Changing preferences is one way you can customize Photoshop Elements for a better user experience. So we'll do that in a moment. But first, I want you to be aware of a couple of minor differences between Windows and Mac computers. And by the way, this is the only lesson where there are many differences, so bear with me for just a moment.

In the menu across the top, the Mac version of Photoshop Elements has one additional menu you won't see in Windows. It's this one called Adobe Photoshop Elements Editor. This is mainly used for accessing preferences and for quitting Photoshop Elements. In Windows, preferences are found in the Edit menu down near the bottom. And the Exit command for quitting Photoshop Elements is in the File menu. Let's take a look at preferences. Remember, in Windows you access preferences from the Edit menu.

Here on a Mac I'll choose Photoshop Elements Editor, Preferences, General. Here in preferences leave the top two menus as they are. Leave Show Tool Tips checked until you know Photoshop Elements really well. That way you can hover over a tool or icon and you'll get a pop up with information about it, which can be very helpful. When you become an expert you can always de-select this option.

Check the next option, Disable Smart Objects. You don't want every file you drag onto your page to turn into a Smart Object that can't be edited like normal files. Trust me on this one and check the box. Uncheck the next option, Select Move Tool After Committing Text. When I create text with the Type tool, I don't want Photoshop Elements to jump to the Move tool as soon as I commit the type. So in my opinion that one needs to be unchecked. Do check this option, Allow Floating Documents In Expert Mode. You'll learn about floating documents and how useful they are in another lesson. Leave the next one checked, Enable Floating Document Window Docking. Again, you'll learn what that means later. Don't check Use Shift Key For Tool Switch there's no advantage to adding an extra key to a shortcut. But the next one, Zoom With Scroll Wheel may be something you'll want to check, especially if you're already using that function and other programs. So I'll leave that up to you. I don't check this myself because I use another method of zooming that I'll teach you later. And then you can decide which method you'd like best. Enable Soft Notifications is entirely up to you. These are occasional pop up messages from Adobe. And finally, Enable Crop Pre-Selection is again a personal preference. When I teach about cropping we'll take a closer look at this option. So I'll leave it as it is for now.

There are more preference categories listed on the left, but their default settings are good. Click OK to accept the changes you've made.