Photoshop Elements Basic Tools

Below are the names of each tool, from top to bottom, with a short description. Some of the icons have more than one tool hidden away in them. This is shown by a small black triangle on the lower right of the icon. Here, I have grouped the names to show they share a button. To access the hidden tools, hold your mouse button down on the icon in your program toolbar until a secondary menu appears.

The Tools

Move Tool - Much more than just move.

Zoom Tool - Adjusts the current image magnification.

Hand Tool - View different parts of your image without using the scroll bars.

Eyedropper Tool - Places a colour from your image into the palette.

Rectangular Marquee Tool - Makes a rectangular selection.
Elliptical Marquee Tool - Makes an elliptical selection.

Lasso Tool - Lets you draw on a selection shape.
Magnetic Lasso Tool - Helps you draw a selection shape by helping trace certain parts of the image.
Polygonal Lasso Tool - Lets you draw a selection shape line by line.

Magic Wand Tool - Moves selections or images.

Selection Brush Tool - Lets you draw a selection using brushes.

Horizontal Type Tool - Inserts text horizontally.
Vertical Type Tool - Inserts text vertically.
Horizontal Type Mask Tool - Creates a mask from horizontal text.
Vertical Type Mask Tool - Creates a mask from vertical text.

Crop Tool - Removes the edges of an image.

Cookie Cutter Tool - Cuts a custom shape out of the image.

Red Eye Removal Tool - Removes red eye from photographs.

Spot Healing Brush Tool - Helps repair damaged images.
Healing Brush Tool - Helps repair larger areas of damage in images.

Clone Stamp Tool - Duplicates parts of an image.
Pattern Stamp Tool - Duplicates patterns or patterned images onto another image.

Pencil Tool - Draws freehand like a pencil.

Eraser Tool - Erases part of your image.
Background Eraser Tool - Removes the background behind part of an image.
Magic Eraser Tool - Erases all similar pixels in part of an image.

Brush Tool - Draws with the selected brush shape.
Impressionist Brush Tool - Changes parts of the image to look stylised.
Color Replacement Tool - Replaces certain colors in parts of your image.

Paint Bucket Tool - Fills an area with color.

Gradient Tool - Fills an area with a blend between several colours.

Rectangle Tool - Draws a rectangle of color.
Rounded Rectangle Tool - Draws a rounded rectangle of color.
Ellipse Tool - Draws an ellipse of color.
Polygon Tool - Draws a polygon of color.
Line Tool - Draws a line.
Custom Shape Tool - Draws a shape template of color.
Shape Selection Tool - Allows the selection and movement of individual shapes.

Blur Tool - Blurs parts of an image.
Sharpen Tool - Sharpens part of an image.
Smudge Tool - Smudges part of an image.

Sponge Tool - Changes the vividness of part of an image.
Dodge Tool - Lightens part of an image.
Burn Tool - Darkens part of an image.

Color Palette - Selects colors to use with other tools.

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