Adobe was kind to answer some great questions I had in regards to taking great pictures around the holidays. With low light challenges and lots of Christmas lights to photograph there are some challenges but you can make pictures amazing!
25 Innovative Photoshop Techniques for Photo & Video (w/ Nicole Dalesio)
Most people think you need to purchase expensive, professional software to get stunning photos, but Adobe actually offers an affordable application, Photoshop Elements 11 perfect for consumers. Photoshop Elements 11 ($99 for Windows and Mac) features three editing modes: Quick, Guided and Expert to help any user, at any level, get the perfect photo in just a few clicks. And, with holidays right around the corner, Photoshop Elements 11 is an easy way to make your holiday photos pop. Here are some quick tips for holiday photos:
Holiday pictures are sometime shot in low light or next to Christmas lights. What is the best way to edit these photos to capture a great candid Christmas shot?
Many photos around the holidays are taken in dim lighting, and point-and-shoot cameras aren’t always able to capture all the colorful detail in the foreground and background. With Photoshop Elements 11, users can easily correct this using an Adjustment Layer – essentially a brightener screen you can place over your original photo to brighten up the photo, but not wash out the colors. Here’s an online tutorial with more detail.
Are there special “filters” of ways to make Christmas lights pop?
To really bring out the colors of Christmas lights, use the Lasso tool in Photoshop Elements 11 to select all lights of a similar color. Then, apply the Feathering Selection to add that special holiday glow and amplify the charm of your Christmas tree.
This tutorial is similar, but there are some slight differences since this is made for Photoshop, not Photoshop Elements 11.
Tips for creating professional looking Christmas cards at home?
Photoshop Elements 11 has tons of easy tutorials for creating DIY holiday cards. Users can select a layout and the photos they want to use, then play around to update text, fonts and photo sizes. When finished, you can print cards to Shutterfly, your home printer or a printing shop of your choice. 
I think I’m gonna have to break down and get it.
These are great tips!!!
Or ask me to do them =]
Great tips – thanks for sharing!!
Cannot wait to make photo Christmas cards!