Photoshop Elements 6 Help Please

[sekhar]

Dear all,

help needed for a novice plz. I am not sure how I can get the chequered area into black colour. I shall post more info if needed, but I hope the screen shot will let members understand my problem.

this is my first post on this forum after a long time and I hope that the image gets uploaded correctly for members to see



many thanks in advance

[Shadowman]

Have you tried going to Enhance, adjust color, change color.

[sekhar]

thanks, but it is giving me an option of eyedropper and other functions. I will attach a screen shot as I am sure that I am not giving the correct technical info.

[Dave Humphries]

Dear all,

help needed for a novice plz. I am not sure how I can get the chequered area into black colour. I shall post more info if needed, but I hope the screen shot will let members understand my problem.

this is my first post on this forum after a long time and I hope that the image gets uploaded correctly for members to see

many thanks in advance

Hi there Sekhar,

Firstly, don't close the image or switch off the computer.
I also don't think John's well intentioned advice is correct, so don't do that - the problem is due to the mask effect you have (accidentally?) applied.

In fact; don't try too many things too soon, especially not one after another, or we could end up with no way out.

Were you actually wanting to use this effect?
If not, can you use Edit > Undo enough times to 'reverse out' of the wrong turn you have taken?

This is why you mustn't rush things, there are only a limited number of times you can use Undo (20 steps as a default I think).

Let me start Elements up ... (I'll be back soon),

[hoffstriker]

I'm probably wrong, but wouldn't you select color (black), select the magic selection tool, select checkered area, and then go to edit, fill.

Ignore me, wait for Dave...... He's a master at elements........

Yes he/she did Dave, I did it myself trying to replicate what she did............

[sekhar]

thanks Dave,

yes I wanted to use a cookie cutter with brush stroke effect and applied that cutter on my image. it is the result. but I wanted to have black colour in the background and it is not the result that i am having.

i must say that i started off with scott kelby's book and am working through page by page, but there is no chapter on this , so i am kinda stuck

[Dave Humphries]

Hi Sekhar,

Not sure this is going to be real time enough to be any help, but here goes ...

On the menu bar;
Click Window, then put a tick beside "Undo History"
You should now see a list of actions you have taken editing this image.

let me know when you have that,

[sekhar]

yep, i now have the history

[Dave Humphries]

OK, it sounds like it was intentional.

In which case John's and Chris's' advice probably isn't so far off, but try this instead.

Tell me how you got to the current situation, I don't ever use those effects, so it's all alien to me.

My suggestion would be to create a new layer behind the girl and fill that with black (so you don't change the girl at all. The crosshatch is the transparent indicator, so the black will show through.

Only when you're perfectly happy, and don't do this too soon, then flatten down the layers.

[sekhar]

I'm probably wrong, but wouldn't you select color (black), select the magic selection tool, select checkered area, and then go to edit, fill.

Ignore me, wait for Dave...... He's a master at elements........

Yes he/she did Dave, I did it myself trying to replicate what she did............

Thanks hoffstriker, i am a he....... LOL
And yes, like i said i wanted to use a cookie cutter, but the left out portion is showing up as checks and in the final image it is still white in colour

[sekhar]

OK, it sounds like it was intentional.

In which case John's and Chris's' advice probably isn't so far off, but try this instead.

Tell me how you got to the current situation, I don't ever use those effects, so it's all alien to me.

My suggestion would be to create a new layer behind the girl and fill that with black (so you don't change the girl at all. The crosshatch is the transparent indicator, so the black will show through.

Only when you're perfectly happy, and don't do this too soon, then flatten down the layers.

plz dont get me wrong, but i opened a new layer and i am not sure how to fill the layer with black

sorry but, hope you can understand my ignorence

[Dave Humphries]

No need to apologise, really there isn't, (neither do I)

Now let's see ...

[Dave Humphries]

OK, it seems first thing to do is create a copy of the background (girl) layer, if you don't, the new layer goes in front instead of behind

[Dave Humphries]

Menu bar
Layer > New > Layer via Copy (Ctrl + J)
that should give you a copy of your picture called "Layer 1"

[sekhar]

ok, can i drag n move the background layer over the new layer in the layer palette to make the new layer go behind

[sekhar]

yes, got a copy in the palette (used ctlJ)

[Dave Humphries]

ok, can i drag n move the background layer over the new layer in the layer palette to make the new layer go behind

I couldn't see how to do that, but if you have, all well and good. This is the blind leading the blind

yes, got a copy in the palette (used ctlJ)

OK, assuming you have a new blank layer behind and are selected and working on that new blank layer that has no content ...

We need to set a foreground colour to black.
Hit keyboard "D" to do this, you should see it on left hand side at bottom.

Now to select the Paint Bucket Tool (Keyboard "K" should do it) and click on the empty layer and it should all turn black

[sekhar]

Dave, the copy is having content. sorry that I am taking up ur time

[Dave Humphries]

Dave, the copy is having content. sorry that I am taking up ur time

I did this,

Select the lower layer in Layer palette
In menu bar: Layer > New > Layer (or Ctrl + Shift + N)
that puts a new empty layer between the two with picture content

[sekhar]

yes, got it and the new layer is not having content. but after selecting the foreground black, the paint bucket is not filling the layer when clicked in the empty layer