Quick Guide to Editing Photos in Photoshop Express Beta
No one is going to stampede this initial version of Photoshop Express for its photo uploading and online organizing features.
What's most attractive about Express is its image editing capabilities. You can tap into the same image editing technology used by Photoshop CS3 or Photoshop Elements—but for free. Even if you can't tell a white point from a ballpoint, you can improve your photos dramatically without much work. Or, just have fun with the effects and see what you can create from your pictures.
Enter the Editor
To start editing a photo, you have a few choices. Select a picture and click the Edit Photo button at the bottom of the screen; choose Edit Photo from the Photo Options pop-up menu (Figure 4.1); or, my preference, simply double-click the thumbnail.
Figure 4.1 Entering the editor from the Photo Options pop-up menu.
Photoshop Express loads the original version of the photo in the editor, where all adjustments take place (Figure 4.2).
Figure 4.2 The editor.
Zooming and moving around
Initially, your photo is resized so you can see the whole thing in the editing area. To zoom in, click the Zoom In button in the lower left corner of the window. When you do, a small proxy appears to indicate the picture's visible area (Figure 4.3).
Figure 4.3 The proxy that appears when zoomed in.
While you're zoomed in, click and drag the visible area frame in the proxy to move around the image.
Click the Zoom Out button to view more of the image, or click the Zoom to Fit button to see the whole thing again.
Return to the library
Click the Back to My Photos button to return to your library at any time (Figure 4.4). If you've made edits, you're asked to save them, discard them, or continue editing.
Figure 4.4 This way back.