1. Advanced Editing with Photoshop Elements

2. Previous PSE Editing Presentations • August 2004: Intro to PS Elements (Charles Kezarian) • October 2006: Common Editing Techniques for Digital Photos (Phil Goff) • Cropping • Adjust Lighting • Red Eye Removal • Spot healing and Clone Tool • Dodging and burning • Sharpening and Noise Reduction

3. Previous PSE Editing Presentations • April 2008: Using Photoshop Elements 6.0 (Ken Haley) • Straighten • Crop • Levels • Lighting • Dodge/Burn • Clone • Redeye Removal

4. What version PSE do you have?

5. What does PSE Cost? • Photoshop Elements 9 • $100 ($80 w/ Mail-In rebate) • No version upgrade cost reduction • Photoshop CS5 • $700 (new) • $200 (version upgrade)

6. Learning Photoshop Elements • Trial & Error Method • Online Tutorials • Web Search: “Photoshop Elements Tutorials” • Buy a Book • Photoshop Elements Book for Digital Photographers ($30) • Subscribe to a Magazine • Photoshop Element Techniques ($59/yr) • Monthly Magazine • Over 1000 Online Videos & Tutorials

7. Top Editing Keyboard Shortcuts

8. Why Use Layers • One of most important editing tools • Provides flexibility in editing process • Similar to a stack of tracing paper • Now lets what we can do….

9. Example 1 (Crater Lake Image) • Paint on original image • Create new layer (Layer 1) • Checkerboard meaning • Paint on blank layer • Move scribble • Erase part of scribble • Delete layer

10. Example 2 (Triangle-Circle Image) • Rename layers • Change order • Move layer positions • Adjustment Layer - Levels

11. Example 3 (Fort Ross Image) • Move Tool – Checkbox options • Key stumbling block – Wrong layer active • Layer Opacity • Layer Visibility (eyeballs) • Adjustment Layer • Adjust Levels • Change Opacity • Layer Mask (paint “black” to hide effect) • Saving file options

12. Example 4 (3 People Image) • Blend Modes • Merge Copy (hold “Alt” to flatten layer) • Add color bar behind people • Lock Command (“/” to turn on/off) • Blur color bar w/ & w/o locked • Add Text • Layer Mask • Select outline (“Cntl” click on thumbnail) • See layer mask (“Alt” click on thumbnail)

13. Types of Layers • Background Layer • Blank Layer • Fill, Gradient & Pattern Layers • Text Layers • Adjustment Layer Types • Levels • Brightness/Contrast • Hue/Saturation, etc., etc. • Layer Mask – Selective editing

14. Layer Styles & Blending Modes • Effects Palate (96) • Artistic • Blur • Bevel, Noise, etc., etc. • Blending Modes (25) • Normal • Soft Light • Hard Light, etc., etc.

15. Changing Background Example • Open Photo • New layer – Layer Via Copy (<ctrl> j) • Select sky using Magic Wand Tool • Zoom-In (<ctrl> +) to see detail • Add/Subtract to selection (<shift> to add) • Alternate selection method: Brush • Feather edges 1-2 pixels • Inverse selection to discard sky • New Layer Via Copy (<ctrl> j)

16. Changing Background Example • New Blank Layer below Layer 1 (<ctrl> click on New Layer Icon) • Draw rectangular selection on blank layer • Open another photo with blue sky • Using Eyedropper Tool (I) • Select dark blue part of sky • With “Alt” key depressed, select light blue sky • Select original photo

17. Changing Background Example • Using Gradient Tool (G) • Choose Linear Gradient Button on top menu • Place cursor on top section of rectangular area • While holding left mouse button, drag a vertical line to bottom of rectangular area • Adjust Opacity • Save new blue sky photo

18. Changing Background Alternative Follow steps 1-9 above • Open another photo with cloudy blue sky • Select original photo • Use Move Tool: • Drag sky photo onto top of original photo • Move/expand/contract sky to fit on original photo • Move sky layer below Layer 1 • Adjust Opacity • Save new cloudy blue sky photo

19. Many Different Ways to Do It… “Fill Flash” Example: • “Shadows/Highlights” (Enhance/Adj. Lighting) • “Lighting Effects” (Filter/Render) • “Adjust Color Curves” (Enhance/Adjust Color) • Select area to be lightened/darkened and use any of the above or “Brightnes/Contast” • Use a “Levels” or “Brightness/Contrast” Adjustment Layer and paint over area not to be adjusted

20. Complex Selections Via Layer Mask • Open photo image • Make a “Layer Via Copy” (<ctrl> j) • Add a “New Adjustment Layer” – Threshold • Adjust Threshold Level to get clean black/white border detail • “Merge Down” to merge Threshold Layer with old Layer 1

21. Complex Selections Via Layer Mask • Cleanup black/white areas using brush with spacing= 1% (click on paintbrush toolbar icon) • Paint “black” over white splotches in black area • Paint “white” over black splotches in white area • Use “Magic Wand Tool” to select white or black area • This detailed selection can now be used to adjust lighting, color, etc. either directly or via an adjustment layer

22. High Dynamic Range (HDR) • Take multiple (3) photographs of the same scene with +2,0,- 2 “stops” (exposure) • Using PSE Version 8: File -> New -> Photomerge-Exposure • Using Earlier PSE Versions: Download and use freeware: “EnfuseGUI”

23. The End