Beginner's Photoshop Elements Vintage Digital Design eCourse

Embark on a new creative journey with digital design and Photoshop Elements!

What I love about digital design is the freedom it affords me. Nothing is permanent. There are no mistakes. You don't have to worry about buying or ruining expensive supplies if my experimentation runs awry.....which it sometimes does!

Digital design is also unexpected. You can change the entire look of a composition by playing with layers and blending them.

Digital design is also a vacation. One can spend hours upon hours playing and designing. You can find artistic inspiration in anything and bring it to life on your computer!

Photoshop Elements can help you achieve stunning results!

As I've worked with vintage images for the last 20 years, I have used a variety of programs for digital design, from free software to more expensive programs used by industry professionals. I have found that Photoshop Elements is the most cost-effective and best entry level software that allows you to repair and manipulate vintage images and create gorgeous designs. The variety of menu options gives you a unique ability to manipulate your images and projects with stunning results!

Photoshop Elements can be challenging when you're starting out. There are a lot of people out there with the same questions I had. In fact, working at The Graphics Fairy's Premium Membership Site, I see the questions that come through daily. That's why I created this course!

I want to help you take your designs from conception to reality!

Just like I once was, you find yourself drooling over projects and designs you have seen online, on craft products, at art shows, and in magazines. You're excited. You're inspired. You have so many projects and ideas swirling in your mind....but you may not yet have all the Photoshop Elements skills needed to make your designs a reality.

I get it. It can be frustrating. It happened to me.

I took the adult education classes. I read books from my local library. I took a beginner's class online. Guess what I found? Much of the material out there is geared toward photographers and editing photos. I may go through an entire book, and only a few pages or exercises would actually apply to my design aesthetic.

I took a long & winding path to figuring it all out....but YOU don't have to!

I want to share the Photoshop Elements tips & tricks I've learned along the way. I want to help you learn what to focus your attention on and what options are most suitable for our vintage-style designs. I want this course to help you "get it." I wanted to not only share the "how" but also the "why."

Vintage designers face a unique set of challenges.

A vintage designer has specific needs. We use photos, illustrations, textures, and design elements. We create unique backgrounds, and layer images (A LOT). We use brushes, shapes, and text. Oh, and our source images? They're often damaged! Antique images with rips, creases, and yellowing are all in a days work. I will share with you some of my favorite techniques for cleaning up these images using Photoshop Elements.

Most importantly, I want to help you express yourself creatively & create beautiful designs.

We will begin our journey with basic skills and techniques. I'll give you the tips & tricks to set up your workspace so you can get to what you need. We will explore the editing modes and how to set up your screen for success. We will work on the basics, like resizing images, rotating images, and cropping.

We'll then explore the power of layers and more complex tasks like making selections, blending modes, opacity, and adjustments. Then we will talk about image corrections like uneven textures, yellowed images, and dull or muted images. I have added two bonus sections on brushes and patterns so you can learn to make those on your own.

Finally, we will tackle five full scale projects. We will discuss everything from image selection, to composition, to color palette. We will walk through the entire creation process, talking through the exact edits, adjustments, and layers used to create each final product. I will provide you with all necessary files so you can follow along!

I'm so excited to share this course with you! I feel that I have created a course that can help you benefit from my long and winding (and still ongoing) journey with digital design. You will learn the basics, helpful shortcuts, and more advanced techniques to help you create your own gorgeous works of art!

See what students of this course are saying...

"I have taken many classes to learn Photoshop. This is one of the best I’ve seen…seriously! Emily’s instructions are clear and thorough. Navigation through the class could not be better." ~Ruthann H

"Emily is really making understanding it easy for me. I am pleased with the entire format of the program and find it quite addicting! Thanks again for offering this." ~LaVerne W.

"I have watched quite a few of the videos. They are awesome. Emily has done a great job in presenting the software in simple clear and precise ways. Great course. I belong to a lot of art groups and this by far is the most laid back and encouraging." ~Valerie B.

"I have learned so much, Emily has given me a running start. I always knew about the different file types, she explained them in such detail, I understand the whats and the whys now. Very easy to follow also." ~Peggy M.

"I started (the course) yesterday and am really finding it great. Just understanding what layers are was enough to get me going. I really appreciated Emily’s quick replies when I had a question." ~Wendy S.

"I purchased PSE years ago and have never used it, Thank you so much for unlocking PSE finally! So far, I've learned so much that is actually specific to the type of (Vintage) designing that I like to do!" ~Joy B.

"I have had PSE 14 sitting unused on my computer for over a year now. In the past couple of days, I have finished parts 1 & 2 of your e-course and I am PSYCHED!!!! The way Emily explains things is so EASY to understand! And I love that the videos are brief yet comprehensive....perfect for my short attention span. In particular, I found the segment on the "File Types" immensely valuable - I have never understood that until now!!!! This course is worth a whole lot more than the price I paid!" ~Cat I.

"Being completely new to Elements this eCourse is a great way to start using PSE 15." ~Michelle F.

Now let's get started on your Creative Journey!

***Important: The course outline can be found below. The course was filmed using Photoshop Elements 15 (which was the most current version in 2017). In October 2022, Adobe released Photoshop Elements 2023, which is very similar to Elements 15. The version updates made by Adobe tend to focus on guided editing for photographs (e.g., how to fix closed eyes in a photo); the program has not changed the menus and options covered in this course. Older versions of Elements are usually pulled from the shelves once a new version is released, so if you need to purchase the program, purchase the current, available version and follow along! I strongly suggest you purchase directly from Adobe, rather than a third party online seller. Adobe can give you immediate support if you have installation issues. If you are unsure about what software you need, please see the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) below.***