New to this!

[sugar]

HI
Can someone tell me where to start? I have 4.0 Elements. I can not find anything about it on this web site. i only see 5.0 & 3.0 mentioned, do I have the wrong program? should i be using one of these other ones?
Sugar:confused:

[mrod]

Hi, and welcome!

First of all, there is very little difference between versions 3 and 4. Anything you see referring to version 3 will work in version 4. The same holds for version 5 also. Version 5 looks a little different, and has some things that the earlier versions don't have, but all the basics apply.

As far as where to start, lots of people find being a subscriber helpful, as it gets you in to the Subscriber Area of the web site, which contains tons of video and written tutorials. The Online Training area also has some classes available to help you get started. Finally, feel free to post any questions here on these boards, as there are lots of friendly and talented people more than willing to help.

Enjoy!
Mike

[GaryK]

Hi Sugar

Welcome to the forums.:)

Mike pretty much covered it.. so ask away.:D

[kroberts]

Just wanted to say WELCOME!!:)

[Wendy]

Hi Sugar ...

... and welcome to the forum :)

Wendy

[kayser]

Hi Sugar-

Welcome- I'm sure you'll like it here! When I first got PSE, I spent a lot of time just reading through threads and then looking through the galleries. If you see something in the gallery that you like, don't hesitate to ask how it was done. People are happy to help!

[Cmcburnett]

From someone who took forever to learn Elements I would advise taking the online layers course first. After you understand layers it makes it much easier working with other tools in Elements. Good luck.

[Sylvie-Anne]

Hi all,
I have Elements 3 and have done a bit of work with it, mostly changing photos to art then printing them to Lazertran (oops I hope I can mention brand names - no I don't sell it) and applying them to canvas or anything else I can find. I also have been learning how to use Corel Painter IX.5 :confused: and then send the finished project back to Elements for printing or adding some of its paint selections. Elements is soooooooooooo much easier to use in comparison to Painter! I was just wondering if I should think about upgrading my Elements or are the principals the same for Elements 4,5,6, etc.? Also I find drawing with a mouse exremely difficult - it looks like a mouse drew it! So was thinking about getting a Walcom tablet. Anything anyone can tell me about this? I had better say from the start I'm a bit of a dummy when it comes to doing things on the computer so I need things explained to me like you would a 3 year old. I teach 3,4,5 year olds by the way!
Glad I found you guys and I look forward to learning lots of things here,
Sylvie-Anne

[Wendy]

Hi Sylvie-Anne ..

... and welcome to the forum :)

I guess that it all depends what you use Elements for ... if the things you mentioned are the only things you use Elements for (and you don't plan to use more than that) well it probably isn'y worth it. However why not just download a demo of PSE5 and try it ... see what you think. You won't find it too difficult to switch from one version to another as things are pretty simliar ..

I'm the wrong person to ask about a tablet ... Ummm I just can't get used to it and I always use a mouse BUT most people do love using a tablet (guess I just had to be different :) :) )

Wendy

[kimh]

Welcome Sylvie-Ann and Sugar.
Tablet--I couldn't be w/o mine (have the basic small one) for making selections. I don't do much more than that but do look forward to becoming a little more familiar w/it....eventually:rolleyes:
Kimh

[cats4jan]

I have 4 and most of the information I get from this site works for me - so feel confident that this is a great resource for your questions.

[tomlaronge]

Dear Fellow Newbies,
I am a stumbler-bumbler in pursuit of becoming a newbie. I used to be a good photographer when a digit was a finger and not just a one or a zero. With that said, I have PSE 2, 4 and 5. I use PSE 4 for photographic printing on good quality photographic papers only. I use version 4 because I am used to this and I have yet to encounter a reason for switching to PSE 5 even though I do have this. I specifically did not like PSE 3 because of issues with its Organizer. So, I suggest that if you are going to rely much on the Organizer, you are better off withe PSE 4 or 5 rather than with PSE 3. I also found that the two, seemingly favorite guidebooks for PSE 4 are a bit more complete and easier to follow than the ones for PSE 3. When you are a newbie, sometimes two different versions are just like two foreign languages, similar or not!!!!!
Welcome and good luck,
Tom

[GaryK]

Welcome Sylvie-Anne.:)

Have a look around and see how nice this place is.:D

Ask any questions you may have and enjoy your stay.

I won't comment on the tablet ..I can't draw but I do use it for selections and some masking and such.

Hmmm I guess I did comment on it.:D

[kroberts]

I teach 3,4,5 year olds by the way!
Glad I found you guys and I look forward to learning lots of things here,
Sylvie-Anne

Sylvie-Anne,
Just wanted to say welcome! I used to teach 5 year olds and now work with teachers who teach preschoolers. You have a fun (and tiring) job!:)

[John L Gray]

Hi Sylvie-Anne

Welcome to the forum and you will find some very video's and tutorials at PET. The best part is the forum are the folks and the sharing lots of good information and knowledge.


The best advice I got before buying my Wacom Intus 6x8 was from Wendy W. "put your mouse away and use the pen". I followed her advice and it worked in getting to know my Wacom. It was very slow for me at first but with more experience using the pen it became a lot easier.

Don't know what I do if my Wacom wasn't on my desk. I wouldn't want to back to the mouse.

John:)

[Rusty]

Hi Sylvie-Ann, and welcome.

I went from 1 to 3 to 5. I never had PSE 4 but, from comments on this forum, I gather that 5 wasn't a big change. I found PSE 5 to be a great move up from 3.

However, with PSE 3 and up, you can do most of what people talk about on the forum.

Rusty

[Sylvie-Anne]

Hi All,

Thank you sooooooooo much for your help and making me feel at home!:) I'll stick with PSE 3 but will get a Walcom Tablet as I really do need one to draw/paint with. Roll on the school holidays so I can really sit down and learn lots from this group.

Sylvie-Anne

[sugar]

Hi Mike
Thank you for your reply. I have signed up in the past for on-line classes. I hope I learn how to use this program. I am getting a little furstated but I will keep trying to learn how to use it.
sugar

[sugar]

Hi
Thank you for the advise. I have taken some on-line classes. I guess I should say 1 class. I have not taken the layers class yet. I guess I should have taken it first from what I am seeing people posting. Thank you again and I will take this class.
Sugar

[Wendy]

Do let us know how you go on :)

Wendy

[Lesa]

Hi everybody!

My name is Lesa and though I've been writing for Elements Techniques for several months, I've just now found these forums.

::::hangs head in shame::::

Anyway, I wanted to let Sugar (and all of you) know that I have a ton of Elements 3 & 4 tutorials posted on my own web site, GraphicReporter.com (http://www.graphicreporter.com). They are all free and written in a step by step format.

May the creative force be with you all ;)

[Sylvie-Anne]

Ooooooooooh thank you Lesa for your site. I'm looking forward to the weekend when I can devour all that information! I have Elements 3 and just can't get enough information - I need all the help I can get:o

Sylvie-Anne

[mikem12188]

Hey Lesa,

I'm new here too. I checked out your site and it looks like something I've been looking for. My question is, can your info be used in PSE 5.0? I'm also new to that as well.

Thanks

[Lesa]

Hey everyone!

Well, seeing as though I'm a Mac chick and I haven't seen version 5 yet (will we ever?!?!), I can't say for sure. However, all the techniques on The Graphic Reporter are pretty standard and basic, so I'd just give them a try.

And seriously, if anyone has any ideas for tutorials, please let me know. Some weeks, ye ole idea well runs dry ;)

[jojo]

Hello everyone!
I'm not sure if there is some special place to jump in and introduce yourself so just thought I'd say Hello! in here:)

I installed Elements 4 last night and found this site while surfing the web looking for help to get started using the program.

Which of the on-line classes would you suggest for a beginner?
I'm eager to start but want to do it right:)

[GaryK]

Hi Jojo

Welcome to the forums.:)

It really depends on what you want to do and how much you know.

A lot of people find the layers course really good .. and layers are essential to getting the most out of the program. Some do find it a little overwhelming to start with though.

Just for a while (few days to a week). I would recommend checking out the galleries and reading some posts here on the fourms.

Get a feel for what you want to do, ask some questions and enjoy.:)

[HughScot]

First time to this forum but as someone who only recently got Elements 5 and CS2 may I say that Scott Kelby's books are excellent. Actually the best I have seen from a ease of use standpoint. You don't start at the beginning but rather go directly to what you wish to do. He has books on Elements 4 and 5 and of course CS2.

Hugh

[jojo]

Thanks for your reply Gary.
I want to be able to do everything :eek:
Right now I'm putting dozens of photos into the computer every month but they just sit there, I can't seem to get into a routine for sorting, adjusting and saving.

I had a routine before but I was using 3 different programs because I didn't understand how to do what I wanted with just one program.

I've done an intro course for Photoshop CS so I know a bit about layers but found the program too advanced for me.

[Wendy]

Hi jo jo ...

.. and welcome :)

Are you already a subscriber to the site ? ... if not then I really would suggest that you subscribe. You will about 180 Video and 90 written tutorials in the subscriber area and trying those out will give you some good practical experience of using layers. I found it a good way of starting out.

Layers really are the key to using Elements (and Photoshop) so I would start off by doing some tutorials and then try the layers course.

Wendy

[Wendy]

Hi Mikem & Hugh

... and welcome to the forum :)

Wendy

[jojo]

Thanks for the welcome Wendy, no I'm not a subscriber, I'm seriously thinking about it though. I need lots of help to get me started:)

Hugh, welcome from one newbie to another.
I totally agree about Scott Kelby. I got a present of The Photoshop CS2 Book For Digital Photographers and I loved it, read it from cover to cover even though I didn't understand half of it.
I think I'll have a look around Amazon for one of his other books.

[Wendy]

Hi jojo ...

It really is well worth subscribing ... you get a lot for the money and its great value :)

Wendy

[pixlbandit]

Hi all,
I have Elements 3 and have done a bit of work with it, mostly changing photos to art then printing them to Lazertran (oops I hope I can mention brand names - no I don't sell it) and applying them to canvas or anything else I can find. I also have been learning how to use Corel Painter IX.5 ....
Sylvie-Anne

Sylvie-Anne, I sent you a PM a day or two ago regarding working with both PSE3 and Corel Painter IX, etc.... didn't necessarily think it would be of general interest. Anyone else out there work with Corel Painter too???
Vicki