The How To palette (formerly known as the Recipes palette, which is what it still contains) offers a “cookbook” of mini tutorials for many popular tasks. Elements 1 came with thirty one recipes (if I’ve counted right), and more were supposed to be available as time goes by from Adobe Online. I downloaded seven new recipes the first time I accessed Adobe Online. However, the download process was so nutty, I never downloaded any more. Elements 2 comes with 48 recipes and they are a better bunch than the previous ones. I hope Adobe Online is better behaved this time. The recipes can be passive or active, i.e. there are buttons included in the recipe that will perform the described recipe step for you, if clicked. Otherwise, you can do the work yourself, following the written descriptions. Recipes are excellent learning tools for beginners. I would highly recommend trying out all the recipes as a way of familiarizing yourself with many of Elements features. If you use Adobe Online to download updates, you then need to close and reopen Elements to load your new recipes. Please note that palettes which are in the palette well will not stay open while you edit. To bring a palette out of the well, click on its name tab and drag it out.

The illustration on the left, below, shows the recipe categories within which there are multiple recipes. Use Download New Adobe Recipes to receive new recipes from online if there are any available.

On the right below, is one of the recipe groups. The lessons are brief, but useful.

If you have clicked on an individual recipe, the Home button (that looks like a house) will return you to that categories main index. The two arrows next to it work like the back and forward buttons on your Web browser.

 

To display any palette which is not currently on the screen, choose Window > Show [palette name]. To close a palette, click the X in its upper right corner. You can group palettes under a shared blue bar by dragging the name tab of one under the blue bar of another.

To hide all palettes and the toolbar, press the Tab key. To hide the palettes, but leave the toolbar in view, hold down the Shift key while pressing the Tab key. Pressing the Tab key again will bring them all back. This can be a big help if the palettes are overlapping an image you are trying to work on.