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Video tips and tutorials have become an extreme useful way of teaching on the internet. This is such a powerful way of learning because you can actually see how the technique was done and watch it over and over again. However, over time there have been a few people that have problems with the video tutorials and tips we provide. Since we want everybody to be able to enjoy these videos we thought we’d provide a FAQ tutorial to help you along in case you’re having problems. Keep in mind though, that the official Apple Quicktime FAQ website is a great resource and you should visit it as well because this FAQ will only deal with our frequently asked questions. Visit it at http://www.apple.com/quicktime/player/faq.html.

Watching Videos

Are all the tutorials applicable to both MAC/PC platforms?
When viewing any of the tutorials on www.photoshopelementsuser.com, please be aware that we are providing training for ALL users on both PC and MAC platforms. The majority of training material being presented can be accomplished using either version of the software. However, where there are differences in the two versions and when a certain function is platform specific, we make every attempt to provide the viewer with the alternate keyboard or item reference in the other version. For detailed information about the differences between the two versions or for more information in general about each version, please use the links provided on the Learning Centers page. For a detailed list of keyboard shortcuts for each platform version, type “Keyboard Shortcuts” into the search bar at the top of your screen in the Photoshop Elements toolbar when using the program on your computer. The basic keyboard equivalents to remember are: (PC: Control/Mac: Command), (PC: Alt/Mac: Option), (PC: Right-click/Mac: Control-click).

What software or program do I need to watch the videos?
The videos play in the free Quicktime player. You can download the player at http://www.apple.com/quicktime/download. Before installing Quicktime, disable your anti virus and all adware software. These programs can prevent the player from installing correctly. Be sure to reactivate them once installation is complete.

How do I watch the videos?
To watch a video, click on “View Video”. A new window will then open and the video will download. Wait until the slider has moved all the way to the right before starting to watch the video. Then click on the Play arrow in the bottom left hand corner to watch the video. Note that you can choose to click the Play arrow before the slider moves all the way to the right. This will allow you to watch as you’re downloading. However, depending on your connection speed, you may reach a point where you’ve watched all the video that has been downloaded and you’ll have to wait for the slider to catch up.

Troubleshooting

I hear sound but I don’t see any video. What gives?
This is the single most asked question and thankfully the answer is very simple and fixes the problem 99% of the time. It has to do with the version of the Quicktime player you’re using. It most likely needs to be updated and since this is free its very easy to do.

1. Launch Quicktime

2. Choose Help > Update Existing Software. Make sure you have an active internet connection. You’ll be presented with a window and Quicktime will check to see if there is a more recent and up to date version of the software. Chances are it will find one and ask you to install it. Once installed, the videos should work fine. Also, be sure that Check for Updates automatically is checked off in this window. It’ll make your life, as well as ours ; ) much easier.

How can I save the Videos to my hard drive so I can watch them when I’m not connected to the internet?
This is the next most frequently asked question. The easy answer is to buy the full version of Quicktime from www.apple.com/quicktime/. It costs $29.99 to upgrade but its well worth it if you find yourself using Quicktime often. When you do buy the full version, you can choose File > Save and save the movie anywhere on your hard drive.

The other alternative is not as easy. You’ll need to find out where your web browser stores something called its “temporary cache”. This is where it stores the Quicktime files that you download from the internet for a temporary period of time. Since Internet Explorer is the most popular browser, let’s take a quick look at how this can be done.

1. Open Internet Explorer. Choose Tools > Internet Options. Then click the Settings button.



2. In Settings, look to see what the “Current Location” is set to. Then navigate to this folder in Windows explorer.



3. Finally, search through this folder for the Quicktime movie. It may help if you click the “Type” button at the top to sort the files by type and look for files of type “QuickTime Movie”.

4. Once you find the Quicktime movie just copy it to another folder on your hard drive that you know won’t be deleted.

What if I can watch some videos but not others?
See the question above “I hear sound but I don’t see any video. What gives?”

What if the audio in the video sounds choppy & garbled
This can be corrected in most cases by changing the "SoundOut" settings in Quick Time. To do this, go to the windows Control Panel (through the start menu) and click on the Quick Time logo. This will bring up the Quick Time Settings window. Select "SoundOut" from the list and then change the setting to "Wave Out".

What if I can’t find the answer to my question here?
If you don’t see an answer to your question here, try going to the official Apple Quicktime FAQ website at: http://www.apple.com/quicktime/products/qt/faq.html

Many thanks to Mike Holley for contributing information to this FAQ list and for all of his support in the Photoshop Elements Techniques forums.