Top 10 Keys to Photoshop Elements: Tutorial Part 2

Here is Part 2 of the Top 10 Keys to Photoshop Elements.
Learn beginner techniques to utilize PsE tools for great results.

We did the First 5 Keys in Part 1 of this Tutorial and now we’re ready for the next 5 Keys of our Photoshop Elements beginner’s tutorial.

Let’s jump right in.

6. Photoshop Elements Tutorial: Selection Tools 

There are four main selection tools in the toolbox of the left tool bar.  These are, clockwise from upper left:

• Move. Ticking this tool, and then grabbing an image with the cursor and holding it allows you to move it any place you wish on the design area.
• Marquis. Choosing the marquis allows you to draw a box, or ellipse, if you change the shape of the marquis, around an image. Then you can grab a box on the bounding square and adjust the size.
• Magic Wand. The wand lets you snap on an image, which will circle that part to move or copy or change as you wish.
• Lasso. Not quite as magic as the wand, yet allows you to select part of your image to work with it separate from the main image.

Each of these tools, in turn, have what I’ll call sub-tools.

Marquis tool 

When you choose the marquis tool, the dialog bar below the work space gives you two options: rectangular (square) or elliptical (round or oval) marquis. 

Lasso tool 

The lasso tool has three options: basic, magnetic and polygonal lasso.  The lasso tools are more precise than the marquis.  The tip of the lasso is drawn closely around the object you want to select.  The magnetic lasso “magnets” to the object, making a closer and even more precise selection. The polygonal tool selects with straight lines that you choose by clicking from one point to another.  In effect this is like the rectangle marquis, but you have the choice of creating more lines and getting a closer selection.

For example, while working on a Christmas card with the watercolor painting below, the bird didn’t print the desired color. I selected the bird with the lasso tool, made a new layer with just the bird on it, then enhanced the color until the printer got closer to my original.

Magic Wand tool 

Simply swish a wand over what you want to select, and, abracadabra, it snaps onto the selection.  The five sub tools are: “quick selection,” “selection brush,” “magic wand,” “refined brush,” and “auto selection wand.”

So you can see there are dozens of ways to use the select tools.

7. Photoshop Elements Tutorial: Layers

Let’s play with the right panel options.

The screenshot shows a dog in grass photo and a photo with a wicker basket. Let’s put the puppy in the basket:

1. Hide the basket photo by clicking the eye to the left of the photo.
2. Choose the grass photo with your cursor.
3. Pick the lasso tool, then wrap cursor around the dog.
4. Right click the wrapped dog, and tick “create new layer” from the drop down.
5. Tick the puppy line on right with cursor and drag him above the basket line.
6. Pick “move” from “select” box, mouse over pup, move him to the basket.

 Here he is, all cozy in the basket.  The original photo gives a cool shadow on the pup’s right side.

When we play with the blending options, and scroll down to “Luminosity” we get a warmer puppy who blends in better with the coloring of the basket and the wood.

How sweet is that?

I’m not sure when we’ll need the opacity option, but you can see our puppy become quite ghostly when we change the opacity to 75%. I’m not cool with ghost animals.  This merely shows you what that button does. Be sure to toggle back to no opacity before moving on.

In number 6 of the tutorial, above, we changed the color of the bird using the Enhance Menu from the top toolbar.

As shown on the screenshot below, the middle five enhance tools from the drop down are used over and over while designing.

Enhance tools darken and lighten, brighten and adjust color hues.  So. many. options.  They can be a lot of fun, but they can be very confusing when you don’t know which makes what happen.

8. Photoshop Elements Tutorial: Layer Masks

I don’t know much about Layer Masks, so I’ll be learning with you. If I say something wrong, don’t hold it against me if I change it down the PsE road!

Let’s go back to our basic canine pic.

With just the first dog picture on the screen, follow the directions in the screenshot above:

1. Use the “lasso” to select the puppy.
2. From the lasso dialog, pick “refine edge” to open another dialog box. Run the refine edge tool around the dog to clean up the edges.
3. Tick the “new layer with layer mask” line.
4. Add the basket picture between the grass photo and mask. Adjust the size of the doggy to fit the basket.
5. Get the soft edge eraser tool and erase part of the pup so he looks good in the basket.
6. Adjust color with enhance color tool from top dropdown.

9. Photoshop Elements Tutorial: Shape Tools 

We’ll talk just a little bit about shapes tools, or rather, show you with a few screenshots.

Begin with one image on your design screen.  I’m using the puppy in the basket from the last screenshot.

Order of picking tools: “Graphics,” up to “shapes,” choose the fuzzy heart from the drop down.

Drag the heart onto the design space.  The heart layer should be under the photo layer, however you will see “running ants” through the image.  Drag the heart where you want it, and use the toggle squares to enlarge or decrease the size.

Now you will select the puppy image layer (the line lights up blue when you click on it, showing that it is what you are working with).  Right click and select “Create Clipping Mask.”

Right click the pup layer and click on “Merge Layers” and you will get the pic in the pin below.  (I added a background behind the heart.)

Are you okay so far?  Getting swamped?

Just take it a step at a time.  I promise that practice makes perfect, and you WILL recall where all the tools and brushes and shapes are after time.

10. Ways to Learn Photoshop Elements

Rome wasn’t built in a day.

The turtle wins the race.

What other cliches can we come up with?

Let me just say, Photoshop Elements isn’t learned in a day.

Puppies don’t appear in baskets on the screen in a first attempt.  Or maybe not the second or third.  Or tenth. I tell the truth when I say Photoshop Elements for Dummies was my bosom buddy for the first year or so of using the program.

So there are several ways to learn Photoshop Elements besides spending hours trying this and that on your own.  Believe me, then you will give up before you learn it!!

Here’s a small list of options for learning PS Elements:

1. Invest in Photoshop Elements for Dummies in the year version of your program.
2. Google your questions, which is what I usually do.
3. Use the “Help” option from the top menu bar inside the program.
4. To find out what each tool or brush does, hover the mouse over it and a short blurb will pop up.
5. Keep checking back with us for more tutes.  If you sign up to our GIFT List (find the form below this post) you will receive emails when we post new ones.
6. Look for older tutorials on our blog:
   DIY Graphics: A Beginner’s PhotoShop Tutorial,
   Create Your Own Glitter Brush; a Photoshop Elements Tutorial,
   Paint Brushes: A Beginner’s Photoshop Elements Tutorial, and
   Vintage Easter Tag Tutorial Using Photoshop and Cricut
7. We’ll be happy to answer questions. Just pop them into the comments on this post.

Meanwhile, keep having fun with Photoshop Elements!