Thanks! Make sure you check out my new channel for photo related videos over at www.youtube.com/@HTGPhoto. All of my new Photoshop Elements videos are now going up over there.

Thanks!

You're very welcome! And take a look at this video, 10 things for beginners to know kzfaq.info/get/bejne/aruifZmcmceuio0.html

You're welcome!

You're very welcome!

Glad it was helpful!

You're welcome!

Awesome, thank you!

You're welcome!

You are welcome!

You're welcome!

Thanks Peter for your kind endorsement. Much appreciated. I decided to do a few of these quick basic videos to answer some questions that I get asked frequently. As a matter of fact I was able to use this video this morning in answer to an emailed question. George

Happy to help!

You're welcome Jules George

You’re welcome 😊

You are welcome!

You're welcome!

You're welcome!

You're welcome again George

Thanks! Glad you enjoyed it

You're welcome Mark George

You're welcome! George

I agree - helped me a lot too.

You're welcome!

You're welcome!

You are welcome

You're welcome!

Thanks and welcome

Glad it was helpful!

Thanks!

Thanks!

Thanks!

You are right, complete beginner stuff. But then most of my views on KZfaq are from complete beginners. I made this video mostly to be able to send people to who have questions about layers. Saves long comment replies.

How To Gurus I appreciate it.

Here are some good projects that use Layer Masks and Clipping Layers, should answer all your questions. kzfaq.info/get/bejne/b9yDlsyasczeYnU.html kzfaq.info/get/bejne/ndqRlbiYxKfTp2Q.html kzfaq.info/get/bejne/r8mKgKSivsyYmoU.html kzfaq.info/get/bejne/Z9l0pK-QxtmYoHk.html George

Thanks Joe! Wish they did. Anyway you found me here on KZfaq. BTW, Adobe does know I exist. Take a look at the new Guided Edits in Photoshop Elements 2019 and then compare them to the Projects I included on my Photoshop Elements 2018 training course. Adobe simply copied my ideas and converted them into Guided Edits. Makes me sad because I would like to see Adobe put more thought into their product updates. George

@@HTGGeorge OMG....

Double click on the name of the layer "background" and it will convert into layer 0. To change an existing layer to the background layer go up to the Layer menu and click New Background...

I like using pixabay.com

Hi, all of my videos since October 2019 have been in PSE 2020. Really not that many changes.

Hi Anton, you can control the order of images in the Photo Bin by bringing them in one at a time in the order you want. There is no way to automatically shuffle the order of layers, that can only be done manually.

@@HTGGeorge That was quick! Thank you!

@@antonzvanut9542 You're welcome. I usually have KZfaq open all day and I answer comments throughout the day.

@@HTGGeorge Thanks to Andrei Doubrovski, Mr. "Elements+ man", I have now the solution to my problem. It turned out that if I select (sorted by name!) and drag a batch of images to PSE, they do not result sorted in Photo Bin. Instead, If I apply OPEN command, select the batch and click the OPEN button, the images in Photo Bin are organized exactly as they appeared ain the selected folder. This may matter a lot because there are procedures like focus stacking which consequently build the layers stack respectively. So: make the appropriate sort before open (ascending, descending...) and then avoid dragging of a batch of images to PSE in order to fit the planned processing.

PSE How to Remove Background kzfaq.info/get/bejne/qquCmNeQy7S5oZ8.html

HI Bill, Document File is a generic term, and Image File is more specific. So an image file is a document file, but a document file doesn't necessarily mean it is an image file. For instance a text file is also a document file. Also image could refer to an individual image on one layer or to the over all image created by all the layers. Basically, don't worry too much about that. The file extension depends on what type of document it is, for instance a plain text document has a txt extension. Image documents can have one of several different file extensions depending on the file type. The most common ones in Photoshop Elements are: .psd (this is the basic Photoshop Elements document type and includes all things like layers, etc.) jpg: a compressed single layer image, png" another type of compressed single layer image file format that can also include transparent areas. I recommend sticking with the .psd file format for all your work, then do a save as to whatever final format you need, I usually work in .psd and then save to .png for uploading to the internet.

@@HTGGeorge Thanks George for your fast response. So document files can have layers .psd and image files can also have layers? Would that make that image file a .psd file? I'll have to research to digest all this. I'm probably overthinking this file stuff. This video touched some on how document files are created and image files are brought in and used within the PSE workspace. If you could make a video or recommend one of your videos to further explain. Others may have the same questions or confusions. Meanwhile, I'm having a blast watching and learning from your videos about layering, masking and the other powerful tools within PSE. A bit daunting but that seems to be a little more digestible. George, your a great service to the PSE community. As I mentioned, I was brought into this with PRE but have realized mastering PSE standalone, in addition to my video ambitions would be good course of action. Thanks again, Bill

@@BillyLeeWilson Hi Bill, the psd file format is the default format for Photoshop Elements, and also Adobe Photoshop. You can open a jpg, or png image file in Photoshop Elements but as soon as you start working on it Photoshop Elements converts it to the psd file format, which is what you want anyway.

Yes, this video works great with Elements 13. Also most of my other videos work well with PSE 13. Some features have been updated since then like the Content Aware Fill and the Refine Edge tool but for the most part Elements works the same as it did back in 13.

Hi Joyce, go to the Edit Menu and click on Preferences. In Preferences click on Display & Cursors. In that section click on the drop down list for High Density Displays. That should be at Automatic and it should give you the right size for your screen. If that isn't working then set that at 200%. The only options in Photoshop Elements are 100%, 200% and Automatic which just picks between those two. If it still isn't to your liking you will need to lower the resolution on your monitor to a lower setting which will make everything on your screen larger. George

Yes, click on SHOW MORE below the 3 line description to see the whole description where you will find a link for the project downloads

Thanks!

Check out this video kzfaq.info/get/bejne/jphmesRlz5qzaas.html

I bought the photshop elements 2020 a month ago and now I no longer have access to it. I receive a message saying the the site is no longer secure. Has your site been hacked? How to get access again?

My site is secure. Make sure you are using the correct log in link. georgepeirson.com/pse2020/wp-login.php. Also the Internet is getting real picky about SSL certificates, ours just updated so you may get a false notice for a day or two. But no, we haven't been hacked, the site is as secure as ever.

Easy, either go up to the Layer menu and click New Layer, or in the Layer panel click on the New Layer button at the top of the panel.

Hi Wendy, click on the Project Files link at the top of the right side menu to access all project files and images

Hi Robin, the course covers 2018, 2019 and 2020. Everything that is new in 2019 and 2020 is also explained in the course as you come to it. Nothing has been removed.

Hi, plowing through module s. Will you mention MAC differences?

@@caffrerr No, I don't mention Mac differences. The only real differences are that Macs call the ctrl key the Option key and the alt key the Mac key. I have no idea why, the keys do the same thing, but that's Apple for you. Aside from that the Mac is missing a few features, I would need to look that up to see which ones. Basically Adobe builds Photoshop Elements for Windows and then converts it for use on the Mac and some features just don't convert.

Hi Julie, that means that you are using a much larger picture than I did in the video. My image is at 6x4 inches, so the type size looks good. If your image is 12x8 the type will look 1/2 as large. If your image is bigger than that the type could look real small. The size of the type depends on the size of the image. Try a much large type size

@@HTGGeorge ok thankyou. How do you know the size of your photo?

Hi Patricia, first make sure that you are in Expert Mode. Just click on the Expert button above the workspace window. Next click on the Layers button at the bottom of the screen

@@HTGGeorge I did and I still don't see what you are showing on the right. This program makes me feel stupid.

Try downloading the project file for this video. You can get it here www.georgepeirson.com/project-photoshop-elements-layers-for-beginners-2/ Its named pse-layers-for-beginners.zip. No cost, no signup, just a free download. I do this for all of my project videos

Hi, all layers are layers, including the background. The reason that it is considered a layer is because you can change it. Either by working right on the background layer or by swapping it out for a new layer using the Background options in the Graphics panel. If you double click on the Background it will be renamed Layer 0.

@@HTGGeorge Thank you!

: )

You need a file open first. Go to File/New and make a new file, now you can see the layers panel

@@HTGGeorge I did that and still do not see the panel as displayed in your video. All that shows up in the panel is the picture beside which say "Background" Nothing else

@@karengulbraa7018 That is the Layers panel. You won't see anything else unless you put it there. Watch the whole video through from start to end before trying to work along with it

That's the easy part, just go to the Layer menu and click New Layer, then put whatever you want on that layer.

Make sure that you are in Expert Mode

Hi Nick, not sure what you mean. PSE 2022 had almost no changes from earlier versions. The last version with big changes was PSE 15.

I have the same problem when I make my Minecraft videos. This video stuff is really better for a younger audience, but that still won't stop me.

erratic? hahahaha I think he takes time and you should not be following the little hand representing the mouse movements. Just wait for the click on the right place. Wow never read anyone so annoying!

Just work through the video a couple of times and it will get real easy

Here it is simplified. Layers are like a stack of cards. When you open up an image in Photoshop Elements your image is on a special layer named Background. That is the bottom of the deck. Right now you only have one card in the deck. You can add more cards to the deck by bringing in more images, or adding text, or a shape, or whatever. If those new layers fill the entire layer with the image then you won't see your background layer. If you add transparent areas to that layer (card) then you will see the lower layers through those transparent areas. If you make the layer slightly transparent it will blend with the layer below so you see both layers blended. The real trick with layers is to separate out the different parts of your image to different layers so you can easily do different things on each layer. If all you are doing is to adjust the one image on the background then you don't need layers, but if you want to add text or other stuff to your image, those things will be on their own layers.

@@HTGGeorge thanks for the detail. I guess for it to make sense to me I would need 1) an existing photo and 2) an expectation of what the newly created photo would be? So, if I have a photo of a beach ball in a pool, and I want to add an alligator, I would better understand what my final edited photo would look like. (I played the tutorial several times with that thought in mind and although I know what a layer is, I don't know how to manage them, save them, edit them, etc.)

@@csmith5997 You should watch some of my project videos, you will get a much better idea of how layers work since I use them in practically every project. Take a look at this beginners playlist kzfaq.info/sun/PLfp-NJt_DpgFUs87r2oopVUC9otBY2Cp4