Idiot needs directions

[mom to 4]

I have Jodi's Missing styles, Grants tools, Panos's filmstrip and some other downloaded stuff for my PSE4 that I would like to transfer to my new 5.

I also have made some brushes and I don't know how to move them over either.:eek:

Jodi game me the directions, but as I look at them, I am still not sure where to put the new folders.

All the others.....I am not sure where to put them. I am sure there are threads somewhere with the directions. Can someone direct me to them if you know where they are, please????:o

[GaryK]

Hi Colleen

The styles and effects go here

"C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Adobe\Photoshop Elements\5.0\Photo Creations\special effects"

You have to turn on hidden files in Windows to browse to this location.
An easy way is to copy the above without the quotes and then right click your desktop and go to new>shortcut .. in the popup paste that location in. Now when you click on your new shorcut it should take you to that location.
What I have done, is make a folder for Jodis styles and one for Grants (make sure you have the version of Grants for PE5) and just drop them in there.

Restart Elements and all was fine.

The brushes go into the same spot as before ..presets>brushes I think but in the 5 file structure.

Hope this helps.:)

[GaryK]

Norma

Thanks for locating the thread.. I knew there were a few around somewhere.:D

[nkeevers]

You're not an idiot!! You're a Senior Contributor:D :D

I was sending you a thread at the same time Gary was sending so I deleted mine.

[GaryK]

Norma lol

Now my reply to your post looks lost:D :D

[mom to 4]

Thanks Gary, Thanks Norma!!!!


eh, Norma.....the only reason I am a senior contributor is bcause I have a tendency to run at the mouth!!!!:eek: :D

[nkeevers]

I lost my reply somewhere in space! Had to send again.

http://www.photoshopelementsuser.com/forum/showthread.php?t=15188

[mom to 4]

I think I did something wrong....I have NOTHING :eek: in my layers palette anymore....Nothing. :eek: I am going to try to restart AGAIn and see if anything shows up!

I feel like a complete idiot!

[GaryK]

Colleen

Don't feel like an idiot ... things happen.

It may take a minute to reset. I noticed when I did mine I thought Grants tool weren't there.. then when I looked again they were.

[mom to 4]

Shut down again. Nothing there ..... get a message that says could not complete due to a program error!

What now????:(

It's the stuff that was on PSE5, Jodi's stuff, Grants stuff and panos' stuff. Everything...poof!

[GaryK]

Colleen

Drag the stuff back out and restart. :confused:

[GaryK]

If that works, Start with just putting Jodis styles back in.

[mom to 4]

Just exactly what file are Jodi's supposed to be in....Special effects??????

[GaryK]

Yes ...but you can only go one level deeper in the folder structure.

If you put a folder in the Special effects called Jodis stylesn then you can only have folders in that say.. jodis bevels, jodis frames. etc.

If you put Jodis Styles into the Layer Styles folder in the Special effects then you cant have any subfolders.

At least that was an initial problem I had.:)

[mom to 4]

Well, I think I got everything out and stuck it in a folder on my desktop. Grant's tools panos stuff Jodi's stuff and two brushes that I made.

I shut down, restarted and still NOTHING there. When I click on the drop down it is a blank blue bar nothing in the palette and an "X" pops up saying can't complete because of a program error.

What now? God, this stuff just drives me nuts!!! I should have stuck with V4!:twisted:

[GaryK]

Colleen

It drives me crazy too. I had the try before you buy for a day before I messed it up putting in some filters/plugins, then the timer ran out.:twisted:

So If I understand the program is starting. do you get the error only when you try to open the styles and effects dropdown?

[GaryK]

I have to take my daughter to cheerleading in a few minutes but I will only be gone for 10 min or so.

I don't mind plugging away if you will be around.:)

[mom to 4]

RE: Post #16...... You got it. Program opens, I can open photos, but when I click where my drop shadows etc should be NOTHING, then the little x shows up saying PROGRAM ERROR.

I will wait impatiently for your return and kind help:D

[GaryK]

Still here for a few minutes.

I'm still new to 5 as well but what happens if you click on the artwork Icon at the top? does that give the error?

I'm hoping no .. to me that would be just a problem with the special effects folder then.

Just..:D :D

[mom to 4]

Wish I could say no, but I am sure that is what does. I will double check!

[mom to 4]

Oh, NO. When I click on the icons, nothing happens. When I go to the drop down and click on the solid blue bar that appears, that is when the program error appears.

the program doesn't shut down, it just tells me I cant do that!

[mom to 4]

Just went in and found one thing I had not moved out. I will try to shut down and restart. Be right back.....take your daughter to cheerleading....I'll be here when you get back!

[mom to 4]

Still nothing. They are all there in the Special effects folder, but they just don't show up.

:confused:

[GaryK]

Just got back.. I tried moving the layer styles folder out and I did not get an error but the dropdown was empty.

[GaryK]

Collen

These are the folders in my Layer Styles folder

http://www.pixentral.com/hosted/17MwuHGG5WoNa8OhLm6y9ARjsqivH1_thumb.jpg (http://www.pixentral.com/show.php?picture=17MwuHGG5WoNa8OhLm6y9ARjsqivH1)

[mom to 4]

While I thought you were away, I went exploring again. I noticed that in the Special Effects folder there were two data documents. as I hovered with my cursor over on of them I noticed it was created today around 3:30.....the time I started doing this. So, I took it and dropped it into a folder on my desktop that I don't use I call it: "unused desktop items".

I shut down and restarted it after I moved it off, and guess what ..........it came back up saying "Building Art and Effects" Once those little green bars filled the space all my layer styles showed back up!!!

Gary, thank you so much!!! You kept me sane and thinking through the process, you kept me calm.....something I am not normally!!! I cannot thank you enough for all the help you have given me on the forum!

Now, I just need to put all this stuff in 5.....where it belongs......I think I will do it another time....need some down time now.....and a drink!!!!

[GaryK]

Colleen

So glad you got it.

I'm not sure about Panos stuff (where it goes) I don't have any installed.

I do have Jodis styles and Grants tools (for 5).

I would start with Jodis (when you are ready :D .. a couple of more drinks...:D )

What I have done (you dont have to do it this way) I made a new folder on my desktop called Jodis Styles.
I then created 3 folders in that folder Bevels, Frames and Photo Tints (just realized I missed glows).
Went to where thy are in PE3 (Presets>layer styles) and copied the various styles into their respective folder that I had just created

Once that was done I dragged the whole Jodis style folder (with 3 folders inside) to the Special Effects folder (I did not put it in the layer styles folder in the special effects folder)

Hope this helps once you get your sanity back.:)

[Wendy]

Hi Colleen ...

The actions from Panos install in just the same ways as Grant's tools :)

Wendy

[MarieBoyer]

Geez, Colleen, I cannot believe this! I was gone all day yesterday and fell aslepp putting the kids to bed (I am a "senior" contributor). I am glad you figured this out.

After my mishap with version 5, I am suffering from PTSD. Photoshop Traumatic Stress Syndrome. I am not moving anything. I am not adding anything. I am simply uploading photos, editing, and turning it on and off.

What are those darn text files? I am going to ask the Photoshop Elements guy ("Michael") when I speak to him tomorrow.

Glad you are back up and running. What did you have to drink?

[mom to 4]

Marie:

Here's what I found: I believe it is actually a data base file, I would suspect from the extension .db3. It is not in a folder. It looks like a little white square with the dark blue strip across the top. Underneath 6 little different colored things......you would recognize it instantly. Like when your computer starts up, before the icons show up you can see these things, at least I do with my computer.

If you go to:

Start
My Computer
C
Documents and settings
All users
Application data
Adobe
Photoshop
5.0

There you will see a bunch of folders and at least one of these files. One says: Thumbdatabase. If you hover your cursor over it it says 9/14/06 6:57 am. At least that's what mine said. The other says madiadatabase.db3 and when I hoved my cursor over that it said 10/28/06 3:03 pm. The bell in my head went ding, ding, ding, ding!!!! That is when I started having my problems, so, I slid it out of there an into a folder on my desktop where I keep things that make no sense to me (junk file) but I am afraid to actually delete. Shut down, started up and La Voila! Therrrrrreeeee back!!!!

[kimi_boo]

Colleen... I did manage Jodi's styles and Grant's tools. I never could get my Panos stuff to show correctly even with the new thumbnails he provided and I couldn't get Wendy's orb to show right either. I finally gave up and decided to be happy with were I am at the moment. :o :o

[mom to 4]

Well, I just went and attempted to add Grant's Tools and my Panos' stuff and they don't show up. They are both in the special effects folder, but when I shut down and restart they don't show up in PSE5.

Any suggestions??????????????????????????

HELP!!!!!!

and how and where do I put the brushes I created in 4 into 5????

[graficalicus]

and how and where do I put the brushes I created in 4 into 5????

same in 5 as in 4:
program files\adobe\photoshop elements 5.0\presets\brushes

Well, I just went and attempted to add Grant's Tools and my Panos' stuff and they don't show up. They are both in the special effects folder, but when I shut down and restart they don't show up in PSE5.

they should be in a folder within the folder below, not just in the special effects folder:
C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Adobe\Photoshop Elements\5.0\Photo Creations\special effects\Panos\, for example

[mom to 4]

Thanks for the info on the brushes....I will attempt that.

Right in the special effects folder I attempted to put a folder in that said Panos.....in that folder were sub folders for the filmstrip another for spiral, and a couple of others.

My folder for Grants tools has two subfolders in it.

Should work right???

Well, not for me :( :o :twisted:

[kevq]

Karen,
I'm not certain but I think that you can't have sub folders in a folder in 5.
I have all my Panos effects in their own folder. Try it and see if it works.
Kev:) :)

[kimi_boo]

OK.. this will be the blind leading the blind. :eek:
Take everything out and resart Elements back to original.
I am assuming you made the shortcut they talked about?
Put just Grant's tools in the Photo Effects folder.

This means when you open Photo Effects you will have a folder that now says Grant's Tools and if you open it... the effects will be the only thing in that folder.

TRY ONE THING AT A TIME :)

EDIT: I have Grant's tools in Photo Creations, Special Effects, Photo Effects.
Not sure if that is right but it works.

[mom to 4]

Kim:

I think I tried that .... one at a time, and it didn't work, but I have tried so many things......

Off to try it again....one at a time..

At least my brushes now show up, I guess that's a start? What time is it anyway......can I start drinking yet??????? feels like 5 pm!

I'll be back!

[graficalicus]

Should work right???

it should..... :confused:

As a quirk - as soon as 5 starts up, after the splash screen disappears, hold <Shift>. Should have no effect, but try anyway :)

Oh, yeah -

no touchy the database (*.db3) files!!!!

bad things can happen.....:eek:

[mom to 4]

too late grafi :eek: :eek: :eek: . But everything appears to be fine, and that is the only way I got everything in...

So what is that file that I deleted.....well, actually I just moved it out. When I came back into PSE5, my artwork rebuilt and then Grants tools showed up Panos showed up and jodis stuff all showed up.

When I first lost everything, I noticed that had the date and time of when I lost everything.

WHAT DID DO????????? I am sure it will come back to haunt me right????

Oh, crap, the story of my life!

[graficalicus]

hehe - :)

the .db3 file is the database that drives elements - all the info on stuff you save, edit, move, reorganize or add gets saved to this database file.

There's no need to delete it (although it will recreate itself if it's not there, as you found out) because every time you launch PSE, it looks to this file and compares it with what's actually in the folders.

I found that occasionally you do need to hold <SHIFT> after adding stuff, especially if you do a shutdown/restart a few times close to each other. The file system looks to the database, and if it has the same timestamp (date:hours:minutes, not date:hours:minutes:seconds) it assumes the database is current and doesn't rebuild itself. That's why the database had the same timestamp - that was the last time it built itself.

You can delete (in fact, I encourage you to delete!) the older one you dragged to your desktop.

[mom to 4]

Grafi:

Are ya kidding me????? What I did was ok??????? Phew....Ok, I can tell the paramedics to leave now.......I thought I was having a heart attack!!!!!

I saw that it seemed to rebuild itself everytime I deleted it and restarted. Seemed to work like the cache to me, but then, I AM an idiot! So, if I had just held down the shift key upon re-entering, it would have done the same thing?????

I should be good to go now, right....everything is there and is working just fine....hopefully it will stay that way!

[Panos]

Right in the special effects folder I attempted to put a folder in that said Panos.....in that folder were sub folders for the filmstrip another for spiral, and a couple of others.

My folder for Grants tools has two subfolders in it.

Should work right???

Well, not for me :( :o :twisted:


Hi!
It should work for you provided that the subfolders contain the actions and NOT other folders (that contain the action files).

You can PM me if you encounter any issues.

[nkeevers]

Hey, I had a problem kinda similar in another thread. I downloaded some of Panos' thumbs and lost all my artwork and effects. Check it out.

http://www.photoshopelementsuser.com/forum/showthread.php?t=15408

[mom to 4]

Panos:

I got it working....I don't have your thumbnails....haven't downloaded them, but I have the actions in there....just the actions....That should work fine. Besides, it wasn't a problem with your end, it was the PSE, because it happened with everything I tried to add.......

I knew your instructions would be good....your work is great!

Norma:

You may want to check out what I did. My PSE is working just fine. I kinda feel that file is like a cache. When I slid it off of my pse (into the folder on my desktop...didn't dare delete it) and reopened elements, it loaded all my stuff into the layers palette. Or maybe you want to try what Graffi suggested and hold down the shift key while entering PSE.

I am satisfied that I am now in good shape........but look who is saying that...the idiot that needed directions!!!!!

[nkeevers]

Mine is working fine too. Was just wondering if you had straightened everything out; thought maybe my fix would work for you! Glad to hear you're all fixed and good to go now.:D

[mom to 4]

Norma:

Yep, up and running, just lost a few years off my life!!!!:D :D :D

Thanks for thinking of me though!!

[nkeevers]

No problem.