Ok good, I'm assuming you mean painting them
This process can take quite some time in order to become an expert
( and I myself am not there yet lol).
Im going to give you a few links to some tutorials i found very helpful when i was starting out, However these are Photoshop tutorials..so when you have your PS elements these rules will apply to you
Each step is on a NEW layer:1) You want to start off with a base colour ( eyedrop tool), found on your equines coat colour preferably, unless you are doing somewhat of a magical horse. Draw an outline of where your mane and tail are going to look like with a small solid brush (1-4pixels). Keep in mind that if it is a horse in action, the mane and tail will be flowing..where as if it is standing still they would lie reasonably flat.
2) I like to fill most of the mane/tail out with this base colour, but i do not extend it to the very ends of the hair just yet
So use a size 5-10 solid brush to paint in the mane and tail.
3) Zooom In on your picture
I zoom in about 300-400%. Use a much smaller size solid brush (1-3pixels) to start extending your mane and tail outwards..I like to use the Fade feature when i paint hair, but im unsure whether elements includes this feature (let me know). You can also at this point start adding a few small fly away bits
4) Ok now that we have our hair set out, we want to add some volume to it. The crest on an equine is usually darkest, so you may find a slightly darker colour on your horse..(on a new layer) With a size 1-2 pixel solid brush, start to paint in the crest..following where the naturally crest line is
Extend some of these strands to create lowlights in your mane/tail.
5) Hightlights. Just like you found a lighter colour...you should be able to locate a lighter colour on your equine too
I add small strands throughout the mane/tail but focusing more on the tips of the hair. Dont over do these though or it will look just as washed out. (remember some fly aways)
6) Depending on how you drew out your hair lines, you may want to go over your picture and add some fly away strands.
7) Adding a shine and shadows, you can use the dodge/burn tool for this..but I like to paint them too
I use a size 1 pixel solid brush and draw slightly curved lines along the mane and tail where I find they need a shine or shadow.
So if the mane/tail is flat I would do something like this - |||||||||||||| and if the mane/tail was slightly curving I would paint something like this - ))))))))))) make sense?
For shine I use white, for shadow I use black colour. Both on new layers.
8) To those layers I then add a Guassian Blur..not too much..but enough that it looks realistic...sometimes this effect looks a little..silly, so i go over that layer with the smudge tool (30-50strength,fuzzy 1-2pixel brush size). I go in the direction of the hair flow ( E.g: ||| or ((( as stated above).
9) I zoooom out again to take a look at the finished result (however i do this with each layer i create to check that everything is in place). You may like to go over it with dodge/burn tool if it doesn't suit your liking, as many people paint hair differently, I will now give you a few tutorials to study.
I hope I have made everything quite clear, you tell me if I have lost you at some point
This is a fairly simple one to start off with:
fav.me/d33lemaAnother more advanced one:
fav.me/d2z5qs7 and
fav.me/d1zgmr6Smudging tutorial (For mane/tail):
fav.me/d2mn54hThis is a fairly simple one aswell:
fav.me/d1hjvsiWhen you feel you are ready to have a go at it, for your first assignment i would like to see your attempt or attempts at mane/tail painting.
Im also assuming you have already learnt the basics of body smudging and cutting? If so can you please include these in your Manipulation aswell
I will give you a period of 1-3weeks to complete this as its quite a hard process. If however. you do need more time PLEASE let me know
( and I myself am not there yet lol).
So use a size 5-10 solid brush to paint in the mane and tail.
I zoom in about 300-400%. Use a much smaller size solid brush (1-3pixels) to start extending your mane and tail outwards..I like to use the Fade feature when i paint hair, but im unsure whether elements includes this feature (let me know). You can also at this point start adding a few small fly away bits 