I just got Photoshop Elements 4, which is very cool. It isn't Photoshop CS2, but I wouldn't know how to use the full version anyhow.

What do youuse for precision control when touching up photos. This question is more directed to Douma or whoever else uses Photoshop a lot. I am having a hard time with just a regular mouse, I can't get straight lines or stay in he lines when I am recoloring something. Is there something else i can use besides a mouse? Would a trackball be better or a digital tablet thingy? Or is there something better? I don't want ot spend a whole lot of money b/c it is mostly for goofing around but it would be nice to have more control. Thanks for the help:)

Your right sophia is the one to answer you on that she is so good with photoshop and she has learned it all on her own too. She will probably get back to you in the morning her time.

Wow, it is amazing that she learned it all on her own. He work is so beautiful you would think a professional taught her. I am learning photoshop elements with a book and somethings are still even hard to grasp and elements is only a part of the full photoshop. I will be looking forward to Sophia's suggestions. Thanks Colleen

I can't get straight lines me too :D i have never done a straight line using the mouse,but years ago my daughter got a tablet and it was the worse thing i have ever used on pc! :o

If you want to select something you will go to the tool's bar and on the up left corner there is the "Rectangular Marquee tool" and this is for selecting a square part or the whole photo
or
Below this tool there is an other icon with a little arrow on the right down corner,if you click the arrow you will see 3 lasso tools :
Lasso tool
Polygonal lasso tool
Magnetic lasso tool
or
If you want to select an area with the specific color you will go to the up bar of the photoshop page(not tools bar):
Select
color range
and a window will open,there using the eyedropper tool,click onto the color of the photo you want to select and it will be done automatically.

If you want to do just a strange line there is the "line tool"on the tools bar.To choose the color of the line,click on the two colored squares on the tool's bar,choose which one you prefer and then click on the "line tool"on the tools bar

so,there are many ways to select a part or whole photo and there is the line tool for straight lines you don't need to use the mouse :)

Here some basic"touch"you have to do when you want to edit a photo
Image >adjustments>levels and play with the settings to find the right numbers
Image> adjustments>brigthness/contrast '' '' ''
Image>adjustments>shadow and highlight '' '' ''
Image>adjustments>exposure '' '' ''
If there is on Elements
Image >adjustments>Match color '' '' ''


....and thank you both for your kind words :)

me too :D i have never done a straight line using the mouse,but years ago my daughter got a tablet and it was the worse thing i have ever used on pc! :o



What was so bad about it? I not trying to question your opinions but I am seriously thinking about getting a wacom tablet. I would not only use it in Elements but would also handwrite my class notes with it, try to anyhow, my handwriting is terrible. I always type my notes but it would be nice to be able to add handwriting in the margins and whatnot. I almost bought a tablet pc for my notes a few months ago to save me time but I think a wacom tablet would be a good substitute, not to mention a heck of a lot cheaper. I am a psychology major and minoring in business law so I have a crazy amount of notes and I seem to retain the info better if I rewrite it instead of typing it but I like to have the typed version too to study with, it would be nice to handwrite them and then for the pc to translate them to text for easier studying. I have heard so many good things about the wacom tablets but I don't want to ignore the negative aspects too.

My daughter was very happy using the tablet,she used it as the regular mouse,it was very easy for her.
I wasn't able to use it,i was trying to write and the pen went out of the tablet :rolleyes: ... then i put the mouse on the pc again and i have never used the tablet since then