If there is one simple question I get during training sessions it’s “How do I save an image, so that I can open it using Photoshop or other programs, and have the image appear exactly as it does in Elements?”. The reasons for this are complicated. Suffice it to say if all you want is an image for display, and NOT for analysis, here’s what to do:
1. Set the image Zoom to 100%. You can also do this by pressing the 1:1 button in the upper right corner of the image window.
2. Under the Edit Menu, select “Create Full View Snapshot”.
3. Save the resulting image.
4. If you want to add a calibration mark to the image, make sure you set the position and size of the mark AFTER the image has been zoomed to 100%.
Why is the 100% zoom required? Saving”As displayed” refers to basically capturing a screen shot and copying it to a new document. While this preserves all overlays, calibration marks, regions and thresholds, it also includes the current magnification. So if you create the snapshot when the image is at 50% zoom, you will end up with a new image at 1/2 of the resolution of the original image. Conversely you can create a full view snapshot of an image at 200%, and the system will double the resolution in the resulting image.
In case you’d like to print this I’ve included a PDF version here.
– Austin
