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Amazing Photoshop Elements: Layers

Everyone always seems mystified by Photoshop's layers features.

While layers are very complex, I believe that they are often viewed as being more complicated than they actually are.

A layer is simply a picture or transparent layer placed on top of another picture. Think of it as placing clear plastic wrap on top of a photo. By creating a layer, you prevent any damage or change to the base photo.

Here is a quick list of terms that will help you figure it all out:

Layer Pallette: You can see all of your stacked layers in the Layers Pallette.

Amazing Photoshop Elements: Toolbox

Photoshop Elements ToolboxThe Amazing Photoshop Elements Toolbox

There are so many wonderful things you can do with Photoshop Elements.

You will find many of our tips in our notes from previous meetings.

Photoshop Elements Part I

Photoshop Elements Part II

Photoshop Elements Part III

Photoshop Elements Part IV

This time we will spend most of our time discussing the Magical Photoshop Elements Toolbox.

There are three kinds of tools in the Toolbox:

Hover your mouse over any area in the toolbox to see its name. Hold your left mouse button down over any tool with a little diagonal triangle at the bottom to see hidden tools with similar functions.

Selecting: These tools create "Marching Ants" that indicate that an area has been selected. Selection tools include the Marquee Tool, Lasso Tool, Magic Wand and Brush Selection Tool These are all found in the top 5th of the Toolbox.

Once and area is selected, any changes you make will only apply to the selected area.

Painting: These tools "paint" effects by holding down the left mouse button while moving the mouse in the area you want to change. Painting tools include the Paintbrush, Pencil, Erase, Red Eye, Blur, Sharpen, Sponge, Smear, and Clone Stamp tools.

All painting tools allow you to change the area that you are working on by adjusting the brush size and you can apply affects by making changes in the Options bar (tool bar under the file menu that changes when you select a tool).

Custom Tools: These are tools that don't fit into

Norton may slow computers down

ALERT!!

Today I saw a client with a slow computer. I removed Norton Antivirus and the computer instantly regained the speed of its youth.

Later in the day I saw another client with a slow computer. I removed Norton Antivirus and the computer instantly regained the speed of its youth.

There seems to be a trend here because over the past two years I have seen dozens of computers with slowness problems. After removing Norton Antivirus the computer instantly regained the speed of its youth.

Holiday Greeting Cards

Holiday Greeting Cards

Using the techniques discussed this month you can create a stand-alone post card style greeting card, or make the photos on the front or inside of your greeting cards much more personalized.

Although the card above does not look that much like one you would send out for the Holidays, it uses several important effects and techniques that are only limited by your creativity.

Photoshop Elements Part III

Adobe Photoshop Elements
Part III

Layers:

What is a Layer?

Put simply, a layer is an image stacked on top of another image.
A new layer is formed any time you paste or type. You can also manually create a new layer by going to LAYER -> NEW -> LAYER in the menu at the top of your screen.

Lose the ads in the Netscape Messenger (email) Preview Pane

Here is how to get rid of those email ads from Netscape:

1. Click on Start –> Find –> Files or folders 

2. Type: *prefs.js in the "find" box 

3. Make sure the Look in box says My Computer 

4. Click Find now 

5. The search should yield at least two files (depends on how many profiles you have set up in Netscape) 

6. RIGHT click on each of the files and click Edit 

7. Type or copy and paste the following line into the file: user_pref("mailnews.start_page.enabled", false); 

Drag and Drop

Over the past few weeks, we discussed the usefulness of cut, copy and paste. Another great skill to have at your disposal is “drag and drop”. With very few exceptions, drag and drop requires your mouse.

To drag and drop an object, click and hold the left mouse button on the file, object, or text and then move (drag) the mouse to its destination. It is the same exact maneuver computer users use every day to play solitaire and move the cards from stack to stack.

Here are some other examples:

* Want to delete an unused icon from your desktop? Click on the icon and hold the mouse button down while dragging it to the Recycle Bin. Once over the Recycle Bin, release the mouse button and the icon disappears.

Cleaning up Headers in Email

This tip was prompted by an email from Jean. She, like many other people, is frustrated with email header information and wanted to learn how to print email without all the headers. This technique will work no matter what email program you are using.

The only way to get rid of headers when printing is to follow this procedure:

1. Start your Email session as normal
2. Keep your email open, but now Click on Start–Programs–Accessories–Notepad
3. This will open up the small program called Notepad (notice that you now have 2 buttons on the bar next to the Start button…one for your email and one for Notepad

When Should You Use the RIGHT Mouse Button?

Many people ask me when is the appropriate time to click the RIGHT mouse button. My short answer is to try it everywhere. The RIGHT mouse button (or secondary mouse button) provides quick access to many common functions via a pop up menu. And those functions change depending on what program you are using and where you are in that program.

For example, in almost any application, if you click the RIGHT mouse button, you will have access to cut, copy, and paste. If you are in email, or the Internet or a word processing program any you need to copy some text to another area, first highlight it then RIGHT click on it to quickly get to the Copy function.