Things You'll Need:
- Adobe Photoshop Elements Software
- Computer with Windows Vista Operating System
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Step 1
Open an image to be edited. This can be done by double-clicking on the Photoshop Elements icon that is probably on your desktop. When the program opens, go to the top of the page and select "File" and "Open." This will open a page that allows you to browse your computer for the image that you want to edit in Photoshop Elements. Click on the image and it will open in Photoshop.
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Step 2
Make size modifications to the image you have opened. To change the image size, go to the "Image" menu on the top of the page. Click on it. After this is clicked on, a drop-down menu will appear. Click on "Image Size" from this menu. If the image will be printed, it is best to leave it at a high resolution. Anywhere from 150-300 dpi would be good. If the finished image will go on the Web, change the number in the "Resolution" box to about 72 dpi.
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Step 3
Experiment with the selection tools available in the toolbox on the left-hand side of the page. The selection tools allow a person using Photoshop Elements to select certain areas of an image to be edited, without needing to edit the full image. These tools are nice to use if one part of the image is overexposed or underexposed and needs to be lightened or darkened.
One of the most popular selection tools is the Polygonal Lasso tool. This tool allows you to trace around the area you want to edit. This is especially useful when tracing around faces or bodies. -
Step 4
Add text to an image. If you are creating something like a birthday card or a wedding invitation, you may want to add text to the image. To add text, make a new layer by clicking on the "New Layer" button at the bottom of the "Layers" palette.
This will open a new layer so that the text will be separate from the image, although they will appear to be together when published. Add text by selecting the "Text Box" tool from the toolbox and left-clicking and dragging a box on your page. Use the keyboard to type in the text you want. -
Step 5
Add other images. If you want to create a collage of images, you should create a new layer for each image that will be added to the image on the bottom. Create a new layer as you did in Step 4. Place a new image on the layer by going to "File" and "Place Image."
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Step 6
Continue to experiment with different tools and settings in Photoshop Elements. There are a million different ways to alter images and create documents in Photoshop Elements.
