Photo Overlays (with free downloads)...

Hi, Mandy here,

I'm no expert at digi, but do enjoy 'playing' in Photoshop Elements.  I like the look of photo overlays so had a play and made my own (downloads at the end of the post). 

If you're familiar with paper scrapping and have used a transparency, well, a digital overlay is a bit like using a printed transparency in paper scrapping.  Imagine 'Hambly' or 'Fancy Pants' overlays that you literally layer on top of your photo and can see the photo below. However, to use overlays in digi you do need software that allows layers.  I use Photoshop Elements 5, which is what I used to make the free downloads.  It's worth saying that before I went out and bought PSE, I used the free trial download off the web, to see if I'd get enough use out of it.  I can say that it was not a waste of a penny. 

Here's a photo straight out of the camera of my son M, playing football on the trampoline ( I was leaning out the bathroom window to capture him unawares)...

 

Now, here's the same photo which has been cropped and has an overlay ontop...

 

Similarly my other son R, taken on the same day...

 

 Now, cropped with a black overlay...

 

If you are familiar with using 'layers', then digital overlays are really easy to use.  Just open your photo and crop the part of the image you want to 6" by 4".  Then drag & drop the overlay onto your photo.  Decide if you like how it looks and then flatten the image so the overlay becomes 'glued down' on to the photo.  At this point I save the photo again as a jpeg.  You can re-size the downloads below but 6" by 4" is the size they come in.

I really like the effect and am much more likely to scrap the second version of each photo.

Below, I have included downloads for the two overlays shown in this post, aswell as a blank white and a blank black overlay for you to add your own text.

Download Ball skills black overlay

Download Football crazy white overlay

Download White overlay no text

Download Black overlay no text

Don't be afraid to 'play' with digital.  It's a lot of fun.

Here at IACW we love to see what folks make with our downloads, so don't be shy, leave a link and let us see what you made.

Bye,

Mandy. 

Comments

[Suzanne]

Oh great idea, thanks!

[Eleanor]

The footballing on the trampoline made me chuckle.
I really must try and be braver with digital things. Will try the plain downloads, thank you Mandy.
xx

[jill]

thank you so much!