GET STARTED FAST IN PHOTOSHOP ELEMENTS
2
Crop and recompose
The boat has lots of dead space around it. Click the
Crop tool. Set the Ratio to Use Photo Ratio. This gives
the cropped shot the same shape and proportions as other
photos from your camera. Drag the corner handles to crop the
edges. The boat is now off-centre and looks into the frame.1
Access the Photo Fix Options panel
Use the File>Get Photos and Videos>From Files and
Folders command to import the start files. This is almost
the same process as the one described on the previous pages.
Click the boat shot (ty_elements13.jpg). Click the Instant Fix
icon at the bottom right of the Organizer workspace.4
Improve the tones
Some shots, such as our ty_elements08.jpg low-angle
building picture are over-exposed and lack strong
shadows. Click the thumbnail in the Organizer, go to the
Photo Fix Options panel, and click Levels. This command
boosts the images’s contrast and saturation.3
Stack the shot
Click Preview to see the new composition, then click
Done to crop the shot. This creates a cropped copy of
the image that’s stacked with the un-edited version, so you
don’t need to worry about destroying the original. Click the
triangular stack icon to toggle the stack open or closed.6
Sharpen the detail
If you plan to print a shot you’ll get a print with more
punch if you sharpen it a little. This reveals more
texture and detail. Double click the tree on the moors shot
(ty_elements22.jpg). Click the Sharpen icon in the Photo Fix
Options panel. We’ll look at sharpening in detail later.5
Improve blown-out skies
Click the over-exposed standing stone (ty_elements26g.
jpg). When faced with blown-out highlights such as
these, it’s worth clicking the Smart Fix icon. This is designed
to improve colours and tones. In this case it claws back cloud
detail in the sky and cools down the colours.