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Hidden Power Sample Tools for Elements 5 (PC) Release Notes/Instructions

Contents

I. Overview
II. Licensing
III. Installation
IV. Application
V. Tool Descriptions

I. Hidden Power Overview

Hidden Power for Elements has been around since Elements 1, bringing you powerful techniques and tool additions to Photoshop Elements. The purpose of these books and tools is to extend the functionality and enhance the capabilities of Photoshop Elements without resorting to plugins. The books show how to use the tools in real-world scenarios that allow you to improve any image. Hidden Power has done the impossible with each version of Elements, adding functionality like curves, channel mixer, channels, CMYK separations, layer masks, color balance, snapshots, healing/mend, guides, alignment tools, and many other functions.

Hidden Power books and tools are available for Elements 1&2 (The Hidden Power of Photoshop Elements 2), Elements 3 (The Hidden Power of Photoshop Elements 3), and Elements 4 (The Hidden Power of Photoshop Elements 4). Tools are included on the CD with the books, and distributed separately from the Hidden Power website (http://www.hiddenelements.com). Additional Hidden Power tools can be found on the website, and free tools are available for every version of the program. Visit the download pages to find out what is available for your version of Elements: http://www.hiddenelements.com/downloads.html. It is recommended that you use only the tools created for your version of Elements to achieve the most predictable results.

This free tool set contains 2 powerful tools as a sampling of the type of useful tools you'll find in the Hidden Power packages, and this set was created specifically for Elements 5 for release with Photoshop Elements 5: The Missing Manual, by Barbara Brundage.

Please feel free to contact me with questions about the tools and suggestions for additions.

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II. Licensing

Hidden Power Free tools for Elements 5 are copyrighted by Richard Lynch: Copyright © 2006. A single user license for this product allows the license owner to use the tool on one machine concurrently. That is, if the owner of the license has several computers, the tool can be in use on any one of these at any time, and can be installed on each. The tools can not be redistributed, altered for distribution under another name, or resold.

For questions about permissions, site licenses, functionality or enhancement, please contact Richard Lynch directly: thebookdoc@aol.com or through the website: http://hiddenelements.com. Support for the tools can be discussed in the forum at retouchpro.com:

http://retouchpro.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=172

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III. Installation

1. Unzip the HPFT5MM.zip file. If you do not have an unzip utility, you can get one on the internet.

WIN: http://www.winzip.com/downauto.cgi?o=1&file=winzip100.exe

Mac: http://www.stuffit.com/mac/expander/download.html

NOTE: When unzipped there should be a folder named which contains the installer: Missing_Power.exe.

2. Double-click the installer and follow the instructions as they appear on screen. Files will be installed by default to the C drive. If you have installed your system to a different drive, simply change the drive letter when the installation path is displayed.

3. Restart Elements and wait for the Effects to rebuild.

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IV. Application

After completing the installation, you will be able to apply either of the tools you have installed. Applying the tools will require opening an image in Elements 5.

1. Open the Artwork and Effects palette. you can choose Artwork and Effects from the Windows menu in the Elements program.

2. Click on the Special Effects button at the top of the palette (the center button/graphic).

3. Choose hiddenelements.com_SAMPLES from the drop list.

4. Run a tools by double-clicking the name of the tool or the tool icon on the Artwork and Effects palette.

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V. Troubleshooting

If you have trouble with installation or application of these tools, PLEASE contact Richard Lynch (thebookdoc@aol.com), and visit the troubleshooting area of the hiddenelements.com website.

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VI. Tool Descriptions

The following is a list of the tools in this package. The descriptions contain some information about how the tools are meant to be applied and what they do.

Layer Mask
This tool adds a layer mask to any layer (cannot be applied to Background layers). Masks are applied to individual layers and appear with a separate thumbnail in the layers palette next to the layer to which they are assigned. Masks can be painted with black to hide layer content without actually removing it from the image. Painting with white or grayscale reveals images areas in the layer that have been hidden by painting with black. Masks can be adjusted and re-adjusted, as well as saved with images, adding flexibility to editing. Use them as an alternative to permanent erasure and as a means of blending layer content.

Simple Channel Mixer
This tool will create a multi-layer scenario in Elements for mixing color channels into a monochrome (black-and-white) image, with any possible combination of -100 to 100% of any component. When applying Simple Channel Mixer, images will be converted to 8-bit RGB and flattened before the channel mixing scenario is set up. Use the Opacity slider for Add and Subtract layers to add and subtract component results and create new black-and-white representations of your current image. Channel Mixer is a popular tool in Photoshop for converting images to black-and-white.

For more great tools to add power to your image editing for Elements 5 (or any other version of Elements!), visit http://hiddenelements.com