Total Newbie with two problems

[Marilyn G]

Hi Everybody!

I'm totally new to Photoshop 5 (purchased last week), and relatively new to digital cameras too - Canon S3 IS just this past year. I have loaded PS5 and downloaded our vacation pictures, used Quick Fix on some, and moved some of them into collections.

Problem One - I want to remove some blemishes on a close-up but can't get the Healing Brush to work. I followed the instructions given in the brief online video tutorial and the process seems straightforward enough, but nothing happens. I've created a new layer and keep it selected and the orginial is the background. When I click the crosshairs of the HB over the blemishes nothing happens. This particular picture is in TIFF format, but I've tried it as a JPEG too and it doesn't make any difference.

Problem Two - Sometimes when opening PS5, I get the message the clipboard hasn't been opened due to end of file something or other. Is this very important and could the two problems be related?

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated - especially in simple terms :o. I have yet to learn the lingo and know nada about photo editing. Thanks!

[ljameso1]

re problem 1, are you remembering to hold the alt/option key when clicking on the spot wish to heal from? That got me at first.

[AngelicKim]

Hi Marilyn and welcome. On your first problem, when you say you created a new layer to work on, is it a blank layer or a duplicate of the original. If it is blank then there is nothing to heal. Delete that blank layer and duplicate your background layer by clicking the Ctrl and J keys. If this isn't the issue than have you tried resetting the tool. In the top menu bar click the first icon and it will have two options, click Reset tool.

As for problem two, I have never seen that error so I can't help there.

Again welcome. This is a great place with very friendly and helpful people. Ask away if you need help. No such thing as a stupid question here.

[AngelicKim]

re problem 1, are you remembering to hold the alt/option key when clicking on the spot wish to heal from? That got me at first.

Linda, the ALT option is for the Clone tool, not the healing tool.

[kimi_boo]

another tidbit... make sure you have selected the spot healing brush. :)

[Marilyn G]

Hi Again,

Well, I've read and applied your suggestions Kim. I did have a blank layer, because that is what is shown in the video tutorial that new users can access once they register their programs (here's the link
http://www.photoshopelementsuser.com/videotips/viewflashpop.php?file=lesson5.swf&video=vid5&rtid=c600c2b2fbf92a749d4f642daa17288d). The Spot Healing Brush is in the second part of this lesson.

By creating an exact duplicate (Ctrl J) I was able to utilize the Healing Brush. I tried the Spot HB but didn't seem to get any where. I realized I could change the size of the brush, but as I already had the Healing Brush on the screen I went with it and it worked fine. I did have to use the Alt click method with it.

So thank you Linda, Kim and Kimi for your help. :) If anyone has time, I would appreciate them going to the link I've copied to see if their interpretations of the tutorial is the same as mine and then comment back here. I really wonder why it works for that tutorial but not in edition of PS5 I have. I looked at the other 9tutorials too, but haven't tried many yet. Makes me wonder if I'll have more trouble if I do. Sorry for prattling on.

[Tina_B]

when using a blank layer make sure you check the sample all layers before you begin and the spot healing brush should work just fine.
Tina B

[Marilyn G]

Thanks Tina, but I did have sample all layers checked. I didn't initially, but rewatched that tutorial again (before posting here the first time) and picked up on that, but still didn't have any luck until I created the layer with the exact copy. I'm confused, and a little worried the learning curve might be tougher than I have time to commit to right now. :eek::(

[AngelicKim]

Marilyn, I have never watched that video or used the that method. And I have never used the healing brush so sorry about the ALT thing before. Now that I have I will use it more. After watching it I tried to do it in PSE5 on a photo of my son. At first I couldn't get it to work either. I had the sample all layers checked but as soon as I clicked a spot on the photo it unchecked itself. I had to reset the tool twice and it finally started working. Also make sure that the proximity match is checked and not the texture one. I toogled those two also just before it worked.

Don't get discourage. It really isn't that difficult a learning curve once you gt more familiar with it. And like I said before. If you have a questions on something just ask.

[Codebreaker]

When Elements opens it automatically reads the Clipboard. Sometimes other programs on your machine use the Clipboard to temporarily store data and these may are may not be valid images.

When the problem next occurs I suggest you go to the Windows Start button on the Taskbar, click and then click on RUN. At the pop up window type in CLIPBRD. This is the clipboard viewer and will allow you to see what's in it. If it looks like an icon then you'll need to find the program it belongs to and somehow see if you can stop it happening. That's going to depend on the program!!!

It happened to me a long while back when I had an Anti-Spam program called Cloudmark. Fortunately I didn't need it, so it got removed. Problem went away.

Colin

[jhopkins]

Marilyn,

I can't help with your problems, because I am as much of a beginner as you are...I've been wrestling with the mechanics of PE4 for a year or two now...making slow progress, but as someone who isn't remotely computer literate , I find it a struggle ( and a frustration!) Anyway, the point of my response is that I looked at the link you gve for the Help Video...it's brilliant ! Where did you find it? are there any more? are they free or on subscription? are they just for PE5 or can you get them for my PE4? You thought you would just be getting answers, but now you've got questions too !!

Best wishes, John.

[vawitt]

Hi, John. Not sure where this particular vid came from, but there are well over 100 similar videos in the Subscriber area. (Most will work with any version of PSE...although a tool may have moved; they usually tell you in the vid where the tool is in other versions). It is SO worth the subscription just to access the videos and other many many many written/illustrated tutorials as well. You also get an 8-issue per year mag with lots of tips, tutorials and ideas.

There are several online courses here that all have video support as well. I took layers, workflow and creative techniques and learned SO much.

Just a plug from a happy subscriber! :)

~Val in cloudy IL

Marilyn,

I can't help with your problems, because I am as much of a beginner as you are...I've been wrestling with the mechanics of PE4 for a year or two now...making slow progress, but as someone who isn't remotely computer literate , I find it a struggle ( and a frustration!) Anyway, the point of my response is that I looked at the link you gve for the Help Video...it's brilliant ! Where did you find it? are there any more? are they free or on subscription? are they just for PE5 or can you get them for my PE4? You thought you would just be getting answers, but now you've got questions too !!

Best wishes, John.

[Inspeqtor]

John,

I agree with Val. You can't go wrong by subscribing to this site! It is well worth the money, but highspeed internet is a must. If all you have is dial-up I am sure you will struggle watching/downloading the videos.

If you do not want to subscribe, you do have FREE access to Corey Barkers Elements Killer Tips found on the subscriber page in the upper right corner.
You can also get the Killer Tips thru iTunes. There are over 30 Killer tips available now.

Val,

There are over 200 videos now, and over 100 written tutorials (tuts) :D

[pixlbandit]

I watched those videos quite successfully for 6 or 7 months before I got a high speed connection. Don't let dial-up deter you from subscribing or video downloading. You just have to save them to your harddrive first. Right click on the link and choose "save as" and go make your cup of coffee, take the trip to the WC, come back and it is usually ready to view.
Vicki

[Inspeqtor]

Vicki,

Thanks for setting me straight! I thought dial-up would be way to slow. I remember seeing some complaints here in the forum before about that.

[pixlbandit]

Well, Charles, you do have to wait until they download. Bear in mind that I make coffee one cup at a time by pouring hot water through my Melitta so that isn't an instantaneous process either.... :D (I did sometimes 'cheat' by downloading them from work where they have superfast broadband to my portable HD and then watch them at home.)
Vicki

[Inspeqtor]

It would be nice if it was possible for those users on dial-up to be able to buy from the website a set of DVDs with the videos on them. However, that would take some time on their part to have DVDs made with them all on there, then having to have new ones made periodically with the newest videos. I would think it will never happen. Just a thought.

[Marilyn G]

Codebreaker - Thanks for your help. I did what you said and when the Clipboard view comes up there is a small ? mark icon there. I deleted it when I had PSE5 open and then reopened it, but the message came back. Then I opened the Clipboard Viewer before opening PSE5, deleted the ? mark icon again, opened PSE5 and did not get the end-of-file message. So the problem is partially solved. I know just enough about computers to be dangerous - to them that is ;) , so I don't have a clue how to figure out what the ? mark icon means or belongs to.

John - Here's the link for the other brief beginner teaching videos. I received the link to them in the Welcome email I received from Adobe when I registered my copy of the program: http://www.photoshopelementsuser.com/adobereg/pse5/?sdid=IIFW&uid=c600c2b2fbf92a749d4f642daa17288d

If you've been working with PS for a year now you probably already know most of what's in the videos.

Kim, and anyone else I may have missed, I neglected to say THANKS for the welcome! It is appreciated. :D

This morning the Spot Healing Brush worked with the blank layer method as shown in the video. I'm stymied as to why things don't work one day but do another. Anyone else hit these snags? Is it because Photoshop is such a complex program?

I've noted comments about signing up for online courses and it seems everyone is pleased with them. Do they have a limited time frame during which utitlize them? I'm interested, but like many people, time is really limited right now, so if I'd have to watch and retain the info within a fairly brief period of time - it can't happen :(. Some of us are slow learners I'm afraid. I need repetition - and plenty of it :o!

I asked at the store where I purchase PSE5 if it was the newest version and was told yes. Now I see 6 is out so I was given incorrect information. If I sign up will the lessons and magazine be primarily about version 6?

[Codebreaker]

Hi Marilyn....

So all you have to do now is find out who the culprit is!!!!.

Could you post a picture of the ICON - maybe someone can identify it - although a ? is pretty general. :confused:

When you run some of your programs try and look at the icons and see if you can find one the matches?

Colin

[AngelicKim]

Marilyn, I wonder if some of the problem with the program and the healing brush may have just been a glitch because of the other problem with the clipboard viewer.

The videos and newsletter are usually done with the newest version of PSE but they will usually tell you how to do it in the version you have. It is my understanding that 6 isn't much different than 5. Like I said before, don't get discouraged, you will learn in your own time. I find that if I let something intimidate me it takes me longer to figure it out. I had PSE3 for a year and couldn't figure it out so didn't use it much. Then I found this site and within a couple of weeks I didn't use anything else but PSE3 and upgraded to 5 when it came out a month later.

[Inspeqtor]

Marilyn,

The online courses are 21 day courses, but you have 60 days to view them. On day 1, you only get to see day 1 course. On day 2, you can see day 2, and go back and see day 1 if you need to. The same is true thru out the time period.
Note the time of day that you register for an online course is the time everyday a new days topic will become available to you. If you register at 6:15pm your time, then at 6:15pm is when the next day course is available to you. Each days lesson lasts approximately 5-7 minutes.
On Day 7, 14, and 21 there is a Bonus lesson! Don't miss them :)

[Marilyn G]

Colin - I thought the problem was solved, but the best I can say right now is sometimes I get the message and sometimes I don't, lol. I've tried to copy the ? icon, but it doesn't allow it. What it looks like though is a smaller version of the ? on the blue circle in the Help & Support button after you left click on START. So, after I'm in the Clipboard Viewer I clicked on View and Bitmap and there's a message saying there may not be enough memory to open the program....., and to close other applications ...... - sorry I got rid of it before getting it down exactly. However, I'm pretty sure the computer should have adequate memory.

I followed the link in PSE5 on the 'end-of-file' error message, and it means the file is likely damaged :(. I hope that doesn't mean I have delete and reinstall PSEF!

Kim - I wondered about the two problems being connected too. Thank you for the info and your words of encouragement.

Inspeqtor - Thank you for the online course info! As much as I'd like to start them now, I think I may have to wait until January when, hopefully, life will settle down a bit. That is if I can control myself ;)!