Beginner PSE 6 advice please!

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01steven

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I've just started with Photoshop Elements 6.
I'm pretty new to post-processing, have fiddled around a little bit, but now want to understand it better and improve my skills (and my photography output of course!)

Some info about my photography which may help the advice I get here:
I have a Canon EOS 400D with 3 or 4 lenses.
My range of photography is quite varied- from photos of my son playing in the park, wide landscapes, abstract close-ups etc. (my Flickr stream might give you an idea)
Although I've only really shot in jpeg up till now, I'd like to work with RAW files to get much more control.
I don't know how this impacts with PSE.
I also really want to get a proper workflow going which will be a regular routine. I have the Canon EOS software too - Digital Photo Professional. I'm not sure if this is something to use in advance of Photoshop Elements 6 (I read somewhere this might be a good option if shooting RAW?) or maybe just stick to the one program.

So I'm looking for a general beginner's guide. Would anyone recommend a particular book or somewhere online where I can learn? I have seen the following on Amazon, which look good:

Adobe Photoshop Elements 6 Classroom in a Book by Adobe Creative Team

Teach Yourself Visually Photoshop Elements 6 (Teach Yourself VISUALLY (Tech)) by Mike Wooldridge and Linda Wooldridge

The Photoshop Elements 6 Book for Digital Photographers by Scott Kelby and Matt Kloskowski

Also been scouring youtube for videos too and found a few.

So any help would be greatly appreciated!

Regards
Steven
 
Hi Steven,

I was in a similar situation to you a few months back. I bought PSE6 - The Missing Manual.

It's a good book and I am still using it to refer to. It certainly covers all of the questions you raise above about using raw, workflow etc.

Personally I still use Picasa (instead of the PSE Organizr) for organising my shots. I just use PSE for Post Processing (there is a right click in Picasa to 'open with Elements') so is just about as integrated as the Organizr <-> Elements.

Hope this helps.

Mark F
 
The Scott Kelby, Matt K book may be the best one to try. I've got a couple of Scott's books on Photoshop and they are well written and well explained.

You might also want to check out Photoshop user TV. OK I know you are using Elements but there are some tips that may help you with Elements. Oh and guess who the presenters are... Scott and Matt!!!!

http://www.photoshopusertv.com/
 
Hi
Thanks for this advice.
Have played about with DPP and Photoshop Elements a little bit.

Just seems like overkill to use two programs when I can do it all in Photoshop with their Raw Converter?

I know people go on about Canon know their RAW files best etc. but is it really so much better that it warrants using two separate programs to do the one job?
Anyhow- another question if you don't mind:

When finishing the WB etc. work on the RAW, what exactly do you suggest is the best file format to save into for more work in Photoshop? I tried it as a TIFF and got a 58MB file!

Any other suggestions on the batch conversion process, file folders/locations etc. would be greatly appreciated.
Many thanks
Steven
 
58Mb from the 400D seems a bit high. Check you aren't saving it as a 16 bit Tiff.

Personally I'd do all the work in PS rather than DPP. CS3 has some very good controls for handling RAW files. The Tone Control curve control is a real joy to use. Only drawback is that it's not a good batch converter,as it handles each file one at a time. If you have a large number of RAW files to handle, have a look at Lightroom.
 
pse 6 missing manual :thumbs:

Woks a treat and really explains things
 
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