New to Elements 6 - Please Help

[KobraCarry]

Finally decided to step up from several non-Adobe editing programs. I'm going to pick up a "Dummies" book tomorrow! Can anyone give me some good advise (sites, links, hints) to using Elements? I'd greatly appreciate it!

[afrikaner07]

I ended up getting the Photoshop Elements magazine subscription. With the subscription comes access to all their tutorials. Its been of great help and its tailored to Elements. I am sure some people can provide you with free websites, but I stuck with the subscription.

http://www.photoshopelementsuser.com/

Hope that helps, cheers =D

[Hanky]

I use 5, I like to crop raw then save to jpg for good quality pic.
I do not trust it to load from chip however because sometimes it does not put all the files on computer. They used legalease to screw me out of upgrade rebate for 6 oh.

[Pat Perry]

Before you spend alot of your hard earned money...try going to the library to see what they have. They don't have a vast assortment, but I did get a couple to look at...and I ultimately purchased The Photoshop Elements 6 book by Scott Kelby. I bought thru Amazon, and sisnce ut was shipped out of the DFW area, got in in a couple of days.

[canoflan]

Originally Posted by KobraCarry

Finally decided to step up from several non-Adobe editing programs. I'm going to pick up a "Dummies" book tomorrow! Can anyone give me some good advise (sites, links, hints) to using Elements? I'd greatly appreciate it!

My advice is get good books that explain why you should do certain things vs point and click. If you understand why, then that helps you know when to use a tool and when not to.

The only way to get proficient is to use everything they tell you on your own photos, not the photos they provide you because when you manipulate photos they may provide you in a CD, and they look great when you are done, then your photos are still waiting to be worked on; therefore, I will choose a photo similar in composition, et al to what the example is, then work on it. The results should be similar and you have then put time into your own work.

You probably, if you keep with it, upgrade to full Photoshop for Elements doesn't have some things that you will want to use when you fully understand why you want to do certain things in processing.

Just some thoughts,
Pat

[AeroClassics]

Some great advice here! I have been working hard on my own stuff in PSE 5 for the last 6 months or so. Was a casual user for a couple of years prior. The best advice I can give echoes Pat's. You want books/websites/videos/whatever that gives the why more than the how! How helps but it only gets you so far especially if you do not have an artistic flair (I don't. Too much engineer in me)

I upgraded to PSE 6 last night because they were offering it for $49 + shipping + tax. I don't use the organizer as I have my own scheme for organizing my pictures that works very well and is quite easy to maintain. So I cannot comment on that aspect of the software. I imagine there are plenty of folks who do and they can speak to the use of the Organizer.

I do like the new quick select tool which is much easier to use than the magnetic lasso. The overall look and feel suits me. Smuge is still slow, in fact it maxes out my dual core CPU! I wonder if a decent graphics card would help???

The other good advice given here is work on your own pictures!!! I can't see spending a bunch of time manipulating someone else's photo! I don't have that much time in my life. The other thing I will advise you of, and this may only have happened to me, but be prepared to be frustrated to the point of pulling your hair out! I find that talking to the machine, in my best Naval voice and language, helps some. Until you get the hang of the program it is a bloody beast to get something done in. Now I am not talking about simple things but more complex issues like masking and gradients and my personal favorite, skin smoothing! I have been fighting with this one for 3 weeks now and still can't get it right.

What else can I say. Oh, not all "tutorials" are created equal. Some are good and some are just plain lousy. I have not bought a book yet as I figured there is available, somewhere in the 'net, everything I would need to know. I have looked at hundreds of web sites.................I will be buying a book as I am still searching for the elusive why as opposed to how. I imagine some of the better websites that want money for tutorials/training or books or magazines will have the best information on them.

I have amassed a pretty sizable list of web sites which I will include. Good luck! The program isn't its big brother but it seems plenty capable to me. Just need to learn how to use it!

Doug

http://www.photoshopsupport.com/elements/index.html
http://www.digiretus.com/cikksor.php?FAJTA=ELEMENTS&
http://digital-photography-school.com/blog/
http://www.photoshopelementsuser.com/index.php
http://www.planetphotoshop.com/
http://www.graphic-design.com/Photoshop/
http://www.photoworkshop.com/
http://hiddenelements.com/


here are some software sites that have plugins etc. Many have good general information as well.......
http://www.2brightsparks.com/downloads.html#sbse
http://atncentral.com/
http://www.mediachance.com/plugins/index.html
http://www.afh.com/web/pshop/free.html
http://chdk.wikia.com/wiki/Main_Page
http://www.digitalanarchy.com/
http://www.mediachance.com/digicam/index.html
http://graphicssoft.about.com/od/pse...ermasktool.htm
http://gallery.menalto.com/
http://asf.com/
http://www.picturecode.com/
http://www.thepowerxchange.com/category_23.html
http://www.pluginz.com/genre/3?from=lvl&category=120
http://www.epaperpress.com/ptlens/
http://www.thepluginsite.com/product...ters/index.htm
http://www.thepluginsite.com/index.html
http://www.thepluginsite.com/resources/freeps.htm
http://thepluginsite.com/resources/