I have found Scott Kelby's Photoshop Elements books to be really easy to follow and written without too much technical jargon. Keep it next to my computer!
@milaniet@dmdfday@frankhymus
Thanks Everyone! I'll have to purchase the Kelby book as my local libraries don't seem to have any. I'm glad I asked as I didn't see positive reviews for him on Amazon.
@frankhymus
Thanks Frank! I was looking and found a book specifically on Elements 12, and apparently, if you're not already familiar with Photoshop it's hard to follow. But, I'll try and take a look at it anyways.
@mej2011 if you have questions getting started, don't be shy! This is a very helpful community.
I'm not a wiz with any of the Photoshop family but I'll be happy to help with the basic stuff I do know, and if you're interested I can tell you my strategy for processing the day's shoot so that, if I follow through (big if!) I can FIND things after I've downloaded them.
The adobe website has lots of video tutorials and I am sure they would have them for pse12... I think I have the kelby book and it's ok - his writing style is a bit annoying as Frank said, but it's pretty easy to follow
Sorry to bother everyone with another question, but how do you all save your photos after you've edited? I have options of Save, Save As, Save for Web? Thanks!
it's been ages since i worked in PSE directly... i think you would want to "save as" to avoid saving over the original of your photo - in case you ever need to go back to the edited version..
@mej2011 no no! always good to ask here... i mean, googling is good too - it kinda gives you a starting point... but i find supplementing that info with personal input here is so helpful!
Use "Save As" if you want to change the file name, Save if you want to save over the existing file.
I like to keep the original "pure." I figure when I've learned more, I may want to go back and edit it differently. Also, I love filters, sometimes I'll try 6 or ten versions of the same file.
So say your original file is DSC101. I'd open it in the editor, and "Save As "WC_DSC101" (it stands for working copy) and work from that copy, leaving the original alone. Then I might try "fresco" and save as "Fresco_DSC101" . Then I'll go to "edit," "Undo" fresco, try the next filter, save as "PaletteKnife_DSC101" and so on. Once I'm done, I'll (hopefully) sort through them and delete some of them. Also, I resize files to post online, with 1000px on the long side, so that if people are viewing them on mobile devices they load faster and if anyone steals them they don't have a really nice file. So I name those something like "reduced_fresco_Dsc101." It makes for long filenames, but it leaves me a "paper trail" if I go back to the photo later and wonder what I did to get that effect!
My late husband took a lot of pictures of plants and animals. He'd open up every single photo, and "Save as" the name of the subject with a number or description (pig-sleeping). It was a lot of work after a shoot, but that way whatever program he was using to look at the files, he could tell what they were from the names!
You can also use "Save As" to change the file format. PSD files are big, but they're "lossless." You can open them up, edit, save, over and over, and the quality won't decrease. JPEGS are a more convenient size in terms of using up memory, but every time you save them you loose a little detail. Now, I've never actually noticed the loss of detail adding up, but I've read about it often enough, that if I think I'm going to be involved in a long edit, I'll save the stages as PSDs, save the final edit as a JPEG, and delete the steps I took to get there once I don't think I'll be going back to fine tune it.
I think you'd only use "Save for Web" if you were making a webpage, but I made that judgement so many versions ago they may have changed things and someone else may correct me!
@therubysusan
Thanks! So far all I've figured out are black and white conversion along with high key, so I think it might be a while before I feel the need to save all my steps, but I will write all of this down and keep tucked away for future reference.
@mej2011 I probably have a tendency to go into too much detail! But if I didn't confuse you, hopefuly it will percolate in your unconscious until you need it - if ever!
@mej2011 it actually is very easy. Make sure you switch to the three different levels. If you go to expert you can use auto smart and auto tone on the top buttons scroll down. The auto tone lets you move a cursor between 4 different tones and much Inbetween, very good.Quick gives you effects and tone textures on right panel and guided has very self explanatory things you can do in a list on the right. Keep scrolling down as there are lots of choices. You can open in raw on expert . Then you must open image before saving as jpg. Any questions just ask. There is an online manual too but I worked most things out.
@mej2011 I keep all my photos in my docs as don't want them in photoshop so I right click on photo I want and put open in ps then at end I just press save. You can save them all in Ps but then it's more complicated to get hold of them for other things.
@neatz
Thanks Anita! Unfortunately, I can't say I've progressed much as far as learning the Photoshop, then again I haven't advanced much as far as taking photos lately either. lol
@neatz
Thanks! Guided mode and I are very good friends. lol. Everything else is still a bit fuzzy as it were. This weekend I am trying to work on "high key" photography, and I think I might end up just using the effect from Photoshop Elements 12. lol
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Thanks Everyone! I'll have to purchase the Kelby book as my local libraries don't seem to have any. I'm glad I asked as I didn't see positive reviews for him on Amazon.
Thanks Frank! I was looking and found a book specifically on Elements 12, and apparently, if you're not already familiar with Photoshop it's hard to follow. But, I'll try and take a look at it anyways.
I'm not a wiz with any of the Photoshop family but I'll be happy to help with the basic stuff I do know, and if you're interested I can tell you my strategy for processing the day's shoot so that, if I follow through (big if!) I can FIND things after I've downloaded them.
and bought Photoshop Elements 12 the missing manual
I find that I like having a book really.
Thanks! My version of Photoshop came with an advert for the website you listed, I just thought it better to come and ask the community first.
I will look into that book as well.
I'll have a look, just wanted to get community feedback first. Thanks!
Sorry to bother everyone with another question, but how do you all save your photos after you've edited? I have options of Save, Save As, Save for Web? Thanks!
Thanks! Sorry to be a bother. I'll try and google from here on out.
I like to keep the original "pure." I figure when I've learned more, I may want to go back and edit it differently. Also, I love filters, sometimes I'll try 6 or ten versions of the same file.
So say your original file is DSC101. I'd open it in the editor, and "Save As "WC_DSC101" (it stands for working copy) and work from that copy, leaving the original alone. Then I might try "fresco" and save as "Fresco_DSC101" . Then I'll go to "edit," "Undo" fresco, try the next filter, save as "PaletteKnife_DSC101" and so on. Once I'm done, I'll (hopefully) sort through them and delete some of them. Also, I resize files to post online, with 1000px on the long side, so that if people are viewing them on mobile devices they load faster and if anyone steals them they don't have a really nice file. So I name those something like "reduced_fresco_Dsc101." It makes for long filenames, but it leaves me a "paper trail" if I go back to the photo later and wonder what I did to get that effect!
My late husband took a lot of pictures of plants and animals. He'd open up every single photo, and "Save as" the name of the subject with a number or description (pig-sleeping). It was a lot of work after a shoot, but that way whatever program he was using to look at the files, he could tell what they were from the names!
You can also use "Save As" to change the file format. PSD files are big, but they're "lossless." You can open them up, edit, save, over and over, and the quality won't decrease. JPEGS are a more convenient size in terms of using up memory, but every time you save them you loose a little detail. Now, I've never actually noticed the loss of detail adding up, but I've read about it often enough, that if I think I'm going to be involved in a long edit, I'll save the stages as PSDs, save the final edit as a JPEG, and delete the steps I took to get there once I don't think I'll be going back to fine tune it.
I think you'd only use "Save for Web" if you were making a webpage, but I made that judgement so many versions ago they may have changed things and someone else may correct me!
Thanks! So far all I've figured out are black and white conversion along with high key, so I think it might be a while before I feel the need to save all my steps, but I will write all of this down and keep tucked away for future reference.
I find details to be very helpful when discussing technology and the like. :)
Thanks Anita! Unfortunately, I can't say I've progressed much as far as learning the Photoshop, then again I haven't advanced much as far as taking photos lately either. lol
Thanks! Guided mode and I are very good friends. lol. Everything else is still a bit fuzzy as it were. This weekend I am trying to work on "high key" photography, and I think I might end up just using the effect from Photoshop Elements 12. lol