Datasheet

14
Part I: Getting Started
Moving through the Menu bar
Like just about every program you launch in Windows, Elements supports
drop-down menus. The menus are logically constructed and identified to
provide commands for working with your pictures (commands that you
don’t find supported in tools and palettes). A quick glimpse at the menu
names gives you a hint of what might be contained in a given menu list.
The ten different menus are as follows:
 File menu: Just as you might suspect, the File menu contains commands
for working with your picture as a file. You find commands for saving,
opening, processing, importing, exporting, and printing in the menu list.
We cover saving files in Chapter 3 and printing or exporting for other
output in Part V.
 Edit menu: As you might guess, the old-fashioned Copy/Cut/Paste
commands are located here. Additionally, you have some important
file settings commands in the menu, including preferences, which we
cover in more detail in Chapter 2.
 Image menu: You find yourself in the Image menu when you want to affect
changes to the entire image, such as changing a color mode or cropping,
rotating, and resizing images. For details about sizing and color modes,
check out Chapter 3. For more about cropping and rotating images, flip
to Chapter 9.
 Enhance menu: Just the name of this menu should tell you what
commands to expect here. This is where you go to change image
appearances, such
as changing the brightness and contrast, adjusting
color and lighting, and
doing some smart fix-up work to improve image
appearance. In Chapters 9 and 10, you find out how to use correction
tools so your images look their best.
 Layer menu: As we describe in great detail in Chapter 8 (a whole chapter
just about layers), most kinds of editing you do in Elements are best han-
dled using layers. Elements neatly tucks away all the relevant commands
associated with working in layers right here.
 Select menu: Of just about equal importance to layers is working with
selections. Whereas the Image menu contains commands that are applied
to the entire image, you can edit isolated areas of images by using the
commands in the Select menu. In order to isolate an area, you need to
create a selection, as we explain in Chapter 7. This menu contains com-
mands to help you with all the essential tasks related to working with
selections.
 Filter menu: The Filter menu is where you leave the world of photogra-
phy and explore the world of a fine artist. With tons of different filter
commands, you can create some extraordinary effects. Find out all
about filters in Chapter 11.
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