selections
Selecting Everything
Selecting Rectangular and Elliptical Areas
Selecting Irregularly Sized Areas
Controlling the Selection Tools
Selecting with a Brush
The Selection Brush
The Magic Wand
The Lasso Tools
Removing Objects from an Image's Background
Changing and Moving Selections
Inverting a Selection
Making a Selection Larger or Smaller
Moving Selections
Saving Selections

Chapter 6. Layers: The Heart of Elements
Understanding Layers
The Layers Palette
The Background
Creating Layers
Adding a Layer
Deleting Layers
Duplicating a Layer
Copying and Cutting from Layers
Managing Layers
Making Layers Invisible
Adjusting Transparency
Locking Layers
Blend Mode
Rearranging Layers
Aligning and Distributing Layers
Grouping and Linking Layers
Merging and Flattening Layers
Fill and Adjustment Layers
Adding Fill and Adjustment Layers
Layer Masks
Moving Layers Between Images

Part Three: Retouching

Chapter 7. Basic Image Retouching
Fixing Exposure Problems
Deciding Which Exposure Fix to Use
Fixing Major Exposure Problems
The Shadows/Highlights Command
Controlling the Colors You See
Calibrating Your Monitor
Choosing a Color Space
Using Levels
Understanding the Histogram
Adjusting Levels: The Eyedropper Method
Adjusting Levels: The Slider Controls
Removing Unwanted Color
Using the Color Cast Tool
Using Color Variations
Choosing the Color You Want
The Color Picker
The Eyedropper Tool
The Color Swatches Palette
Sharpening Your Images
Unsharp Mask
Adjust Sharpness
The High-Pass Filter
The Sharpen Tool

Chapter 8. Elements for Digital Photographers
The RAW Converter
Using the RAW Converter
Adjusting White Balance
Adjusting Tone
Adjusting Vibrance and Saturation
Adjusting Sharpness and Reducing Noise
Converting to DNG
Photo Filter
Processing Multiple Files
Choosing Your Files
Renaming Your Files
Changing Image Size and File Type
Applying Quick Fix Commands
Attaching Labels

Chapter 9. Retouching: Fine-Tuning Your Images
Fixing Blemishes
The Spot Healing Brush: Fixing Small Areas
The Healing Brush: Fixing Larger Areas
The Clone Stamp
Applying Patterns
The Healing Brush
The Pattern Stamp
Color Curves: Enhancing Tone and Contrast
Making Your Colors More Vibrant
Using the Hue/Saturation Dialog Box
Adjusting Saturation with the Sponge Tool
Changing the Color of an Object
Using an Adjustment Layer
Replacing Specific Colors
Using a Brush to Replace Colors
Special Effects

Chapter 10. Removing and Adding Color
Method One: Making Color Photos Black and White
Method Two: Removing Color from a Photo
Creating Spot Color
Erasing Colors from a Duplicate Layer
Removing Color from Selections
Using an Adjustment Layer and the Saturation Slider
Colorizing a Black-and-White Photo
Tinting an Entire Photo

Chapter 11. Photomerge: Creating Panoramas, Group Shots, and More
Creating Panoramas
Making a Panorama
Merging Different Faces
Arranging a Group Shot
Correcting Lens Distortion
Transforming Images
Skew, Distort, Perspective
Free Transform

Part Four: Artistic Elements

Chapter 12. Drawing with Brushes, Shapes, and Other Tools
Picking and Using a Basic Brush
Modifying Your Brush
Saving Modified Brush Settings
The Specialty Brushes
Making a Custom Brush
The Impressionist Brush
The Pencil Tool
The Paint Bucket
Dodging and Burning
Dodging
Burning
Blending and Smudging
Blend Modes
The Smudge Tool
The Eraser Tool
Using the Eraser
The Magic Eraser
The Background Eraser
Drawing with Shapes
Rectangle and Rounded Rectangle
Ellipse
Polygon
Line Tool
The Custom Shape Tool
The Shape Selection Tool
The Cookie Cutter

Chapter 13. Filters, Effects, Layer Styles, and Gradients
Using Filters
Applying Filters
Filter Categories
Useful Filter Solutions
Adding Effects
Adding Layer Styles
Applying Gradients
The Gradient Tool
Gradient Fill Layer
Editing a Gradient
Saving Gradients
Gradient Maps

Chapter 14. Type in Elements
Adding Type to an Image
Type Options
Creating Text
Editing Type
Warping Type
The Warp Text Dialog Box
Adding Special Effects
Text Effects
Type Gradients
Applying the Liquify Filter to Type
Type Masks: Setting an Image in Type
Using the Type Mask Tools
Creating Outlined Type

Part Five: Sharing Your Images

Chapter 15. Creating Projects
Photo Collages
Creating Multipage Documents
Working with the Content and Favorites Palettes
The Content Palette
The Favorites Palette
Photo Books
Greeting Cards
CD/DVD Jacket
CD/DVD Label
Online Creations

Chapter 16. Printing Your Photos
Getting Ready to Print
Ordering Prints
Ordering Prints Online
Printing at Home (The Editor)
Page Setup
Print Window
Printing at Home (The Organizer)
Printing Multiple Photos
Contact Sheets
Picture Package
Labels

Chapter 17. Elements and the Web
Image Formats and the Web
Saving Images for the Web or Email
Using Save For Web
Previewing Images and Adjusting Color
Creating Animated GIFs
Emailing Your Photos
Emailing Images
Sending Photos to Other Gear
Sharing Photos with Yahoo Maps

Chapter 18. Online Galleries, Slideshows, and Flipbooks
Online Galleries
Creating an Online Gallery
Slideshows
PDF Slideshows
Using the Slide Show Editor
Flipbooks

Part Six: Additional Elements

Chapter 19. Beyond the Basics
Graphics Tablets
Free Stuff from the Internet
When You Really Need Photoshop
Beyond This Book

Part Seven: Appendixes

Appendix A. The Organizer, Menu by Menu

Appendix B. The Editor, Menu by Menu

Appendix C. Installation and Troubleshooting

Index

 

About the Author

Barbara Brundage is the author of Photoshop Elements 6: The Missing Manual, and a member of Adobe’s prerelease groups for Elements 3, 4, 5, and 6. She’s been teaching people how to use Photoshop Elements since it first came out in 2001. Barbara first started using Elements to create graphics for use in her day job as a harpist, music publisher, and arranger. Along the way, she joined the large group of people finding a renewed interest in photography thanks to digital cameras. If she can learn to use Elements, you can, too!




Forgot your password?
FAQs
Shipping Options
Returns
Your Orders
Your Account