Grants Tools - I am an Idiot

[Kabeeo]

Okay. I have elements 6.0 and Vista. I have dowloaded the zip file and read EVERYTHING I can find here and on the web. I have never been more confused about anything than I am about what directories to install the files into and what directories I need to delete the files from. God, I feel dumb. Is there a simple answer somewhere?

Thanks everbody...and just when I get up the nerve to use Grant's Tolls!

[Wendy]

Hi Kevin ...

OK ... when you open up the zip file you will see a folder. Inside that folder are two folders.

One named "Actions and Pngs" ... and the other "Xml files"

First make sure that show hidden files & folders is switched on in Windows.
Then open up the folder called "Actions and Pngs" and places all the contents of the folder here:

C:\ProgramData\Adobe\Photoshop Elements\6.0\Photo Creations\Photo Effects

Next open up the "Xml Files" folder
... and places all the contents of the folder here:

C:\ProgramData\Adobe\Photoshop Elements\6.0\Locale\Photo Creations Metadata\Photo Effects

Finally rename the Mediadatabase.db3 to MediadatabaseOLD.db3 it is located at C:\ProgramData\Adobe\Photoshop Elements\6.0\Locale\ en-US and restart Elements ... the Mediadatabase.db3 will rebuild but you may have to wait a while for it to do so

It suds complicated but it really isn't difficult to do :)

Wendy
PS ... The PSE6 install instructions are in a read me inside the zip folder.

[Kabeeo]

Thanks Wendy. I was getting confused by all the directories.

[Wendy]

Hi Kevin ..

Installing things in PSE6 is pretty confusing ... do hope that you get them installed OK this time :)

Wendy

[Kabeeo]

I did thanks. They now show up among my Photo Effects. I don't however see one of the ones that I had seen a video about (the one I was most interested in of course) about affecting just one color in the photo. Is that tool somewhere else or maybe not included within the 6.0 package?

[Wendy]

Hi Kevin ..

Here is Grant's list of the tool that wrk in different versions:

http://www.cavesofice.org/~grant/Challenge/Tools/Files.html

You may mean Selective colour .. that hasn't worked for quite a few versions of Elements :(

Wendy

[Kabeeo]

Thanks as always Wendy

[barbara_b]

I also have vista and elements 6 - what is the zip file you are referring to?

thanks! :)

[Peanut]

What tools? I placed my disk in the drive and I thought that it downloaded everything on it's own. I have Photoshop Elements 6 and Vista Home Premium 64-bit operating system. Did I miss something?:eek:

[Wendy]

Hi ...

Grant's Tools are a set of tools that you can download and they will add extra tools into Elements ... for example "Layer Masks".

Elements originally was done using the coding of Photoshop and the tools are a set of actions which access the photoshop tools that are still buried within Elements.

Its perfectly safe to use them and Adobe are well aware of their existence ... :)

Just click on the link here (http://www.cavesofice.org/%7Egrant/Challenge/Tools/Files.html) then click on the tools for your version of Elements and download them. If you are downloading the PSE6 tools then the install instructions are in a read me inside the zip file :)

Wendy

[AshyHin]

I'm afraid its not working. What directions you gave me and from wendy are totally different than what My Computer has for this program. I have no idea whats going on.

[Tintinabulum]

Hi ...

Grant's Tools are a set of tools that you can download and they will add extra tools into Elements ... for example "Layer Masks".

Elements originally was done using the coding of Photoshop and the tools are a set of actions which access the photoshop tools that are still buried within Elements.

Its perfectly safe to use them and Adobe are well aware of their existence ... :)

Just click on the link here (http://www.cavesofice.org/%7Egrant/Challenge/Tools/Files.html) then click on the tools for your version of Elements and download them. If you are downloading the PSE6 tools then the install instructions are in a read me inside the zip file :)

Wendy
Dear Wendy, Kabeeo, barbara b and Peanut,

There is no getting away from the fact that downloading Grant's tools, wonderful as they are, not to mention free- of-charge, taxes the computer skills of most of us, and I would not have managed to do it without Wendy's help and encouragement, and the on-telephone guidance of my computer-expert son.

Now I have it, I use the Curves tool a lot, but I only seem able to use it once.
I don't really understand the other tools, and I don't seem able to access the "Mov" images on Grant's own site any more, via the link on Wendy's message, I just get, "Downloading", and my router gets very busy, and then "Done", with a blank page, so I get frustrated.

Has anybody in Elements Village produced a specific guide to Grant's tools, with practical examples?

Thanks and best wishes to all,

Bob
aka Tintinabulum

[Stacie]

I did this but now all my TEXT in the creation part of editor is no longer there --PLEASE HELP!!

[Erin DigitalPhotosForMoms]

I don't have a specific guide to Grant's tools, but I was able to install them with no problem in PSE 6 on Vista. I did not mess with the XML files at all. This means that the actions won't be categorized by type, i.e. Grant's Tools, but you will be able to access them and use them just fine.

I have instructions for installing in PSE 6 on Vista here: http://digitalphotographyformoms.net/?page_id=24

[BillandCat]

Are they worth all this bother? As far as computers, I am mostly in the dark. As long as I stay in pse it"s fun but when it comes to something like Grants Tools and camera raw--well I figure,"why bother" Just my opinion. BillandCat

[Peanut]

Ugh! I was able to move the Actions and png folder, but not the xml folder. I don't have the Photo Creation Metadata in C:\programData\Adobe\Photoshop Elements\6.0\Locale\. I did find photo effects XML files in \6.0\Locale\en_US\Photo Creations Metadata\Photo Effects so I moved my Grant's tools xml folder to this location. I renamed the mediadatabase to mediadatabaseOLD.db3. I'll see if it worked.