Wednesday Tips/Tutorials

How to Load a Layer Style file into Photoshop Elements 7.0-10

1. First make sure your folders are not "hidden":

Click on "Start" and choose "My Computer." (Vista users: choose "Computer.") When a window pops up, click on the Tool menu at the top and choose Folder Options.

When the Folder Options dialog box comes up, click on the View tab at the top.

In the "Advanced Settings" section there's a folder called Hidden files and folders. Make sure "Show hidden

files and folders" is selected. Click OK.

2. To add the layer style: Open the folder with the layer style.

Right click on the layer style name and choose "Copy."

3. Click on the Start menu, then click on My Computer, and look for this path:

In Vista and Windows 7 the path is:

Start > Computer > Local Disk (C:) > Program Data > Adobe > Photoshop Elements > 7.0 > Photo Creations > Layer styles

In Windows XP the path is:

Start > Computer > Local Disk (C:) > Documents and Settings > All Users > Application Data > Adobe > Photoshop Elements > 7.0 > Photo Creations > layer styles

Note: For Photoshop Elements 8, substitute 8.0 for 7.0 above.

For Photoshop Elements 9, substitute 9.0 for the 7.0 above.

For Photoshop Elements 10, the path is:

Start > Computer > Local Disk (C:) > ProgramData > Adobe >Photoshop Elements >10.0 >Photo Creations > layer styles

Once you're inside the Layer Styles folder, press Ctrl V to paste the layer style.

Now go to:
C:\ProgramData\Adobe\Photoshop Elements\10.0\Locale\en_us

Locate the file called "Mediadatabase" and rename this file.  You can make it OLDMediadatabase or anything you like.  You are just renaming it so that Photoshop will rebuild the database.  You do not want to delete it in case of the unlikely event that anything goes wrong.  In this case, you can just change the name back to the original name.

4. Open PSE. It will take a while to rebuild the database.

You can find the styles under the layer styles panel under "Show All."