Help! I've got it now I don't know what to do with it!

This may have been covered already, but y'all are talking about drag-and-drop or right-clicking and choosing to open via PS ... All I do is double click .png files and they open up in PS because I set PS as the default program for .png files. Or I can use CTRL and choose as many as I want. Same with tiff files--that also gives me a preview image of TIFFs, which is nice. (.jpg files are set to open in the photos app, which means papers are drag and drop OR I double-click a paper to see it bigger on my screen via the Photos app; then I choose "Open With" and select PS. I use far fewer papers on a layout then I do elements, so this isn't a problem for me, though I used to have .jpg files' default app PS...maybe I'll switch again?)
That’s worth a try too Sara. Heck we’re all tossing so many different ways to work out there that some of you might want to try something different. This discussion has been wonderful! Such a learning process for me. I’ve loved every one of your ideas!


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Cheryl, you are a brave woman. I haven't gotten up the courage to switch to PS CC. Good luck. I know you will figure things out.
Of
Thanks so much Patsy. I thought I answered you but I’m on my phone right now and can’t tell. Just ignore this if I have.


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I was never a PSE user, but honestly in CC I use the same commands over and over again. Some of them came with the program, and others I had to go in and change the shortcut manually to what I wanted (by going to edit - keyboard shortcuts). I don't know how similar these are to PSE, but I'll list my most common uses below. Once you get used to a handful of shortcuts, it won't be too bad I don't think! That said, I still learn new things regularly as there is a crazy amount of functionality for all kinds of weird things.

I use:
CTRL+shift+P for file-place-embedded (what I use to place all my ellies and pics)
CTRL+G - clip
CTRL+J - duplicate layer
CTRL+T - transform (hold down shift key to constrain shape)
CTRL+shift-c - copy layer style
CTRL+shift-v - paste layer style
These are great Amie! I’m going to make a cheat sheet when I get home


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@Cherylndesigns Here is a listing of short cut keys for PS CC for both Windows PC & Mac... Some of these shortcuts also work with PSE. All you need to do is print the two pages for which ever computer you have.. then highlight the ones that you use all the time :)
 

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How Awesome Cheryl! I'm staying with my PSE....... just because I'm a cheap a$$ ........... :giggle

we will see, maybe someday I will change my mind. Think of the brain health that comes from this change for you! Learning new things is always a good thing for the brain.

I actually didn't switch to PSCC for Photoshop. I was content with PSE. But in 2016 I read that Lightroom would be moving to cloud only and was alarmed. Lightroom is very important to me! So I switched. I still half-think I might become a pro photographer someday. If I ever completely let go of that dream, then I'll probably switch back to PSE. I would only upgrade it every few years, so that comes out cheaper than the subscription plan. I would miss Lightroom though. It's awesome, even for amateur photographers.
 
@Cherylndesigns Here is a listing of short cut keys for PS CC for both Windows PC & Mac... Some of these shortcuts also work with PSE. All you need to do is print the two pages for which ever computer you have.. then highlight the ones that you use all the time :)
Thanks so much, Christa!! I have started using a few shortcuts and they're SO much easier. I've just never taken the time to learn them before. It will be great having them all on a list.
 
I actually didn't switch to PSCC for Photoshop. I was content with PSE. But in 2016 I read that Lightroom would be moving to cloud only and was alarmed. Lightroom is very important to me! So I switched. I still half-think I might become a pro photographer someday. If I ever completely let go of that dream, then I'll probably switch back to PSE. I would only upgrade it every few years, so that comes out cheaper than the subscription plan. I would miss Lightroom though. It's awesome, even for amateur photographers.
I'm going to learn to use Lightroom too, but the PS is coming first. I know LR is amazing!
 
Cheryl did a class for Lightroom in the learning pad.
I will add that to my list. Thanks, Courtney. I'm out of town right now so when I get home, it's buckle down time! I'm sneaking a little bit of computer time in the evenings right now.
 
Photoshop CC that is!! I've had PSE ever since I started digi scrapping and have had 2018 since it came out. I'm having one heck of a time trying to transition to PSCC. I know a lot of you use it - I imported a template I was working on (in Elements) and I can't even figure out how to clip a picture. Everything seems SO much more complicated and difficult!

I'd love some words of wisdom - I'm stuck with it now for a year, so I have to learn how to use it. My 7 day trial just ran out. I need some videos or something - it might just be me, but I can't figure anything out. :hairpol

I am sure you will master it very quickly Cheryl! :) I used PSE Ver6 when I started in 2008 right through to late last year, stayed on ver14 for quite a while. I had tinkered in PC CC but the one thing that used to annoy me was having to use the Shift key every time I wanted to transform/resize something! AND THEN with the latest version of PC CC you don't have to use the Shift key anymore AND you can just double click on the text in your layout to actually edit it now. I am really enjoying it now. But really it is soooo like PSE in so many ways. I can't imagine why you are having probs with clipping to a a mask/layer, it's exactly the same for PSE? You will find the blend modes are a lot easier to use this newer version as well. Just take it easy and have fun, before you know it you will zooming all over the place! :)
 
I'm excited for you Cheryl! You will love it if you give it a chance. The workspace/bin thing is probably the biggest thing to overcome! But there are so many neat things in PSCC - like puppet warp for moving strings just so and placing each piece of a scatter exactly where you want it. Whenever I want to learn something new - I search YouTube for that one technique/skill bc I learn best by watching and then trying it myself. There are so many tutorials out there.

I'm a drag and dropper too! I do it like Michele. I open my kit in my Finder window (off to the side of PSCC)- use control to select multiple files and just drag them to my layout and play. (I use tabs not floating windows like Courtney mentioned.) I can turn things on and off with the eyeball/visibility icon in the layers panel or group things in folders to make my layer palette manageable. For instance - I'll usually throw all my alphas for a title in a group/folder. It just keeps the layers palette nice and clean.

One thing to note for future (tuck this away- it's not super important right now as you are still trying to learn how to navigate PSCC but as you learn and grow with the program) - is that doing the drag and drop brings everything in as smart objects (vector based files which allow you to resize without losing quality). At least on a Mac it does. If you are doing any fancy recoloring with Image Adjustments and stuff - you might have to rasterize the layer/file (which means make the file/png a pixel based file). Image>Rasterize. Some of the non destructive layer adjustments you will not need to do this - but things like Image>Adjustments>Replace Color - you will need to! Just be aware if you do drag and drop and have choices greyed out - it maybe that you need to rasterize your object first.
 
also Rasterize layer in PSCC = Simplify layer in PSE ... it kills me that some things are called differently in PSE than PSCC so confusion happens...it is the same thing :)
 
This may have been covered already, but y'all are talking about drag-and-drop or right-clicking and choosing to open via PS ... All I do is double click .png files and they open up in PS because I set PS as the default program for .png files. Or I can use CTRL and choose as many as I want. Same with tiff files--that also gives me a preview image of TIFFs, which is nice. (.jpg files are set to open in the photos app, which means papers are drag and drop OR I double-click a paper to see it bigger on my screen via the Photos app; then I choose "Open With" and select PS. I use far fewer papers on a layout then I do elements, so this isn't a problem for me, though I used to have .jpg files' default app PS...maybe I'll switch again?)

@Tree City Thank you for sharing! Because of your post, I was able to set PS as the default program for .png files. :yahoo

These types of posts are always so eye-opening. I love to see how everyone basically accomplishes the same thing in so many different ways. For example, I don't drag and drop anything so now I will have to give that a try. :rollin
 
@Tree City Thank you for sharing! Because of your post, I was able to set PS as the default program for .png files. :yahoo

These types of posts are always so eye-opening. I love to see how everyone basically accomplishes the same thing in so many different ways. For example, I don't drag and drop anything so now I will have to give that a try. :rollin
Yay, you're welcome! And as for eye-opening...yes! I love when threads go off on a tangent because such great info can come up.
 
@cfile @Cherylndesigns I don't know if this works in CC, but it worked in CS2 and also in my current CS5. I'm using Windows 10. I go to File Explorer, find the files I want to use. If they are in the same folder, I CTRL click to select multiples in the same folder. While they are still selected, I drag them to the PS icon that is open on the taskbar, and they all open up, one by one, on my existing layout. (You will see a message when you hover over the icon, Pin to Adobe Photoshop... Continue hovering while your open Photoshop layout appears, then you will see the + sign which is the signal that the files will be placed, one by one.) I can then move them around, or hide them temporarily if they don't seem to be working for me at the moment. I remember watching an Adobe Photoshop video years ago when I first got CS2 that explained this process, and it was something I got used it. It also retains the file name with this process.

I do exactly the same...
I drop everything I think I will use on my layout.. hide it (with the eye) and then make one item at a time visible, place it or delete it.
I love that this way it keeps the name, so easy for keeping track of the used kits.

Important: Since the latest update of PSCC the shadow question should be resolved (no need to check the legacy compositing option)
and you don't have to hold the shift key to constrain shape when you resize a png or jpg file
 
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Congrats on the switch, Cheryl! You're going to love it. No limits!

I'm a drag & dropper too. I usually bring in one item at a time (it's just my workflow), unless I'm building a word with alphas; then I'll bring all of them in at once. I also use custom shortcuts for actions I take all the time (flipping, rotating, manipulating layer styles, etc.). If you're more comfortable using PSE shortcuts, you might consider changing PS's default shortcuts to ones you're familiar with to make the transition easier (Edit>Keyboard Shortcuts).

Historically, PSCC has a setting where items brought onto your layout are brought in as Smart Objects. While Smart Objects have their place, if everything you bring in is a Smart Object, your layout file size will be huge. I would recommend changing this setting from the default by deselecting the checkbox (Edit>Preferences>General). If you need an item to be a Smart Object, you can always convert it by right-clicking on the layer and choosing that option.

If you ever need any help, just let me know.
 
I am sure you will master it very quickly Cheryl! :) I used PSE Ver6 when I started in 2008 right through to late last year, stayed on ver14 for quite a while. I had tinkered in PC CC but the one thing that used to annoy me was having to use the Shift key every time I wanted to transform/resize something! AND THEN with the latest version of PC CC you don't have to use the Shift key anymore AND you can just double click on the text in your layout to actually edit it now. I am really enjoying it now. But really it is soooo like PSE in so many ways. I can't imagine why you are having probs with clipping to a a mask/layer, it's exactly the same for PSE? You will find the blend modes are a lot easier to use this newer version as well. Just take it easy and have fun, before you know it you will zooming all over the place! :)
Thanks for all the tips, Ona. I know you don't have to use the shift key to resize. That's a big thing! I've figured out the clipping thing. It's just the different wording, I think. I know I'm going to love it!!
 
I'm excited for you Cheryl! You will love it if you give it a chance. The workspace/bin thing is probably the biggest thing to overcome! But there are so many neat things in PSCC - like puppet warp for moving strings just so and placing each piece of a scatter exactly where you want it. Whenever I want to learn something new - I search YouTube for that one technique/skill bc I learn best by watching and then trying it myself. There are so many tutorials out there.

I'm a drag and dropper too! I do it like Michele. I open my kit in my Finder window (off to the side of PSCC)- use control to select multiple files and just drag them to my layout and play. (I use tabs not floating windows like Courtney mentioned.) I can turn things on and off with the eyeball/visibility icon in the layers panel or group things in folders to make my layer palette manageable. For instance - I'll usually throw all my alphas for a title in a group/folder. It just keeps the layers palette nice and clean.

One thing to note for future (tuck this away- it's not super important right now as you are still trying to learn how to navigate PSCC but as you learn and grow with the program) - is that doing the drag and drop brings everything in as smart objects (vector based files which allow you to resize without losing quality). At least on a Mac it does. If you are doing any fancy recoloring with Image Adjustments and stuff - you might have to rasterize the layer/file (which means make the file/png a pixel based file). Image>Rasterize. Some of the non destructive layer adjustments you will not need to do this - but things like Image>Adjustments>Replace Color - you will need to! Just be aware if you do drag and drop and have choices greyed out - it maybe that you need to rasterize your object first.
Thanks so much, Jenn. All of you are "founts of information"!! I'm gleaning information for all of your posts. :)
 
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