Here is a cool alternate use of the Cookie Cutter tool in Photoshop Elements 3. You can use any of the shapes available with the Cookie Cutter tool, in conjunction with adjustment layers, to create some fun and neat effects in your images. Here are some quick steps to try:
- Open an image
- Click on the 'Create adjustment layer' icon in the Layers palette (looks like a half white/half black circle) and select the type of adjustment layer you want to apply. For this example, let's select the 'Hue/Saturation' adjustment layer.
- In the Hue/Saturation dialog click on the 'Colorize' checkbox and move the sliders until you get a result you like (I did Hue:50, Saturation:50, Lightness:-20) and click OK
- Select the Cookie Cutter tool (looks like a heart icon with a little person inside) and select your desired shape in the options bar (by default the shape is a heart).
- Click and drag your shape on the Hue/Saturation adjustment layer you just applied.
- Adjust the position, scale, and rotation and then apply your Cookie Cutter crop by double-clicking within the shape you created or click on the check icon in the options bar.
- There you go. You've used the Cookie Cutter tool to create a mask on your adjustment layer!
- If you want to play further, try applying some Layer Styles (See Styles and Effects palette) to your adjustment layer. WOW!
