Need Photoshop Elements 6.0 help?
As great a program as it is in general, the built-in help features in Photoshop Elements definitely are very basic. So what is a digital photographer or scrapbooker to do? Check out a very old-fashioned solution: read a book!
I have found two great books that sit on my bookcase next to my computer for quick reference when I need to figure out something new in PSE. I highly recommend them to anyone frustrated with the built-in help like I am. The first one contains great mini-lessons on various aspects of working with digital photos in PSE 6, and the second one is a great overall reference to PSE 6.
The Photoshop Elements 6 Book for Digital Photographers (Voices That Matter): This book is by well-known Photoshop gurus Scott Kelby and Matt Kloskowski, who are also the hosts of the netcast Photoshop User TV. Beautifully illustrating their instructions with step-by-step examples to demonstrate the techniques they teach, Kelby and Kloskowski cover everything about handling photos from basic red-eye reduction to calibrating your monitor. Both PC and Mac are covered by this volume. One warning: because this is an update of a previous book on PSE, there are a few things that are out-of-date in it that weren't caught in editing, such as a recommendation for a plug-in that isn't compatible with version 6, so keep that in mind when using it.
Photoshop Elements 6: The Missing Manual: From Pogue Press (from the New York Times' David Pogue - the creator of the "I want an iPhone" music video), this book is another excellent publication for the Missing Manual series. It is more comprehensive than the Digital Photographers book listed above, but doesn't feature step-by-step illustrations like that one. However, the comprehensive index, menu reference guide, and plenty of full color screenshots will answer any question about PSE in minutes. This volume is for PC only but there is also a volume for the Mac PSE 6: Photoshop Elements 6 for Mac: The Missing Manual.
