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The creative tutorial home of image wrangler, Lesa Snider.

Step by step tutorials

Welcome to the home of the step by step creative online tutorial. Here you will find detailed, easy-to-understand steps accompanied by screen shots. These tutorials are liable to be about anything from my current project to something that drove me nuts trying to figure out. It is my hope that the things I can convey here will save you time and frustration.

If there's something that you'd like to see written up, please feel free to let me know

Swirls of Summer

Cookie Cutter tool + Custom Shapes = fun photo frames

I'm continually amazed at the functionality and goodies buried within Photoshop Elements. Take the Cookie Cutter tool for example. It's sole purpose in life is to place your photo inside a shape, just as if you'd taken a real-life cookie cutter and firmly pressed it onto your photo: you get a "cut-out" photo with that shape (scrapbooking, anyone?).

Now, at first glance the built-in Cookie Cutter shapes (which are really Custom Shapes) probably won't light your fire. There's a heart, a butterfly, a snowflake and 27 other non-exciting choices:

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How to repaint an object using the Hue mode Quick Color Change Fast uploading
Photo-Type Rotating individual letters and intersecting text Type Tricks
Five Fast Photo Effects Photo Favorites Top 11 Keyboard Shortcuts
Say hello to advanced red-eye and retouching tools How to create a partial color photo in just two steps! Selective Color Photo Effect
Using a Hue/Saturation adjustment layer to change hair color Digital Beauty Shop Crop City!
Classy Thumbnails Use the Extract Filter for complex selections Selecting Frizzy Hair
How to create sparkles in Photoshop Elements and Photoshop Super Sparkles Removing lens glare with the Clone Stamp Tool Glare o' the Glasses
Recreating Apple's iWeb photo reflection effect Realistic Reflections Fun with Elements Effects
Upsizing an Image with Minimal Quality Loss Tips for Better Text, Pt. 1
The magic of selective blurring Softening Freckles Creating a painted look with an edge mask Faux Finished Photo Edges
Give Your Photos an Edge Changing the color of hair Digital Beauty Shop
Tips & Tricks for making photos look old Aging Photos How to create an animated 3D gif
How to turn friends and loved ones to stone (or a zombie--you pick) Simply Statues Livin' La Vida Levels
Simple steps to get you back to original color Warp Speed Color Correction Correcting shadows and highlights
How to use filters to age a photo in Photoshop Elements Turning New into Old Super Funky Edges
Turning sub-par images into an emotional piece of art From Photo to Pencil Sketch Painted Edges in Elements
How to design business cards in Photoshop Fixing the animal version of red-eye How to Fix Animal White-Eye, Part 1
Frame your photo with a Smart Object Ornamental Vector Grunge Frame Photoshop CS2 Survival Guide
Banishing bags 'n blemishes The Basics of Retouching People, Part 2 Place a photo inside text Easy Clipping Groups
Lesa's Top 10 Search Engine Optimization Tips Soft Edges
Fire It Up! Managing Photos with Bridge CS4, Part 1
Fabulous Fades Cookie Cutter tool + Custom Shapes = fun photo frames Swirls of Summer
How to change the default email client in Tiger Stacked paper background Fall Digital Scrapbooking Fun, Part 2
Picking the Perfect Palette Black and white photos with just a touch of color Partial Color
Scanning Secrets The Beginner's Guide to Image Editing, Part 1

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