About Amanda

I am passionate about helping others learn how to use their DSLR cameras and editing programs. More information about me can be found at my About page, or by visiting my personal blog.

It’s Been a Long, Long Time

Two and a half years – that’s how long it has been since I posted last. Why? What happened to me? Why did I disappear and where did I go? My life was getting more hectic by the month, with homeschooling four kids, and I couldn’t keep up with Everyday Elements. So, it was sold […]

How to Customize the Workspace in PSE 11-13

One of the things I love about PSE is that you can alter the “Expert” workspace. Why would you want to alter it? Well, changing the layout of the panels in the Photoshop Elements workspace is a great way to customize the screen to suit YOUR needs and how you best move around the space and […]

Recompose Images in Photoshop Elements with the Recompose Tool

Every now and then Adobe puts little hidden gems inside Photoshop Elements to make it remain a handy program to have for most avid photographers. A tool they added in the last couple of years was the Recompose tool. I’ve used it several times, but never thought about doing a tutorial on it until today. […]

Grouping Layers in Photoshop Elements With Free Grouping Action

Grouping layers together can make your Layers panel more manageable if you have a complicated template or collage, or even a complicated photo edit. However, Photoshop Elements users do not have the option to group their layers like Photoshop users do, until now. I’m excited to share Make Group, a free grouping action, with you […]

Ungroup Layers in Photoshop Elements With Make UnGroup Free Action

If you have downloaded free or purchased templates and collages, you may have seen one or more grouped layers which Photoshop Elements users are unable to get access to. There are also many actions that come with the layers grouped, which makes it impossible for PSE users to access and adjust. Today I am sharing […]

3 Easy Steps to Apply Textures in Photoshop

One of the best things yet most confusing things about Photoshop and Photoshop Elements is that there are always different ways to do the same thing. That is wonderful because users can experiment and find the way that works best for them. However, it can be confusing to new users because they keep seeing and […]

How to Clone Without Using the Clone Tool

The bridal portrait I shared in the post before this one brought some questions from readers about how I successfully removed the driveway from the original image. I used an old trick of mine, the duplicate-and-flip-horizontal technique. The image I used for this tutorial is supposed to be symmetrical but it misses by just a […]

Using Reflectors to Bounce Flash

Last fall I was asked by my sister to do the bridal portraits her sweet, soon-to-be daughter-in-law. It is a tradition in the South to have bridal portraits shot months before the wedding, and have one or more of the portraits on display at the wedding reception. I have shot one wedding, but never a […]

When Actions Will Not Load in PSE

Thanks to the handy-dandy Actions panel is in Photoshop Elements 11 and 12, installing actions no longer has to be a complicated and frustrating task. However, if you are a PSE user who upgraded from an older version, you may prefer using actions through the Photo Effects panel because the thumbnails are easier to read […]

Brushes Installing vs Loading

Custom brushes have been discussed here at Everyday Elements several times over the years. Usually I recommend that you “load” the brushes, not actually “install” them. However, I have never explained what the difference is. Today is the day I remedy that oversight. First let me define “custom brush.” Those are brushes that do not […]