PE5 – Plug Ins

Think of a layer as a clear plastic sheet that you apply over your photo. You can then paste pieces of other photos, draw on it, or make adjustments like tinting without it changing the photo underneath. You see it and can print it with everything that you added on the layer, but your original photo image is preserved. Adding many layers with different modifications on each layer gives you the ability to go back to any layer later and tweak or remove it without affecting the rest of the layers or the original photo.

Other brushes give you the ability to apply more paint on effects, but most of these will require you to purchase a graphics tablet to get their full benefit. A graphics tablet gives you a pen styled mouse that’s much easier and more accurate to use.

Charley

"Not4wood" wrote in message

I’ve just started learning on Elements 5. Watching the free tutorials and looking around for free plug ins.

I’ve found several places on the net for effects, layers and brushes and

I’m

a little bit confused on the layers and brushes.

Since I’m just starting and will only use Elements right now for Digital Darkroom, which are the best first downloads to get? I’ve seen several payware stuff and thought they were very good and I was tempted but since I’m new I figures that there were several freeware stuff that came close

to

what the payware stuff did.

I already downloaded the strong Sharpen plug-in but when I use it all I

see

on my image is black. I know that I’m doing something wrong but I have to just figure it out.

What brushes should I get to start out?
What effects should I first get for photography images like portraits and sceneries?

Now the big question, why would you download a special layer and then

which

ones should I get first?

Thank you all in advance for your advice.

—
If you have any further questions, please, feel free to e-mail me.
Mark
Not4wood

Not4wood opined

I’ve just started learning on Elements 5. Watching the free tutorials and looking around for free plug ins.

I’ve found several places on the net for effects, layers and brushes and I’m a little bit confused on the layers and brushes.

Since I’m just starting and will only use Elements right now for Digital Darkroom, which are the best first downloads to get? I’ve seen several payware stuff and thought they were very good and I was tempted but since I’m new I figures that there were several freeware stuff that came close to what the payware stuff did.

I already downloaded the strong Sharpen plug-in but when I use it all I see on my image is black. I know that I’m doing something wrong but I have to just figure it out.

What brushes should I get to start out?
What effects should I first get for photography images like portraits and sceneries?

Now the big question, why would you download a special layer and then which ones should I get first?

As someone who’s been using Elements (1) for four years and who recently upgraded to PSE5, and feels that I still have much to learn, may I make an unpopular suggestion?

Until you know and can use the range of tools that Adobe provide you with, DONT download any further plug ins. They won’t make your pictures better, most enable you to do something that’s already in PSE a little quicker.

Otherwise you won’t have learned the basics – the plug ins are no substitute for that!

Mike

(And yes, I’ve been there and made that mistake!)

[The reply-to address is valid for 30 days from this posting] —
Michael J Davis

Pictures at http://www.flickr.com/photos/watchman/
<><
For this is what the Lord has said to me,
"Go and post a Watchman and let
him report what he sees." Isa 21:6
<><

Michael,

Thats why I am trying to ask the more experienced users of PE5 to find out what Freeware Plug-Ins are good and cover more than the program offers in features and abilities. For Example you are correct in saying that why would I want to use Plug-Ins when I dont even know the program yet. Because, this has a big learning curve and will obviously take me a while, the Plug-Ins are always a big help in doing things the Program doesn’t do. I have just downloaded and installed several Plug-Ins that are so far beyond what the PE5 normally does and since you don’t normally use Plug-Ins I will give you the links for you to look to see if this helps you.

Freeware:
—
Smart Curves:
The first is a very intensive and interesting download to help with basic Levels Adjustments. Since in CS2 & CS3 does offer this as a standard offering and PE5 doesn’t someone made this and is offering it for free. Check out Smart Curves link Here:
http://www.free.pages.at/easyfilter/curves.html
Using Curves to correct a Photo is so intensive I did a little bit of research and now I see that this is ending up to being such a major feature that there are lectures, books and tutorials just on the Curves topic. A Major Newbie find on my end. LOL

High Pass Sharpening Filter:
Since the Sharpening feature in PE5 has a lot to be desired, and a friend showed me his payware add-on for his CS2 called Nic Sharpening I downloaded this little plug-in. Its not as good and doesn’t have the same features that my friends plug-in did but its a good second best.
Go here:
http://www.photo-plugins.com/Plugins/Plugins/High-Pass-Sharp ening.html —

As an experienced puter user I know to not except the way the programmers made the program. They have a good idea, but never make a complete version that offers everything. Thats why there are a million different updated versions and plug-ins of all of the major programs out there. How many versions of Photoshop are there?? How many word processors are out there and then how many updated versions of each are available? I have an older version of Photoshop V7.0 and I see that there is an update to it to bring it to 7.1 but no matter what I do there must be an error and I cant get it to work. I have purchased PE5 recently and am trying to learn it for normal Basic Digital Darkroom for my shots. Burning, Dodging and Color Correcting so the Smart Curves will help me a lot. So, lets hear from you on what you think of just these two Plug-Ins and see what I’m talking about. I am not asking you to download them and work with them. I am only asking you to click the link and see what this Plug-in offers and its usage, these links aren’t to download the plug-in there just the hosting page for the plug-ins and are both freeware.

A program is made to offer what someone had as an idea in there heads. Doesn’t mean that program is perfect in everyway and why should we except it as such? Changing the programs to make it better to suit our needs is why we have a computer in the first place. Don’t be afraid to experiment with add-ons and make the program better for you. Find out what the program can do, and then use the Freeware Plug-Ins to make the program then do what you want it to. This goes for other programs besides Photoshop Elements 5. This is also why you should always start with Freeware updates and plug-ins to make sure they don’t repeat the function of the original program.

Mark G
Not4wood

"Michael J Davis" wrote in message

Not4wood opined

I’ve just started learning on Elements 5. Watching the free tutorials and looking around for free plug ins.

I’ve found several places on the net for effects, layers and brushes and I’m
a little bit confused on the layers and brushes.

Since I’m just starting and will only use Elements right now for Digital Darkroom, which are the best first downloads to get? I’ve seen several payware stuff and thought they were very good and I was tempted but since I’m new I figures that there were several freeware stuff that came close to
what the payware stuff did.

I already downloaded the strong Sharpen plug-in but when I use it all I see
on my image is black. I know that I’m doing something wrong but I have to just figure it out.

What brushes should I get to start out?
What effects should I first get for photography images like portraits and sceneries?

Now the big question, why would you download a special layer and then which
ones should I get first?

As someone who’s been using Elements (1) for four years and who recently upgraded to PSE5, and feels that I still have much to learn, may I make an unpopular suggestion?

Until you know and can use the range of tools that Adobe provide you with, DONT download any further plug ins. They won’t make your pictures better, most enable you to do something that’s already in PSE a little quicker.
Otherwise you won’t have learned the basics – the plug ins are no substitute for that!

Mike

(And yes, I’ve been there and made that mistake!)

[The reply-to address is valid for 30 days from this posting] —
Michael J Davis

Pictures at http://www.flickr.com/photos/watchman/
<><
For this is what the Lord has said to me,
"Go and post a Watchman and let
him report what he sees." Isa 21:6
<><

Not4wood said

Michael,

Thats why I am trying to ask the more experienced users of PE5 to find out what Freeware Plug-Ins are good and cover more than the program offers in features and abilities. For Example you are correct in saying that why would I want to use Plug-Ins when I dont even know the program yet. Because, this has a big learning curve and will obviously take me a while, the Plug-Ins are always a big help in doing things the Program doesn’t do. I have just downloaded and installed several Plug-Ins that are so far beyond what the PE5 normally does and since you don’t normally use Plug-Ins I will give you the links for you to look to see if this helps you.
Freeware:
—
Smart Curves:
The first is a very intensive and interesting download to help with basic Levels Adjustments. Since in CS2 & CS3 does offer this as a standard offering and PE5 doesn’t someone made this and is offering it for free. Check out Smart Curves link Here:
http://www.free.pages.at/easyfilter/curves.html
Using Curves to correct a Photo is so intensive I did a little bit of research and now I see that this is ending up to being such a major feature that there are lectures, books and tutorials just on the Curves topic. A Major Newbie find on my end. LOL

I have to admit that the reason I upgraded from Elements (1) to Elements 5 was because it offered ‘curves’. But the application is somewhat limited, as the adjustments are only on quarter points and in defined directions. So yes, Smartcurves may (I’m still investigating) help. But not until someone has discovered why the built in arrangement doesn’t do everything.

High Pass Sharpening Filter:
Since the Sharpening feature in PE5 has a lot to be desired, and a friend showed me his payware add-on for his CS2 called Nic Sharpening I downloaded this little plug-in. Its not as good and doesn’t have the same features that my friends plug-in did but its a good second best.
Go here:
http://www.photo-plugins.com/Plugins/Plugins/High-Pass-Sharp ening.html

Once again, that can be a useful technique. But I’d still ask how much better do you find it than the built in (and very good) USM control?

As an experienced puter user I know to not except the way the programmers made the program. They have a good idea, but never make a complete version that offers everything. Thats why there are a million different updated versions and plug-ins of all of the major programs out there. How many versions of Photoshop are there?? How many word processors are out there and then how many updated versions of each are available? I have an older version of Photoshop V7.0 and I see that there is an update to it to bring it to 7.1 but no matter what I do there must be an error and I cant get it to work. I have purchased PE5 recently and am trying to learn it for normal Basic Digital Darkroom for my shots. Burning, Dodging and Color Correcting so the Smart Curves will help me a lot. So, lets hear from you on what you think of just these two Plug-Ins and see what I’m talking about. I am not asking you to download them and work with them. I am only asking you to click the link and see what this Plug-in offers and its usage, these links aren’t to download the plug-in there just the hosting page for the plug-ins and are both freeware.

A program is made to offer what someone had as an idea in there heads. Doesn’t mean that program is perfect in everyway and why should we except it as such? Changing the programs to make it better to suit our needs is why we have a computer in the first place. Don’t be afraid to experiment with add-ons and make the program better for you. Find out what the program can do, and then use the Freeware Plug-Ins to make the program then do what you want it to. This goes for other programs besides Photoshop Elements 5. This is also why you should always start with Freeware updates and plug-ins to make sure they don’t repeat the function of the original program.

Thanks Mark. – No I’m not being difficult – just that for a newbie, understanding what is there before increasing the degrees of freedom, seems to be a good way of learning the need for plug ins.

That’s all!

Someone asked me this week. "I’ve just bought a camera with an 18x zoom, can you help me learn to use it?"
My official answer would be, "get one with a 3x zoom and learn to use that, you’ll probably get better photos!", but I’m too nice. 😉

Mike

—
Michael J Davis
Personal email replies may be made to
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