50 fast digital photo techniques with Photoshop Elements 3

What it’s about

This book is a hands-on guide for digital photographers who want to master Adobe Photoshop Elements 3. Frustrated with user-manual-style books, the author provides 50 fast, practical, step-by-step techniques for real-world photo editing tasks. From essential fundamentals like file formats and workflow to basic corrections for exposure and color, and creative projects like making subjects jump out of a photo or creating scrapbook pages, this book covers a wide range of topics. It's designed for beginners to advanced users, on PC or Mac, who want to improve their digital images for printing, sharing online, or creating fine art. The included CD-ROM provides all the "before" images, allowing readers to follow along and achieve the same results shown in the book.

The through-line

Who it’s for

The reader is a digital photographer (from beginner to advanced) who owns a digital camera or scanner and wants to move beyond simply taking pictures to creating stunning, professional-looking, and creative images. They want their photos to look their best for printing, sharing online, or for artistic purposes, but are unsure how to achieve these results.

The problem

The reader's digital photos don't look as good as they could. They may be poorly exposed, have color casts, or lack visual impact, and they are overwhelmed by the complexity of photo editing software like Photoshop Elements. The reader feels frustrated, intimidated, and creatively stifled by the steep learning curve of image editing software. They are disappointed that their photos don't reflect the beauty of the original scene and feel like they are wasting the potential of their digital camera.

The plan

1. Learn the Essential Fundamentals (Workspace, Image Size, Workflow, Sharpening).
2. Master Basic Image Correction (Exposure, Color, Tonal Range).
3. Apply Creative and Fun Techniques to transform your photos into art and for specific projects like portraits, scrapbooks, and web galleries.

The payoff

Confidently and quickly edit photos to look professional and visually stunning. · Correct common problems and apply creative effects you never thought possible. · Proudly share images with friends and family, create fine art prints, build online galleries, and design beautiful scrapbook pages.