Scrapper’s Guide SupportQuestions About Photoshop and Photoshop Elements I have a Photoshop / Photoshop Elements Question... Why did you choose to use Adobe® Photoshop® Elements for digital scrapbooking? How much does Adobe Photoshop Elements cost? What are the system requirements to run Adobe Photoshop Elements 3.0 and 4.0? How do I start with digital scrapbooking? I'm feeling overwhelmed. Can I make ribbons in Photoshop Elements? I have both Adobe Photoshop and Photoshop Elements on my computer. Which CD should I order? Do I need a digital camera to do digital scrapbooking? What equipment do I need for digital scrapbooking? How do I back up the Organizer? Why do I keep getting a "disconnected" thumbnail on my photos in the Organizer? How do I organize 3rd party products? Q. I have a Photoshop / Photoshop Elements
question...
A. My training CDs (Volume 1 and Volume 2) answer most questions about using Photoshop Elements or Photoshop for scrapbooking.
If you have a question about something that I don’t cover in my training material, the best way to get an answer quickly is to ask your question in the Digital Scrapper Forum.
A. Adobe Photoshop Elements is derived from Adobe Photoshop, the gold standard software for digital photography and print ads in the publishing world. Elements has most of the Photoshop features we’d ever want to use for scrapbooking—and even a few nifty ones that Photoshop doesn’t have—at a fraction of the cost. Hey! If Photoshop is good enough for Big Dollar Ads, I figure I can put Photoshop Elements to good use for an even BETTER goal: enhancing my photos and creating awesome scrapbook pages that I can display with pride (and archive digitally). Of course you can always use Adobe Photoshop in place of Elements, if you have it. Q. How much does Adobe Photoshop Elements
cost?
A. It retails for $99, but you can often find it for less at places like Costco or Amazon.com, or it may even come free bundled with equipment you buy. That’s how I got my first copy of Elements—it came bundled with a scanner we bought Q. What are the system requirements to run
Adobe Photoshop Elements 4.0?
A. Macintosh: Elements 4.0 Windows: Elements 4.0 Q. How do I start with digital scrapbooking?
I'm feeling overwhelmed.
A. My Volume 1 training CD will take the mystery out of digital scrapbooking, but you need to do more than just watch it. The best way to get familiar enough with the program to be able to really use it is to actually do the lessons. Start with the first intro lesson (lessons average around 5 minutes) and use the same photo I'm using if you wish. Then get one of your own photos and do it again. You'll be surprised at how fast you learn! Q. I'm having trouble moving my photo onto
another photo or document. It just switches to my other document.
A. Check to see if your photo is maximized. If it is, click on the “multi window” mode (to the left of the "X" for closing the photo) to get out of maximize. Then you'll be able to move your photo around by clicking on the bar across the top of the floating window, and you'll be able to use the Move tool to click and drag your photos from one document to another. Q. Can I make ribbons in Photoshop Elements?
A. Most of the time digital ribbon doesn't look real unless you scan it and select it out of a photo, a skill I teach in my Volume 1 training CD. I also teach how to create ribbons in If you want ribbon for your own personal pages, the best deal in town is the CD we carry called Real Ribbons by Jenny Binder. It has enough ribbons to last you for a long time, and you can change the color on them to make them stretch even further. It’s a lot of work to buy the ribbon, get the bows just right, scan them, and select them out, so I was thrilled when I saw this CD and promptly asked if I could carry it in our store. If you're wanting digital ribbon to resell as part of a kit, however, you'll need to scan and select out your own ribbons or contact Jenny Binder for commercial rights at jenny@heirloomscrapbooks.com. Q. I'm getting ready to buy a program for
digital scrapbooking. Which one do you recommend: Adobe Photoshop
or Photoshop Elements?
A. Either Photoshop Elements or Adobe Photoshop are good choices for digital scrapbooking. The main difference is the price. Photoshop is the gold standard of designers and photographers. It has a lot of extra power, much of which you don't need for routine scrapbooking and some of which is very nice to have if you can afford the big price tag of around $600. (Student prices are a lot cheaper, of course.) Awhile back I wrote about ten reasons you might consider upgrading to Adobe Photoshop. At the time Adobe was offering a whale of a good deal for Elements users to upgrade. (They offer this upgrade sale about once a year.) In the article I mention just a few of the reasons one would consider upgrading to Adobe Photoshop. Here's the link to that article. What it really comes down to is fiances and long term commitment. Elements can be purchased for less than $100. (Amazon and Costco are good places to find a good deal on Elements.) If you can afford the extra money for Adobe Photoshop, then ask yourself this question: Do I plan to do this long term, or am I just checking it out? If you aren't sure, I'd go with Photoshop Elements. If you feel pretty strongly that this will at least be a part of your scrapbooking from now on, go with Photoshop if you can afford it. Photoshop isn't any harder to learn than Elements, in my opinion, yet there is almost unlimited room for growth. Elements, however, has plenty of room for growth, too, so if you go that route, you won't be disappointed. And once you learn Elements, you'll be able to graduate to Photoshop when you're ready without any trouble—they work very much alike. Also, Elements has a number of features that Photoshop doesn't have: more layer styles (though less flexibility in adjusting them), more shapes, the Cookie Cutter tool, the Red Eye tool, more printing options, Quick Fix which makes fixing photos a snap, and the Windows version of Elements comes with the "Organizer" that helps you organize your photos. Only you can decide what is right for you right now! Q. I have both Adobe Photoshop and Photoshop
Elements on my computer. Which Scrapper's Guide training CD should
I order?
A. Eventually we will have a complete Volume 1 for Adobe Photoshop CS2, but right now we only have a hybrid. We currently send a Photoshop Elements Volume 1 training CD with an addendum disk for Adobe Photoshop. The addendum contains additional video training for Adobe Photoshop in areas that differ from Photoshop Elements. It also includes a complete manual for Adobe Photoshop. The best value, then, would be to purchase the Adobe Photoshop Version because you'll get the full Photoshop Elements version with it. When I've completely finished filming Volume 1 for Adobe Photoshop, you will have to decide which program you plan to use and order accordingly. Q. Do I need a digital camera to do digital
scrapbooking?
A. Not necessarily. You can still take pictures the conventional way and then scan them to get them into digital form. Having said that, I do love using a digital camera because it’s so much fun and so versatile! You can take as many photos as you want and only print the ones you really like. That’s great Q. What equipment do I need for digital scrapbooking?
A. You’ll need a computer and monitor (see above for specifications) and a color printer and photo paper. You’ll also need either Adobe Photoshop Elements or Adobe Photoshop and either a digital camera or scanner or both. Q. How do I back up the Organizer?
A. To backup your catalog, choose "File > Backup" and follow the wizard. It's preferable to backup to an external hard drive or at least to a different hard drive than the one where you keep your photos. When you follow this procedure it saves both the photos and the catalog. Then if you ever need to re-install it, choose "File > Restore" and follow the instructions. A good book to read on this subject and about the Organizer in general is "Organize Your Photos with Adobe Photoshop Elements 3" by Michael Slater. (The last time I looked he didn’t have a new edition for Elements 4 yet.) One thing I’ve learned from my experience is that I need to periodically burn photos to a CD and remove them from my hard drive. (File > Burn) When you do that, Elements will still keep the thumbnails, but will reference the CD of DVD if you want to access those photos. That way your catalog will stay more manageable, and it won't take as long or as much space when you DO back it up on a regular basis. Q. Why do I keep getting a "disconnected" thumbnail
on my photos in the Organizer?
A. Once you import photos to the Organizer you must move them within Organizer or you'll get the disconnected sign. It might be a good idea to simply delete all the thumbnails (don't check the “delete from hard drive” option or you will delete the actual photos!) or you can simply create a new catalog from the file menu. Q. How do I organize 3rd party products?
A. It's a good idea to create a folder called “3rd Party Products” and then have folders within this folder for the websites where you purchase or download products. You can also create a tag for each designer in the Organizer. That way it’s easy to credit the designer when you use one of his or her products.
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