Selected features introduced: (i) the Color Range command; (ii) linking layers for use with the Move tool; (iii) the Preserve Transparency option in the Fill command; (iv) the ability to Apply a Layer Mask before deleting it to save memory.
Procedures: (i) the Defringe command does not detect contrasting colors on other layers (I suppose they must be merged first), this is probably why the tutorial has us erase areas of a layers composition that could be "defringed" (defringing can occur on a floating selection before it become a static layer); (ii) shadows can be made quickly by using a duplicate layer filled with black (transparency preserved), performing a Gaussian blur, using the move tool for shadow offset and dropping the opacity less than 100%.