Datasheet

Part I: Getting Started

in the section “Selecting tool options from the Options

bar,” later in the chapter) for fine-tuning your tool

instruments. More often than not, clicking a tool on

the Tools panel is your first step in most editing

operations.

By default, the Tools panel opens as a single row of

tools down the left side of the Elements window. You

can change the view to a double row of tools by clicking

the right-pointing double chevron. Doing so shows all

tools when you’re working on smaller computer monitors.

You can easily access tools in Elements by pressing

shortcut keys on your keyboard. For a quick glance at

the Tools panel and the keystrokes needed to access

the tools, look over Figure 1-8.

Notice on the Tools panel that several tools appear with

a tiny arrowhead pointing right and downward in the

lower-right corner of the tool. Whenever you see this

arrowhead, remember that more tools are nested within

that tool group. Click a tool with an arrowhead and hold

down the mouse button, or for a faster response from

Elements, just right-click a tool. The

fly-out toolbar that opens, as shown in Figure 1-9, offers

you more tool selections within that group.

To select tools within a tool group by using keystrokes,

hold down the Shift key and strike the respective key

(as shown in Figure 1-9) to access the tool. Keep the

Shift key down and repeatedly press the shortcut key to

step through all tools in a given group.

Whether you have to press the Shift key to select tools

is controlled by a preference setting. To change the

default setting so that you don’t have to press Shift,

choose Edit➪Preferences➪General (Adobe Photoshop

Elements 9➪Preferences➪General) or press Ctrl+K

(Ô+K on the Mac).

The shortcuts work for you at all times except when

you’re typing text with the cursor active inside a text block. Be certain to

click the Tools panel to select a tool when you finish editing some text.

Figure 1-8: You access

tools by clicking the

tool on the Tools panel

or typing a keyboard

shortcut.

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