How Photoshop Elements has Changed Throughout the Years

As I read the discussions in various forums and Facebook groups, it is apparent that many users continue to use older versions of Photoshop Elements. Many users are even using older versions than PSE 11, released in the Fall of 2012. This version is significant, because Adobe changed the complete look and feel of the program in that version.

One of the most commonly asked questions from users of older versions is whether or not it is worthwhile to upgrade to the then current version. The answer for a given user depends upon their circumstances. It is often driven by changes in the computer they use, its operating system, and/or the camera they use.

Today, we are probably about half way through the product life cycle of PSE 2020. If history repeats itself, PSE 2021 will be released sometime this Fall. So the question many users ask is should I upgrade to the latest version. Adobe has a excellent table that compares PSE 2020 features with previous ones going back to PSE 15. You can access it at the link below:

For several years now I have maintained my own table. It is more detailed than the one in the above link and goes back to PSE 11. The link below is to my current version. It is an Excel spreadsheet. 

Feature Comparison PSE 11 Through PSE 2020

If you have been struggling to decide whether to upgrade or not, I hope you found this information helpful. If so please star-rate it or Like/Share the post. Also, I am always open to comments.

Until next time…

Addendum: Some were not able to open my spreadsheet. I have converted it to a PDF file. The link to it is below.

Photoshop Elements Feature Comparison PSE 11 through PSE 2020 PDF File.

 

Photoshop Elements & Premiere Elements 2020 Released!

Adobe has released their latest version of Photoshop Elements and Premiere Elements. They have continued their march to add improvements each year to both programs that make organizing and editing your photos and videos easier.

Applying advanced techniques to your photos and videos that typically take multiple steps have been reduced to either a single click or a few well of well defined steps called Guided Edits. Photoshop Elements 2020 now includes 55 Guided Edits, and Premiere Elements has twenty-three.

In the coming weeks I will highlight some of the new features, but in the meantime, check out the Adobe website for multiple short videos highlighting the capabilities of both programs.

Click on the figure below and scroll down to see several videos describing new and existing features of Photoshop Elements 2020.

To see the features included in Premiere Elements 2020 click on the link below.

Check back here soon for additional demonstrations of the various new features in both programs.

Until next time…

Facebook No Longer Supports Direct Uploads From Photoshop Elements

Since the first of August, Facebook does not allow you to upload pictures directly from desktop photo editing programs such as Photoshop Elements. Photoshop Elements could previously upload photos to Facebook from its Organizer, by clicking on Share > Facebook, as illustrated in the figure below.

 

 Since August 1^st, when you do that, you are greeted with the error message below.

Clicking on Continue, the following message appears.

 

This change affects only desktop applications. Uploading photos and videos from smartphones and tablets are not affected by this new restriction.

Click on the link below to learn more about this change by Facebook. It is unclear whether Facebook will once again be available from Elements in the future.

Learn More

So, for the foreseeable future, you will need to do it directly from Facebook, navigating to the physical location on your computer where the photo is located.  My general approach is to export the photo to a special folder on my desktop, and then direct Facebook to that location. I clean out the folder periodically, since once the photo is uploaded, I no longer need a copy in this special folder.  

Until next time...

 

AppTip Sheet – Using Exfi Patcher

On February 17, 2018, I posted an AppTip Sheet. The AppTip Sheet that I described there is no longer accurate. It refers to the website, http://360Facebook.com. This website has been replaced by, http://nadirpatcher.com. This new site performs a similar function as before, but also includes additional capabilities. Click on the figure below to link to the AppTip Sheet that describes how to use this website to post 360-degree panorama photos on Facebook.

Until next time…

Novell Way to Remove Color Cast Using PSE 2018 AppTip Sheet

I use Photoshop and Photoshop Elements pretty much daily. But I often can’t remember the exact steps to complete a certain edit or effect that I want to create. I don’t do it enough. I either have to go to my notes, a magazine article, or perhaps a previous blog post to fill in the blanks to fill in the blanks of my memory.

What I have been doing for awhile now is to prepare a cheat sheet that lays out the basic steps concisely. I think that these cheat sheets may come in handy for others as well.

That is where the AppTip Sheets come in. They are kept as short as possible, and assume the reader knows how to use the subject program. They just need a little help in putting steps together. Another possible scenario is to provide a top level view of the various screens for a new app on a smartphone or tablet. These cheat sheets help me a lot. Maybe they will you, as well.

So, in this post, I have included an AppTip Sheet for removing a colorcast in a photo. The screens are for Photoshop Elements 2018, but older versions of Elements work equally as well.

Let me know what you think of this type of format. I plan to post others shortly. If you have an idea for a certain topic or program, let me know that as well.

Until next time…

The Photoshop Elements 2018 ACR Workspace

In the post, I have covered the general process of using the RAW image editor in Photoshop Elements 2018, the ACR.

We have one more topic to cover before getting to the fun part of editing your images, and that is a quick review of the screen layout, and Preferences.

Click on the link below to view or download the tutorial that reviews the ACR workspace screen.

PSE 2018 ACR Workspace Tutorial

Next time, I will cover how to effectively use the Basic panel shown in the figure above. Please leave any comments below, click I=on the Like button if you found this tutorial helpful.

Until next time…

Photoshop Elements Tutorials

For the past year, I have been posting a series of Photoshop Elements tutorials, covering both the Organizer and Photo Editor modes. The series started using PSE 15. When PSE 2018 was released I switched to this new version. However, those that were written using PSE 15 screen shots as the figures are virtually the same for PSE 2018, the latest version of Elements.

For those of you who are new followers of my blog, links to the tutorial posts are shown below. I started with the Organizer, and then moved on to the Photo Editing tutorials. A list of the links to the tutorials is shown below. As you can see, the title is embedded in the link, so you can quickly find a topic you may be interested in.

These tutorials are based on updated handouts that were part of my Photoshop Elements classes I taught. Some of the tutorials are videos. They all are PDF files that can be downloaded and printed.

I will be continuing the series shortly usig PSE 2018. I hope you find these useful.

Until next time.

PSE 15 Organizer

https://don26812.wordpress.com/2016/10/10/photoshop-elements-15-preferences-starting-off-right/

 https://don26812.wordpress.com/2016/10/11/overview-of-photoshop-elements-organizer-workspace/

 https://don26812.wordpress.com/2016/10/17/photoshop-elements-15-organizer-importing-photos-from-a-disk-drive/

 https://don26812.wordpress.com/2016/10/20/photoshop-elements-15-organizer-uploading-photos-from-your-camera/

 https://don26812.wordpress.com/2016/10/26/using-keyword-tags-in-photoshop-elements-15/

https://don26812.wordpress.com/2016/11/01/using-visual-searches-in-photoshop-elements-15/

 https://don26812.wordpress.com/2016/11/07/using-the-view-workspace-in-photoshop-elements-15/

https://don26812.wordpress.com/2016/11/16/using-the-photoshop-elements-15-places-view/

https://don26812.wordpress.com/2016/11/23/photoshop-elements-15-smart-tags/

 

https://don26812.wordpress.com/2016/12/08/photoshop-elements-15-folder-view/

https://don26812.wordpress.com/2016/12/10/i-forgot-to-add-this-about-pse-15-smart-tags/

 https://don26812.wordpress.com/2016/12/15/using-photoshop-elements-15-albums/

PSE 15 Photo Editor

https://don26812.wordpress.com/2017/01/12/photoshop-elements-15-guided-edits-1/

 https://don26812.wordpress.com/2017/01/22/photoshop-elements-15-guided-edits/

 https://don26812.wordpress.com/2017/01/24/stitching-a-panorama-in-photoshop-elements-15/

 https://don26812.wordpress.com/2017/02/10/adjust-tone-and-color-using-levels-in-photoshop-elements-15/

https://don26812.wordpress.com/2017/02/21/using-multiple-layers-to-fix-the-sky-in-pse-15/

 https://don26812.wordpress.com/2017/03/10/eliminating-haze-in-photoshop-elements-15/

https://don26812.wordpress.com/2017/03/28/photoshop-elements-15-shadowshighlights-command/

https://don26812.wordpress.com/2017/04/10/saving-an-edited-image-in-photoshop-elements-15/

https://don26812.wordpress.com/2017/04/18/selectively-changing-the-color-in-photoshop-elements-15/

 https://don26812.wordpress.com/2017/04/18/selectively-changing-the-color-in-photoshop-elements-15/

 https://don26812.wordpress.com/2017/06/27/removing-unwanted-objects-in-your-photos-using-photoshop-elements-15/

Beginning of PSE 2018 Tutorials

 https://don26812.wordpress.com/2017/10/23/refining-your-selections-in-pse-2018/

 

 

 

Adobe’s New Photoshop Elements 2018 – The Photo Editor

Adobe has released their latest version of Photoshop Elements. They have changed the official name to Photoshop Elements 2018. Previously this version would have been named Photoshop Elements 16, since the latest commercial version in stores is Photoshop Elements 15.

 

CLICK HERE to view their announcement. Announcing the next version of Elements in Fall has become a ritual with Adobe. I have been using the beta version for the past several months, and PSE 2018 has several new features that I am sure will be popular with new and old users alike.

In the coming weeks and months, I will be posting tutorials on several of the new features, but for now, here is quick rundown.

If you are familiar with earlier versions, you know that PSE 2018 includes both the Organizer and the Photo Editor modules. In my PREVIOUS POST, I did a quick overview of what is new in the Organizer. In this article I will do the same for the PSE 2018 Photo Editor module.

Photo Editor

As you can see from the figure below, the Photo Editor workspace has remained the same. For those of you who are using PSE 11 or later versions, you will find yourself right at home.

As is generally the case with these annual updates, PSE 2018 is an incremental upgrade to PSE 15. Most of the work in the Photo Editor has been adding new Guided Edits. A couple of new and exciting tools have also been added.

The new tools are the Automatic Selection Tool, and the Open Closed Eyes Tool. The new Guided Edits include Water Color, Double Exposure, Shape Overlay, and Background Changer.

Automatic Selection Tool

This tool is has been added to the other selection tools previously a part of the Photo Editor. It can be accessed from both the Quick and Expert editing workspaces.

Basically, how you use it is to draw a rectangle or oval around the object you want to select. Once you let go of the mouse, PSE 2018 makes the selection. Depending upon the background, the initial selection will need some fine tuning, which you can do with the other Selection Tools available.

In the example below, there is a somewhat complicated background, so the selection is going need fine tuning. For more solid backgrounds, the new Auto Selection Tool can get quite close to the final selection.

Open Closed Eyes

We have all been in a position where we are taking a group photo and we have a great photo, except one person has their eyes shut. That is where the new tool, Open Closed Eyes comes in. The figures below outline the process. The tool is quite flexible as to where you obtain the source photo.

PSE 2018 Photo Editor includes four new Guided Edits. Guided Edits essentially lead you step-by-step through the process of creating the final effect. Some of the Guided Edits are relatively simple and others can be several steps. Pretty much all of them can be further tweaked from within the Expert mode of the Photo Editor.

Watercolor

The Watercolor effect is found in the Special Edits group of the Guided workspace.

It’s an example of a multi-step Guided Edit..

Double Exposure

This effect is found in the Fun group of the Guided Edits workspace. Again, this edit includes several steps to guide you through the process.

Given the right picture and your creativity, very interesting photo interpretations are possible. As you can see from the figure below, my creativity needs some (ok, a lot of) improvement.

Again, this Guided Edit includes several steps giving you plenty of opportunity to personalize your final photo.

The figure below displays just how many layers and operations are employed. It also illustrates how the Expert Edit mode is available to further edit the photo to reach the desired result.

Shape Overlay

The Shape Overlay is another Fun Edit within the Guided Edit workspace.

The figure below shows the various things you can do with the result of the Shape Overlay Guided Edit. In fact, this screen is typical for other Guided Edits, including sharing the resulting photo.

Replace Background

The final new Guided Edit introduced in PSE 2018 is the Replace Background. This one is found in the Special Edits group.

Notice in the figure below, in addition to selecting a preset, as I did here, you can also select one of your own photos for the background.

This particular Guided Edit is one that you may use quite often, in contrast to others in the Guided Edit workspace that you may use only infrequently.

Well there you have it. This new version of PSE 2018, although an incremental upgrade, probably has something for everyone.

Over the coming weeks and months, I will be posting tutorials, both written and videos, on the new PSE 2018, as well as Premiere Elements 2018 (PRE 2018). Stay tuned.

Until next time.

Tweak Your Colors With Photoshop’s Selective Color Command

In this post, I want to highlight a technique to selectively adjust color in your images. There are many ways to do this. This technique does require using Photoshop CC or an earlier version of the program. Photoshop Elements does not have the command, Selective Color, that this technique uses.

I learned about this technique from a video tutorial by Blake Rudis of F.64 Academy. The link to the video is shown below. He also provides free Actions that automate using the technique on three different style of photos.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rzdEfrmdMwc

In Photoshop Elements, the closest you can come to the Selective Color command, is using the Hue/Saturation command, and selecting individual color channels, rather than just using the Master Channel. But as Rudis points out in the video, this is not the same as the Selective Color approach.

Additionally, the technique can be used to provide subtle changes, as well as more pronounced changes to a photo, as is illustrated in the comparison below. It is normally applied after the primary adjustments to brightness, contrast, and color have been applied to the image.

So, if you have Photoshop, give this technique a try, let me know what you think, and post a link to your image here.

Until next time…

Copying a Selection From One Image to Another Using Photoshop Elements 15

This is a topic that is always one that generates a lot of discussion and in various photo editing forums and Facebook groups. It continues to be a popular topic, not only because it is something that we all want to do some time, but because recent improvements in photo editing programs and new programs are beginning to employ AI-enhanced tools to make the selection. And it is the quality of the selection that will make or break the final result.

In this tutorial I will go through the steps to select the image in the first photo and then copy it to the second photo. I start with using the Quick Selection tool of PSE 15, and then fine-tune the selection with the Selection Brush tool. I do mention the Refine Edge tool, but I have chosen to leave a more detailed discussion of it for another time and dedicated tutorial.

Below are the two initial photos. I want to copy the little girl into the picture of the sky to make it appear she is standing on clouds. True, it is not very creative, but the steps are there waiting to be used for someone with more creativity and skill than I have. This process includes several steps, so the tutorial is longer than most of mine.

Here is the final result.

With a little more work, I could have faded her feet out a little to add to the realism of the effect, but hopefully you get the idea. But to reiterate, the better you make your selection, the better your result will be.

CLICK HERE to access the PDF tutorial file.

If you found this tutorial helpful, please star-rate it here and share it with your friends on social media. Also, do not hesitate to add your questions, alternate techniques, and tips, as well as your examples to the comments here.

Until next time…