frizzylee
Junior Forum Member
Posts: 170 
Open to constructive criticism of photos: Yes
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Post by frizzylee on Dec 26, 2016 15:55:16 GMT
Can anyone point me to a tutorial which explains how to manage the Layout function which appears at the bottom of the screen? It's used to view more than one image at a time and gives a number of options such as viewing images in columns, etc. I have a very hard time working with it as I can't control which two images are going to be shown, for instance.
Much obliged for any help.
Pat
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Post by Sepiana on Dec 26, 2016 16:47:00 GMT
Pat,
I am not aware of any tutorial how to use the Layout menu in Elements 11 and above. Maybe there is one. The menu is pretty self-explanatory with its options which allow you to control how Elements displays your images in the workspace.
Try opening only the two images you want to view. Then, select the arrangement you want. NOTE: As you have only two images to display, the All Grid and the All Column options will give you the same results -- the two images positioned side by side.
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frizzylee
Junior Forum Member
Posts: 170
Open to constructive criticism of photos: Yes
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Post by frizzylee on Dec 27, 2016 7:21:53 GMT
This seems so straight forward I don't understand what I am doing wrong. Having two images up is no problem. It's when I have more than two that things get messy. I almost always use the All Column option. Sometimes I try to move them around or have only two of four images up, but nothing cooperates. I end up with the wrong two up or one up that I want but not the other. It's so frustrating, but I can't figure out what I'm doing wrong. Now that I look at the screen shot you posted I realize I've never tried the All Floating option. Can't see how that would solve my issue of controlling these panels tho'.
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Post by Sepiana on Dec 27, 2016 8:09:58 GMT
Pat,
I sincerely don't know how you can open more than two images and, then, have Elements display only two of the images side by side in the workspace. This is true not only of Elements 14 but also of the other versions. You need to open two images only.
In order to use the All Floating option, you first have to go to Edit>Preferences>General . . . and turn on Allow Floating Documents in Expert Mode. However, even with this option turned on, if you have more than two images, Elements will display all of them in the workspace. You will still need to minimize the additional images so that only the two images you want will be displayed.
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frizzylee
Junior Forum Member
Posts: 170
Open to constructive criticism of photos: Yes
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Post by frizzylee on Dec 27, 2016 19:25:04 GMT
Sorry. I think I'm not explaining this correctly. I suppose I could send a screen shot of what is happening. Believe me, I only want two images up but it needs to be the correct two. Let me set up a situation like what I am trying to explain in PSE 14 and send it. Thank you for your patience.
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frizzylee
Junior Forum Member
Posts: 170
Open to constructive criticism of photos: Yes
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Post by frizzylee on Dec 27, 2016 20:34:03 GMT
Okay. I just tried to upload a .jpg file I took of the PSE screen with the four images on it in All Column mode. Kept getting an Error message from imgbb.com. Not sure if it something I am doing or what.
Truthfully, I think I need a basic PSE 14 tutorial. Not to make excuses, but rather by way of explanation, I finished four months of chemo a few months ago and doing any of this is tough now. It's getting easier all the time but I think I need to start at the start maybe.
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Post by Sepiana on Dec 27, 2016 20:57:29 GMT
Pat, let's take one step at a time. I know you can do it.
I am going to send you a PM with my e-mail address. Just e-mail me your screen shots. I will check what is going on. Then, I will post back here.
As far as a manual for Elements 14 -- You can use the one listed in this THREAD. It is written for Elements 15 but most of the information, at least, the "under the hood" kind of information, will apply to Elements 14 as well. |
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Post by Lillias on Dec 27, 2016 21:14:21 GMT
Assuming I’m understanding you properly the only way I can make this work (sort of and it is clumsy) is firstly open all the photos you want.
Then go to Window >Images> Consolidate All to Tabs
All your open photos will then be in tabs across the top of your workspace.
Go to Layout at the bottom of your screen and choose which layout you want. As each option in the layout panel is labelled ‘All’ it means that all your open photos will appear on screen in the option you have chosen – in a Grid or a Column or a Row.
To leave the two you want on screen, simply place your cursor over the name tab of the photos you don’t want (one at a time) and click and drag them out from the tab onto your workspace and then just minimise them leaving just the two you do want to work with and the rest in the photo bin.
Unfortunately if you then want to work with any of the other photos in this way, you have to drag all your photos from the tabs and minimise them to the photo bin and start the process all over again as in going up to Windows > Images > Consolidate All to Tabs etc;
I did have a couple of screen shots to show what I was doing but imgbb isn't co-operating tonight. Anyway I hope this helps...
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Post by Sepiana on Dec 27, 2016 21:41:34 GMT
Assuming I’m understanding you properly the only way I can make this work (sort of and it is clumsy) is firstly open all the photos you want. Then go to Window >Images> Consolidate All to Tabs All your open photos will then be in tabs across the top of your workspace. Go to Layout at the bottom of your screen and choose which layout you want. As each option in the layout panel is labelled ‘All’ it means that all your open photos will appear on screen in the option you have chosen – in a Grid or a Column or a Row. To leave the two you want on screen, simply place your cursor over the name tab of the photos you don’t want (one at a time) and click and drag them out from the tab onto your workspace and then just minimise them leaving just the two you do want to work with and the rest in the photo bin. Unfortunately if you then want to work with any of the other photos in this way, you have to drag all your photos from the tabs and minimise them to the photo bin and start the process all over again as in going up to Windows > Images > Consolidate All to Tabs etc;
BillieJean,
We are on the same wavelength. Your workaround is similar to what I had suggested before -- open all files, select the layout you want, minimize the photos you don't want displayed in the workspace.
As a side note -- The Consolidate All to Tabs option in Window>Images won't be available (will be grayed out) unless you first go to Edit>Preferences and enable "Allow Floating Documents in Expert Mode".
Pat, I sincerely don't know how you can open more than two images and, then, have Elements display only two of the images side by side in the workspace. This is true not only of Elements 14 but also of the other versions. You need to open two images only. In order to use the All Floating option, you first have to go to Edit>Preferences>General . . . and turn on Allow Floating Documents in Expert Mode. However, even with this option turned on, if you have more than two images, Elements will display all of them in the workspace. You will still need to minimize the additional images so that only the two images you want will be displayed.
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Post by Lillias on Dec 27, 2016 21:53:04 GMT
BillieJean,
We are on the same wavelength. Your workaround is similar to what I had suggested before -- open all files, select the layout you want, minimize the photos you don't want displayed in the workspace.
As a side note -- The Consolidate All to Tabs option in Window>Images won't be available (will be grayed out) unless you first go to Edit>Preferences and enable "Allow Floating Documents in Expert Mode". Ah sorry Sepiana I missed that part of your reply before and of course I should also have said that ‘Allow Floating Documents in Expert mode’ needed to be activated in order for this to work. |
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Post by Sepiana on Dec 27, 2016 21:59:41 GMT
BillieJean,
We are on the same wavelength. Your workaround is similar to what I had suggested before -- open all files, select the layout you want, minimize the photos you don't want displayed in the workspace.
As a side note -- The Consolidate All to Tabs option in Window>Images won't be available (will be grayed out) unless you first go to Edit>Preferences and enable "Allow Floating Documents in Expert Mode". Ah sorry Sepiana I missed that part of your reply before and of course I should also have said that ‘Allow Floating Documents in Expert mode’ needed to be activated in order for this to work.
BillieJean, nothing to be sorry about! I am glad you joined this thread. We now have two possible workarounds.
I sent a PM to Pat. I am waiting for a response.
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Post by Tpgettys on Dec 27, 2016 23:07:48 GMT
This seems so straight forward I don't understand what I am doing wrong. Having two images up is no problem. It's when I have more than two that things get messy. I almost always use the All Column option. Sometimes I try to move them around or have only two of four images up, but nothing cooperates. I end up with the wrong two up or one up that I want but not the other. It's so frustrating, but I can't figure out what I'm doing wrong. Now that I look at the screen shot you posted I realize I've never tried the All Floating option. Can't see how that would solve my issue of controlling these panels tho'. Hi Pat, I have been following this thread, and, as I have never used the Layout feature, have been playing around with it. I'm with you, the way it works is frustrating and quite non-intuitive (in fact, I still have only a partial understanding of how it works)! On page 29 of the PSE reference document I found this: (I bolded the Note: at the end because it is essential for any of the preceding bullet-ed items to work.) I might well be wrong, but as far as I can tell that is all that is said about Layout in the entire manual! I think part of the problem is having expectations about how it should work that are not being met. That is, the problem isn't your lack of understanding so much as the features of Layout are more limited than you expect. Also, I have found that having Allow Floating Documents In Expert Mode enabled means that every time I run PSE now, my images always open as floating; I must select Layout> Default to get the layout I am used to. |
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Post by Tpgettys on Dec 27, 2016 23:23:25 GMT
BTW, I highly recommend the book Photoshop Elements 13: The Missing Manual by Barbara Brundage. Chapter 3 has a much better discussion of Layout and related topics all in one place, *way* better than the PSE manual!
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frizzylee
Junior Forum Member
Posts: 170
Open to constructive criticism of photos: Yes
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Post by frizzylee on Dec 27, 2016 23:48:45 GMT
Thank you, thank you, thank you to all of you for helping out! I am soooo grateful on two counts. . . .(1) maybe I'm not a total dunce about this whole thing and it really is more complicated than I expected, and (2) I now have some information to digest and try out. It's so hard to explain the problem, yet I can see that others have had the same issues and been able to work it out.
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Post by Major Major on Dec 28, 2016 0:06:17 GMT
Well, this thread got me curious, so I fooled around with it a bit (I normally never use this feature).
From what I can see, with 5 photos loaded, choosing All Column works as expected, with all 5 photos spread horizontally across the screen - obviously not at full width, you have to scroll each one individually to see the parts that are not shown.
It does not seem possibly to "move them around", if dragging and dropping from one place to another is what you mean. You can, however, click on one of the images (selecting it - you'll see a blue box around the corresponding photo in the photo bin), and then double click on a different photo in the photo bin and it will replace the first photo.
Curiously (at least in PSE15), when you do this the photo is replaced as described but the title (file name) does not change to reflect the new photo. Clearly a bug.
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