If you want to merge multiple channels in Elements here is a quick solution:
1. Make sure you have the channel tabs activated. Do this by clicking the Edit menu, then Options. Select the “Appearance” settings. Make sure the “Show Channel Tabs” box is checked.
2. open or acquire the first image. In the lower left corner of the image is the channel tab. Right click this tab. If you have not configured color configurations for your system (optical configurations) you will need to select properties, then change the channel name and color to suit the properties of that image.
3. Right-Click again and select “Copy Selected Channel”.
4. Choose or acquire a second image. Again if needed on this new image set the channel properties (step 2). Place the cursor over the image and right-click. Select “Paste as New Channel”.
5. You should now have a single image with two channel tabs. You can now save this image to produce a composite. You can also repeat these steps and add more channels to the current merge. There is no realistic limit on the number of channels one image can have.
These instructions are available for print in a PDF file here.
– Austin