Photo-shop Elements
There are people who write and ask me quiet often about what type of software I use to edit with or what I recommend. Well there is a simple answer Adobe…
Adobe picture editing software is by far the best choice for the amateur and pro alike. There is no other editing tool that has the number of tools, ease of use, organization, and work-flow that adobe provides. Often people tell me they are looking for a good editing program that will also allow them to do more with their photographs. For the average based consumer, photo-taker, or beginning photo enthusiast I highly recommend Adobe Photoshop Elements as the program to start with. There are a number of free programs on the web these days and offer some in the way of editing, but they really do not compare to a real photo editing software once you learn to use it. There is one program that compares to Photoshop and that is Gimp, it is somewhat harder to use than Photoshop but, it does have many of the same type tools, and allows much of the same creative freedom of a professional based program.
Photoshop Elements on average cost about $100 and it is worth every single penny, I feel this is not only a great consumer based program but, a necessity for any professional as well.
Opening the program for the first time
The first panel that appears when you open Elements is a small window with a couple of choices in that panel; we are working on editing right now so we click the edit tab. I have to admit the first time you see the user interface in Photoshop it can seem somewhat overwhelming but, with a little effort and some computer skills you will be breezing through it.
To edit a picture you now need to go to the File tab at the top and click open, choose the folder/file you wish to edit and open it. From here you need to determine what exactly you want to do to the picture. If this is your first time using Photoshop don’t expect to get a masterpiece, but I recommend pursuing through the many filters and menu options to start getting an idea of just what the basic presets can do. From here on the very left side of the screen you should have a list of tools, these will become you best friend in photo editing. Some of the tools you see are your selection tools, Cloning and Healing tools, Brush Options, Type Tool, Eraser, Dodge and Burn just to name a few. If you right click on many of these little tools, you find that there is more than one option for most of them. I also recommend playing around here with these and start getting a feel for what some of these do.
From here you basically need only to know what you want to do to the picture, if there is a lighting problem, color problem, tone, or you just want to enhance the photo in someway you now have a very powerful tool to help you do that.
The reason I am such a believer in Photoshop Elements and believe it is a necessity to even a pro is not the editing tools it provides which are great, but it is the creative options it has that Creative Suite and Lightroom do not. Such as presets for Collages, Calendars, Slideshows, and many more. Not to mention most of the editing tools carry over to Adobe’s pro software, and gives you a great head start if you ever make that leap. In my opinion it is the best place for photo enthusiast of all levels to start their editing experience. Please direct questions to anthonyposton@hotmail.com, find me on Facebook or reply to this post. Thank you Anthony Poston Photography
