Expert: Glen Demers - 6/16/2010

Question
will the much less costly photoshop elements 7 at about 20 usd

have the same basic tools to erase text then replace it on

a simple form letter - no images involved - to be printed out?

is this a no brainer for a long term user who has never used

a graphics software program before? are alternative like gimp

more intuitive and faster to get used to for simper stuff than

the simplified adobe elements 7? could you write a step by step

instruction sheet? then id get adobe e;elements 7..... thanks

Answer
Hi Manny,

Either Gimp or Elements can be used for this, although Elements may be the better choice for someone unfamiliar with graphics software simply because of the support available and it's more user-friendly interface.

If you can open your form letter in a text processor such as TextEdit, NotePad, Microsoft Word, etc. it would be easier because any photo editing software will convert the form letter to bitmap, that is, convert the text shapes into pixels. The output can still look good if you have high enough resolution, but this will increase file size. More on that here: http://www.bestprintingonline.com/resolution.htm

To erase text and replace it in Elements:
Select your lasso tool (L), click and drag your cursor around the text you want erased and hit delete or backspace to delete the text.
Select the text tool (T).
Click and drag to create a text box over the area you want the type to be, the tool automatically creates a new text layer when you click on your document with it.
Use the toolbar menu to change the font, size and color of your type.
When done editing, go to Layers>Flatten and then save your file.

Hope this helps,
Glen Demers
Adobe Certified Expert, Photoshop 7
Prepress Technician, Best Printing Online
www.bestprintingonline.com

For more Photoshop tips please visit our help pages here: http://www.bestprintingonline.com/photoshop.htm