The Photoshop Elements Default Workspace

Let's start by getting to know the Photoshop Elements workspace. Early versions of Photoshop Elements had a user interface very similar to Photoshop. Since version 3, it's changed quite a bit, but the two still share many tools and features. Throughout this tutorial, I'll be working with Photoshop Elements 4. Users of Photoshop Elements 3 should be able to follow along but there are a few things that might be slightly different in that version.

When you first start Photoshop Elements Editor with the default preferences, you should see something like the screen shot here. If the workspace looks vastly different to you, you'll want to reset your preferences back to default settings. To do that in Photoshop Elements, hold down Ctrl-Alt-Shift (Win) or Command-Option-Shift (Mac) immediately after launching Photoshop Elements Editor, then answer Yes when asked if you want to delete the settings file.

If you get the welcome screen when you launch Photoshop Elements, click the option to Edit and Enhance Photos to open the Editor.

My screen shot shows the Windows version of Photoshop Elements. If you are using a Macintosh, the basic layout will be the same, although the style may appear slightly different.

These are the main counterparts of the Photoshop Elements workspace:

1. Menu Bar
2. Shortcut Bar
3. Toolbox
4. Tool Options Bar
5. Palette Bin
6. Photo Bin

You can explore each one of them in more detail on the following pages.