Hi there - Suzanne here (aka fruitysuet online). I'm thrilled to have been asked to join in as a guest designer here at It's a Creative World. I've found such inspiration and lots of great tips here and am honoured to add to such a great resource.
Using shapes are a great way to add interest to your pages. I am using my first post here to show you how you can do this with photos using ready made templates.
The templates I have used are created and shared by Scrapbooks Etc and you can find the templates, downloads and examples of their use by following these links:
http://www.scrapbooksetc.com/layouts/collage/
http://www.scrapbooksetc.com/layouts/collage/downloads/
http://www.scrapbooksetc.com/layouts/collage/projects/
To download the template, double click on the link that states ‘download quick collage 403’ (or whichever template you want to download). Save to your folder on your hard drive and then extract it (I open the ‘my computer’ option, find the saved zip file, select it, right click and then choose the option ‘extract to SBEphotocollage403’ or whatever the template number is).
I created a folder on my hard drive called ‘SBE collage templates’ and downloaded all the templates into that. After unzipping them, you can either delete the zip files or, do what I do, which is move the zip files into a separate folder called ‘Zip files now unzipped’ (catchy eh?!) so that I have them as back up and yet they aren’t cluttering up the main folder.
To use the template, there are instructions on the Scrapbooks Etc blog
http://www.scrapbooksetc.com/layouts/collage/how-to/
If you're pretty new to using Photoshop Elements and need more detailed instructions, I have also gone through it step by step, with screen views, right up to the point of creating a layout. Clicking on each of the screen shots will bring up a larger view for detail. Please note I have Adobe Photoshop Elements v5.0 and my instructions are relevant to that, however, there should be similar options available in other versions. Apologies for the heavy picture load, please don't be put off, once you have cracked one template the next ones will be so much easier!
· Open Adobe Photoshop Elements.
· Create a new blank file A4 size, 300 pixels per inch, RGB colour and background transparent (I only have a standard size printer, if you have a wide format printer you could create a 12”x12” document).
· Open the unzipped template file, minimise it then drag it onto the background layer.
· Click on ‘cascade’ option to have both side by side, click on the cross to close down the original template so you don’t overwrite it by mistake, then save the remaining one with a working file name.
· Open the photos you want to place in the template, editing if you wish.
· Minimise all photos, drag the shape template up onto the main screen then drag a photo at a time up onto the shape. Click Ctrl G to clip each photo to the part of the shape you want, dragging at the corners to get the photo to the right size, clicking the green tick to accept changes.
· For the parts of the photo that overlap other areas, use the marquee tool to select that portion, then edit and delete. Repeat with other overlapping areas.
Remember to keep saving your work!
At this point you can either fill in all sections with photos or, like I have, leave one or more sections without photos. For the blank sections you again have a choice.
To fill spaces with digital patterned paper
· Choose and open the selected digital paper, minimise then drag onto the page, Ctrl G and delete overlapping portions just like we did with the photos.
· Finally save your page (to save as a jpeg, choose layer, flatten image, save as and select file type jpeg and choose the quality of file to save as – higher quality takes up more room on your hard drive but gives best print quality) and print ready to use on your layout.
To print photos with blank section for adding your own patterned paper
· In the layers section, make sure you have the top photo layer highlighted and select Ctrl E, this will merge the two photo layers together (if you have more photo layers, repeat). You will see that now all the photos are shown as one layer.
· Highlight the template layer, choose the brush tool, check that the foreground colour is set to white, move the brush over to the blank section and left click to fill with the white ‘paint’. This will ensure that this section is printed out blank.
· Save your page. Additionally, save a further copy as a jpeg, choose layer, flatten image, save as and select file type jpeg and choose the quality of file to save as – higher quality takes up more room on your hard drive but gives best print quality) and print out ready to add your patterned paper.
To create and print the template for the patterned paper
· Using the psd version of the document (ie the unflattened, working template), click on the ‘eye’ next to the photo layer to turn ‘off’ the photos.
· Select the shape template layer.
· Set the foreground as white, select the brush tool and paint the sections that should contain photos white. This will save ink when printing out the patterned paper template.
· Change the foreground colour (click and select any pale shade, it is irrelevant, it just saves the ink used in printing out the template) and use the brush tool again to fill in the sections you want to fill with patterned paper.
· Flatten and save as a jpeg as before and print out onto scrap paper using the economy setting on your printer.
· You can now cut out the sections you need to create templates for your patterned paper to add to your photos.
This is the page I created using this example.
And here is a page I created previously using a different template and exactly the same method.
I hope you have fun using the templates – if you have any questions feel free to ask in the comments and I will reply there (bearing in mind that I am no advanced expert in using PSE - but I have fun learning whilst playing!)
Good to see you on here with this great idea, love the shape of the second LO in particular. And I see there's a nine-block circle, have a plan for that one already, and even a flower one. Excellent.
E
xx
Posted by: Eleanor | July 20, 2010 at 12:32 PM
Hi Suzanne... nice to see you on IACW. I must say I got a flutter of excitement when I saw your digi post. I'm getting more & more into the digi/hybrid side of scrapping. Your post rocks!!!
Mandy x
Posted by: Mandy | July 20, 2010 at 01:34 PM
I have not done any digi scrapping yet so it is lovely to have some ideas and instructions. Thanks Suzanne.
Posted by: joy aitman | July 20, 2010 at 08:04 PM
Nice to see you on here & thankyou for showing us Digi scrapbooking.
Posted by: jayne | July 20, 2010 at 09:09 PM
Lovely to see how you can set photos out and print them. Lovely post and very clear instructions.
Debbie x
Posted by: Debbie Roberts | July 20, 2010 at 09:34 PM