Using Help
Help is available in several ways, each one useful in different circumstances:
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Help in the application The complete user documentation for Adobe Photoshop Elements is available as Help in the application, in the form of HTML content that you can access with your default browser. Help in the application provides easy access to summarized information on common tasks and concepts. Help in the application can be especially useful if you are new to Photoshop Elements or if you aren’t connected to the Internet.
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LiveDocs Help on the Web This is the most comprehensive and up-to-date version of Photoshop Elements Help. It is the recommended choice if you have an active Internet connection.
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Help PDF Help is also available as a PDF that is optimized for printing; just go to http://www.adobe.com/go/learn_pse_printpdf to download the PDF document. The Help PDF file is about 30 MB in size and may take a considerable time to download when using a slow Internet connection.
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Links in the application Within the Photoshop Elements application there are links to additional help topics, such as the “Tell me more” link at the bottom of the panel in each guided task.
Navigating Help in the application
Choose Help > Photoshop Elements Help, or press the F1 key. Your default Web browser will open and display the starting page of the Adobe Photoshop Help in the application. Do any of the following:
- Click the Contents link in the top left corner of the window. Click a topic heading in the table of contents. Click the plus sign (+) to the left of a topic heading to see its sub-topics. Click a topic or sub-topic to display its content.
- Click the Index link in the top left corner of the window. Click on a letter to display index entries starting with that letter. Click the plus sign (+) to the left of an index header or click the index header to see its entries. Click the index entry to display its content on the right side of the window.
- Select the Search link in the top left corner of the window. Enter a search term, and then click Search. When the search has finished, click a search result in the list on the left side of the window to display its content on the right side of the window.
Search tips
Adobe Help Search works by searching the entire Help text for topics that contain all the words typed in the Search box. These tips can help you improve your search results in Help:
- If you search using a phrase, such as “shape tool,” put quotation marks around the phrase. The search returns only those topics containing that specific phrase.
- Make sure that the search terms are spelled correctly.
- If a search term doesn’t yield results, try using a synonym, such as “photo” instead of “picture.”
Accessing LiveDocs Help on the Web
LiveDocs Help on the Web contains the most up-to-date version of Photoshop Elements Help. In addition, it enables you to search across multiple applications.
- To access Photoshop Elements’ LiveDocs Help on the Web, part of the Adobe Help Resource Center, do any of the following:
- Click the “This page on the Web” link, located at the bottom of any topic page in Adobe Help in the application.
- In your Web browser, open the Adobe Help Resource Center at http://www.adobe.com/support/documentation. Select Photoshop Elements from the list of products, and then click Go. On the Photoshop Elements resources page, click the LiveDocs link.
- To switch to LiveDocs Help for a different product, select that product from the Browse menu, and then click Go.
- To search for a topic, type the search term in the Search box, and then click Search. To search across all products, click Search All Products on the LiveDocs Search Results page, type in the search term, and then click Go.
Links to help in the application
There are some links to additional help within the Photoshop Elements application. Clicking these links will take you to the corresponding topic in either Help in the application or LiveDocs Help on the Web.
Hot-linked tips
Hot-linked tips are available throughout Adobe Photoshop Elements. These tips either display information in the form of a typical tip balloon or link you to the appropriate topic in the help file.
You’ve reached the end of the first lesson. Now that you know how to import photos, understand the concept of the catalog, and are familiar with the essentials of the Photoshop Elements interface, you are ready to start organizing and editing your photos in the next lessons.