Does anyone use Photoshop Elements 7?

Post by **Grandad** » Wed Jan 26, 2011 9:59 pm

I am trying to learn PSE7 with the help of two 'How to' books.

I have come across a problem that I just cannot resolve. I am following the instructions in the books and the online help, all of which say the same thing, but without success.

Here's the problem: After I have spent time making a selection I save it via Select > Save selection > name it > OK

To open it I should choose Select > Load selection.... but at this point the menu is greyed out. Any suggestions???? Please

Post by **BillH** » Wed Jan 26, 2011 10:08 pm

Hi Grandad.

I don't do much in the way of art on the computer, so not been exposed to this software.

Do you get the chance to Navigate around the computer to look for the file you are trying to open from that menu? If so, try navigating to where the file was saved and see if the greyed out section becomes live once it can find a compatible file to load.
Failing that, I will pass this problem on to our Arty Farty lot in the deisgn department, as we have just purchased this software for them along with a load of other Adobe products.. They should know, hopefully..

I'll try to get back to you tomorrow as soon as I have an answer from them.

Post by **Horus** » Wed Jan 26, 2011 11:25 pm

Hello Grandad, not really up to speed on this program, but if you click the 'Channels' tab you should see the selection has been saved below the RGB, & Red Green Blue layers.

If you want it to appear as a new layer, then when you save it, you need to select 'New' instead of the default ****.jpg that appears in the Document box and it then appears as a new Alpha channel along with your original picture.
Hope this helps

Post by **Grandad** » Thu Jan 27, 2011 9:46 am

Thanks fella's, will try all that. It does go to 'New' by default and the books emphasise the need to do that, but all to no avail.

Will let you know how I get on but I am of the opinion that PSP is more friendly with layers and selections.

I want to learn PSE7 because it has some more powerful tools.

Post by **Kiya** » Thu Jan 27, 2011 9:53 am

Grandad not sure what your trying to do, can you tell me which part in the PSE7 book your at & I'll try the same thing.

Post by **Grandad** » Thu Jan 27, 2011 11:45 am

Nothing helped I'm afraid, and Horus, there is no 'channels' tab but it wouldn't help methinks.

And Bill, I did exhaustive searches to try to find the location of the saved selections without success.

I was hoping that after spending a lot of time creating a selection I could save it and use it at some future time, works OK in PSP?

Kiya, it is on page 217 of our book, Saving Your Selection. It is all very simple and it is identical in 'PSE7 for Dummies' that I also have????????

Post by **Horus** » Thu Jan 27, 2011 1:01 pm

Grandad, I find it strange that you say you have no 'Channel' tab?
I have just opened up Photoshop 7 which should not be too unlike your version and in mine there are Layers, Channels & Paths tabs shown at the top of the box that contains the thumbnail view of your main picture. By switching between these options you can see the various colour channels and the layers. So when you save your selection it should be added as another channel

It may be that in the main menu bar at the top, under 'Windows' you may need to scroll down and put a tick against the word 'layers' to make it visible on your screen.

From what I can see the 'Select' > Save Selection option is mainly used within a particular picture, but does say it can be used in other windows, although I suspect that it is just as a channel.
I always find Photoshop so unintuitive to use, that is why I prefer PSP.

Have a look at this tutorial for saving a selection in Photoshop CS3 and it is identical to Photoshop 7, note the dialogue box on the bottom right, it is showing the channel and layer tabs.
http://www.photoshoproadmap.com/Photosh ... /188472121

Post by **BillH** » Thu Jan 27, 2011 2:27 pm

Our design department couldn't help me Grandad, so I apologise for that.
They have the MAC version, and It does not seem to resemble the Windows version at all, which is odd..
I did try to understand your problem myself and see if I could resolve it, but the manual which we have in PDF format does not even mention the word "Channel" after searching through it.

Have you considered using TeamViewer ? www.teamviewer.com
There is a free option to use by both parties, then You could invite someone to control your desktop, such as Horus

if he is willing to do so, and hopefully resolve it hands on, so to speak.

Post by **Grandad** » Thu Jan 27, 2011 2:45 pm

Horus, this is a screen shot of the PSE7 workspace with the bench selected.

If I go through the 'save selection' procedure, close this picture and then open another picture and try to 'load selection' to open the selection as another layer the load option is greyed out.

I am just quoting these steps as a dummy run if I wanted to put the bench into another picture.

I don't see any buttons similar to those that you referred to????

Post by **Kiya** » Thu Jan 27, 2011 3:55 pm

Grandad I've tried to help..........followed all the instructions from book & tried different stuff myself but, I seem to have the same problem as you. Although it saves the selection like you when I go to open it ....it is grey! I cant see anything to do with "channel" ?

Grandad if you only want to select an object from 1 pic to another all I do is highlight the pics you want to work on, open editor- select the object then change to the move tool & drag it over to the other pic then do any enhancements there.............but, I'm sure you know this already.

I'll be down town tomorrow so will pop in by & see my tutor with book & see if he can figure it out.

Post by **Grandad** » Thu Jan 27, 2011 3:56 pm

In PSP I have just selected that bench, turned the background opacity to zero, (PSE won't do that, you must erase the background), duplicated it 3 times as new layers, then arranged the benches scaled to size around the lawn at Chatsworth House

Only took a few minutes so my conclusion is; Use PSE for those operations that it is very good at like jpeg RAW and Panoramas, and use PSP for layers because it is so simple and intuitive.

Don't spend any more time guys, unless there is a simple answer to my question.

Why, you may ask, is grandad playing with a photo editor on a Thursday afternoon.......If your afternoon is grey and miserable like mine you might be doing the same

Edit. Posts overlapped, thanks Kiya

Post by **Bearded Brian** » Thu Jan 27, 2011 10:23 pm

Grandad - you should have gone for PSE8.

Now you are going to ask why.

Well I've just got a new netbook and PSE8 is pre-loaded and I was hoping to get hints and tips from you

Post by **Kiya** » Thu Jan 27, 2011 10:38 pm

BB I'm surprised PSE9 isn't on your new netbook.

Post by **Horus** » Thu Jan 27, 2011 10:56 pm

I have only just realised that PSE is a 'cut down' version of Photoshop, so it may well be the case that some of the things I was explaining to Grandad are not included in it.
If I get the time I will try to familiarise myself a bit more with the program, then I may be able to offer some help in the future.

Post by **Grandad** » Fri Jan 28, 2011 9:51 am

Yes Horus, Elements is a 'cut down' version of Photoshop which is the pro's version. PSE7 etc is still a very good editing suite but as I have said for some things I find PSP more intuitive.

Ken, I think the later editions have a few extra tweaks but most of these programmes change very little in their basic operation.

I would be interested to know what happens with '8' if you open a picture, just describe a shape anywhere with one of the selection tools, go to Select > Save Selection, give it a name and OK.

Then Open another picture as if you wanted to edit that one, click Selection tab at the top and see if Load Selection is enabled or greyed out. Cheers

Post by **Horus** » Fri Jan 28, 2011 10:59 am

Grandad, I think you are starting to discover that all programs are not “all things to all men” and that most do some things very well, but then do other things quite poorly. Having used various computer programs over many years, I am firmly of the opinion that it is a case of “horses for courses”.
I will often swap between several programs to complete a particular task, just because the other program does that particular task better, is easier to use, or gives a better end result.

Post by **Horus** » Fri Jan 28, 2011 1:27 pm

Grandad, I was not sure what you meant about having to erase the background to make it transparent when making a selection in PSP.

So I took your example and I opened up a picture of a Swan, then using the magic wand I selected the outline.

I then pasted this selection as a new ‘Layer’ by using Edit > Copy, then Edit > ‘Paste as new Layer’

This ‘New layer’ has a transparent background and will only show the selection that was made with the magic wand, it may be moved around or resized.

If you click on this layer and again select Edit > Copy, you can do the following:

Open up another completely different picture and go to Edit > ‘Paste as new Layer’ and your selection from the other picture should appear as another layer in your new picture.

You may paste it in as a new layer as many times as you like, each of these new layers may be resized or moved about within your new picture.

You can select any of these layers and modify them by using the ‘Mirror’ command to change the direction or alter the colour or add any other effects that may be available to each individual layer.

You can also choose to ‘Copy’ again any layers you have changed and paste them directly into your new picture as a ‘New Selection’ this will duplicate it as the same size and with any modifications you made previously.

Hope this helps.

Post by **Kiya** » Fri Jan 28, 2011 1:41 pm

Just had some time alone with my tutor...................the excercise we were trying to do Grandad does not work in the way we thought, if you like me thought the selection saved for us to work on another day.............it dosen't.
It only works while you are working on say your pic with bench & wheel barrow, you select the bench follow the instructions in book, give it a name etc etc then say you want to do something with the wheel barrow select it follow same instructions as above, now you change your mind what you did with the bench this is where you go to "select menu" & choose "Load Selection" & redo any work on bench, when you close your pic nothing is saved.

Post by **Grandad** » Fri Jan 28, 2011 3:05 pm

Horus I said it was PSE that you have to erase the backgroung. That is why I like PSP because if you 'float' your selection it automatically creates a new floating layer with the background (or subject, if you have reversed) transparent. All the other stuff is familiar to me from earlier exchanges.

The floated image can be saved as a PSP IMAGE that can be used at any future time. I have a file with dozens of these stored in. That is unlike PSE which, as Kiya has kindly found out from her tutor, can only be saved temporarilly whilst you are working with a picture. Thanks Kiya

Our road is totally congested with vehicles today because it is convenient to walk from here into town and save parking costs. I did a panorama through a bedroom window just for the record; that is where PSE really comes into its own....the panoramas are seamless and colours are well blended.

As you say Horus, Horses for Courses.

Post by **Kiya** » Fri Jan 28, 2011 3:45 pm

This is just a rough example by saving a cropped "Selection" as a PSD file