Datasheet

Part I: Getting Started

We said almost all steps are recorded because the number of steps the

History panel can record is controlled by a preference setting that tops out at

1,000 steps. If you choose Edit➪Preferences (Windows) or Adobe Photoshop

Elements 8➪Preferences (Mac) and look at the Performance preferences, as

we explain in more depth in Chapter 2, the number of history states (times

you can go back in history and undo) defaults to 50. You can change the

number to the maximum 1,000, if you like. But realize that the more history

states you record, the more memory Elements requires.

When you want to undo multiple edits, open the Undo History panel and click

any item listed on the panel. Elements takes you to that last edit while scrub-

bing all edits that follow the selected item. If you want to bring back the edits,

just click again on any step appearing grayed out on the panel to redo up to

that level.

All your steps are listed on the Undo History panel as long as you remain in

Elements and don’t close the file. When the file is closed, all history informa-

tion is lost.

Reverting to the last save

While you work away in Elements, always plan on saving your work regularly.

Each time you save in an editing session, the Undo History panel preserves

the list of edits you made before the save and up to the maximum number of

history states defined in the General preferences.

If you save, then perform more edits, and then want to return to the last

saved version of your document, Elements provides you with a quick, effi-

cient way to do so. If you choose Edit➪Revert, Elements eliminates your new

edits and takes you back to the last time you saved your file.

When you choose Revert, Revert appears in the Undo History panel. You can

eliminate the Revert command from the Undo History panel by right-clicking

Revert on the Undo History panel and choosing Delete from the context menu

that appears. This command returns you to the edits made after the last save.

Getting a Helping Hand

You can reach for this book whenever you want some details about accom-

plishing a task while working in Elements. However, for those little annoy-

ing moments, and just in case some coffee stains blot out a few pages in

this book, you may want to look for an alternative feature description from

another source.

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