Adobe Photoshop Elements 3 & 4: Collages and Composites

at Eclectic Academy
Click here to enroll

PSE 3.0

Windows and Mac

Join me to use Photoshop Elements 3 or 4 to make textured paper, backgrounds, brushes, add photo edges, use layers, and of course, fade one image into another. We will work with blending modes and opacity, and learn to extract images from their backgrounds to be used in other images. By the end of the course you will be able to combine all of these skills into one of a kind collages and composites. Although this is not a scrapbooking class, the skills you learn here would be useful for that as well as collages and composites.

Prerequisites:

An understanding of your computer and operating system is required. You must know how to unzip a file and locate it and open it in Elements once you have unzipped it. You must understand the use of menus (File > Open, or any other command) and keyboard shortcuts. This means knowing how to use commands for your operating system, such as command + V means paste on the Mac and control + V means paste on the PC.

To post homework, you will have to be able to either build a simple webpage, use one of the free web hosts or photo gallery sites. Ideas for free or low cost web space can be found here: http://www.northlite.net/homework.htm If you are really new to web pages then I suggest one of the gallery sites like Yahoo Photos which is free or pbase (http://www.pbase.com) which is very reasonable. Neither of those options require you to know any html.

You will have to know how to use keyboard shortcuts and menus, as well as palettes, and be able to open, close, and save files. This is a level 2 class. As such you will be expected to know the basics of using the software. An understanding of layers is essential but they will be covered in detail.

This is a Level 2 class! You must have Photoshop Elements 3 or 4 installed. This class is written for PSE 3 as part of the Elements 3 series of classes,and has been updated for PSE 4. It would work with PSE 2 as long as the student is quite familiar with Elements 2, and understands that all commands and screenshots will be only from Elements 3 or 4.

Previous classes: You should take PSE3: Get Up to Speed, PSE 4: First Steps for Mac or PSE 4: First Steps for Windows before taking this class (the same computer knowledge prerequisites apply to this class as well). An understanding of layers and some more advanced concepts is absolutely essential to successful completion of the exercises in this course.

PSE 2 users: If you want to attempt this class using PSE 2, you must have completed at least Photoshop Elements from the Ground Up and Photoshop Elements Level 1. The differences between PSE 2 and the newer versions of PSE will not be covered.

Links:

Where to post homework if you need space: http://www.northlite.net/homework.htm

Elements 3 Answers from Northlite Designs: http://www.northlite.net/elements3.htm
Elements 4 Answers from Northlite Designs: http://www.northlite.net/elements4.htm

Enrollment:

Classes are $30 for a six week session. You can click here to enroll.

Syllabus

Lesson 1:

Printable Toolbox reference in PDF format
Selections: The Backbone of a Good Composite
One-Image Montage
Scissors Collage
Fading an Image into Another

Lesson 2:

Selections: Going About it Backwards
Getting Clean Selections
Elements Secret Quick Mask
Transforming Selections
Backscreening
Deckled and Torn Edges
Pinstripes
Parchment
Using the Texturizer Filter
Mapping Texture to an Object

Lesson 3:

Layers
Layers and Type Troubleshooting
Darkened Portrait Effect
Pattern Fills: Exploring Fill Layers
Layer Blending Modes: How to Use Them
Layer Blend Mode Reference
Blend Modes and Brushes (Paint Modes)
Fibers Filter

Lesson 4:

Brush Tool in PSE
Brush Options
Creating Brushes from...Everything!
Shadow Portraits
Vignettes
Downloading, Installing, and Loading Brushes
Meet the Impressionist Brush
Eraser Tool
Displace Filter

Lesson 5:

Placing objects behind other objects
The Eraser Tools
Using the Transform Tool
Using the Vector Shape Tools
Bending Shadows to Walls
Spherize Filter

Lesson 6:

Scanning solid objects
Vector Shapes as Clipping Masks
Postage Stamp
Burnt in Portrait, Method 2
Curves: Using Add-Ons to add functionality to Elements
Paste Into
Object Scanning Tips
Faking Neon Text when you don't have WOW
Selective Coloring

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Disclaimer

All designs and images on these pages are copyrighted to me, Sara Froehlich and Northlite Designs, or in the cases of software boxes and logos, their respective copyright holders. If you want to use something of mine you see, please contact me for permission. Thank you!