Adobe Photoshop Elements is one of the best programs available for cataloging and editing photos. It’s not the simplest – some people will prefer the simplicity and elegant design of Windows Live Photo Gallery, or one of the online photo services. But Photoshop Elements is the program to use if you care enough to spend some time keeping your photos organized, or you’re confident enough at a computer to grow into powerful editing tools. Photoshop Elements has simple editing screens for red eye removal and lighting effects but also has almost all the tools found in the grownup version of Photoshop used by professionals.
The full set of tools is intimidating and famously difficult. I’ve got two resources for you.
There must be hundreds of web sites devoted to Photoshop – tips, tutorials, formal and informal training, and more. Luxa is a good place to start – a deep collection of tutorials, articles, tips & tricks, and videos for beginners and experts alike. It’s a little overwhelming, but heck, so is Photoshop. Unlike many Photoshop tutorial sites, Luxa is free.
Before you dive in, you might want to watch a couple of these short video tutorials, even if you don’t own Photoshop. In addition to being informative, they’re drop-dead hilarious. Not a secret – Boing Boing has been featuring these for the last few weeks. Well worth a look!
You Sucjk At Photoshop – Vol. 1: Distort, Warp & Layer Effects
You Suck At Photoshop – Vol. 2: Covering Your Mistakes
You Suck At Photardshop – Vol. 3: Clone Stamp & Manual Cloning
