Each project in the Workshop includes a start file to help you get started with the project, and a final file to provide you with the results so you can see how well you accomplished the task.

Before you can use the project files, you need to download them from the web. You can access the files at www.perspection.com. After you download the files from the web, uncompress the files into a folder on your hard drive to which you have easy access from Photoshop Elements.

Photoshop Elements has a ton of filters. In fact, there are 105 filters located under the Filters menu. Filters perform a wealth of special-effects operations; everything from artistic, distort, and even sketch effects, and while filters are very creative, and fun to use, there is a limit to what they can do. For example, Photoshop Elements has no less than 14 Sketch filters, and while they do creative things to an image they can’t do everything. What if you want to create what looks like a sketch effect and none of the sketch filters do what you want? If you don’t know how to do things from scratch, you’re stuck with the limitations of the filters. The technique you are about to learn will not only let you create an awesome sketch effect, but will give you a better understanding of how blending modes work with multiple layers. There are a lot of steps to this process; however, the end result is more than worth the effort. In addition, if this process seems familiar, they are; many of the steps used in the sharpening workshop are similar to this effect, until you get to the end.

In this project, you’ll take a photograph and through the judicious use of multiple layers, and blending modes convert in into a beautiful colorized sketch. There are a lot of steps in this workshop, but the final results are more than worth the journey.

The subjective items that will influence the final sketch image are how much you Gaussian Blur the image, and how many additional copy layers you create. Creating more blur enhances the sketch lines, and adding more copy layers, increases the overall density of the final sketch image.

In the world of photography, not everything has to be in focus. In fact, smart photographers know that placing image elements out of focus will help to draw the eye to the focused areas. However, there are times when you will take a photograph and the image was accidentally, not intentionally, out of focus (I hate it when that happens). Photoshop Elements has several filters that help you create a sharper image. As a matter of fact, Photoshop Elements has four sharpen filters and tools: Sharpen tool, Auto Sharpen, Adjust Sharpen, and Unsharp Mask. Of these filters, Auto Sharpen, and Unsharp Mask are considered the two most powerful sharpening filters. Unfortunately, all the sharpen tools have one major flaw; they do not separate the sharpening effects from the image, as in an adjustment layer. So, when you click OK, you’re stuck with the results. That’s not necessarily a bad thing; however, there is another way. The technique you’re about to learn for sharpening an image does not require any of the sharpening filters, its effect on the image creates a more believable sharpening effect, and the changes to the image are contained within a separate layer. That gives you the control you need to be creative, and get the pleasing sharpening results possible.

In this project, you’ll take an out-of-focus image and sharpen it by creating an editable sharpening layer. Separating the sharpening adjustments from the image, gives you creative control over the entire process.

It’s possible that the sharpening effect is too intense. If that’s the case, simply reduce the opacity of the top layer to reduce its effect on the image. If, however, the effect is less than you hoped for, simply create a copy of the top layer to double the effect. Additionally, if you want to remove some of the sharpening effects from portions of the image, just select your Paintbrush tool, and paint the top layer using white, in the areas you want removed.

Good to Know: What happens in this technique is that the unsharp mask layer actually creates visible lines of force around the out-of-focus areas of the image, and the mind interprets those lines as being a sharper image.

There is nothing more important to a family than its history. History is found in many ways, places, and formats. For example, you may have historical documents that relate to who you are, or you might have physical artifacts from your ancestors. However, nothing strikes an emotional cord more than a photograph. A picture is indeed worth a thousand words. Yet even while an image freezes a moment in time, the actual photograph is traveling through time and unfortunately, Father Time can do major damage to a photographic image. Fortunately for us we have Photoshop Elements. Photoshop Elements is your time machine for restoring old images. While there are many methods for restoring an old grayscale image, one of the most consistently successful methods is through the use of a Levels Adjustment layer.

In this project, you’ll take an old image, and through the use of the amazing Adjustment layers, restore the image. It’s not that difficult, and the final results are awesome.

This has the effect of removing any unwanted colorcasts from the image.

It’s possible that the sharpening effect is too intense. If that’s the case, simply reduce the opacity of the top layer to reduce its effect on the image. If, however, the effect is less than you hoped for, simply create a copy of the top layer to double the effect. Additionally, if you want to remove some of the sharpening effects from portions of the image, just select your Paintbrush tool, and paint the top layer using white, in the areas you want removed.

Good to Know: The brightness levels of a pixel range from 0 (black) to 255 (white). When you move the input sliders, you’re redefining where black and white are within the active image. As an image ages the original values of black and white shift. The purpose of Levels is to reestablish those positions. Once that’s completed, Levels can approximate the positions of all the other remaining pixels, and balance the image.

Have you ever wanted to colorize an old grayscale image? Well, if you’ve ever wanted to add color to an old image, or ever change the colors within a new color image, then you’ve come to the right place. There are a lot of ways to colorize an image, and Photoshop Elements knows them all. The technique you are about to learn will help you control the colorization process through the use of layers, blending modes and opacity. As a matter of fact, you will be able to control each color within the image and, later change those colors with the click of a button. This method is so powerful that with a little bit of patience and care, the image won’t just look colorized; it will look like an original color image. Just remember this simple item: every time you add a new color to the image, you will add a new layer. This means that a single image may contain twenty or more layers; however the final results are worth it.

In this project, you’ll take a old, or new grayscale image, and through the use of multiple layers and blending modes create a colorized image that looks like it was taken with color film.

Since you are using individual layers to control the colorization process, if you over paint an area, it’s a simple matter to use your eraser tool and remove the offending color information.

Smart Tip: When you change the opacity of a layer, it’s not necessary to click the triangle button, located to the right of the Opacity input box, to access the triangular slider. All you have to do is click the word, Opacity, and drag left or right. It’s that simple.

Adjustment layers are thought of mostly for image enhancement. For example, the Levels and Curves adjustment layers are excellent tools for restoring lost contrast, or rebalancing out the colors in an old photograph. The technique you are about to learn will give you a greater understanding of how adjustment layers can be used to not only correct image problems, but to generate special effects. The key is in understanding that an adjustment layer can be controlled using its built-in layer mask. The adjustment layer mask functions similar to a normal layer mask; in other words, you can paint the mask with black, white, or shades of gray. However, the results are different. In a normal layer mask, areas of the mask painted black make the corresponding areas of the image transparent, when you paint with black on an adjustment layer mask, you mask out the effects of the adjustment. That means you can create a mask, and isolate its effects on the image by using the mask. While this is a powerful way to control image enhancement, it’s also a great way to use adjustment layers to produce special effect. In addition, when you use an adjustment layer, the changes to the image are contained with the adjustment layer, and never change the original images. This gives you the ability to precisely control the creative process. In this example, you will completely change the mood of an image; using an adjustment layer and mask to create the illusion of looking through blinds.

In this project, you’ll learn how to use Adjustment layers to precisely control the restoration, and enhancement of any Photoshop Elements image.

The image has now completely changed, and even the mood of the woman seems to be more serious. This is an example of how you can use adjustment layers to change the very mood of a digital image.

The realism in this effect is all in the Gaussian Blur. Light streaming through blinds, and falling on someone’s face (in this example) would create a soft transition between dark and light. However the amount of blur would be determined by the image, and the resolution of the image. Therefore, don’t look for a specific Radius, just look at the image and stop when you like what you see. Remember, being creative is not about a mathematical equation, it’s about a certain look that you want to create.

Good to Know: The reason we slightly lowered the saturation value of the image is to make it appear more natural. In the real world, when images darken, they have a tendency to loose some of their tonal values, and that effect can be replicated by slightly lowering the saturation of the darker areas.

When we look at an image in the Editor, the photograph is obviously flat. Computers lack one important thing, the third-dimension. Yet, although we know logically that the image is flat, our minds still persist in see the image as three-dimensional. For example, you’re looking at an image of a landscape with mountains in the background, white puffy clouds in the sky, and your Uncle Charley waving in the foreground. The depth you perceive within the image is based on how our mind perceives three-dimensional objects, on a two-dimensional monitor, or page. The technique you are about to learn will give you a visible demonstration of how the illusion of depth can be achieved within a digital image. In this workshop, you will open two images, move one into the other, and using a few simple techniques, create the visual illusion of depth.

In this project, you’ll learn how to blur selective areas of an image to focus the viewer’s eye to specific portions of the image, and to create a feeling of depth within the image.

With the background blurred and partially desaturated, the mind maps a greater distance between the foreground objects and the background, creating the illusion of depth.

Blurring the background using the Lens blur filter, as opposed to the Gaussian Blur filter, creates a bit more realism within the image. You can vary the amount of Lens Blur to increase or decrease the effect depth.

Good to Know: The human eye does not like to look at blurred objects. Therefore, when you blur specific areas of an image, not only are you generating the illusion of depth within the image, you’re helping to direct the viewer’s eyes to the focused areas.

Instead of downloading everything from the web, which can take a while depending on your Internet connection speed, you can get all the files used in this book and much more on a Photoshop Elements 6 On Demand DVD. The DVD contains task and workshop files, tips and tricks, keyboard shortcuts, and other goodies from the author.

To get the Photoshop Elements 6 On Demand DVD, go to www.perspection.com.