Photoshop Elements 8

[RonH]

Have been using this software just for a few days so very much a novice. However, maybe someone can help me with the following:

I am downloading camera pics using the PSE8 settings but dispite having set everything I can find to 'only download new pic and ignore pics that are already on hard disc' I end up with all the pics downloaded! Obviously I can unclick, prior to download, those pics that are repeats but this should not be necessary. Can anyone advise me where I am going wrong in my PSE8 set up?
Ron

SOLVED ... I had clicked a most confusing tick which was the reason for my problem. A lot of learning to do me thinks!
Ron

[Dave Humphries]

Hi Ron,

Of course, you could always delete the older ones from the memory card, AFTER successful (and confirmed download (and backup))

It took me a few goes before I had the confidence

Cheers,

[RonH]

Hei Dave,

Yes, deleting is an option but I like to wait until I have also stored my Pics on an external cd/dvd or hard disc ... don't trust these pc's nowadays to always behave!
Cheers Ron

[Dave Humphries]

~ but I like to wait until I have also stored my Pics on an external cd/dvd or hard disc ... don't trust these pc's nowadays to always behave!~

Very wise Ron, very wise

Cheers,

[jacsul]

Just downloaded a trial version of Elements 8; Any pitfalls to watch out for?

Merry Christmas...

Jack

[Dave Humphries]

Hi Jack,

Merry Christmas

I'm struggling to remember; it was a while ago since I installed (6) and that was from a retail boxed version.

I don't know how the download process works for things like this, but as the Olympus E-620 is relatively new, you might need to update Adobe Camera RAW to a later version to get compatibility with your camera. Hopefully it won't be an issue, one might like to think that a download would automatically include the latest version (ACR 5.6)

Beyond that, perhaps one of the other recent PSE8 acquisition members (3 at least, from memory) may be able to suggest something that 'caught them out'. You know, where the defaults aren't what we'd want.

Cheers,

[ScoutR]

Hi Jack:

All I can say is go slow. I've openened mine a couple times and have gotten messed up (lost) both times. I will have a closer look when Christmas is over and I can spend more time with it. I don't think you want to try and rush with this one. If you're like me you will want to rush right in...Don't do it! Take some time to get used to the interface.

If you don't have any other books, here is a link to the Adobe Elements Users Manual and Help file. You can view it on line and then save it as a pdf file.

http://help.adobe.com/en_US/Photosho...304D7_WIN.html

The above is for the Windows version and is for Elements 8. I don't now if it is for Elements 8 Premiere. If you have Premiere you migh have to search for a different version.

My version of Elements 8 includes Adobe Camera Raw ver. 5.5 and according to the readme file your camera (Olympus E-620) is supported.

http://www.adobe.com/special/photosh...5.5_ReadMe.pdf

You probably have all this already, but just in case it's about the best I can do right now. There are also some good video tutorials on the adobe site, but like I said earier, try to get used to the interface before jumping in. I found it can get pretty confusing. That's just me though.

I think Dave might be busy for awhile with at least 3 newbies learning this program, but I think we can all help each other out.

Merry Christmas
Wendy

Edit: Oh, by the way, you can get Elements 8 for $74 USD at Amazon and there is a $20 mail in rebate. It might be worth the investment. I can't imagine trying to learn this program in a limited amound of time. I'm pretty sure it will be a keeper, and the price is certainly right for everything that it does.

[jacsul]

Thanks very much Wendy...
Merry Christmas

[Dave Humphries]

Hi Jack, Wendy,

From memory, there are two sides to Elements, the Organiser, which I suspect is the overwhelming bit and the Editor.

There is a great temptation, since Elements opens with this, to dive right in to the Organiser and start setting up "watched folders", then cataloguing, naming, captioning and tagging all your shots taken to date. Is this productive? Hmmm, I don't think so (in hindsight ).

You could, maybe should, NOT do that (yet).

You could just start using Organiser from this point in time and see how you like it, import a few pics and use the Editor to process them.

Or even don't import the pics to Elements Organiser, import as you did before (presumably into folders) and rely on the Windows "Open With" to open your images directly in the Editor and "go process"
Or, if you have been using say, Nikon Transfer to date, continue to do so - you can add Elements (Editor) as a right click Open With option in Nikon's ViewNX, so it is available from the ViewNX organiser or full screen viewer.

The Elements Editor is also the powerful bit where all the benefits of its CS parentage come into play.

The Elements Editor is a lot more manageable and comes with the three methods of editing: Guided, Quick and Full, selected via sub-tabs on the right beneath the more colourful Edit (select this one), Create and Share tabs, these will get you productive straight away, I suggest you do a few Guided first off, then move on to Quick, then progress to Full - all in a matter of days (at most).

I found, the hard way, that setting up the folder hierarchy is a distraction to photography and maybe better done later rather than sooner, or you may find, as I did, that my storage/hierarchy/organising ideas kept changing and I was re-inventing things over and over, wasting time.

When I re-build my laptop with Windows 7 soon, I may start afresh (again) with the Elements Organiser, or I may use LightRoom for that purpose, I am undecided - I haven't yet found the final (read "perfect") answer on organising (it isn't ViewNX either). Those that have used LR seem to like it, so that's where I'm headed next. I have a feeling that LR + Elements is going to be the best package combination for the money.

Hope that helps,

[ScoutR]

From memory, there are two sides to Elements, the Organiser, which I suspect is the overwhelming bit and the Editor.

There is a great temptation, since Elements opens with this, to dive right in to the Organiser and start setting up "watched folders", then cataloguing, naming, captioning and tagging all your shots taken to date. Is this productive? Hmmm, I don't think so (in hindsight ).

You could, maybe should, NOT do that (yet).

Excellent advice Dave. In my case I have Lightroom, so I did not end up trying to organize everything, but I've been there and done that when I got Lightroom. Even though I did some reading and had a plan before I started, I still find myself wanting to change the way I have the photos stored and organized. I'm getting over it, because like you I found myself wasting too much time on moving things around instead of working on the photos.

I found, the hard way, that setting up the folder hierarchy is a distraction to photography and maybe better done later rather than sooner, or you may find, as I did, that my storage/hierarchy/organising ideas kept changing and I was re-inventing things over and over, wasting time.

Agree 100%. All I can say to anyone in regards to organizing, is have a plan that works for you so you will be able to find what you want when you need it and then stick with it and keep things up to date.

Those that have used LR seem to like it, so that's where I'm headed next. I have a feeling that LR + Elements is going to be the best package combination for the money.

I'm wondering why you feel you might need LR. It seems to me that Elements has it all. I've been kind of kicking myself for getting Lightroom first instead of Elements. Lightroom is excellent. It's easy to use and does what it says it will do, but it does not have all the editing features of Elements. It seems Elements does a lot more. It has the Organizer, it has ACR, and also more advanced editing features than Lightroom and it is only 1/3 the price. If I had purchased Elements first I doubt that I would have even looked at Lightroom, however, having purchased Lightroom first, I found myself wanting the more advanced editing features available with Elements, or Photoshop. I couldn't afford Photoshop, so Elements it was.

Just my 2 cents, hope it helps for anyone else in the software researching dilema at this point in time.



Wendy

[ScoutR]

Hi Jack and Ron: As fellow newbies to Photoshop Elements I thought you might be interested in the link to the tutorials below. I have not looked at them all yet, but the ones that I have viewed were very helpful.

http://tv.adobe.com/show/learn-photoshop-elements-8/

Wendy

[Dave Humphries]

Hi Wendy,

Thanks for this link, I've looked at two now and already found them useful.

EDIT: I wish I had found these earlier, it appears I'm not making the most of even what's in Elements 6, let alone 7/8. - Double thanks

Earlier:

I'm wondering why you feel you might need LR. It seems to me that Elements has it all. I've been kind of kicking myself for getting Lightroom first instead of Elements. Lightroom is excellent. It's easy to use and does what it says it will do, but it does not have all the editing features of Elements. It seems Elements does a lot more. It has the Organizer, it has ACR, and also more advanced editing features than Lightroom and it is only 1/3 the price. If I had purchased Elements first I doubt that I would have even looked at Lightroom, however, having purchased Lightroom first, I found myself wanting the more advanced editing features available with Elements, or Photoshop. I couldn't afford Photoshop, so Elements it was.

The ACR you have with LR provides more tabs than Elements alone, I don't have the following panels: Tone Curve, HSL/Grey Scale, Split Tone, Lens Correction or Presets.
Do you think you could live without those?
EDIT I don't appear to have any Tone Curve equivalent (in PSE6), I have a rudimentary "Color Curves", but you can't drag points the curves graph, only see the effect of 4 slider movements on it

Also, I think the image import options are slightly better on LR than Elements, more like Nikon Transfer in being able be a little more creative with prefixes and suffixes on filenames. That said, I have just watched the video on importing from camera and PSE7 would probably do for me, it looks better than how I remember PSE6 - I'm going to start another thread on this topic to find out what others do (and what they use).

Any other thoughts? (But not to do with file organising)

Cheers,

[RonH]

Hi Jack and Ron: As fellow newbies to Photoshop Elements I thought you might be interested in the link to the tutorials below. I have not looked at them all yet, but the ones that I have viewed were very helpful.

http://tv.adobe.com/show/learn-photoshop-elements-8/

Wendy

Thanks Wendy ... I have had a sticky at these already and as you say, they are very helpful. The only snag I have found is that they seem to 'crash' about half way into the video ... it goes back to the beginning and then plays through OK. Can't figure this one out as I wait until I can be sure that 'play' does not overtake 'downloading'.

Elements 8 seems very powerful but I am an early player. I used to download etc using the Nikon ViewNX but find PSE8 much better for organising etc. I don't have millions of folders, preferring to keep all my pics on a 'per year' basis. I then TAG those that I want to get easy access to. And it works for me on a date/time basis ... I download using two camera's, my mobile and some pics I get from Aussie. Its all nice and tidy.

I think Wendy that you also use the D3000 camera ... I am very satisfied with mine.

[ScoutR]

I wish I had found these earlier, it appears I'm not making the most of even what's in Elements 6, let alone 7/8. - Double thanks

No problem, glad I could help with something instead of being on the receiving end all the time. If you click the "Products" tab or link on the same page and then select Lightroom, you will find a lot of good Tutorials on Lightroom also.

The ACR you have with LR provides more tabs than Elements alone, I don't have the following panels: Tone Curve, HSL/Grey Scale, Split Tone, Lens Correction or Presets.
Do you think you could live without those?

Maybe not now, but I could have. I don't know if you can though.

Lightroom probably does more, but I still think if I had Elements first I would not have gone looking for anything else. (not right away anyway )

With Lightroom, I cannot remove clutter and there is always something in every shot that I want to get rid of. I had a go at that weed that you removed for me in my fence shot, and I managed to remove it with the clone tool. I'm pretty happy about that. I have lots of hydro wires to work on.

Seeing as I have Lightroom, I will more than likely use it as my RAW editor. I've had a chance to look at Elements today and Lightroom does have more features for RAW editing that are quite useful. I'm starting to appreciate the Tone curve tool, and there is also a Local Adjustment Brush that is very useful. There's a graduated filter too. It looks promising, but I have not been able to make it behave yet. I don't use the Lightroom presets, but being able to easily make my own presets and apply them is quite time saving and helpful.

EDIT I don't appear to have any Tone Curve equivalent (in PSE6), I have a rudimentary "Color Curves", but you can't drag points the curves graph, only see the effect of 4 slider movements on it

Looks like Elements 8 is the same, it shows a graph but no drag points, just sliders.

Also, I think the image import options are slightly better on LR than Elements, more like Nikon Transfer in being able be a little more creative with prefixes and suffixes on filenames. That said, I have just watched the video on importing from camera and PSE7 would probably do for me, it looks better than how I remember PSE6 - I'm going to start another thread on this topic to find out what others do (and what they use).

Sounds like a good idea. I for one will be watching for any threads on Elements. Personally, I'm not too worried about the file naming thing, but I am having trouble getting my head around all the different file formats. All in good time though.

Any other thoughts? (But not to do with file organising)

What if we had a weekly Elements assignment? For example: Post a photo with an assignment to go with it. Give everyone a week or so to work on it and see what we come up with. After a week we could post our results and how we did it and then open things up for questions and answers pertaining to that particular assignment.
There are at least 3 of us learning Elements right now and I don't know how many regular users. I don't know if there would be enough interest or not. Maybe it could be open to any software. I don't know, just thinking out loud. Seems like it might be motivational and educational.

Wendy

[Dave Humphries]

Hi Wendy,

Sounds like a good idea. I for one will be watching for any threads on Elements. Personally, I'm not too worried about the file naming thing, but I am having trouble getting my head around all the different file formats. All in good time though.

Ah, we may be at cross purposes then, I'm still trying to arrive at an optimum workflow to:
1) memory card thumbnail review (with tick boxes)
2) import only ticked files (repeat step 1 and 2 as necessary)
3) easy review to delete 'duffers' or grade 'keepers'
4) easy bulk grouping, tagging, keywording, etc.
5) filter for highest graded
6) work on those and save as psd/tif or jpg
7) easy access to that version history
8a) easy searchability to find an image (using date, tags, keywords, etc.)
8b) even if on an external HDD (or DVD?) that isn't in the computer at the time
Elements should do most of that, except possibly 8b which I think LR can.

Except, the way I first went at it, the number of files in a folder caused issues, anyway, I'm getting ahead of myself, will post later tonight, it is half written.

What if we had a weekly Elements assignment? For example: Post a photo with an assignment to go with it. Give everyone a week or so to work on it and see what we come up with. After a week we could post our results and how we did it and then open things up for questions and answers pertaining to that particular assignment.
There are at least 3 of us learning Elements right now and I don't know how many regular users. I don't know if there would be enough interest or not. Maybe it could be open to any software. I don't know, just thinking out loud. Seems like it might be motivational and educational.

Well, if I had got off my fat behind, you would have; the CiC team have (long) planned a "PP challenge" and it was supposed to be my 'baby'.

We sorted out satorage of RAW files as well, I just never finished the job, shame on me

It wasn't going to be just for Elements, but all the ideas you have would be equally valid.
The idea was we'd have a donor "imperfect picture", on some occasions really naff, with sloping horizons and all, then let people lose on it for a week and have a vote on the best result, with the winner describing what they had done.

I'll see what I can do,

[ScoutR]

Ah, we may be at cross purposes then, I'm still trying to arrive at an optimum workflow to:

Hi Dave: I don't think we are at cross purposes. The things you mention below are important to me too, but Lightroom does them all without too much fussing around. I did read the Kelly book and watched the LR Library videos at the site shown in my last message, just to get an idea what I was doing, and then let LR do the rest. I figure Elements does the same thing, but I have it all set up in LR and I'm not going to fiddle with it. (for now anyway )

1) memory card thumbnail review (with tick boxes)
2) import only ticked files (repeat step 1 and 2 as necessary)
3) easy review to delete 'duffers' or grade 'keepers'
4) easy bulk grouping, tagging, keywording, etc.
5) filter for highest graded
6) work on those and save as psd/tif or jpg
7) easy access to that version history
8a) easy searchability to find an image (using date, tags, keywords, etc.)
8b) even if on an external HDD (or DVD?) that isn't in the computer at the time
Elements should do most of that, except possibly 8b which I think LR can.

Yes, LR does all of the above including # 8b.
I just did an experiment for you. I unplugged my external drive to see if it would still show the thumbnails in the Library. It does. I even shut down LR and started it up again just to make sure.
The Hard Drive and all the folders that I have in the LR catalouge still show up, but the Drive shows in black instead of grey and there are question marks on the folders as a visual indication that the media is not available.
All the thumbnails and related information show up though, and can be sorted and searched via any filters or tags that were applied. You can even add filters and tags or keywords. You cannot do any editing though. The editing functions are all disabled and if you try to switch to the Develop module, a message will show across the top of the photo that "filename xxxxxx is offline or missing"

The idea was we'd have a donor "imperfect picture", on some occasions really naff, with sloping horizons and all, then let people lose on it for a week and have a vote on the best result, with the winner describing what they had done.

I like it, I hope you have time to work on it. Let me know if you need any doners.

Wendy

[ScoutR]

I have had a sticky at these already and as you say, they are very helpful. The only snag I have found is that they seem to 'crash' about half way into the video ... it goes back to the beginning and then plays through OK. Can't figure this one out as I wait until I can be sure that 'play' does not overtake 'downloading'.

So sorry for the late reply, I have to set things up here in the forum so that I see when I get replies. Anyway, just to let you know that I had the same issue with the videos here. I figured it was my computer or internet connection or something, but you had the same problem, so I guess it's something with their videos. Seems to be all the "Lynda" videos. The rest are OK.

Elements 8 seems very powerful but I am an early player.

Looks like it can do lots, but I'm taking it slow with this one, it's not what I would call intuitive. I think I've got the cloning thing figured out. I want to try working with layers in the near future, but I'm pretty sure I won't be able to keep track of which layer I'm working on or what I'm trying to do with it.

I used to download etc using the Nikon ViewNX but find PSE8 much better for organising etc. I don't have millions of folders, preferring to keep all my pics on a 'per year' basis. I then TAG those that I want to get easy access to. And it works for me on a date/time basis ... I download using two camera's, my mobile and some pics I get from Aussie. Its all nice and tidy.

I tried the Nikon software too, and found it a bit difficult. I ended up getting Lightroom, so I will continue to use that as an organizer, and Elements for any of the editing that LR can't do. I think with organizing everyone has a system that works for them. As long as the software does what it says it's going to do, then it's whatever makes sense to you.

I think Wendy that you also use the D3000 camera ... I am very satisfied with mine.

I'm very happy with the D3000. It's my first serious digital camera. I find I have trouble getting my fingers around some of the buttons if I want to compensate for exposure or lock exposure for instance. I'll figure it out, but I like the settings on the old semi-automatic film camera much better.

Again, apologies for the slow reply. Best wishes for the New Year
Wendy

[ScoutR]

The ACR you have with LR provides more tabs than Elements alone, I don't have the following panels: Tone Curve, HSL/Grey Scale, Split Tone, Lens Correction or Presets.
Do you think you could live without those?

No! Now that I've had a chance to check Elements out, I have changed my mind. You are right (as usual ) and LR does have a lot more going on for RAW editing than Elements. That being said, there are still many features in Elements that I will be using. I think you are also right that LR and Elements might end up being a good combo. I still haven't found a way to show DNG previews in the open dialouge of Elements, but it does not make sense and I'm probably missing something. In the meantime, I just jot down the file number so I know what I'm looking for.

By the Way, I did some experiments with filenaming and importing today in LR, and I will report back in the new thread that you started awhile back about organizing.

Wendy

[RonH]

Seems to be all the "Lynda" videos. The rest are OK.
Wendy

Hei Wendy,
Thanks for your various replies ... and also to you a top 2010.

Yep ... its only the Lynda videos. I am now 'engaged' in reading my Christmas books the best of which seems to be The Photoshop Elements 8 by Scott Kelby/Matt Kloskowski ... I recall this also being a 'Cambridge' recommendation. The other E8 I gratefully received is by Jeff Carlson ... whilst there is a lot of 'common ground' between these books, each tends to emphasis different aspects and in some cases different ways of solving the same challenges.

A lot to learn but this forum seems to have all the best players don't you think ... very willing to offer a hand.
Best wishes

[Dave Humphries]

By the Way, I did some experiments with filenaming and importing today in LR, and I will report back in the new thread that you started awhile back about organizing.

Thanks.

We have nice weather for a change, so I may not get back to that for a day or two.

You know how it is, make hay (or take photos) while the sun shines

Cheers,