Advanced Elements

Advanced Elements is no longer for sale

[Please note, Elements version 3 has been released. I do not plan on doing an updated version of Advanced Elements; all techniques taught in this book work the same way in version 3 as they did in version 2 of Elements. However, the user interface and some of the command locations in Elements have changed in the new version. A zipped .pdf page describing all changes in version 3 relevant to the content of Advanced Elements can be found by right-clicking here and saving to your hard drive. Size 170 kb.]

Advanced Elements is a three hundred twenty eight page electronic book available in .pdf format on a CD-ROM.
     You’ll find clear, detailed, step-by-step tutorials on how to completely control any number of tonal ranges in your pictures. There is extensive instruction on color manipulation, image repairs and how to make seemingly impossible selections (of furry, hairy, partially transparent objects).
     This material can not be found in any book, or on the Internet or anywhere else—it’s all new, and I believe, more useful and powerful than techniques currently available in Photoshop and Elements publications.
     The CD-ROM includes forty Quicktime screen capture video clips linked from within the document that illustrate the techniques described in the text. All of the photographs used in the tutorials are included on the CD as well as a number of bonus images (for a total of 44 maximum resolution .jpg files).
     This book is for those of you who are interested in making quality digital art that will have enduring value.
     Pages in the book have been formatted for easy, efficient printing. They are letter size and contain a minimum of white space. There is no fluff in this book—it is solid content from beginning to end.
     There is no catalog of tools, menus and basic features. The book consists almost entirely of tutorials. Once you have completed all of the lessons, you will be able to do anything you wish with any image.

Full page image-edit sequences that illustrate the techniques described in the chapters are in corresponding and cross-linked Pictures sections at the rear of the book. This will allow you to print the text without the pictures, if you wish.

Above you see an image with description before editing.


And here you see it after editing, with notes.

You may download a zipped sample chapter from the book (297 kb) by clicking here. Note that the sample is of lower resolution than the CD version and does not allow printing. It includes the title page, copyright page, and the Layer Masks chapter. It does not include the chapter’s video clips.
     [Please note that the book was finished the last week of October, 2002. On November 15, 2002, I discovered a simpler way to add layer masks in Elements 2. The simpler method that I found (not included in the sample chapter) is to press and hold the Alt/Option key as you apply either the Ripple, Spatter, or Strokes Frame from the Effects browser. See the book chapter for other methods, as well as instruction on how to clean up the mask and get back any layers lost in the mask creation process.]

A rotation of different, additional sample chapters from Advanced Elements can be found here.

The screen capture videos are of excellent quality, 640 x 480, and require Quicktime version 5.02 or later to view. If you do not have Quicktime, you can download it from Apple.com (it’s free). There is no audio on the clips, but the movies are annotated on screen as necessary.
     The book’s tutorials are written for Elements 2. Photoshop 7 users should have no problem following the instruction as long as you know your menu command structure.
 

Below are few details about some of the chapters in the book. There is much more that is not shown. This book is 100 % content; every page contains techniques that you can use every day.

.

Before stain removal (above).


After stain removal.

Cutouts
How to select and move almost anything from one picture into another. Three different techniques are taught.

Learn how to build a selection mask
for impossible objects.


No, it’s not done by hand.


Move it onto a new background and
blend the edges.

Evaluation
Tips on how to decide what you want to do with a picture once you’re ready to start playing with luminosity and color.

Luminosity
How to manipulate the luminosity of your pictures exclusive of the color content. Starts by showing you how to make good, simulated duotones.

Then shows you how to manipulate luminosity within a color image. This method allows you to target as many tones in as many parts of the picture as you wish.


Above, image before editing.


Same image after luminosity editing.

Color
How to extract the color from your image and manipulate it for artistic purposes. Extensive examples with all steps and settings.

Image before color manipulation

After color editing

All Together
Combining the luminosity and color techniques taught in the previous two chapters.

Unedited image, above.

After luminosity and color editing.

Older Tutorials
Quick Mask
Rubberstamping
More Adjustments
Sharpening
Filters
Color

Layer Masks
Yes, you can get real layer masks in Elements v. 2.

Quick Tricks
A few of the standard Photoshop digital quickies that everyone loves.

Above, image fragment before
simulated woodcut effect.


And, after applying the effect.

Type
Creative ways to play with type.

Hand painted.


Edited color fill.

Alphabet soup, above.


Grouped alphabet soup with layer style.


Distressed type with Wow Neon Dk Blue
style.

Close-up of the previous distressed
type illustration.


Distressed type with Wow chrome style.


Same as previous but with color fill.

Origami
Cool things you can make in Elements 2 using vector shapes.

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Copyright © 2002 by Jay Arraich.
All rights reserved.
All photographs copyright ©2002 by Jay Arraich
jay@arraich.com