the visibooks guide to photoshop elements 4.0 (2006)

ELEMENTS BASICS 15It should look like this:... ELEMENTS BASICS 21It should look like this:... ELEMENTS BASICS 29The graphic should look like this: Files folder so it appears in the Sa

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TABLE OF CONTENTS i

Table of Contents

Elements Basics 1

Create GIFs 11

Create JPGs 20

Resize graphics 26

Flip and rotate graphics 32

Formatting Graphics 45

Crop graphics 46

Reduce file size 52

Change resolution 64

Lighten/darken graphics 71

Creating Graphics 79

Draw and paint 80

Create text graphics 94

Replace colors 106

Create shapes 110

TABLE OF CONTENTS

ii

Advanced Techniques 119

Make GIF backgrounds transparent 120

Enhance and correct graphics 130

Work with layers 141

Documents folder

ELEMENTS BASICS

4

ElementsGraphics.zip should appear in the File name box

ELEMENTS BASICS 5

open it

ELEMENTS BASICS

6

Windows Explorer showing Folder Tasks should open:

ELEMENTS BASICS 7

The Extraction Wizard window should appear:

ELEMENTS BASICS 9

button

Wizard and you don’t have a copy of WinZip on your computer—just go to:

www.winzip.com

and download a copy of WinZip You can install it and use it free for 21 days

ELEMENTS BASICS

10

The graphics contained in the ElementsGraphics.zip file should now be listed in the Elements Graphics folder:

ELEMENTS BASICS 11

Create GIFs

Photos

ELEMENTS BASICS

12

ELEMENTS BASICS 13

Documents folder is in the Look in box

ELEMENTS BASICS 15

It should look like this:

ELEMENTS BASICS

16

folder should be showing in the Save in box

ELEMENTS BASICS 17

Practice Files

Then press the ENTER key on your keyboard

It should appear in the Save in box

ELEMENTS BASICS

18

button

ELEMENTS BASICS

20

Create JPGs

ELEMENTS BASICS 21

It should look like this:

ELEMENTS BASICS

22

folder at:

C:\My Documents\Elements Graphics\Practice Files

ELEMENTS BASICS 23

ELEMENTS BASICS 25

Web graphic file types

GIF

Short for Graphical Interchange Format GIF-format graphics are

used for most Web graphics They are limited to 256 colors, but

remain sharp

JPG

Short for Joint Photographic Experts Group JPG-format graphics are used mostly for photographs They include millions of colors, but get blurrier each time they’re saved

ELEMENTS BASICS

26

Resize graphics

Ducky.tif

It should open and look like this:

ELEMENTS BASICS 27

Resample Image, and Constrain Proportions checkboxes are

checked

ELEMENTS BASICS

28

the graphic to match the change in width

ELEMENTS BASICS 29

The graphic should look like this:

Files folder so it appears in the Save in box

ELEMENTS BASICS

30

Duckysmall

Then click CompuServe GIF

ELEMENTS BASICS

32

Flip and rotate graphics

Flip graphics

0004624.jpg

It should open and look like this:

ELEMENTS BASICS 33

It should now appear upside-down:

ELEMENTS BASICS

34

It should return to normal:

ELEMENTS BASICS 35

It should now appear as a left/right mirror image:

ELEMENTS BASICS 37

ELEMENTS BASICS

38

The graphic should look like this:

ELEMENTS BASICS 39

105

in the Angle box

ELEMENTS BASICS

40

The graphic should now look like this:

ELEMENTS BASICS 41

Practice: Elements Basics

It should look like this:

(*.JPG;*JPEG;*JPE)

ELEMENTS BASICS

42

The graphic should look like this:

It should now look like this:

ELEMENTS BASICS 43

It should look like this:

pillsflipped.jpg

ELEMENTS BASICS

44

FORMATTING GRAPHICS

46

Crop graphics

FORMATTING GRAPHICS 47

Then click and drag until the cursor is below the lower right edge

of the eagle’s head

FORMATTING GRAPHICS

48

The selection rectangle should outline the eagle’s head:

FORMATTING GRAPHICS 49

The graphic should look like this:

Save the graphic as eaglecropped.jpg in the Practice Files

folder

FORMATTING GRAPHICS

50

6

in the Quality box

FORMATTING GRAPHICS 51

Practice

When you’re done, it should look something like this:

FORMATTING GRAPHICS

52

Reduce file size

GIFs

Navigate to the Practice Files folder

Make sure the Details view is shown

FORMATTING GRAPHICS 53

The file size of Ducky.gif is 75KB

folder

FORMATTING GRAPHICS

54

FORMATTING GRAPHICS 55

Palette is Local (Adaptive)

32

in the Colors box

FORMATTING GRAPHICS

56

The graphic should look like this:

FORMATTING GRAPHICS

58

Make sure that the Save in Version Set with Original checkbox

is unchecked

button

FORMATTING GRAPHICS 59

In the Practice Files folder, the file size of ducky2.gif should be

33KB

FORMATTING GRAPHICS

60

JPEGs

Navigate to the Practice Files folder

The file size of Eagle.jpg is 135KB

FORMATTING GRAPHICS 61

folder

eagle2

in the File name box

Then make sure that JPEG is selected in the Format drop-down

list

FORMATTING GRAPHICS

62

move the slider until it reads:

4

The drop-down beside it should read Low

FORMATTING GRAPHICS 63

In the Practice Files folder, the file size of eagle2.jpg should be

42KB

FORMATTING GRAPHICS 65

RGB Color should be checked

FORMATTING GRAPHICS

66

FORMATTING GRAPHICS 67

is 150 pixels/inch.

FORMATTING GRAPHICS

68

72

When the Save As window appears, type:

vacation2

in the File name box

FORMATTING GRAPHICS 69

Click JPG in the Format list

button

Resolution of Web graphics

Graphic resolution is the spacing of pixels or dots in the graphic It's measured in dots (or pixels) per inch (dpi)

A typical computer monitor resolution is 72 dpi That's all you really need for Web graphics Higher resolution doesn't make them sharper, just slower to download

For printed publications, use graphics at a higher resolution, such as

300 or 600 dpi

FORMATTING GRAPHICS

70

Practice

folder, then close it

FORMATTING GRAPHICS 71

Lighten/darken graphics

FORMATTING GRAPHICS

72

Rushmore.jpg should now be lighter:

button

On the Menu Bar, click File, then Save As

FORMATTING GRAPHICS

74

Brightness/Contrast

Contrast slider to the right until the box reads +20

FORMATTING GRAPHICS 75

Move the Brightness slider to the left until the box reads -20

then close it

FORMATTING GRAPHICS

76

Practice: Formatting Graphics

FORMATTING GRAPHICS 77

Make sure the Resolution is 72 pixels/inch

Then save it as badlandssm.jpg in the Practice Files folder

folder

FORMATTING GRAPHICS

78

folder with a Quality of 4

It should look like this:

CREATING GRAPHICS 79

Creating Graphics

In this section, you’ll learn how to:

CREATING GRAPHICS

80

Draw and paint

Create a graphic background

CREATING GRAPHICS 81

Painting

in the Name box

Make sure the Color Mode field reads RGB Color, and the

Background Contents field shows White

For Width, enter 300 pixels

For Height, enter 200 pixels

CREATING GRAPHICS

82

The Painting window should appear and look like this:

CREATING GRAPHICS 83

Use the Paint Brush

CREATING GRAPHICS

84

click on it and hold down the mouse button

When the list appears, click the tool

CREATING GRAPHICS 85

Move the slider until it reads 10

CREATING GRAPHICS

86

CREATING GRAPHICS 87

reads 255, G is 0, and B is 0

CREATING GRAPHICS

88

name

CREATING GRAPHICS 89

Notice the different tip shapes

folder

CREATING GRAPHICS

90

Use the Zoom view

CREATING GRAPHICS 91

The drawing should look like this:

You can see the individual pixels in your drawing:

Zoom box

CREATING GRAPHICS

92

CREATING GRAPHICS 93

The Zoom box now reads 100%

CREATING GRAPHICS

94

Create text graphics

CREATING GRAPHICS 95

CREATING GRAPHICS

96

42 pt

Then press the ENTER key on the keyboard

CREATING GRAPHICS 97

The Dunes

CREATING GRAPHICS

100

CREATING GRAPHICS 101

The text should now be that color

CREATING GRAPHICS 103

The cursor should turn into an upward-pointing arrow and a 4-pointed cursor

CREATING GRAPHICS

104

graphic

button

CREATING GRAPHICS 105

Practice

Out of This World

The graphic should look like this:

then close it

CREATING GRAPHICS

106

Replace colors

Color

CREATING GRAPHICS 107

eyedropper over a yellow stripe on the package

CREATING GRAPHICS

108

color of your choice

CREATING GRAPHICS 109

The graphic should look like this:

close it

CREATING GRAPHICS

110

Create shapes

… called Pentagon with a width and height of 423

CREATING GRAPHICS 111

button

CREATING GRAPHICS

112

CREATING GRAPHICS

114

When the color grid appears, click Red

its edge

CREATING GRAPHICS 115

Release the mouse button

A red pentagon should appear:

CREATING GRAPHICS 117

Practice: Creating Graphics

pixels wide and 400 pixels high

Roman, Bold Italic, 36 pt

My Text

CREATING GRAPHICS

118

reddish pink

When you’re done, the graphic should look like this:

then close it

ADVANCED TECHNIQUES 119

Advanced

Techniques

In this section, you’ll learn how to:

ADVANCED TECHNIQUES

120

Make GIF backgrounds transparent

ADVANCED TECHNIQUES 121

and when you get to the beginning, release the mouse button

You should see a dotted line around the duck when you are finished:

ADVANCED TECHNIQUES

122

ducktrans

In the Name box

ADVANCED TECHNIQUES 123

A checkered background should appear:

ADVANCED TECHNIQUES 125

ADVANCED TECHNIQUES

126

The duck should appear on the transparent gray and white checkered background

ADVANCED TECHNIQUES 129

Practice

736 pixels high

folder, then close it

ADVANCED TECHNIQUES

130

Enhance and correct graphics

Retouch photos

Notice the damaged areas of the photograph along the left and right sides

ADVANCED TECHNIQUES 131

ADVANCED TECHNIQUES

132

ADVANCED TECHNIQUES 133

ADVANCED TECHNIQUES 135

The cursor becomes a cross-hair surrounded by an octagon:

ADVANCED TECHNIQUES

136

The defect should disappear:

Make sure the Mode is set to Normal

ADVANCED TECHNIQUES 137

down the ALT key and clicking to correct them

The photo should look like this:

then close it

ADVANCED TECHNIQUES

138

Sharpen graphics

ADVANCED TECHNIQUES 139

The details in the graphic should be crisper:

then close it

ADVANCED TECHNIQUES

140

Practice

photograph

When you’re done, it should look like this:

folder, then close it

ADVANCED TECHNIQUES 141

Work with layers

Create Layer 1

What are Layers?

They’re like overlays with sheets of plastic Using layers in a graphic allows you to edit parts of a graphic:

One layer can be the background

Another can contain an object in the middle

Another can contain foreground graphics

ADVANCED TECHNIQUES

142

already checked)

ADVANCED TECHNIQUES 143

to hide other panels

Notice that there is one layer, called Background

ADVANCED TECHNIQUES

144

There are two graphics open and visible:

ADVANCED TECHNIQUES 145

ADVANCED TECHNIQUES 147

Create 2 layer

ADVANCED TECHNIQUES

148

The frying pan should appear on the graphic:

ADVANCED TECHNIQUES 149

In the Layers panel, notice the new Layer 1 above the

Background

ADVANCED TECHNIQUES

150

Pan

Then press the ENTER key on your keyboard

button

ADVANCED TECHNIQUES 151

Create 3 layer

ADVANCED TECHNIQUES

152

Then click Edit, then Copy

On the Menu Bar, click Edit, then Paste

ADVANCED TECHNIQUES 153

Then move the flames to the middle of the frying pan

ADVANCED TECHNIQUES

154

In the Layers panel, notice Layer 1 above the Pan layer

ADVANCED TECHNIQUES

156

Rearrange layers

double line appears between the Pan layer and the Background

layer

Then release the mouse button

ADVANCED TECHNIQUES 157

The Pan layer should now be at the top

ADVANCED TECHNIQUES

158

In Cookout.psd, the Fire layer is now below the Pan layer

ADVANCED TECHNIQUES 159

The fire should now return to the pan

ADVANCED TECHNIQUES 161

The Layers panel now shows a single Background layer

then close it

Bread: the staff of life

ADVANCED TECHNIQUES 163

It should look something like this:

close it

ADVANCED TECHNIQUES

164

Advanced Techniques

The graphic should look something like this:

close it

ADVANCED TECHNIQUES 165

click the Convert depth button

ADVANCED TECHNIQUES

166

Color

It should look like this:

Joint Photographic Experts Group image file format JPG files handle

graphics with a large number of colors They are best used for photographs

The spacing of pixels or dots in a graphic It is measured in pixels per

square inch (ppi) or dots per square inch (dpi)

GLOSSARY

168

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