Photoshop Elements help?I

C

Coila

New member
I am a beginner to the digital scrapbooking world. I started with a program called HP Scrapbook Assistant. Now I am used to it but there are so many things I want to do that I can't! So I broke down and bought Photoshop Elements 6 because I have heard that's the program to use.

So now I have no idea how to scrap a page!! There are all of these programs you can buy to learn this program but I am not sure if that is something I should do. Should I just buy a guide to the program? I searched online but am still not sure.

Help, guidance, PLEASE?! I feel dumb... I couldn't even figure out how to use a template!!
 
Awe honey, don't feel dumb. When I first got mine it looked like the surface of mars to me, not much was familiar. I came to it from using Paint Shop Pro.
The best way for me was to use google and search for instructions. But be specific, make sure you specify it's for scrapbooking.
Hint 1. To use a clipping mask- Drag your paper over the shape on the template layer and click Control+G. If you're happy with how that looks, click on the layer and click on merge layers.

Good luck Coila. the program still holds some mysteries for me,lol. Just keep asking questions, because the only dumb one you'll ever ask is the one that you didn't.

Welcome to SSD too, the sweetest place,imo, on the net :thumbup:
 
ahh! I totally understand! I just converted over from a free program called Paint.NET, and there are still some things I prefer about its user interface. However, I can already tell that Photoshop is much smarter in its sampling as it takes up way less memory.

www.scrapgirls.com has really good tutorials, I've found. That's how I learned to use a template (like a week or two ago) The trick is to put whatever paper you want above the layer you want to use on the template, and then do as Brooke says.

I haven't been able to get PSE6 to be an easy drag n drop program. Maybe someone can help me. Whenever I want to drag a paper or an element into my current drawing, it has me open it up in my bin first, and then I have to double click on that file to be able to drag it into my working space. Is there a preference I need to change, or should I just get over it?
 
Coila, I just learned by trail and error...lol! But if there was something I couldn't figure out I'd google for a tutorial. Make sure to include which version of PSE you are using since things are a little different in each version.

Megan is right, PSE 6 does not make adding papers and elements to your LO easy. In PSE 5 I can drag and drop from my canvas onto my LO in the photobin or drag and drop from my photobin onto my canvas. In PSE 6 you can ONLY drag and drop from your canvas onto the thumbnails in your bin. It's annoying.

As for the templates, do what Brooke said, except I love keyboard shortcuts so I hit Ctrl+E to merge.

If you're looking for some tutorials on shadows here are some I wrote:
http://peppermintcreative.com/blog/?p=999
http://littlebitscrappy.blogspot.com/2008/07/my-pet-peeve-so-tut-for-you.html

I know lots of gals here have commented on Misty's tutorials on her blog, maybe someone can link you up!

Hope that helps!
 
I just wanted to offer up some words of encouragement. I use PSE6 so I can say with all honesty that there's quite a learning curve with it. Especially since you've never used this type of software before. My advice is pretty much what everyone else said... tutorials, tutorials, tutorials. They will help you with the basics which is all you need to get started. Also, my other suggestion is to just screw around with your program. Seriously just start messing around with different buttons, tabs, and features to see what they do. The "help" drop-down menu is actually pretty good about explaining what each thing does. And then just play with it to see what all each feature can do.
Also, don't be afraid to ask for help. You can pm me anytime (lilcameronsmommy) or email me (jen1622 AT comcast DOT net) or catch me on yahoo IM (lilcameronsmommy) and feel free to ask me anything.
Let me put it this way... I've been using pse6 for almost a year now and I still find things about it that I didn't know it could do.
Good luck!
 
feel free at anytime to ask a specific question for help with something you don't know how to do. people are fast around her on getting you the answer or directing you. we are all helpers 'round these parts. :thumbup:
 
I mainly use PSCS3, but I have PSE 5 on my computer. I think the biggest thing to learn is understanding layers, how to crop pictures, and how to scale/resize proportionately and using templates. PSE was a little challenging for me at first, but it's not so bad. Just play around and look through digital scrapbooking tutorials sites. If you do a search for digital scrapbooking tutorials there's a lot out there that should help you getting started.
 
Wow! Thanks for all of the replies! I definitely feel better about learning the program... still a little overwhelmed but at least have some hope lol. I am so glad that I found this site and joined! Everyone is so nice and there is all kinds of inspiration here to keep me scrappin'. I am going to finish the challenges with my old software and then really buckle down and learn the new program!

Thanks everyone for the guidance and advice!!
 
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