Buying Elements 11 and is 'Missing Manual' a big help?

NancyMoranG · Sep 22, 2013

My 1 st PP product. I see PSE 11 on sale for $59.99. They also recommend the Barbara Brundage book, and PSE for Dummies, yeah that would be me...
Are these books really step by step and for a beginner? I cannot always get on line tutorials, so a book would be useful for me, if it is worth it.
Then, IF I were to change computers in 6 months, what happens? Can I download again?
Any help appreciated, and as always, questions I have not asked, but you have important answers for, feel free to comment.
thank you so much ( how long is it on sale..is there a way to tell?)
Nancy

Derrel · Sep 22, 2013

I think most books are better than the average run of the mill on-line tutorials. One of the biggest issues with on-line tutorials are long, drawn out tutorials, done by novices, where they describe a lenghty step-by-step procvess and THEN, they realize they FORGOT a critical instruction, etc, and instead of RESHOOTING the whole gosh-darned thing and doing it RIGHT, they upload their junky video... OR, they "assume knowledge" that beginners do not have, making thier quickie "descriptions" useless gibber-jabber to beginners..

In short, the majority of run of the mill on-line tutorials are done by enthusiasts who know just enough to be a nuisance. On the other hand, books published by actual publishers have to pass the muster of an editor, or editors, and COST REAL MONEY to edit and publish and distribute. Books also have a thought-out, logical progression, and have had more than say, eight minutes' worth of planning, unlike the average YouTube tutorial. With books, there are a number of significant planning steps, and many professionals involved, each with a rewal stake in the quality of the product. The video set on YouTube mount a video camera, and start shooting footage, then upload it.

Of course, there are exceptions, but for every GOOD YouTube video tutorial, I can find 10 crappy ones that are really basically, just vanity projects, and are of almost no use to a real beginner-level person.

NancyMoranG · Sep 22, 2013

Thank you Derrel.
and is wisest to always get the actual disk rather than downloading the PSE?
Nancy

Derrel · Sep 22, 2013

I am a semi-middle-aged, errr....younger, old dude...so, "I prefer" to have a DVD disc with my software on it...but many people just buy software by high-speed download. I'm not sure that it makes much difference though.

KmH · Sep 22, 2013

I've gotten a couple of the Missing Manual books and was not impressed with either one.

You can get a lot of help from Adobe.

With Elements open to the Edit page, just press your keyboard F1 key, or click on Help > Elements Help and it will take you right here:
https://helpx.adobe.com/photoshop-elements.html

You should be able to find an Adobe Elements 11 users manual there at Adobe Help you can download.

I also recommend Scott Kelby's books, which have a lot of tutorial like sections:
The Photoshop Elements 11 Book for Digital Photographers (Voices That Matter)

Don Kondra · Sep 22, 2013

IF you change computers (and don't plan on using the old computer again) you need to deactivate the product on the old computer before downloading and reinstalling the program on the new one.

Technically you can have one copy on a laptop and another on a desktop.

Cheers, Don

NancyMoranG · Sep 23, 2013

Thank you Don and Keith for your info!
N

KenC · Sep 23, 2013

I have the "missing manual" for CS5 and have found it to be very useful, although I'd been using PS for 12 years when I bought it, so I can't vouch for how well it is addressed to novices.

manicmike · Sep 23, 2013

Don Kondra said:
IF you change computers (and don't plan on using the old computer again) you need to deactivate the product on the old computer before downloading and reinstalling the program on the new one.

Technically you can have one copy on a laptop and another on a desktop.

Cheers, Don

And just as a side note if your computer crashes, just contact adobe and tell them that the computer with elements on it crashed and they'll issue another code. Somehow they can tell that the product isn't in use.

erwinem · Sep 23, 2013

I found the Missing Manual for PSE11 to be comprehensive and useful but, at times, difficult to look up what I needed AND to understand the implications and, thus, the usefulness of the explanation. Most of the time it is a good companion for the program. The book I liked the most as a practical "How do I do ____(fill in the blank)" is Scott Kelby's "The Photoshop Elements 11 Book for Digital Photographers". In the book, Kelby usually starts with what you want to do (for example using spot color in a B&W photo) and showing you one or more techniques to achieve that end. The Missing Manual's (MM) approach is usually the opposite, starting with a feature of the program such as the text tool and explaining how to use that tool. (The MM does what Kelby does too, to some degree, but it is often buried in the explanation.) I would recommend both books. Kelby' dominant approach is "How do I (for example) sharpen my photo for printing?" While The MM tells you everything about sharpening.