photoshop elements question

[rljohn56]

question regarding layering in photoshop elements;  i'm working on a portrait that has a lot of shadowing even after working the threshold tool.  i tried to crop a certain area to use threshold in that area as a layer but it is not allowing me to do that? can you not crop certain areas you want to specifically want to work on by using threshold or some other tool and make that your layer? 

[Birchbark]

Are you sure you mean "crop"?  Or do you mean you made a "selection" of an area?  Crop would be cutting something out, or down.  Selection is isolating an area.  If you have the "marching ants" around an area you want to work on, say using the threshold tool, then make sure you are on the layer that you are trying to adjust.  The layer you are trying to adjust needs to be highlighted in the layers palette.  You can PM me if you'd like.

 

Russell

[alexfox]

If I understand correctly you need to apply a threshold on the selected area

1.select area

2.cut to a new layer
3.important - make active the new layer 
4.apply the threshold to a new layer
5.merge the layers for further work (if needed)