In 'Photoshop Elements 3.0' How do you get that 'soft' effect?

I think i have the old version. I'm not out to change or alter the way i look [get rid of spots, reshape nose ectect.] in photographs, becuase i dont take many pictures of MYSELF... but in general photography i want to make a 'soft' effect





This is an example of it





http://i105.photobucket.com/albums/m203/...





http://i105.photobucket.com/albums/m203/...





Thanks ;)
In 'Photoshop Elements 3.0' How do you get that 'soft' effect?
I think the pictures you found were actually taken in fog/on a foggy day. The "soft" look came from the light conditions when the photo was taken, not necessarily an add on in Photoshop. I encourage you to continue to play with Photoshop. Try the "Filters" and "Effects" options. There is a blur in the filters that might give you a soft look you want.
In 'Photoshop Elements 3.0' How do you get that 'soft' effect?
I agree with Steefee that these appear to be photos taken under conditions that gave the diffused effect naturally. Also, it is possible some type of diffusion / soften filter could have been used on the lens.





But to get a general look somewhat like this in PS, you can do the following:





Layer, duplicate layer.





Filter, blur, gaussian blur





Blur the photo until it is very blurred, but still recognizable.





Then go to the Opacity slider above the layers pallete. Move the slider all the way back to 0.





Then gradually move the slider into the positive range to gradually bring back some of the blur. Usually about 50% will be the most you will ever need.





This can give an overall softness that looks good on some photos, but not all, it just depends on the scene.





steve