Using the Save/Save As Dialogue Box Elements 15

gomerhodge  wrote 1) I'm currently only using Elements Editor (not Organizer). Should I enable "Save in Version Set with Original"?

No point if you are not using the organizer.

2) How do I know that my file has layers (so I can know whether or not to check the "Layers" box)?

You can create layers explicitly, in that case, look at the 'save as' dialog. The suggested format (the extension .psd) will be automatically chosen. The important fact is that the jpeg format does not support layers.

Also, if the file doesn't have layers and I check this box, what happens?

The file will be saved in the format (jpeg or psd) chosen in the save as dialog.

3) In PS Elements for Dummies, it says to check the "As a Copy" option "to save a copy without overwriting the original file." Would someone please explain what that means in more intelligible (dumber) terms?

The golden rule in photo editing is to avoid absolutely to lose the information in the file you have just taken. If you edit a file in any way, you should be able to go back from the edit and recover the original state. The general rules with all kind of softwares is to distinguish between 'Save' and 'Save as' or 'Save as a copy/version'. If you choose to overwrite the original and keep only the edited version with the same name, you have to confirm that choice. Otherwise, another file is saved in your computer with a different name, possibly another format. It's either a 'copy' or a version' (a version is managed in the organizer).