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Credits

Editor: Suzie Nasol

Production Editor: Becky Winter

Copyeditor: Anne Marie Walker

Proofreader: Evan Pricco

Compositor: Maureen Forys, Happenstance Type-O-Rama

Indexer: Julie Bess

Cover design: Peachpit Press

Notice of Rights

No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise , without the prior written permission of the publisher. For information on getting permission for reprints and excerpts, contact permissions@peachpit.com.

Notice of Liability

The information in this book is distributed on an "As Is" basis, without warranty. While every precaution has been taken in the preparation of the book, neither the author nor Peachpit Press, shall have any liability to any person or entity with respect to any loss or damage caused or alleged to be caused directly or indirectly by the instructions contained in this book or by the computer software and hardware products described in it.

Trademarks

Visual QuickStart Guide is a registered trademark of Peachpit Press, a division of Pearson Education.

Adobe is a registered trademark, and Photoshop Elements is a trademark of Adobe Systems, Inc.

Many of the designations used by manufacturers and sellers to distinguish their products are claimed as trademarks. Where those designations appear in this book, and Peachpit was aware of the trademark claim, the designations appear as requested by the owner of the trademark. All other product names and services identified throughout the book are used in an editorial fashion only and for the benefit of such companies with no intention of infringement of the trademark. No such use, or the use of any trade name , is intended to convey endorsement or other affiliation with this book.

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Printed and bound in the United States of America

Dedication

For Bob and Jack

Acknowledgements

Special thanks to my editor, Suzie Nasol for her tireless work and thoughtful guidance throughout the course of this project. Special thanks also to everyone who contributed to the final production and composition of these pages, especially : Becky Winter, Production Editor; Maureen Forys, Compositor; Evan Pricco, Proofreader; and Julie Bess, Indexer. Thank you again to Chris Dahl and Paul Carew for their images, insights, and friendship. And, as always, thank you to Karen for her patience, encouragement, and support.

Introduction

Welcome to Photoshop Elements, Adobe's powerful, easy-to-use, image-editing program. Photoshop Elements gives hobbyists, as well as professional photographers and artists , many of the same tools and features found in Adobe Photoshop (long the industry standard), but packaged in a more accessible, intuitive workspace. Photoshop Elements' friendly user interface, combined with its bargain- basement price, has made it an instant hit with the new wave of amateur digital photographers lured by the recent proliferation of sophisticated, low-cost digital cameras and scanners .

Photoshop Elements 4 provides new tools and workspace enhancements that not only help stretch the bounds of your creativity, but also help to make your quick photo corrections and creative retouching even simpler and more fun than before.

In the next few pages, I'll cover some of Photoshop Elements' key features (both old and new) and share a few thoughts to help you get the most from this book. Then you can be on your way to mastering Photoshop Elements' simple, fun, and sophisticated image-editing tools.