this is SO basic . . . creating new document

[banarama]

I'm new to the forum, have been playing around with PSE, use it just for fun. Here's my question -- I scan in a 5 x 7 photo at 300 dpi. PSE automatically throws it into a new blank document -- on the bottom of that document it says "16.7% RGB, 8.5 in. x 11.7 in." Where does the 16.7% come from? Why is the canvas size 8.5 x 11.7? What I end up doing is creating yet another document, specifying the size as 5 x 7 at 300 dpi, and dragging the photo from the 8.5 x 11.7 document to the 5 x 7 document. Then the 5 x 7 document says "33.33% RGB". What the heck is that percentage? Shouldn't it be 100%? I'm seeing a 5 x 7 photo on a 5 x 7 canvas -- i.e., 100%? I'm sorry to be so remedial!

[Daviskw]

Hi There

Double click on your zoom icon in the tool bar. This will show your true dimensions

Butch

[Wendy]

Hi Banarama ...

... and welcome to the forum :)

Don't worry about the percentage size ... all it is is Elements being unable to fit the full sized image (at its actual size) on screen. Double clicking on the zoom tool (as Butch suggested) will show it at 100% .. but its going to be too big for the screen.

Wendy

[banarama]

Thanks, Wendy and Butch. I have another question regarding the magic wand. I select pixels using the magic wand, and it creates a very odd-shaped selection. I want to now paste another selection from the photo into that odd-shaped area. Is there a way to "grab" that selection to fit perfectly into that odd-shaped area? Or should I just lasso a larger portion of the "wanted" area and put it behind the layer so it shows through the hole I created by deleting the wanded area? I hope I'm describing this well enough for you to respond. Should I be posting this as a new thread? I'll wait for a response from you and if I don't get one, I'll start a new thread. Thanks!

[Daviskw]

Hi there

Not sure if I have it right, if not let me know.

Make your first selection…. the one you will paste.

Then on the menu press… Edit>Copy

Then deselect the first selection with….. Select>Deselect

Make your new selection with any selection tool.

Now press….. Edit>Paste into selection

Now click the “move” tool at the top of tool bar. You can now move your selection inside the new selection border. You can also resize and transform.

Butch

[w7vp]

I will take a shot at it banarama. Hopefully someone more experienced that me will help.

First make sure that the level you have the selection on is a real level and not the background. Then erase everything within the selected area. (PSE will not let you erase outside the selected area.) This will make the area within the selection transparent.

Next click and drag or copy and paste the photo you want inside the picture to the one with the selection. Next move the resulting level below the one with the erased portion and move the underlying picture where you want it. The underlying picture will show through the one you have erased within the area of the selection.

I hope that is that what you were asking.:)

Bill

[banarama]

Thank you both. I did a combination of both of your suggestions. I first selected an area with the magic wand and deleted that selection, thus making a hole. Then I selected the area I wanted to show through with the lasso -- I made the selection a large circle, not worrying about making it into the weird shape of the wand selection. Then I sent that circle to the back, so it showed through the layer with the hole in it. Thanks for your help! Boy, this hobby takes up a lot of time! :) And why doesn't that smilie face show up like the one I clicked on to the right? I don't have smilies disabled . . .

[banarama]

I guess once it's posted, the smilie shows up the way it's supposed to. Don't you just love the newcomers??

[Wendy]

Banarama ...

The smilies confuse everyone the first time they use them :)

Wendy