Graphics Programs Reference
In-Depth Information
settings by going to Adobe.com, logging in, and then clicking on Manage My Ac-
count→Security & Privacy→Desktop App Usage Information.
TIP
It's a good idea to repair your Mac's permissions after installing Elements. (Repairing
permissions is a simple housekeeping task that helps make sure everything runs
smoothly.) Go to Applications→Utilities→Disk Utility; in the list on the left side of the
Disk Utility window, click your hard drive's name, and then click Repair Permissions.
This process can take quite a while, so don't fret, and don't freak out over all the mes-
sages you may see scrolling through the window while it's running—they're normal.
To launch Elements, go to Applications→Adobe Photoshop Elements 13, and then double-
click the Elements icon (the stylized teal camera icon); or go to the Dock and start Launch-
pad, and then single-click the Elements icon. Either route opens the Welcome screen (
The
Welcome Screen
)
. If you want to launch the Editor directly, rather than the Welcome Screen,
it's hidden away in Applications→Adobe Photoshop Elements 13→Support Files.
To keep Elements in the Dock, simply click and hold the program's Dock icon while Ele-
ments is running, and then choose Options→“Keep in Dock” from the pop-out menu, or drag
the program's icon—
not
the whole Elements folder—into the Dock when Elements
isn't
run-
ning. If you add Elements to the Dock and then change your mind about having it there, just
drag the program's icon out of the Dock and watch it vanish in a puff of smoke.
Scratch Disks
The calculations Elements makes behind the scenes are really complex, and the program
needs a place to write stuff down while it's figuring out how to change your images. If the
task at hand is too heavy-duty for your system's main memory to cope with alone, Elements
uses what's called a
scratch disk
—unused space on your hard drive—when it's busy making
your photos gorgeous.
You probably have just one hard drive in your computer, and in that case Elements automat-
ically uses that drive as its scratch disk. That's fine, and Elements can run very happily like
that.
