Photoshop Elements > Saving Files >

Using iPhoto

Grand_Canyon.jpg

Two Defaults

When you save a file for the first time, two defaults are encountered.

Default #1 - Save As

Photoshop Elements will open the Save As window, not the Save window.

Default #2 - Photoshop File Format

Your edited file will be saved, by default, using the Photoshop file format.

The extension for this format is .psd.

The Photoshop file format (.psd) has two advantages and one disadvantage.

Advantage #1

When a photograph is saved as a PSD file, there is no loss of quality no matter how many times the file is edited and saved.

In contrast, every time you edit and save a JPEG file, some of the image detail thrown away.

The quality of the JPEG photograph degrades each time you edit and save it.

The JPEG file format is called a lossy format because image detail is lost due to compression.

Advantage #2

The layers are preserved when a file is saved using the PSD file format.

You can go back, at anytime, to make changes to the layers.

Photoshop files have one disadvantage.

Disadvantage

Photoshop files are large.

However, memory is inexpensive.

If your hard drive is filling up, use an external hard drive.

Save as a Photoshop File

1) Go to File > Save, or press Cmd + s.

2) Check the Format box to make sure Photoshop is selected.

If it isn't selected, change the format to Photoshop.

3) You must change the destination of the file from the iPhoto library to the Desktop.

4) Click OK.

5) Do one of the following.

• Import the file into iPhoto.

In iPhoto, go to File > Import.

Locate the file on the Desktop, and click Import.

• Go to the Desktop.

Drag the file onto the iPhoto icon in the Dock at the bottom of your screen.

After you've saved your edited photograph, you'll have two files in iPhoto.

Original File	Grand_Canyon.jpg
Edited File: PSD	Grand_Canyon.psd

Where Are the Two Files?

Let's say you went to the Grand Canyon on July 4, 2005.

Your original photograph is located in an Event folder for July 4, 2005.

Let's say you edited the file on December 1, 2010.

The edited file is located in an Event folder for December 1, 2010.

How can you get the two files in the same Event folder?

Merge the New Event Into the Older Event

Drag the new Event, with the edited file inside, onto the old Event, containing the original file.

Now the two files are in the same Event folder.

They'll be side-by-side if the Event is sorted by file name.

To sort, go to View > Sort Photos > By File Name.

Save as a JPEG

If you're going to print the photograph, or send it in an e-mail, you'll need to save the file as a JPEG.

You have edited a duplicate of the original, as suggested in Open Files / Using iPhoto.

Let's say you have edited DSC1234_2.

Do the following.

1) Go to File > Save As, or press Shift + Cmd + s.

The Save As window will open.

2) Locate the Format box in the Save As window and change the file format from Photoshop to JPEG.

3) Click Save.

4) A JPEG Options window will open, prompting you to select a quality level from 1 through 12.

Use 12 to preserve as much image information as possible.

5) Click OK.

You'll now have three files located in iPhoto.

Original File	Grand_Canyon.jpg
Edited File: PSD	Grand_Canyon copy.psd
Edited File: JPEG	Grand_Canyon copy.jpg

Didn't Make a Duplicate?

What if you didn't make a duplicate of the original before you started editing it?

iPhoto will save the edited version.

The original photograph is preserved, as well.

If you need to go back to the original photograph, go to Revert to Original.

You'll have three files located in iPhoto.

However, the original file is not visible.

Original File	Not Visible
Edited File: PSD	Grand_Canyon.psd
Edited File: JPEG	Grand_Canyon.jpg

You may be using raw files.

Raw Files

Go to Raw Files & iPhoto.

You may encounter the TIFF file format.

TIFF File Format

The TIFF file format is used by some photographers for printing.

As described above, all JPEG files are compressed.

During the compression, image detail is discarded.

In contrast, the TIFF file format has two modes, uncompressed and compressed.

There is no loss of information when using either the uncompressed or compressed TIFF modes.

When using the TIFF compression mode, the TIFF algorithm looks for patterns, such as the repeated pixels of a white wall.

The white-wall pixels are deleted when the file is saved, compressing the file.

However, the deleted pixels are recreated by the TIFF algorithm when the file is reopened.