Setting up Elements

I can't possibly hope to teach the complete use of Elements in a series of blog articles. Rather, I want to discuss an "approach" to its use - to demonstrate the extent to which a careful selection of Elements features (at an expenditure of $AUD199) can go a long way toward impersonating the venerable Photoshop (at an expenditure of $AUD1099).

Let's confine ourselves to the "EDIT" strand of Elements. While the "CREATE" and "SHARE" strands are very functional I have my own approaches to such things in which programs like Elements don't often play a part. That's just me and I am far too old and ugly to change now.

Anyway, the Elements version 6 interface screen can be customised to some extent and I would strongly recommend you doing so. I like a simple set up with as much image display space as possible. For this reason, I put away the "Project Bin" at the bottom of the screen but I like to keep the "Palette Bin" on the right. In the "Full" Palette Bin I keep only two windows open on a default basis. They are "Layers" and "Undo History". I find that I use those more than anything else. In Photoshop I also like the "Actions" window but (regretably) the lack of Actions capability is possibly Elements' biggest single shortcoming.

Ensure that at the top of the Palette Bin you have selected the "Full" (as opposed to "Quick" or "Guided") options. If you click on "Window" at the top of the screen a choice of additional facilities will be made available to you. "Navigator" has zoom and search abilities which LOOK as if they'll be useful. In reality I find them slower and less precise than alternative controls. "Histograms" are sometimes very useful but there are better ways to access these visual aids than through a permanent window taking up so much space. "Favourites" and "Content" are useful along with "Effects" and "Colour Swatches" if you are using Elements as a graphics design aid, but such is not our purpose here.

Some of the less useful windows are defaults when you first open Elements. To get rid of them, pull them out of the Palette Bin, click on the little white "more" menu, uncheck the "Place in Palette Bin when Closed" option at the top and click on the close window "X" in the extreme top right of the window. Go up to the Window menu at the top of the screen, choose Undo History and Layers, place them in the Palette Bin, and check the "Place in Palette Bin when Closed" option for each. Also ensure that the useful and tidy "Tools" palette is checked and resident down the extreme left of screen.

There - we have set up our Elements Edit screen and are ready to explore its tools.

See my work at: www.pbase.com/davidhobbs