Datasheet
21
Chapter 1: Getting to Know the Work Area
Juggling all your interface options
With all the settings you can use for any given tool, trying to find the option
for the edit you want to make can become downright frustrating. To help
simplify the process of using tools and selecting options for the tools, here’s
what you might do in your normal workflow:
1. Select a tool on the Tools panel.
Obviously, you need to know what task you want to perform, so select-
ing the proper tool to complete the task is important to know upfront.
2. Take a quick look at the Options bar.
Before moving to other options, be certain that you look over the
choices on the Options bar. If you want to use a tool such as the Brush
tool or the Clone Stamp tool, perhaps you want to make a decision
about what size brush tip you want to use. This choice is specific to the
selected tool and therefore appears as an Options bar choice.
3. Open a panel for more options.
If you want to use the Brush tool to apply some color to an image, for
example, after you select the Brush tip on the Options bar, open the
Color Swatches panel and select a color.
4. Open a drop-down menu.
Not all tools support a drop-down menu on the Options bar. When you
see a down-pointing arrow on a tool, click the arrow to open a menu on
which you can find more options for that tool.
5. Get some help.
When you hover your cursor over a tool, you see that tool described
in blue text. Click the blue text, and your default Web browser opens,
displaying a page on Adobe’s Web site where help information and tips
explain how to use the respective tool. You also find blue text on the
More menu. The blue text alerts you to help information that can be
shown in your Web browser.
Changing Workspaces
When you’re in Edit Full mode, which we discuss in preceding sections, you
can apply any kind of edits to a picture, improve the picture’s appearance,
and apply all that Elements offers you. This mode is the richest editor in
Elements, in terms of accessing all features. Because Elements has so many
different kinds of editing opportunities, the program offers you other work-
space views, tailored to the kinds of tasks people typically want to perform.
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