Adobe Photoshop Elements Introduction - Boulder Digital Arts

Steve Gandy - steve@stevegandy.com - stevegandy.com/photography

Create and Share

Prints, Books, Greeting Cards, Calendars, Collages, CD Jackets, DVD Jackets and CD/DVD Labels. Some of these features take you to the Editor to do the task.

Hint, select all the photos you want to use in a project before choosing the project. Then you can drag photos around and add them easily.

Creations are all for printing

Prints

  • Local: Have Photoshop manage colors under options.
  • Package: Makes laying out images on a print sheet easier, saves paper.
  • Contact Sheet: fills the page with small thumbnails, handy to stick inside a backup CD/DVD envelope.
  • Order Prints from Shutterfly: Currently PSE ships with a $20 coupon.

 

Books

  • Creates a locally printable PDF or Shutterfly book.
  • Similar to iPhoto and others online.

 

Greeting Cards

  • Flat to print locally and folded at Shutterfly.
  • Sadly there is not "plain" choice that looks artistic and classy.

 

Calendars

  • Prints locally, again, sadly there is not "plain" choice that looks artistic and classy. The Monochrome choice comes closest to something I would print.
  • If you got to advanced mode and know how to manipulate layers you can put different backgrounds etc. But it is not easy.

 

Photo Collage

  • You can choose different sizes/shapes. It takes a while for it ot process the images. Cute.

 

CD/DVD covers

  • Similar to cards and books with less choices.

Shares are for Online Services

Facebook, Vimeo, YouTube, Flickr, SmugMug, and Adobe Revel are the online choices. You authenticate with the service then it will accept your images. Join up separatelf first!

You can also create an online album to post on your own site and a PDF Slideshow.

Slideshow

  • Oddly, the PDF slideshow is not saved in a convenient location even though is possibly a really useful share function. It is attached to an email message (make sure your email program is selected in the preferences for this). Then you have to drag it to the desktop for saving or it is lost to you after you send the message. To view it, open it in your PDF software and select full screen or slideshow.
  • There is a nice slideshow feature located on bottom function area near Editor and Photo Bin buttons. Be sure to check out the 3D Pixelate Theme choice. It is fun.

 

 

Online Album