How Elements+ Works

PSE, just like the Photoshop full version, supports JavaScript language. It is this ability which lets E+ reach the hidden functions of the application.

The E+ kit includes 8 "main" or "top level" scripts (Color and Tone, Selections, Layers, Masks, Smart Filters, Paths, Text, and Scripts) and dozens of "supplementary" scripts. You launch the "main" ones by double-clicking their thumbnails in the Effects palette (fig. 1). These scripts are designed for accessing the undocumented PSE features.

The supplementary scripts, intended mainly for automating routine tasks, are to be run from the "Scripts" dialog box (fig. 2).

By default, all effects appear in the palette as thumbnails. To see the correspondent script names, you either hover the mouse pointer over thumbnails (fig. 1) or choose the "Show Names" option from the palette menu.

Please keep in mind that the effects won't work unless an image is open in Photoshop Elements. So, you can't run an E+ script until you create or open at least one document.

Besides, PSE doesn't let you apply effects in case if:
- more than one layer is selected in the Layers palette;
- the color depth of the current image is more than 8 bits;
- its color mode is "Indexed Color" or "Bitmap".

A workaround for above limitations is described here.