I am so NOT understanding this PS Elements thing! What book (Kelby's) should I...

..purchase to help me understand PS Elements?
I have tried playing around with it..not sure what all this "layers" stuff is..can't even figure out how to turn my pics from color to B&W. It seems alot more complicated than I had hoped. I have looked at a few tutorials on youtube, and still couldn't figure out how to change the color of eyes in a photo (or other simple procedures). This is sooooo frustrating..HELP!!
Thanks

PhotoGuru13 wrote in post #5998610
..purchase to help me understand PS Elements?
I have tried playing around with it..not sure what all this "layers" stuff is..can't even figure out how to turn my pics from color to B&W. It seems alot more complicated than I had hoped. I have looked at a few tutorials on youtube, and still couldn't figure out how to change the color of eyes in a photo (or other simple procedures). This is sooooo frustrating..HELP!!
Thanks

Any of Kelby's books will take you through step by step.....Do you know what version of elements you have?

Yep, I had the Elements 5 book, good starter book, over 480 pages!

i've never learned much from step-by-step tutorials so i'll throw this option out there:

http://movielibrary.ly​nda.com/html/modListin​g.asp?pid=77

if you dont mind sitting and watching online videos to learn from then this is a great option. IMHO. i, personally, learned more at this site than from reading books and doing the "read-a-step, do-a-step" method.

I would recommend the Kelby book, talks you through things step by step or you can dive in where ever you like. It is one of the few books I constantly go back to.

POTN

You don't understand layers? Think of them as physical instead of digital. Take a copy of a picture. Lay another copy of the same picture over it. Print another copy of the picture but with it darker. Cut out (with a pair of scissors) part of the picture. Everything but the sky let's say. So now you see the darker sky and the original ground/subject. Now print out a completely different picture and cut out, let's say, the bird that's in it. Now lay the bird on your pile of pictures. So now you see the original ground/subject with a darker sky and a bird that wasn't in the original. Get it?

Take an Online course at Eclectic Academy, $30 for a 6 week course. The instructor is great, Sara makes so much sense of Elements and help you get the most out of the program. Most of the books (but not all) to me assume you know something about the program and are geared to working with features of it
http://www.eclecticaca​demy.com/

Jack

Dont worry with youtube. Go to the how-to sights. www.tutorialized.com is one that has a lot of tutorials. There are tons of others. Just google "elements how to" or "elements turorial". You will find more than you can read.

Thanks for the input everyone. I have the latest version (6.0). I hate reading, so maybe the online tutorials will be better. I will give it all a try. I guess I shouldn't expect to install the software and know how to use in within the first few days. I am impatient, and want to know how to do it all..NOW...so I can create great photos..like everyone else.

Do you know that what you said is heresy around here?

Most people on this forum recommend Kelby books for reasons I'm yet to understand; especially when there are much better options available.

DougP wrote in post #5999098
i've never learned much from step-by-step tutorials so i'll throw this option out there:

http://movielibrary.ly​nda.com/html/modListin​g.asp?pid=77

if you dont mind sitting and watching online videos to learn from then this is a great option. IMHO. i, personally, learned more at this site than from reading books and doing the "read-a-step, do-a-step" method.

FedkaTheConvict wrote in post #6000881
Do you know that what you said is heresy around here?

I'm not normally one to point out grammar mistakes, but I believe you mean "hearsay" rather than "heresy". Heresy is when someone basically mocks and denies their own religion. Unless you're talking about the Canon users who sell all their gear and switch to Nikon.

Heresy:
2 a: dissent or deviation from a dominant theory, opinion, or practice
b: an opinion, doctrine, or practice contrary to the truth or to generally accepted beliefs or standards

So yes, I did mean heresy.

griptape wrote in post #6000934
I'm not normally one to point out grammar mistakes, but I believe you mean "hearsay" rather than "heresy". Heresy is when someone basically mocks and denies their own religion. Unless you're talking about the Canon users who sell all their gear and switch to Nikon.

My mistake, I misread what you posted.

While Elements is the simpler version of Photoshop, its still a challenge to get to grips with. Just remember, nothing worthwhile is ever easy.

Keep studying young Grasshopper. (Sorry, it's my age - a reference to a pretty old and pretty poor TV series).