Hidden Power Free Tools for Elements 4 (Mac & PC)
HPFT v. 4.1.0 Release Notes/Instructions

Contents

I. Overview
II. Licensing
III. Installation
IV. Application
V. Tool Descriptions

I. Overview

Hidden Power for Elements has been around since Elements 1, bringing you powerful techniques and tool additions to Photoshop Elements. The purpose of these books and tools is to extend the functionality and enhance the capabilities of Photoshop Elements without resorting to plugins. The books show how to use the tools in real-world scenarios that allow you to improve any image. Hidden Power has done the impossible with each version of Elements, adding functionality like curves, channel mixer, channels, CMYK separations, layer masks, color balance, snapshots, healing/mend, guides, alignment tools, and many other functions.

Hidden Power books and tools are available for Elements 1&2 (The Hidden Power of Photoshop Elements 2), Elements 3 (The Hidden Power of Photoshop Elements 3), and Elements 4 (The Hidden Power of Photoshop Elements 4). Tools are included on the CD with the books, and distributed separately from the Hidden Power website (http://www.hiddenelements.com). Additional Hidden Power tools can be found on the website, and free tools are available for every version of the program. Visit the download pages to find out what is available for your version of Elements: http://www.hiddenelements.com/downloads.html. It is recommended that you use only the tools created for your version of Elements to achieve the most predictable results.

This free tool set contains 16 tools as a sampling of the type of useful tools you'll find in the Hidden Power packages, and this set was created specifically for Elements 4. Four of the tools included in this set are unique to this set and are not found in the book in this form. These tools are marked with an asterisk in the descriptions below. *Component Blue, *Component Green and *Component Red function to mimic Photoshop Channels in the Layers palette. **Simple Channel Mixer is a replacement for the Simple Channel Mixer from the book.

Please feel free to contact me with questions about the tools and suggestions for additions.

Copyright © 2006 Richard Lynch, Hidden Power

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Hidden Power Free tools for Elements 4 are copyrighted by Richard Lynch: Copyright © 2006. A single user license for this product allows the license owner to use the tool on one machine concurrently. That is, if the owner of the license has several computers, the tool can be in use on any one of these at any time, and can be installed on each. The tools can not be redistributed, altered for distribution under another name, or resold.

For questions about permissions, site licenses, functionality or enhancement, please contact Richard Lynch directly: thebookdoc@aol.com or through the website: http://hiddenelements.com. Support for the tools can be discussed in the forum at retouchpro.com:

http://retouchpro.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=172

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1. Unzip the HPFT4.zip file. If you do not have an unzip utility, you can get one on the internet.

2. Place in the unzipped Free_Hidden_Power folder into the Effects Folder. The folder should be moved as a unit.

3. Delete the Previews Cache.

4. Restart Elements and rebuild the preferences. To rebuild the preferences, hold down the Command+Option+Shift/Ctrl+Alt+Shift keys on the keyboard immediately after restarting. Hold the keys down until the prompt to rebuild the settings appears, and click [YES]. This will restore default settings and palette placements.

NOTE: Mac users on OS X have had trouble with installation when using older unzip utilities. There appear to be issues with Elements rebuilding the cache correctly if the preferences are not restored.

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IV. Application

After following the installation instructions, you will be able to apply any one of the 16 new tools you have installed. Applying the tools will require restarting Elements and opening an image

1. Open the Styles and Effects palette.The palette may be located in the palette well or you can open it by choosing Styles and Effects from the Windows menu (Windows>Styles and Effects).

2. Choose Free_Hidden_Power from the drop list at the upper left of te palette.

3. (Optional) Change the preview setting of the Styles and Effects palette to List View. To make this change, click on the More button at the top right of the palette, and select List View from the menu that appears.

4. Open an image that you would like to apply one of the tools to.

5. Run any of the tools on the list by double-clicking the name of the tool on the Styles and Effects palette.

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The following is a list of the tools in this package. The descriptions contain some information about how the tools are meant to be applied and what they do.

Align Bottom Edge
This tool is meant to help you align layer content in multiple layers with a single click (this cannot include Background layers). The tool will align linked layers according to the bottom edge of the content. Be sure the layers to be aligned are linked using the linking tool in the Layers palette, and that only one of the layers is active when the tool is employed.

Align Horizontal Centers
This tool is meant to help you align layer content in multiple layers with a single click (this cannot include Background layers). The tool will align the horizontal centers of linked layers. Be sure the layers to be aligned are linked using the linking tool in the Layers palette, and that only one of the layers is active when the tool is employed.

Align Left Edge
This tool is meant to help you align layer content in multiple layers with a single click (this cannot include Background layers). The tool will align linked layers according to the left edge of the content. Be sure the layers to be aligned are linked using the linking tool in the Layers palette, and that only one of the layers is active when the tool is employed.

Align Right Edge
This tool is meant to help you align layer content in multiple layers with a single click (this cannot include Background layers). The tool will align linked layers according to the right edge of the content. Be sure the layers to be aligned are linked using the linking tool in the Layers palette, and that only one of the layers is active when the tool is employed.

Align Top Edge
This tool is meant to help you align layer content in multiple layers with a single click (this cannot include Background layers). The tool will align linked layers according to the top of the content. Be sure the layers to be aligned are linked using the linking tool in the Layers palette, and that only one of the layers is active when the tool is employed.

Align Vertical Centers
This tool is meant to help you align layer content in multiple layers with a single click (this cannot include Background layers). The tool will align the vertical centers of linked layers. Be sure the layers to be aligned are linked using the linking tool in the Layers palette, and that only one of the layers is active when the tool is employed.

Color Picker
This action creates a Color Picker as a separate image that can be left open in your work area. Change to the sampling tool by pressing I, and click in the Color Picker to change the foreground swatch color; hold the Shift key and click to change the background swatch color.

*Component Blue
A unique tool not found in the Hidden Power tools included with the book. This tool creates a Blue Component layer in the layers palette that represents the blue light channel. The component appears as grayscale in the layers, but works effectively as a channel within the image. Changes grouped to the Blue Component channel will affect only the blue component in the image; group layers to the Blue Component layer by staking the layer you want to group just above the component layer and pressing Command/Ctrl+G. To view the channel in color, shut off the view for the Background layer.

*Component Green
A unique tool not found in the Hidden Power tools included with the book. This tool creates a Green Component layer in the layers palette that represents the green light channel. The component appears as grayscale in the layers, but works effectively as a channel within the image. Changes grouped to the Green Component channel will affect only the green component in the image; group layers to the Green Component layer by staking the layer you want to group just above the component layer and pressing Command/Ctrl+G. To view the channel in color, shut off the view for the Background layer.

*Component Red
A unique tool not found in the Hidden Power tools included with the book. This tool creates a Red Component layer in the layers palette that represents the red light channel. The component appears as grayscale in the layers, but works effectively as a channel within the image. Changes grouped to the Red Component channel will affect only the red component in the image; group layers to the Red Component layer by staking the layer you want to group just above the component layer and pressing Command/Ctrl+G. To view the channel in color, shut off the view for the Background layer.

Layer Mask
This tool adds a layer mask to any layer (cannot be applied to Background layers). Masks can be painted with black to hide layer content without actually removing it from the image.

Luminosity and Color
This tool will flatten and convert your image to 8-bit RGB before converting the layer scheme to separate luminosity (grayscale) from color. You may want to work with a copy of the current image if it contains important layered corrections. This separations allows you to adjust image tone independently from image color. Group adjustments (Command/Ctrl+G) to the layer you want to affect to isolate the changes.

Mask Highlights
The Highlight Mask tool creates a selection of the shadows in the image, masking the highlights from change. Adjustment layers added while the selection is active will automatically be masked so that only shadows will be affected by changes.

Mask Shadows
The Shadow Mask tool creates a selection of the highlights in the image, masking the shadows from change. Adjustment layers added while the selection is active will automatically be masked so that only highlights will be affected by changes.

**Simple Channel Mixer
This tool will create a multi-layer scenario for mixing color channels into a monochrome (black-and-white) image, with -100 to 100% of any component. The image will be converted to 8-bit RGB and flattened. Use the Opacity slider for Add and Subtract layers to add and subtract component results and create new black-and-white representations of your current image.

Transform Selection
This tool will allow you to apply transformations to a current selection (e.g, resize, rotate, distort, etc.). Be sure the selection is currently active in your image before using the tool. Adjust the bounding box using handles and the Shift, Option/Alt and Command/Ctrl keys [Mac/PC].

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Copyright © 2006 Richard Lynch, Hidden Power