How Do I …?

The following are text-only answers to questions about basic techniques. Clicking on a question will scroll you to the answer.

I will almost certainly be adding to this page as I think of, or am asked, more questions.

• How do I make an unfilled (outlined) ellipse or rectangle?
• How do I draw a straight line?
• How do I draw a curved line?
• How do I make a rounded rectangle?
• How do I make an image print not in the center of the page?
• How do I add a border to a picture?
• How can I print a caption with my picture?
• How can I print more than one image on the same sheet of paper in Elements 1?
• How do I resize an image?
• How can I change the resolution of a lot of images all at once?
• How do I put one picture on top of or into another picture?
• How do I make the Frame effects in the Effects palette wider on large images?
• How do I add special characters such as ©, or ® to a picture in Elements?
• How do I change the attributes (font size, or color) for multiple type layers?
• How can I alter or correct the tones of only one part of an image?
• How can I transform a selection outline (scale, widen, distort) without having to redraw it?
• What file format should I use when saving my images (not for Web sites)?
• What file format should I use for Web page graphics (Web only)?
• How do I make a transparent GIF without halos?
• How do I save a JPG (or GIF) for the Web with small file size but good quality?
• Can I make a duotone, or sepia tone image in Elements?
• Is there any way to adjust the individual color channels in Elements?
• Which should I use—adjustment layers, or the Enhance commands? They look like the same thing.

Older Tutorials
Quick Mask
Adjusting Contrast
Using Curves
Scanning Negatives
Rubberstamping
More Adjustments
Sharpening
Filters
Color

How do I make an unfilled (outlined) ellipse or rectangle?

1. Make a new layer in the Layers palette. Do this by either clicking the New Layer button at the bottom of the Layers palette or by choosing Layer > New > Layer.
2. In the toolbox choose the rectangular marquee, or the elliptical marquee (hiding under the rectangle).
3. Click and drag to create as selection outline of the size and shape that you want for your unfilled shape. Press the Shift key as you drag your selection to constrain your selection to be a perfect circle or square.
4. Make sure the new layer that you just added is selected in the Layers palette. The selected layer is dark blue. In need by, click on the layer to select it.
5. With your selection outline active, choose Edit > Stroke. Enter a Width for your outline. Click on the color square if you want to pick a new color. Choose one of the Location radio buttons to set where the stroke goes relative to the selection outline. Click OK to add the stroke.
6. Deselect by choosing Select > Deselect, or by pressing Ctrl-D.

How do I draw a straight line?

1. Make a new, empty layer.
2. Choose the pencil tool for a hard edged line, the paintbrush for a soft line, and the airbrush for a very soft line.
3. In the tool’s options bar, pick a brush which has the width that you want for you line.
4. Click on the foreground color square to choose a new color if you don’t want to use the current one.
5. With your new, empty layer selected in the Layers palette, click once in your document where you want your straight line to begin.
6. Press the Shift key, and click a second time where you want your line to end.
7. If you need to move your line, select the move tool, and drag. To shorten the line, use the eraser tool. In both cases, make sure the line’s layer is selected in the Layers palette.

How do I draw a curved line?
(Note that you can hand draw lines with the paintbrush or pencil tools. The steps that follow are for creating perfect, geometric curves.)

1. Make a new layer.
2. Choose the elliptical marquee tool. It may be hidden under the rectangular marquee tool in the upper left corner of the toolbox.
3. Drag a marquee from which one edge will match the curve that you want to make. Don’t worry about the rest of the ellipse.
4. Note that you can reposition your marquee while you are dragging it by pressing the spacebar while still holding down the left mouse button.
5. When you have an ellipse which matches the curve you want, release the left mouse button. To reposition a selection outline after you’ve drawn it, place your cursor within the selection outline (while a selection tool is still selected in the toolbox) and drag. You can also use the arrow keys to nudge it one pixel at a time.
6. With the elliptical selection active, and the new, empty layer selected in the Layers palette choose Edit > Stroke. Choose Foreground from the dialog box (you’ll need to make sure your current foreground color is the color that you want on your line before choosing Edit > Stroke). Click OK to add your stroke, and then press Ctrl-D, or choose Select > Deselect to deselect the marquee outline.
7. Choose the Eraser tool in the toolbox. Set its Mode to Block in its options bar. Or, if you use another mode such as Pencil, make sure its opacity is set to 100 %.
8. Erase the parts of the ellipse that you don’t want, leaving your curved line.

How do I make a rounded rectangle?

1. If you want to make a filled (solid colored) rounded rectangle, use the rounded rectangle shapes tool. You can set the radius of your rounded corners in the tool’s options bar. If you then want to apply filters to your shape, you will need to rasterize it first. To do this, choose Layer > Simplify Layer.
2. If you want to draw a rounded rectangle outline which is not filled, make a new layer and then, with that layer selected in the Layers palette, use the rectangular marquee tool to drag a selection in the size and proportions you want.
3. Next, with the selection outline active, choose Select > Modify > Smooth. You will probably have to experiment with the pixel value of your smoothing to get what you want. Use Edit > Undo or Ctrl-Z and try again until you are happy with what you get.
4. When you have the outline that you want (and still active—don’t deselect until I tell you to!) set the color that you want applied to your outline as your foreground color. You can use the color picker, or the Swatches palette.
5. Then choose Edit > Stroke. Enter a pixel value for the width of your stroke. Again, use Undo to experiment if necessary.
6. Press Ctrl-D, or choose Select > Deselect to deselect your outline.
7. You can move your outline by selecting the layer in the Layers palette and using the move tool to drag it in the image.
8. If you select ‘Show Bounding Box’ on the move tool’s options bar, you can also transform (resize, rotate or distort) your rectangle by dragging on the bounding box’s handles. As soon as you drag on any of the handles, the move tool’s options bar will be replaced by the transform options bar. You will have to click the big check mark on the options bar after transforming in order to apply the changes.

How do I make an image print not in the center of the page?

1. Choose File > Print Preview.
2. Deselect the Center Image check box.
3. Select the Show Bounding Box check box.
4. Drag your image on the proxy page at the left side of the dialog box to reposition it on the page.
5. Be careful not to drag the edges of the bounding box. If you do, you’ll resize your image, and you really don’t want to do that.

How do I add a border to a picture?

1. If all you want is a skinny black border, go to File > Print Preview. At the bottom of the dialog that appears, click the checkbox next to Show More Options. Click the Border button. Then enter a width. The maximum is .15 inch and the only color is black.
2. If you want a wider border or a different color and don’t mind covering part of your image with the border, choose Select > All followed by Edit > Stroke. Enter the width that you want for your border. Click the color square to open the color picker and choose your color. Where it says Location, click the Inside radio button. Then click OK to apply the stroke. Choose Select > Deselect to end the selection.
3. To add a border without covering any of your picture, first set your foreground color to whatever you want to use for your border. Use the Swatches palette, or the color picker. Once you’ve picked your color, press the X key on your keyboard to make that color your background color (the X key switches your fore and background colors).
4. Enlarge the window around your picture to be larger than the image (so you are seeing background gray between the image and the window frame). Do this by hovering your cursor over the image window’s border until you see a double-headed arrow. Then drag the window border to enlarge it.
5. Take the crop tool (in the toolbox) and drag a crop box around your entire image (click above the top left corner of the image and drag beyond the bottom right corner).
6. Press both the Alt and Shift keys and drag down and to the right (outwards) on the bottom right corner handle (the little square you’ll see on the corner of the crop box) to enlarge the crop box to the dimensions that you want for your border (the current background color will be added to the enlarged canvas).
7. Click the big check mark on the crop tool’s options bar to accept the enlarged canvas.
8. The added canvas will, of course, enlarge your image dimensions. If you don’t want this, go to Image > Resize > Image Size after you’ve added the border, and follow the directions given on this page for resizing.

How can I print a caption with my picture?

1. The simplest way is to first go to File > File Info. In the Section menu choose Caption (it should be chosen when you open the dialog) and fill in your caption in the text box.
2. Then go to File > Print Preview. At the bottom of the dialog box, check the Show More Options checkbox.
3. You’ll then see a checkbox for Caption. Note that this gives you a pretty crummy looking caption. Try it on a low res test print to see if it will suit your needs.
4. For a nicer caption, expand the bottom (only) of your image canvas (see the steps given in the previous question for how to expand the canvas—but when you enlarge the crop box, drag on the handle at the center of the bottom of the crop box and do not press either the Alt or Shift keys). Then use the type tool to add type under your picture. You can choose font, color, size, and even add a style if you like.

How do I print more than one image on the same page in Elements 1?

1. [If you have Elements 2, use Picture Package; find instruction at the bottom of this page.]
   Create a new document which is the same size as your printer’s maximum printable area. Usually, you can use a width of 7.8 inches, and a height of 10.4 (assuming you are using letter size paper). When you go to print, you may get a warning that some edges will be clipped, but it should be minimal.
2. In the New Document dialog box, be sure background is set to white, and resolution is set to the same resolution as the images that you want to combine. If you don’t know your image’s resolution, open it, and choose Image > Resize > Image Size. Current resolution is at the bottom of that dialog box.
3. Once you have created your new document, open the images that you want to print together, and either use Copy/Paste, or drag the images onto the new document with the move tool.
4. Both pasting, and dragging will automatically create new layers for the added content. Use the move tool to reposition the separate images after they are both (all) on the new document. Be sure and select the layer you want to move before dragging with the move tool.
5. Note that dragging images from one document to another drags the currently selected layer, only, so, if your image has more than one layer make a flattened copy, or use Select > All followed by Edit > Copy Merged and then Paste in the new document.

How do I resize an image?

1. As a rule, you should try very hard not to change the pixel dimensions of your image without changing the resolution. Doing so requires Elements to either add or subtract pixels using a “best guess” procedure known as resampling.
2. To resize without resampling, choose Image > Resize > Image Size. In the dialog box that appears, deselect the Resample Image checkbox at the bottom of the box. As soon as you do this, the Pixel Dimensions portion of the dialog box will be grayed out. This is good. Make sure the Constrain Proportions box is checked.
3. If you have a target resolution that you want for your image, change the Resolution text box to that setting. 300 ppi is a reasonable setting for an inkjet printer. Anything less than 200 ppi will probably give a poor quality result. If you are planning on printing this image on the same sheet of paper as other images, you will want to make them all the same resolution.
4. You will notice that changing the resolution changes your Document Size dimensions. Increasing the resolution decreases the size. Decreasing the resolution increases the size.
5. If you are unable to get the desired dimensions at the resolution you want, you may then resort to resampling. Moderate resampling down (to smaller pixel dimensions) is not too bad. Resampling up should be avoided at all costs.
6. To resize with resampling, select the Resample Image checkbox. Choose Bicubic from the menu to the right of the checkbox. Make a note of the pixel dimensions showing at the top of the dialog box. This is important. You do not want to end up with settings that show an increase in pixel dimensions. Make sure the Constrain Proportions box is checked.
7. Now, set your target resolution in the Resolution box, and then set your Document Size dimensions to what you are after. You will notice that changing one dimension also changes the other. This is because Constrain Proportions prevents disproportional resizing of the image which would result in distortion.
8. If your image is intended for use on the Web, and not for printout, disregard all of the above. Simply open the Resize Image dialog box, make sure Resample Image is checked and set to Bicubic, make sure Constrain Proportions is checked, set your resolution to 72 ppi and use the Pixel Dimensions setting at the top of the box to resize to the desired dimensions.
9. If, in the course of using the Resize Image dialog box, you get confused and want to start over, press the Alt key. The Cancel button will change to be a Reset button. Click on that and try again.
10. For an explanation of print and screen resolution, please see the Resolution page in the Photoshop section of this site.

How can I change the resolution of a lot of images all at once?

1. If you have a lot of digital photos, all at 72 ppi, and you’d like to mass convert them to a higher resolution (you don’t want to print images at anything lower than 200 dpi if you can possibly avoid it), the first step is to be sure you have them all together in their own folder. You’ll be converting all files in that folder.
2. Open Elements, and choose File > Automate > Batch.
3. In the Batch dialog box, for Files to Convert, choose Folder.
4. Click the Source button and browse to the folder in which you placed the images that you want to convert.
5. For File Type, I would recommend picking .psd, but there are other choices in the drop down menu.
6. Check the Convert Image Size checkbox.
7. Leave both the Width and Height boxes blank. Enter the resolution that you want your images to change to.
8. Click the Destination button and browse to a folder where Elements will save your converted images. Note that if you are converting JPG images to PSD images, you can have the Source and Destination folder be the same. The files won’t overwrite each other because of the different format.
9. Click OK to convert your images.
10. Note; if you open both your original image, and your higher resolution images in Elements, they will appear to be the same size. It is the print resolution that you’ve changed. What you see on the monitor is strictly a matter of the number of pixels in the image, and since you have not changed the number of pixels, the two images will display exactly the same. A quick way to get an approximate idea of the print size is to select the zoom tool (bottom right corner of the toolbox) and click on the Print Size button.

How do I put one picture on top of or into another picture?

1. Open both images. Note that only one document can be active at a time. The active document will have a dark blue title bar. The title bar of all other open documents will be a dim gray. The Layers palette only displays the layers of the current active document. Click on a document to make it the active document.
2. If you want to move only a part of one picture onto another image, you need to select that part, first. Use the selection tools (marquees, lassos, magic wand or selection brush) to select the part that you want to move. For more information on how to make selections, see the Pre-Beginner II lesson.
3. Then choose the move tool in the toolbox. Click within the selection outline on the image that you want to move. With the left mouse button pressed, drag that selection across onto the picture that you want to put it onto or into.
4. When you release the left mouse button, the moved selection will be on top of the second picture. Note that the moved part will be on its own layer (look in the Layers palette) so you can use the move tool to reposition it after you have dropped it onto the second document. Be sure that the layer that you want to move is selected in the Layers palette before using the move tool.
5. If you are moving an entire image onto a second picture (with no selection), you can drag with any tool from the Layers palette onto the second document. Just click on the layer that contains the image data that you want to move and drag it over to the other document (onto the picture, not the Layers palette).
6. If you don’t like dragging, you can make a selection with the selection tools or use Select > All. Then choose Edit > Copy. Click on the destination picture to make it the active document and go to Edit > Paste.
7. To find more detail on moving one picture onto another, please see my Combining Images tutorials.

How do I make the Frame effects in the Effects palette wider on large images?

1. Open your (big) picture.
2. Choose Image > Duplicate Image.
3. With the duplicate document active, use Alt-backspace to fill with black. You want an entirely black document that starts as the same size as the picture you want to frame.
4. Go to Image > Resize > Image Size. Where it says Document Size, change the menu units to Percent. Make sure Constrain Proportions is selected and also make sure Resample Image is selected. Pick a very small percent—depending on the size of your original. If it’s very big, make the resizing very small—25 % or even 10 %. Click OK.
5. After using Resize, apply your frame effect. This only works for the frames that make a white border—the Strokes Frame, Spatter Frame, and Ripple Frame.
6. With the frame applied, see if it’s of a satisfactory width. If the frame width is too large, Undo the Resize and then Resize again to a something larger like 50% and apply the effect again.
7. Once you have the frame you want, go back into Image > Resize > Image size and restore the document to its original size. This means that if you made it 25 %, you’ll want to resize to 400 %. If you used 10 %, you’ll want to use 1000 %. If you picked something like 37 % for your first resize, it might be easier to use the original inch dimensions to restore the file size. Just make use Constrain Proportions and Resample are checked.
8. Once resized, use the move tool to drag the frame back onto the original picture. Press the Shift key before dropping to center the layer. Change the
   layer blend mode of the frame layer to Screen.

How do I add special characters such as ©, or ® to a picture in Elements?

1. (Windows only) Go to Start > Programs > Accessories > System Tools > Character Map. Look on the map to find the character you want. Click on it. Click the Select button, then click the Copy button.
2. Go back to Elements. Open your picture. Click with the type tool on the image. Choose Edit > Paste. Note that you can go to Character Map when you already have your picture open and have clicked on the document with the type tool.
3. If you want to avoid going to Character Map over and over again, go back to Character Map one more time and click on the character that you like to use. Look in the lower right corner of the Character Map dialog. You will see a Keystroke, for example, for the copyright symbol, you will see Keystroke: Alt + 0169. Memorize that or write it down. To add the copyright symbol, you need to press the modifier key (in this case Alt) and then, while holding down the modifier key, press the numbers given on your numerical keypad. Those are the numbers on the far right side of your keyboard, not the ones above your QWERTY letters.
4. Mac users, I can’t help you much, though I understand that you should have keyboard shortcuts for special characters?

How do I change the attributes (font size, or color) for multiple type layers?

1. If you have a lot of type layers and need to change one or more of the attributes for all of them you can do them all together. Start by linking all the type layers (click on one of the type layers in the Layers palette and then click on the link box—to the right of the eyeball icon—for all other type layers that you want to change).
2. Press the Shift key and select the type tool if it’s not already selected. DO NOT click on the document.
3. On the type tool’s options bar, make the changes that you want applied to all the linked layers (such as changing font size or color).

How can I alter or correct the tones of only one part of an image?
Here are four methods for lightening or darkening an area of an image:

1. Use the Dodge tool. Set Range to Highlights, Midtones, or Shadows according to where you want to lighten. Make sure Exposure is set to 10 % of less. Do not use a higher Exposure setting! Use a large, soft brush and stroke repeatedly to get the desired degree of lightening. To darken, use the Burn tool, same procedure.
2. a. With the lasso tool, drag a selection around the area that you want to lighten
   b. Choose Select > Feather and add a generous feather. Try 10 px, but you may need more.
   c. Choose Layer > New > Layer via Copy, or press Ctrl-J.
   d. To lighten, set the blend mode of the copied layer to Screen. To darken use a Multiply blend mode. Find the blend modes in the upper left corner of the Layers palette. Make sure you have the copied layer selected when you choose the new blend mode.
   e. Lower the opacity of the copied layer to achieve the desired degree of lightness. Opacity is to the right of the blend mode menu in the Layers palette.
   f. On the copied layer, use the eraser tool at 10 % opacity, in paintbrush mode (both settings are on the tool’s options bar) to subtract from, and/or soften the edge of the lightened or darkened area if necessary.
3. a. Use the lasso tool to drag a selection around the area that you want to lighten or darken.
   b. Choose Select > Feather and add a generous feather. Try 10 px, though what you will need will depend on your image’s resolution.
   c. With the selection active, click the New Adjustment Layer button at the bottom of the layers palette ( the black and white circle icon). Choose Levels from the menu.
   d. In the Levels dialog box, drag the center slider to the left to lighten the selected area.
   e. If, after adding the Levels adjustment, you want to add or subtract from the area affected, press Shift-Alt and click on the layer mask icon (the black and white square to the left of the adjustment layer name, and right of the adjustment layer icon). This puts you in mask edit mode. Paint with black to add to the masked area, and white to remove the mask and add to the area affected by the adjustment.
4. To lighten/brighten areas that are already fairly light (brighter than 50 % gray), this method works well:
   a. With your image layer selected, choose Layer > New or press Alt and click the New Layer icon in the Layers palette. In the New Layer dialog box, change the blend mode to Overlay, and check the box at the bottom titled “Fill with Overlay Neutral Color (50 % gray)”
   b. You will now have an empty, gray layer above your image, with Blend Mode set to Overlay. In the toolbox, set your foreground color to white, and use either the paintbrush set to 7-8 % opacity, or the airbrush set to 3 % pressure to paint on the gray layer over any areas that you want to lighten.
   c. Painting on the gray layer over dark areas (less than 50 % gray) in the image will *darken* those tones.

How can I transform a selection outline (scale, widen, distort) without having to redraw it?

1. This takes a bit of doing, so you may find it easier to simply try again from scratch (in Photoshop, you can do it by choosing Select > Transform Selection).
2. Assuming you have an active selection outline (the one that needs fixing), press the Alt key as you click the New Layer button at the bottom of the Layers palette.
3. In the New Layer dialog that appears, change the Mode to Overlay. Once you have changed the mode, you will see a checkbox below the Mode menu that is next to the words “Fill with Overlay neutral color (50 % gray).” Click to select that checkbox. Then click OK to add the new layer.
4. With the layer that you just added selected in the Layers palette, choose Image > Transform > Free Transform (or use Ctrl-T).
5. A bounding box will surround your selection. Use it to reshape your selection. Drag on the middle of the sides or top to make the selection wider or taller. Press the Shift key and drag on corner handles to scale proportionally. Press the Alt key to scale from the center of the bounding box. Press the Ctrl key and drag corners to distort. Press the Ctrl key and drag on the center-side handles to sheer.
6. Click the big checkmark on the options bar to accept the transformation (or press the Enter key on your keyboard).
7. Delete the layer that you created in steps 2-3.

What file format should I use for saving my images (not for Web sites)?

1. Photoshop’s native format, .psd, or the .tif format are the best ones to use for saving images that you are going to edit. You should not edit a .jpg image and then save it as a .jpg since the .jpg format is “lossy.” What that means is that every time you save a .jpg it is compressed and image data is discarded. Repeated saving can cause serious degradation of your picture quality.
2. Photoshop’s .psd format is lossless, and will allow you to save all layers.
3. The .tif format is lossless (does not lose any image data) and is universally recognized by other computer applications.
4. If you have limited storage space for your images, you should save as .psd during the time that you are editing the picture, and then, as the final step, you can save as .jpg which will greatly reduce the file size. Saving as .jpg just that one time will minimize the data loss from the picture. You can then delete the .psd version in order to free up space on your hard drive.

What file format should I use for Web page graphics (Web only)?

1. If your graphic is a continuous tone image such as a photograph, with multiple colors merging into each other, use .jpg. For buttons, text, and any other graphic that consists of clearly defined areas of solid colors, use .gif.
2. Note that the .jpg format does not allow transparency. You can simulate transparency in a .jpg by creating your picture in Elements with transparency (for example by using the eraser on a duplicate image layer and turning off visibility of the background layer). Then choose File > Save for Web. In Save for Web, choose .jpg as your format, and then look for the Matte menu where you can choose a color that will match your Web page background color.
3. The .gif format does support transparency, but it is all-or-nothing. Areas must be either entirely transparent or entirely opaque. There is no partial transparency allowed. In the Save for Web dialog, check the Transparency option. Or you can use the same Matte feature as just described for .jpg to simulate transparency by filling transparent parts of the graphic with the same color as your Web page background.

1. Go to the WebTeknique.com site, and read their excellent tutorial.
2. Be sure and come back here, afterward.

How do I save a JPG (or GIF) for the Web with small file size but good quality?

1. Open your image(in any format—.psd, .gif, jpg, etc.). If you make any edits, choose File > Save, and then click File > Save For Web.
2. In the (big) dialog box that appears, look above your image, and click on the 2-Up tab, if it isn’t already chosen. Look at the right side of the dialog box, and pick JPEG from the menu below the word “Settings.” Then pick Max, High, Medium, or Low from the menu below that. Or you can use the Quality slider to the right of that menu. A Max setting will give the best quality, but the largest file size (longest download time). A Low setting will give the worst quality, but the smallest file size. Feel free to experiment with all of the settings. Just be sure and use JPG for photographic images.
3. As you pick different settings, the image on the right side of your screen will show how the photo looks at those settings. Compare it to the original which will remain unchanged on the left.
4. Try and pick the lowest setting that still looks nice. You can use the zoom tool in the small toolbox on the left to magnify parts of the image for closer inspection.
5. Watch the data below the image on the right to see file size, and download times for that setting.
6. When you have chosen a setting, click the OK button in the upper right corner of the box.
7. You will get the Save dialog box, and can save the image, now as a JPG, to a folder of your choice.
8. After you have clicked the Save button, you will be returned to the Elements window with your original image still in its original format. You will be asked if you want to save changes. Click “No.” You want that copy to stay as is. You now have an optimized copy of your image, as well as the original full size image.

Can I make a duotone, or sepia tone image in Elements?
Elements does not allow you to make true duotone images, but you can create a similar effect as follows.

1. If you image is in grayscale mode, convert it to RGB by choosing Image > Mode > RGB color.
2. Choose Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Hue/Saturation.
3. After naming the layer (that dialog box pops up first), in the Hue/Sat dialog box, select the Colorize box in the lower right corner, and also click the Preview box (it should be checked by default).
4. Move the Hue slider around until you find a tone you like. Click OK.
5. You may need to add a Levels adjustment layer on top of the Hue/Sat one to add some contrast.

Method two - more unpredictable but more fun.

1. If your image is in RGB, remove the color from it by choosing Enhance > Color > Remove Color. (If it’s already in grayscale, skip this step; duh.)
2. If your image is in grayscale mode, you need to convert it to RGB. Choose Image > Mode > RGB Color.
3. Choose Layer > New Fill Layer > Solid Color. Name the layer, and choose Overlay from the Blend Mode drop down menu. You can do this in the Layers palette after adding the adjustment layer, so do it either here, or there, later.
4. Pick a color. Don’t worry too much about the color - you can always edit it later by double-clicking the adjustment layer icon which is the square on the left on the adjustment layer - the one on the right is the mask icon.
5. Click on OK, and then go to the Layers palette and lower the adjustment layer’s opacity to 40 % (experiment with that setting - that’s just a starting point). Opacity is in the upper right corner of the Layers palette. Type a value, or click the down arrow to find a slider.
6. Try changing the adjustment layer’s Blend Mode to Color. This gives a softer effect. The Blend Mode menu is in the upper left corner of the Layers palette. Make sure you have the adjustment layer selected when you change the blend mode.
   

Is there any way to adjust individual color channels in Elements?
You do have limited access to the RGB channels in Levels.

1. Choose Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Levels.
2. Name the layer in the first dialog box, and then, in the Levels dialog box, click on the down arrow to the right of the Channel text box to find the three color channels.
3. Make different contrast adjustments to each color, if you wish, by clicking on each color in turn.
4. Use the two end sliders to increase overall contrast.
5. Use the center slider to increase contrast in one direction while simultaneously decreasing it in another. Be sure Preview is checked so you can see what you’re doing.

Which should I use—adjustment layers, or the Enhance commands? They look like the same thing.

1. Always use adjustment layers. They are a thousand times better, safer, and more editable than the Enhance commands.
2. Adjustment layers have masks, blend modes, variable opacity, and can be edited or deleted at any time without harming or altering your image in any way.
3. Use them!

Tip: If you want to print only the text from this page (without the graphic header, and links), or only one question/answer, drag to select the area that you want to print and then right-click on the selection. Choose Print, and, in your printers dialog box, you should find the option Selection (below All, and Pages...).

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Copyright © 2002 by Jay Arraich.
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jay@arraich.com