And done very nicely! You deserve a pat on the back.

Can we purchase this book on-line somewhere?

EstherP

Thanks!
The little one saw the camera as my toy (I guess it is, at that!) just like Lego and cars are his toys, and I don't think he realized that he'd be 'caught' in that black box ;-)
So, big brother was ready to help!
EstherP

Here it comes!
In addition to what I wrote earlier, I also added a bevel to the layer with the photo: Simple Pillow Emboss, found under Effects (the FX icon) -> Bevels. It helped to make the ornament stand out a bit more from the green branches.

Esther

Look for it this afternoon!
Also pay attention to my second message, as I forgot to include one fairly important point.
EstherP

Yea, I used to have FTM. I wonder now who owns it: Avanquest or Ancestry.com? If you Google for "Family Tree Maker" you get Ancestry-websites only, you need to include "Avanquest" in your search to find that version.
The main reason I stopped using FTM, was because they did not adhere to the Gedcom standard. They added their own tags, and that means that you cannot share a gedcom file with someone using another program and expect the information in the file to show correctly in that other program.
I am now using Ancestral Quest and no longer have that problem. It may not look as fancy as FTM, but what a genealogy program is intended for, recording the information I find about my ancestors and relatives, AQ does very well indeed.
I have the full version of AQ, but the free version is every bit as powerful, there are just a couple of "bells and whistles" missing, and there is no "trial period" - the program will remain working.
The program is fully integrated with the New Family Search, although not being LDS, I don't use that.

OK, I'm off on a tangent again. Back to credit cards: Let Ancestry.com give me a good reason, why they need my credit card number for a free trial. Give me access and if I don't pay by the end of the two weeks or however long the trial lasts, just stop the trial.
EstherP

Brent, I like the colours in this image, very much. The soft browns-yellows-oranges, beautiful.

But it also leaves me wondering what the focal point of the image is:
If it is the water spouts, I would like to see a bit more space on either side and the bottom of the picture, so that they are not cut off or squeezed.
If it is the monument in the centre of the fountain, I think a portrait-orientation showing the entire monument with some of the fountain, would have done it more justice.

The lights behind the subject are far enough away and therefore faint enough that they don't seem to disturb although a different composition could change that.

Hard to tell distance, but I also wonder if you were close enough to the monument to be able to use a fill-flash and not have the very heavy shadow across the "nose-eyes-forehead" of the water-spewing fish?

In short: I really like the colouring, it is the composition I have a problem with!
EstherP

I've been doing genealogy for over 25 years now, and yes, I'm actually descended from someone famous: Charlesmagne. Since a branch of my family was from an island in The Netherlands, it is more difficult to prove that you're NOT descended from Charlesmagne, than it is to prove that you are.

As to Ancestry.com, don't you just love their claim in the tv ads, that you don't even know what you want to look for, just start looking.... I'd like to teach them a thing or two.

I don't particularly care for their business practices: From time to time they offer a 14-day trial membership, but you can't have it without giving them your credit card number. If you don't cancel the trial before it is finished your credit card gets charged. As well, a lot of what is available on Ancestry.com is also available for free on other websites.

EstherP

I have tried to take photos of Christmas tree ornament, but don't really want a "selfie" as the image in the ornament.
So here's what I did - and I am sorry, I don't have a finished image to show you...

These instructions are for PSE:
Select a photo of a branch or two of a Christmas tree and give some thought to the composition (background).
Find a picture of, or take a photo of, the hanger part of a tree ornament. Doesn't matter if it is too large, it's easy to reduce the size.
Select the photo you want to put on the ornament, already PP'd for colour, exposure or whatever else was needed.

Determine the size of the background picture: 4x6 inches would be 1200 x 1800 pixels, 5 x 7 would be 1500 x 2100 pixels, at 300 pixels per inch. If needed, crop the pixture to that size.

Here we go:
Open the background image. Press Ctrl+J to duplicate it.
Add a new, transparent layer by clicking the icon that looks like a piece of paper with folded corner, select that layer in the layer bin.
On this layer, create a circle using the elliptical marquee while pressing the shift key. Or use any shape you think you would like. Use the background to "eyeball" the size of the shape, even make it slightly larger than you think you need.
Fill the shape with a single colour (your choice) with the paint bucket tool.
Keep that layer selected and drag and drop the ornament photo to the shape. If by chance the layers don't want to play nice and move out of order, just rearrange them with your mouse, making sure the photo is in the layer above the shape
and press Ctrl + G. Move the photo around, make it larger or smaller (but not so small that a part of the shape shows).
When you're happy, click on the green checkmark.
At this point you can still move the round photo to a spot where you think it looks best.
The next step may be (a lot) easier if you put a layer between the background and the photo, so select the background layer, and click the 'add layer' icon. Fill this layer with any colour you like (paint bucket).
Next, select the layer with the photo, and with the Magic Wand tool (yellow star-on-a-stick), click anywhere on that layer but outside the photo. Then press Ctrl + Shift + I and only the shape will be selected.
Now select from the menu line: Filter-> Distort-> Spherize.
Probably keep the settings at 100% and normal.
Wait a few seconds while PSE does it's thing.
You can now delete the extra layer.
If you took a photo of an ornament hanger, separate it from it's background and add to the image. If you had one already, or found one on the internet, it probably already is on a transparent background and you can just add it.
"Save As" you composition, give it a new name (and your original picture will be preserved), print it on blank cards, or have photos printed to glue on blank cards.
"Save As" a jpg file for printing.
Have fun and show some of your cards in the Gallery!
EstherP

Flip the screen inwards and use the viewfinder.

Sorry, photoman, but with that attitude, even I will not look up things for you....
EstherP

Since I mentiond "Page 280" - is it safe to assume this question is directed to me? If you press "Quote Reply" at the bottom of a message you're replying to, there is no doubt.
OK, having said that, I must also apologize: I have absolutely no idea where I got that Page 280 from; I suspect I looked up the wrong manual, but since I didn't save a URL or other location, I sure got myself into trouble here (and I do not need help to do THAT! :) ).
OK, so I found the D3100 manual on-line again, see:
<http://www.nikonusa.com/pdf/manuals/noprint/D3100_ENnoprint.pdf>
You will find the relevant information on page 143.
EstherP

The only one that can say whether or not Photoshop Elements will "go to the cloud" is Adobe - and they aren't saying...

As to the profit that can be made in the industry - Adobe and MS are businesses and such are in it "for the profit."

If my stuff was stolen, whether my name was Gates or not, I would also complain bitterly. Five-finger discounts are just wrong, digital (pun intended) or otherwise!

As to Gates being the richest man around, so what? At least he has the wherewithal to donate computers to schools (yea-yea, I know they only cost him a fraction of what you and I would have to pay), and give to a good number of charities - and generously does so.

As it happens, over the years I have tried a number of other photo editiing programs, but I LIKE Photoshop Elements, and keep coming back to it.

Just my thoughts...
EstherP

Is there still an external drive attached, or a CD/DVD in the drive? My friend had a similar problem, had the settings so that on booting the computer looked for the DVD drive first, and when there was a disk in there, it just wouldn't boot.
EstherP

Edit: Should have followed my own advice and read the whole thread before answering. Then again, I offered a possible solution that no-one else offered :)

I would think it's like filters: anything in front of your lens may reduce the quality of your images.
Since you have already bought the Dry-Pak, why not take some photos with and some (of the same subjects) without it and report back here?
I looked up the Dry-Pak on the internet, and believe that you may be better off with the Optech Rainsleeve - nothing to cover the lens front, but your camera and lens are protected from rain. <http://optechusa.com/rainsleeve.html>
EstherP

Nothing to do with being lazy... well, maybe a little bit...
I just wish that some of the programming companies would be a bit more consistent, but I'm sure that will always remain a wish!
EstherP