Teach_Yourself_Photoshop_Elements_2

AN INTRODUCTION TO PHOTOSHOP ELEMENTS

O

n the previous two pages we

looked at the various photo-fixing

tools in the Expert mode’s

Toolbox and Tool Options. You

can also edit a photo by combining various

tools with the drop-down commands in the

main menu bar at the top of the workspace.

For example, you could use the Lasso tool to

draw a selection marquee around a tree. You

could then go to the Edit section of the main

menu bar and click to open its options. By

choosing the Copy option, you would copy

the pixels within the selection marquee into

your PC’s clipboard. You could then choose

Edit>Paste to create a duplicate of the

selected pixels on a new layer. This technique

is very similar to copying and pasting words

in a word-processing package, although in

Photoshop’s case you’re copying and pasting

pixels instead of text. You could then grab

the Move tool from the Toolbox and drag the

copied pixels into a new position, to extend

the copied and pasted tree branches over

more of the sky, for instance.

The commands in the main menu bar are

grouped to help you find specific commands

more easily. For example, the File command

enables you to open and save images, while

Enhance allows you to improve contrast or

colour. Many menus have a collection of

sub-menus to explore, so you may need to

dig a little deeper to access a particular tool.

Some of the commands in menus and sub-

menus can also be summoned by clicking

icons. For example, you can create a new

layer by choosing Layer>New>Layer, or you

can click the Create a new layer icon in the

Layers panel. Many commands can also be

summoned with a keyboard shortcut.

The menu bar options in the Expert mode .............................

Access filters, effects and more via the drop-down menu options