PSE Classes with Hidden Power

[TsMom]

I use PSE 2 with Hidden Power (free and commercial versions) installed. Has anyone ever tried the Photoshop Classes using this combo. Hidden power gives you lots of options including curves, history brush, alpha channels, layer masks, quick mask, etc.

LaWanna

[Starling]

You will probably do just as well with the Elements Classes. Emma doesn't leave much out. The more advanced Photoshop classes require the Liquify Filter and I don't think Hidden Powers gives you that, so you are better off using Emma's techniques.

[TsMom]

Elements has a liquify filter - is the one in Photoshop different than the one in Elements?

At any rate that's pretty much what I thought anyway. Just wondering.

LaWanna

[bpalmer]

Hi TS... the liquify fillter in elments has a few less features then PS. PS has a feature that lets you freeze area's that you don't want liquified and elements dsnt. I don't know if thats the only difference or not but that was the major one that I saw from a screen shot of a lesson somewhere else that was for PS and PSE. hope this helps.

[serena812]

What exactly is this?

Serena

[TsMom]

Thanks for the info guys. I will look into the Elements classes. I've been doing this for so long and love figuring things out on my own, but because I'm not big on using lots of elements I've not learned how to make them as well as I should. Emma is very knowledgeable and I bet she's a great instructor. For that matter, I'm sure Lauren is too. Even though I rarely buy kits, elements, I have some of her work and it is awesome.

Serena,
Hidden Power of Elements is a set of tools for PSE that gives you some of the capabilities of Photoshop. It includes curves, alpha channels, creating a vector shape from a selection, color separations, history brush, text to vector shape, etc.. Richard Lynch is the creator and has some tools free for PSE 2 users that includes channel mixer, layer mask, quick mask, selective color adjustment. I don't know if he has any tools available for PSE 3 yet. He is supposed to be working on some new text tools that allow for leading and kerning, but I don't know how long that'll be. Basically these are a set of actions designed to work with PSE.

Hidden Power (http://hiddenelements.com/newsletterinfo.html)

However, Grant's tools is another FREE option that gives you curves, selection tools, layer mask and quick mask as well as some great alignment tools. It has a lot of the capabilities if not all of the Hidden Power Free tool. And it works with PSE2 and PSE3.

Grant's Tools (http://www.cavesofice.org/~grant/Challenge/Tools/Files.html)

I highly recommend either or even both for PSE users, especially if you feel you are outgrowing it or want more power for it.

LaWanna