Give Credit where Credit is due!

One of the most important things you can do as a scrapper is give credit to those wonderful people that create these packages we use. No matter if you paid for them or found them on a free site. Each designer put in their own time and skill to make these special things for each of us and deserves credit.
There are many methods you can do in tracking credit for a layout. Find what works for you. What works for me is using notepad and copy/pasting my information into the file info for my layout. That way it is with each layout and I do not have to go search for that information. You can also make a hidden layer on your layout if you like that better, same principle. Here are the steps for my way of doing it.

Here is the layout I designed today. If you are like me when I create a layout I usually grab things from other kits, which makes tracking more difficult. In this kit I used several different designers.

After I complete a layout I open notepad (located by going to start | all programs | accessories). I then start copying the individual layers (one from each package). To copy I double click on the title of the layer, when it turns blue (where you could edit the line) I do a ctrl + c command.

After I copy and paste (quick command for paste is ctrl + v) them all over to notepad, I even keep track of my fonts, I start deleting the individual element name. People need to know what package you used not that you used ribbon_12 from so and so's package.

When you have edited your notebook file, select everything and copy.

Once you have copied your text from your notepad, go back to your Photoshop Elements program and go to File, File Info....

 I always place my credit in the caption box.

Now this layout always will have its credit already listed out. This comes in handy when you are building new profiles at scrapbooking galleries, who wants to take the time to organize things, AGAIN. This way you open, copy, paste and viola you are done.

ALSO - did you know that at certain sites you can link designers packages back to a store. This is just the ultimate way to give credit. Talk about promoting your favorite designer! One click and someone can buy their product.

Lets all support our designers hard work with credit. It is the right thing to do!

Extraction!

Extraction!!! I love the effect extraction gives a layout. Extraction is the procedure in which you cut out the focus of the photo. No background distractions, no blank space that has no value in a photo. Just your subject FRONT and CENTER! When I extract I use the polygonal lasso tool, I usually set a feather of around 2-5, the tutorial on how to use this tool is located here.

Journal, Journal, Journal!!!!

Hey Scrappers me again, thought I would write my tip/tutorial this Wednesday about Journaling.  I dont know about you but it is one of those things I struggle with when scrapping. Being someone that is more artistic than historical I always try to let my layouts tell the story of whats going on. Lets face it, right now those layouts make sense, but give it 10, 20, 50 years and I'm not sure the story will be as vivid. I love knowing that the work I do will be able to be passed down and my grand children and great grand children will get to see how our family was way back in 2012!

So dont be afraid to write a book! Here are some examples of Journaling.

Don't be afraid to tell your thoughts! Your family will love hearing your point of view!!! Give some details! Don't forget dates and who is in the picture or who attended!!!

Change up the Size!!!

How many of you ever create things that aren't 8x8 or 12x12? I absolutely LOVE changing things up with my projects. I try to make 4x6 photo cards for special occasions or holidays! Even have created a whole brag book digitally to be played on the grandparents digital frames. They love things like that! 

 Announcements - Christmas Cards

 Quotes to put around the house

 Grandparents love BRAG books :)

Creating things for frames in your home extends the possibilites of digital scrapbooking. Take a favorite quote and scrap it and print it for an 8x10 frame. 
 My new project in the works is to use some old windows I have collected over the past few years. Going to paint them up and glaze them so I can showcase and change out the images often!!

Hope this sparks some creativity!!!!
 

Cookie Cutter Tool

COOKIE CUTTER

 

I love the cookie cutter tool. Absolutely use it on almost every layout. Say you want to create a tile of the same sized squares of paper and/or photos. Cookie Cutter is one way of doing it.

 

Cookie Cutter tool is the Blue Star on the Left hand tool bar. You can cookie cut in any Shape, you can do fixed shapes or unconstrained shapes, the possibilities are endless.

 

To create the photo strip in this layout I needed all the photos to be the same size. I selected a fixed size and placed my inches in the boxes. Cut each photo on their own layer and then created my layout.

Think about how long it would of taken me to crop out each photo and not loose proportions in the photos without the cookie cutter tool!

Here is one other layout where I used the cookie cutter so I could have the same size squares. I used photos mixed with papers to create this look.

I probably use the Cookie Cutter tool the most when I need a photo to fit into a frame - be it a circle or a square its a piece of cake with the Cookie Cutter tool.

Enjoy using the Cookie Cutter tool!!!!

Wednesday Tip/Tutorial/Technique: Power of Three

Hey Scrappers
With all the fun going on this week at B2N2 Scraps I thought I would give you one more tip that might inspire a fun layout.
Use 1 photo, the same photo, in 3 ways.

This is the same photo in different sizes. Use of black and white vs color also helps you focus.

Here I used the same photo 3 times but cropped and blew up the photo.

Hope this sparks some creativity. I love the Power of Three!

Tip: Use a verse in a song, quote or poem!

Hi Scrappers!
Thought I'd give ya some inspiration through a tried and true tip, use the written word!
Songs, Poems and quotes are great to jump start a layout or put the finishing touches on one.

Here are some examples.

A smile is like the sunshine; It brightens up the day. It gives the eye a twinkle and chases frowns away.

Sunsets are so beautiful that they almost seem as if we are looking through the gates of heaven. John Lubbock

I hope this gives you a little spark of inspiration!

My Favorite Tool: Polygonal Lasso Tool

One of my absolute favorite and most used tool to use is the Polygonal Lasso Tool. If you have not tried this tool for your extraction needs you are missing out!
Here is a simple way I use the tool.  (By the way, if you don't see the tool, click in the lower right hand corner of the lasso tool you will see three options, select polygonal lasso)

By selecting the tool  and while on the layer you want to cut select the area you want to remove. Close the blinking lines and click delete on the keyboard. You can only make the blinking line go away by selecting the crop tool, and clicking on the canvas. Not sure why Adobe makes ya do that, kind of a waste of time, but that is how you make it go away!

 This is the finished product, a cool Element (wired heart) that now appears to be wrapped under and over paper.

This tool is so helpful when you want to wrap ribbons, stitches, even paper in and through elements. Makes for a fast extraction tool when you want to remove anything from a photo *note, if you want to use it for that purpose you select the area you wanna keep then click on the top tool bar menu "select" and click "inverse" - then you can click delete*

Here I extracted my sweet baby Parker out of a photo, placed him on some paper that highlighted his expression, used some elements to wrap under and over. Would of taken me a long time to try and do this layout without the Polygonal Lasso Tool!

Have fun with this tool! It is a time saver and a creative inspirational tool!

Realistic Shadows

 One of the first things I learned to make my pages look their best was the use of shadows. Not adding shadows makes things flat and boring, Nothing like paper scrapbooking. Lets face it who wants to look at flat, if we wanted to look at flat we would just use a regular photo album and smack the photo in there and call it good. Dimension, depth, that is what makes a scrapbook page (IMHO).

Here is a page with no shadows at all. One dimensional. Its an okay looking page.

When you select your shadow effect here is the basic BLACK shadow you get.

But if you change the color to a deep tone of whats behind it. Boom it pops and looks natural.

Here is a finished page with different colors of shadows depending on what is behind it.

To test this idea, take a pencil and place it over a white piece of paper, what color is the shadow. Now move that pencil to a colored piece of paper and see what color the shadow is, yep a darker shade of your paper color.
Next time you are making a layout pay attention to your shadows, they make all the difference in the world. It is a simple function but one I see overlooked on pages often. Playing with the size and distance will also change the look of each element on your page. If in your mind something needs to stand up higher on the page make sure your distance and size correlate to your imagination.

Wednesday Tips/Tutorials

Finding a Layer in Photoshop and Photoshop Elements

When you are working on a document with a number of layers and you want to select a certain layer, you could switch to the Move tool, hunt for, and click on the layer. But you can save time and effort when you are working with a different tool by simply pressing Ctrl Alt Click (Mac: Cmd Opt Click) on the image. The layer under the spot that you click will be automatically selected. You’ll see it highlighted in the Layers panel.

So if you are using a tool like Dodge or Burn or the Brush tool to make adjustments to several photos on a page, for example, you won’t have to change tools and search for the next photo. Just Ctrl Alt Click (Cmd Opt Click) to select it quickly and continue your adjustments.

Wednesday Tips/Tutorials

How can I view an ABR file or brush file?

To view ABR file (brushes) in Photoshop and PSE:
Load the ABR file using these instructions:  How to load a brush in Photoshop or  How to load a brush in Photoshop Elements
Open the software and select the Brush Tool.   In the Options Bar, click the drop-down menu beside the brush to view the loaded brushes.
You can see a large thumbnail of the brush images or ABR files by clicking the right-facing arrow at the top right of the brush viewer drop-down menu.  Choose "Large Thumbnail"

ABR Viewer Software:
You can use free ABR viewing software such as the ABR Viewer Brush Viewing Software, or Brushview QL ABR Viewing Software or
Tumasoft's Preset Viewer. These programs allow you to view your brushes without opening Photoshop.  Many Photoshop users like to keep their ABR brushes filed in a designated "Brush" folder.  This makes finding and viewing the brushes easier.

Wednesday Tips/Tutorials

Be Bold with PS and PSE

Some fonts come packaged in sets with options for bold and italicized text, while others do not.  Photoshop and Elements give you these options even when the font package does not.

When you encounter a font where the drop-down menu for bold remains set at Normal, you’ll know that the font does not have special options. When this happens, highlight the word (or words) you’d like to enhance by clicking at the end of the word and then dragging the cursor over the text.

In Elements, choose the Faux Bold icon from the Options bar. Next to the Faux Bold icon, you’ll find the other special text features: Faux italics, underline and strikethrough.  Tick the green checkmark in the Options Bar to confirm the text change.

In Photoshop, select the “Toggle the Character and Paragraph Panels” icon from the Options bar. Click the Character tab of the palette. Faux bold and the other options are located near the bottom in a row of T icons. As with most things Photoshop, you’ll have more options than Elements including superscript, subscript, and all caps here. Tick the checkmark in the Options bar to confirm the text change.

To undo the text effect, simply highlight the word or words and tick the icon again.

Wednesday Tips/Tutorials

Mats with Flair in Photoshop or PSE

Tired of square or rectangle photo mats?  Use this simple technique to give your photo and journaling mats a little personality.

Begin by opening a new white document in Photoshop or Elements.
Press the letter D on the keyboard to set the Foreground/Background colors to the default – black and white respectively.

Get the Rectangle Tool which shares a space on the toolbar with the Custom Shape tool. Don’t confuse this with the Rectangular Marquee tool near the top of the tool bar.

Check the Options bar to make sure “Create New Shape Layer” or “Shape Layers” is selected, then Shift while you drag out a 3-inch square on your document.

In Elements, tick the Simplify button in the Options bar while the Rectangle tool is still selected.
In Photoshop, choose Layer > Rasterize > Layer to make the shape editable.

Next, get the Liquify filter from the menu bar.
In Elements, choose Filter > Distort > Liquify.
In Photoshop, select Filter > Liquify.

Use the brush size slider to increase or decrease the size of the cursor until it is slightly larger than your square.

Get the Pucker tool from the tool bar on the left.  Click and hold the cursor in the center of your square.  This slightly pulls in the sides of the square. If you like this shape, click OK.

If not, hold the Alt key (Mac: Opt key) and press Cancel to reset the shape.
Get the Bloat tool from the toolbar on the left. Reset the brush size slightly larger than the square.
Click and hold the cursor in the center of your square. This slightly puffs out the sides of the square for a different shape.  If you like the results, click OK.

Use your new shape as a mat for photos, journaling or as a clipping mask for digital papers and photos.

Wednesday Tips/Tutorials

How to Load a Layer Style file into Photoshop Elements 7.0-10

1. First make sure your folders are not "hidden":

Click on "Start" and choose "My Computer." (Vista users: choose "Computer.") When a window pops up, click on the Tool menu at the top and choose Folder Options.

When the Folder Options dialog box comes up, click on the View tab at the top.

In the "Advanced Settings" section there's a folder called Hidden files and folders. Make sure "Show hidden

files and folders" is selected. Click OK.

2. To add the layer style: Open the folder with the layer style.

Right click on the layer style name and choose "Copy."

3. Click on the Start menu, then click on My Computer, and look for this path:

In Vista and Windows 7 the path is:

Start > Computer > Local Disk (C:) > Program Data > Adobe > Photoshop Elements > 7.0 > Photo Creations > Layer styles

In Windows XP the path is:

Start > Computer > Local Disk (C:) > Documents and Settings > All Users > Application Data > Adobe > Photoshop Elements > 7.0 > Photo Creations > layer styles

Note: For Photoshop Elements 8, substitute 8.0 for 7.0 above.

For Photoshop Elements 9, substitute 9.0 for the 7.0 above.

For Photoshop Elements 10, the path is:

Start > Computer > Local Disk (C:) > ProgramData > Adobe >Photoshop Elements >10.0 >Photo Creations > layer styles

Once you're inside the Layer Styles folder, press Ctrl V to paste the layer style.

Now go to:
C:\ProgramData\Adobe\Photoshop Elements\10.0\Locale\en_us

Locate the file called "Mediadatabase" and rename this file.  You can make it OLDMediadatabase or anything you like.  You are just renaming it so that Photoshop will rebuild the database.  You do not want to delete it in case of the unlikely event that anything goes wrong.  In this case, you can just change the name back to the original name.

4. Open PSE. It will take a while to rebuild the database.

You can find the styles under the layer styles panel under "Show All."

Wednesday Tips/Tutorials

Disabling Tabs in Photoshop and PSE

One of the biggest frustrations with the newer versions of Photoshop is the tabbed interface that opens all of your images in a tabbed row. The good news is that this feature is easily disabled.  Here’s how:

Select Edit > Preferences > Interface.
Uncheck Open Documents as Tabs.
Click OK.

Now when you open and create new documents, they will cascade instead of opening in tabs.

The workaround in Photoshop Elements is to choose Edit > Preferences > General and tick “Allow floating documents in full edit mode.” Click OK.
Next, select Window > Images > Float all in windows from the Menu bar. This will cause your open documents to cascade so you can see them all at once and move them by dragging the title bar.

Wednesday Tip/Tutorial

Creating Subway Art with Digital Supplies

Subway art is a creative trend that is exploding on the internet. The art form consists of using words, fonts and even pictures to create a visually appealing and meaningful display. Using Photoshop brushes and digital scrapbooking papers, you can put together your own, highly customized Subway art to display or give as a gift.  Here’s how:

1. Open a document the size and shape you’d like to frame your art.
2. Open a piece of digital scrapbook paper and use the Move tool to drag it onto your document.
3. Get the Rectangle tool. Choose “Shape Layers” and “Create a New Shape Layer” from the Options bar.  Drag out a rectangle on your document where you’d like your words to be placed.
4. Open word art such as Katie Pertiet’s Blocked Sentiments.  Use the Move tool to drag several pieces of word art onto your new document.
5. Select the Word Art layer and press Ctrl T on your keyboard (Mac: Cmd T) to get the Transform controls. Use the corner handles to resize the word art to fit within your document. Click the checkmark to confirm the change.
6. While you have the Transform controls active, you can also turn a word.  Use the side handles which look like a curved arrow to change the orientation of the word art. Pressing the Shift key as you turn moves the image incrementally. Click the checkmark to confirm the tilt.
7. To recolor a portion of the word art: With the word layer selected, get the Rectangular Marquee tool (or other selection tool) and make a selection around the portion you would like to change. Choose Edit > Fill > Color from the menu bar. Choose a color and click OK, then tick the Preserve Transparency box and click OK on the Fill dialog box. Your word will fill with the color you have selected. Press Ctrl D (Mac: Cmd D) to remove the selection.
8. If you get into a sticky situation, you can also make a selection around all the words in the word art by Ctrl clicking (Mac: Cmd clicking) the thumbnail of the word layer in the Layers panel. Use the paintbrush tool to paint a new color into the word selection using the foreground color as your paint color.
9. To change a word: Select the word layer and get the Rectangular Marquee tool. Make a selection around the portion of the word art you’d like to change. Press Delete or Backspace on your keyboard. This erases the portion you have selected. Now press Ctrl D (Mac: Cmd D) on your keyboard to remove the selection. Get the Type tool and choose a font, style and color in the Options bar. Click and type a new word in the space and then click the checkmark to confirm your type. Text can be resized like images by getting the transform controls to resize it. (see step 5)  Using this technique, you can also replace a word with a digital sticker, rub on, or other embellishment.
10. To cover a word with photos or digital paper: Select the word layer and make a selection around the word you would like to cover. Press Ctrl J (Mac: Cmd J) on your keyboard. This copies *just* the selection to a new layer. Now open your paper and use the Move tool to drag it onto your page. Position it  one step above your copy in the Layers Panel. Hold the Alt key (Mac: Opt key) and click between the paper and the copied layer in the Layers panel. Use this method to cover the mat layer with paper as well.
11. When you are happy with your artwork, save it as a jpg and print it. You may also like to save it as a layered PSD file just in case you find you’d like to change something later.
12. Slip the print into a frame or glue it to a canvas to display it. You can even glue it to a piece of rustic or painted wood.

Wednesday Tips/Tutorials

Filling and Offsetting Outline Word Art Letters with Patterned Paper

Create a new document the color and size of your choice, then open a piece of digital paper.
Open a PNG outlined word art image and drag it onto your new document.
With the word art layer selected, get the Magic Wand tool.
Select the Add to Selection icon and tick Contiguous in the Options bar.
Click inside each of the letters. Marching ants will surround each of the selected sections.

Ctrl Click (Mac: Cmd click) the Create a New Layer icon in the Layers Panel. This places a new transparent layer below the text layer.

Now open a piece of digital paper and press Ctrl A Ctrl C (Mac Cmd A Cmd C) to select all of the paper and copy it.

Now switch back to the word art document and choose either:
• Photoshop: Edit > Paste Into or Edit > Paste Special > Paste Into
• Elements: Edit > Paste Into Selection

This fills your letters with patterned paper with the “fill” on its own layer.

Rather have a solid color? No problem! Select the patterned paper “fill” layer and choose Edit > Fill from the Menu bar.
Tick the “Preserve Transparency” box. From the Contents section, choose Color, then use the color picker to grab a color you like. Click OK to fill the layer with color.

If you like the offset alphabet look, you can switch to the Move tool and drag the outline layer to move it slightly away from the color or patterned paper layer.

Wednesday Tips/Tutorials

How to Use, Move and Resize Layered Frames and Embellishments

More and more digital frames and embellishments are being designed as layered files. This is great since it allows for greater customization and flexibility. Working with these DIY files is a snap if you have a few techniques in your repertoire. Three of the most frequently asked questions are (1) how to move the layered embellishment to another document (2) how to resize the layered embellishment and (3) how to attach your own photo or paper to the image. Here’s how:

1. To move a layered frame or embellishment onto another document, open a document and an embellishment file.
Set your workspace so that you can see both documents at the same time. In Photoshop, choose Window > Arrange > Float all in Windows.  In Elements, choose Window > Images > Float all in Windows.
Click the top layer in the Layers panel at the bottom right corner of the screen.
Hold the Shift key and click the bottom layer. This will select all of the layers top-to-bottom. Alternatively, you can Ctrl Click (Mac: Cmd click) each of the layers to select them.
Now get the Move tool and drag the layers from the Layers panel to the new document.

2. To resize the frame or embellishment move it to your new document and use the same method to select all of the layers of the layered file. You can also Ctrl click (Mac: Cmd click) all of the layers in the Layers panel to select them. Click the chain link icon in the Layers panel to link the layers together. Get the Move tool. In the Options bar, tick Auto Select and Show Transform Controls (PS) or Show Bounding Box (Elements.) You’ll see a box surround the embellishment. Move your cursor to a corner of the box and drag toward the center of the image to make it smaller, or away from the center to make it larger. In some versions of the software you need to hold the Shift key as you resize to maintain the aspect ratio. If you are getting the distorted, funhouse effect, hold the Shift key as you drag. As long as the layers are linked, the layers will resize, move and turn together.

3. To attach your own photo or digital paper to the embellishment, get the Move tool and select the layer you want to cover up. Drag the photo or paper onto the layered embellishment. In the Layers panel, make sure that your photo is one spot above the layer that you are covering. You can drag the layer up or down the Layers panel to position it if necessary. Now hold down the Alt key (Mac: Opt key) and position your cursor between your photo and the layer you are covering. When the cursor changes to a double-circle arrow, click. Your photo layer will move to the right with a down-pointing arrow. On your document, the photo takes on the shape of the layer it is covering.