Photo Effects

• "Photo Effects" is the subcategory under the "Effects" panel that contains the preset themes you can apply to change the look and feel of your image. Your options will vary depending on your version of Elements, but will include such choices as Faded Photo, Vintage Photo, Old Photo, and Monotone Color. The effects panel also includes drop-down menus that offer different filters and layer styles.
  
  

Applying an Elements Photo Effect

• Photoshop Elements offers a number of pre-formatted selections for the graphic artist who wants to quickly modify an image. To apply one of the Elements photo effects to an image, select the "Photo Effects" button on the Effects panel and choose from the list provided.
  
  

Applying an Original Effect

• If the preset effect options provided by the program don't suit your needs, you can manually edit your image using the free-form editing tools available on the other panels on the program. Your options for creative redesigning are limited only by your creativity. By changing contrast or color and applying filters, for instance, you can even recreate one of the provided effects, or you can use the tools to modify an applied effect to match the look you want.
  
  

Photoshop Elements

• Be sure to note that the Photoshop Elements line of software is not the same program as Photoshop (of which CS5 is the most recent release), and it is the former that contains the photo effect tool. While both are Adobe products, Elements is a simpler version of Photoshop that differs from its more expensive big sister in offering only the core tools that a digital image editor should need. Aside from its greatly reduced price, one of the major advantages of Elements is its ease of use; there are fewer options in the Elements interface, but what is provided is designed with the nonprofessional image editor in mind.
  
  

Photo Effect Tutorials

• There are many resources for the Elements user looking to learn how to use photo effects, like online tutorials by Element users on forums, how-to sites and art boards, and textbooks about Photoshop Elements (see Resources). There are many more tutorials for Photoshop than for Elements, but familiarity with the Elements interface can help you translate Photoshop instructions for use in Elements. Once you have an image ready to edit and have chosen an effect, you can be well on your way to turning pictures into digital works of art in no time.