Help.. rectangular marquee tool

[AngelicKim]

Ok, I am trying to do the photo everyone else has been doing from Kay's tut. I can not get my rectangular marquee tool to work like it says. I have selected a part of the top I want to delete and have the marching ants, when I hit the backspace to delete it nothing happens. Am I missing something? I am on the top layer (made from copy of background like in instructions). I am using PSE3.

[ChristineV]

The backspace didn't do anything for me so I just hit the delete key. On the layer you can see it disappear. Hope that helps.

[AngelicKim]

I finally got the areas to delete but it is also deleting from my bottom layer too that needs to stay full size. Is there something I am not clicking so it doesn't do that?

[ChristineV]

Hmmm ...

When I did it from the instructions (I am sure the same ones you are using) I just made sure that only 1 layer was selected and it only deleted from the selected layer and the other layer stayed full size.

[Wendy]

Hi ...

I think you must have deleted it on both by accident ... I tried to get it to delete on more thbn one layer but it wouldn't :)

Wendy

[AngelicKim]

I have even tried locking the background layer and no matter what I do it deletes from both layers. I have started over several times and even closed the program and restarted it. I am dumbfounded here. I know I have done it before on other projects. I think I will just give up for now and go clean my kitchen and come back to it later.
:confused:

[AngelicKim]

Back from cleaning the kitchen and gave it another try and even tried some totally different stuff and no matter what I do the background layer always changes to the deleted like the second layer so I am going to restart my computer and try one last time before I give up all together for now.

[ChristineV]

Kim, that is so weird!

I know how you can get around it but Gee what a pain. I hope rebooting helps!!

Do you have your background layer unlocked? (grasping here)

[AngelicKim]

Christine, I tried doing it with the background locked and unlocked. Rebooting didn't help but I did something else that worked. Unfortunately I forgot to resize the origianal picture to a workable size and when I went to save for web Elements froze up and I lost it and I forgot to save it as the .psd first. Anyway, I started all over again and here it is. The background is not as good as before the program stop working but I can live with this for now. I added a pattern for the background but I don't have many loaded so this is the best I could do for now that would highlight the photos colors.

Here it is
http://www.pixentral.com/hosted/1FxDDpun6nZARnwtmRYPI0vQUU1xlu1_thumb.jpg (http://www.pixentral.com/show.php?picture=1FxDDpun6nZARnwtmRYPI0vQUU1xlu1)

[Daviskw]

Hi Kim

I do not know the tutorial you are using but in the first post you said you copied the background then made a marquee and tried to delete. If the two layers are identical then nothing will seem to happen but if you look on your layer pallet you will see the top layer has a checkered area indicating the delete.

Also, if the above is not the case and I am not reading you correctly then the first icon on the marquee option bar is a reset button... try resetting the marquee.

If this does not work try making a test file by filling the background with red. Then add a layer and fill that layer with blue. Now try the marquee delete. If it works that may mean it is particular to the first file you are working on.

Butch

[Daviskw]

Looks good Kim... I guess I was typing when you posted your latest.

The first thing I always do when elements goes weird is try that reset.

Good luck

[AngelicKim]

Butch, I was doing like you said. I was even turning off the eye on the background to check and then the 1st layer but they both were the same no matter what. After I rebooted it was showing just the top of the image deleted. The it was showing both but my background layer wasn't showing right. I the end, I deleted my bacground and did a new layer with the pattern and thats how I ended up with what I got.

I think my computer and Elements is trying to tell me to give them a break, :D :D

[ChristineV]

That looks really nice Kim!

[AngelicKim]

Thanks Christine. Did I see on another thread that you are from Michigan?

[ChristineV]

Kim, Yes! I grew up in the Lansing Area. Moved to Florida when I was 20, now I am in Texas.

I saw that you were in Kentwood. I miss Michigan. I want to take my boys camping there so bad! We used to go camping up near Cheboygen every summer.

Where is Kentwood?

[AngelicKim]

Christine, we have been here about 7 1/2 years and love it (except the snow). It is such a beautiful state. We are going to finally take a trip to the UP next weekend. The farthest we've gone was Mackinaw Island. We usually camp around Pere Marquette.

[Diana]

Kim & Christine,

I live in Michigan, too, near Jackson. I see the best of show winner in the scrappy contest is from Jackson, but I don't know her. I contacted the local newspaper, Jackson Citizen Patriot, to put a bug in their ear to see if they would locate and interview her for a story, but I haven't seen a story. Maybe they can't locate her.

Diana

[Caroleen]

Great job Kim. I tried to do the 3D thing also today. Mine didn't work so I have to go back to the tutorial. The Adobe website has my log-in info mixed up so I can't take the tutorial on it. Is that what you did?

[AngelicKim]

I used Kay's tutorial from a thread. There wasn't anything wrong with the tutorial. I think the problem was that I wasn't resizing my image to a workable size and it was making Elements not respond. Somehow it was actualy saying my image was 86 x 57 inches. :eek:

Diana, I was wonder what part of Mid-Michigan you were from. I noticed someone yesterday from Caledonia and the other day someone from Grand Rapids.

[ChristineV]

Diana!

Jackson has the best Ice cream shop! We used to go there after church every Sunday! We went to church in Mason. :D

[karen donnybrook]

Kim,

Great use of the tutorial - well done.

Karen

[kayser]

Kim- Sorry you had trouble, but your end result looks very good!

It's nice to see all these Michigan people here- I've been in Maryland 18 years, but I'm still a Michigan girl at heart. (Although, it's hard to take those winters...) We have great memories of Higgins Lake, and we were just at Mackinac Island and Cheboygan.

[AngelicKim]

Kay, thanks. I loved you vacation pics. Have you ever gone up around Munising? We are going up there next weekend. I have always wanted to go see some of the waterfalls in the UP. I see there are several around there so I figured that would be a good place for the long weekend. I have my camera all ready and my polarized lens cleaned and ready for the water shots, can't wait. A little nervous though because we are taking a tent instead of spending the extra money on gas to pull the camper. :eek: Bear country.:eek:

[AngelicKim]

Hi, I just wanted to change the title on the thread so I didn't scare people away:) ;)

[ceejay3744]

Kim,

My rectangle tool didn't work for me, either. Maybe it's just that people from Michigan have a harder time than other people?
I've had lunch in Kentwood several times, on my way from Okemos to visit the Meijer Gardens. I LOVE that place.

[ChristineV]

Carol! I used to work at Meridian Mall in Okemos! :: cough :: 27 years ago!

[ceejay3744]

Carol! I used to work at Meridian Mall in Okemos! :: cough :: 27 years ago!

That's so close to my house, I could walk to it. But, of course, I don't. Maybe you recall what it was like around here when the MSU students came back to town. That's what is going on right now. You take your life in your hands just driving to Frandor.

And I STILL can't get that d*** slat picture to work right. I can make the one layer shorter, I can select my 3 rectangle pieces, I can even put a shadow on them, but my picture looks flat compared to everyone else's.

Back to the computer and PSE4.

[kayser]

Carol- It might help if you post what you have, so we can see what's going on. You might try bevels around the slats instead of shadows- it really depends on the picture, but I found that I liked that look better for mine.

[ceejay3744]

Okay, will do.

[ChristineV]

Carol, I do remember the MSU quite well. I remember right out of high school, they would rent out the college student apts for the summer. That was Fun!

Most of my family still live in the area and we visit when we can. I actually grew up in Holt. I have an Aunt & Uncle who live a hop and a skip from Meridian Mall.

Here is my attempt at the slats I am not very happy with it .. I was trying something different.

http://www.photoshopelementsuser.com/gallery/view_img.php?id=11372

[Diana]

Diana!

Jackson has the best Ice cream shop! We used to go there after church every Sunday! We went to church in Mason. :D

Christine, that was Loud & Jackson's Dairy many, many years ago, then the dairy closed but the ice cream bar stayed open and they called it "The Parlour." A few years ago it closed, but someone else bought it, remodeled it and reopened again as The Parlour. They now also serve food besides ice cream. It's always packed in the summer!

Diana

[ceejay3744]

Oh WOW,

And I can't even get outa the gate.

[ceejay3744]

Okay Kay,

Now the bottom is the same size as the top, even though it shows I made it shorter in the layer palette.

http://www.pixentral.com/hosted/11ml2RBn5h5j9Pm2wHHZ6Pba6lqqIw_thumb.jpg (http://www.pixentral.com/show.php?picture=11ml2RBn5h5j9Pm2wHHZ6Pba6lqqIw)

[ceejay3744]

I finally got it! I'm not thrilled with it but at least I got the basics down. Now to repeat it and write down what I did. I had to move the layers around in the palette and click on the eye icon. BUT I DID IT!

http://www.pixentral.com/hosted/1e4093vJq3GoNNVIYNgZCr8ttKuE7_thumb.jpg (http://www.pixentral.com/show.php?picture=1e4093vJq3GoNNVIYNgZCr8ttKuE7)

[Wendy]

Carol ...

You did it !!! :)

Well done ... it looks good ...

Wendy

[gbeck]

Can anyone direct or point me in direction of Kays tutorial using the layered effect ad the 3-dem look. and the way to find tuts in the future, still learning , thanks in advance..

[ChristineV]

Great Job Carol!!!

[kayser]

Gary- It really wasn't a tutorial- just explaining in more detail how it was done- Linda borrowed the idea from hfgerna and then I borrowed it from Linda...

The thread is here: http://www.photoshopelementsuser.com/forum/showthread.php?t=12723&highlight=linda

Here are the instructions:

Thanks, Kate! It's actually pretty straightforward. I'm not sure how experienced you are, so I added some details to Linda's original description:I must admit that I didn't actually do it this way, but there are always several ways to create the same effect in PSE.

It wasn't difficult, although a little time consuming. I started with two layers of the same photo. (Open your photo- I always work from a copy of my original photo and keep the original photo as a negative. Then, go under Layer > New > Background from layer , and then duplicate that layer, so you have two layers of the original photo.)

On the bottom one I trimmed the top and bottom off a bit. (use the rectangular marquee tool to do this- select a thin rectangle on the top and use backspace to delete the part you've selected. do the same at the bottom.)

On the top one I made the three rectangular selections, putting each on its own layer; added drop shadows. (I did this the hard way, but using Linda's method, use the rectangular marquee tool on the top layer, do three separate selections of the picture, each time using CONTROL J to put the selection on its own layer) Once you have those three selections, decide what effects you want to have on those panel layers. I used a bevel, but Linda used drop shadows--all found in the style and effects palette. Once you decide on an effect for one layer, you can right click on that layer in the layer palette and choose "copy layer style" and then use "paste layer style" on the other two panels.

Then I enlarged the canvas, added a textured background. And that was it. (You can resize canvas under Image > resize canvas size. To add texture to the background, go under filter > Texturizer).

I hope this helps, and please ask if you get stuck. I'm sure it's my instructions, and not you! :)

[ceejay3744]

Wendy,

Thanks for the encouragement. I managed to get the effect but I couldn't get the background texturized. I will keep playing.

[karen donnybrook]

Carol,

Well done. Write it down quickly before you forget because if you are anything like me, you are a fast forgetter ;)

Karen

[ceejay3744]

Christine,

Thank you. I need all the compliments I can get. And I really like your new avatar. It's very classy.

[ceejay3744]

Karen,

My mother used to say that her memory was what she used to forget with. That's me. I make lists, notes, and write on the fridge. I used to know so much stuff. Sigh.

[Wendy]

Carol ...

I love that quote !! :)

Wendy