Photoshop Elements 13: The Missing Manual

Chapter 9. Retouching: Fine-Tuning Images

Basic edits like exposure fixes and sharpening are fine if all you want to make are simple adjustments. But Elements also gives you tools for making sophisticated changes that can make the difference between a ho-hum photo and a fabulous one. This chapter introduces you to some advanced editing maneuvers that can help you rescue damaged photos or give good ones a little extra zing.

This chapter shows how to get rid of blemishes—not only those that affect skin, but also dust, scratches, stains, and other photographic imperfections. And you’ll find out how to use a new, much-requested feature from Photoshop: Content-Aware Fill, a truly amazing command for fixing problem areas. It lets you patch large areas of a photo with new material that Elements creates by analyzing your image, and it’s really easy to use. You’ll also learn some powerful color-improving techniques, including how to use the Color Curves tool to enhance an image’s contrast and color.

You’ll also find out how to use the Recompose tool, which lets you change the size and shape of photos, eliminate empty areas between objects, and even remove unwanted elements from pictures, all without distorting the parts you want to keep. This amazing feature works so well that nobody seeing the results would ever suspect that your photo wasn’t originally shot that way.

Fixing Blemishes

We live in an imperfect world, but in your photos, it doesn’t have to look that way. Elements includes powerful ...