Are you fairly new to digital scrapbooking? Or do you want to learn a quick and easy method to complete a digital layout? Then I HAVE to introduce you to digital templates. Digital templates are premade layouts that allow you to drag and group your selected papers onto the template–creating your own beautiful layout. These are a MUST have for the busy scrapbooker.

For todays’ “Work It Out Wednesday” you will need: a photo editing program (I’m using Photoshop CS4), a digital template of your choice (I downloaded this fun template at Paislee Press for FREE), and digital elements of your choice (again, you can find lots of free downloads).

Step 1: Open the digital template inside your photo editing program.

Step 2: Open the background paper of your choice (you will notice on the right hand, bottom side of the photo editing program that each layer has been carefully titled so you know what you will need to select and open).

Step 3: Use the mouse to click on the layer that you are using, in this case it is titled ”Choose your Background” layer. Drag the opened background paper onto the digital template. Make sure that the background paper appears on the layer above the “Choose your Background” layer. Now use this time saving key stroke to merge the layers together: Ctrl-Alt-G.

Step 4: Save your template under a new name and in a file folder of your choosing. (Believe me. It’s a total headache when you lose everything you’ve been working on.)  I also like to select the layer and rename it “blue paper” or “paper clip” because sometimes the images within the layers are difficult to see.

Step 5: Continue steps 2-3 for each layer of the template. (Continue saving and naming layers as you go.)

 

Step 6:  Ok, this is just a fun step (so you can ignore it if you want.) Sometimes when I open a paper, I want to use it in a small area. See the middle yellow circle in the above image? I love the blue floral paper, but if I were to group it with that tiny circle the large pattern would almost look like a solid instead of a pattern. So I open the blue paper, and then I change the image size to something much smaller—for this case 2″ X 2″. Notice how the pattern shrinks after you perform this step.

 

Step 7: Now repeat your grouping steps, select the layer you want to change, drag the paper over onto the desktop, and then CTRL-ALT-G to make it snap to the shape.

 

Step 8: Ready to add the title? Select the layer titled “TITLE.” Then select the “T” type tool on the left side of your photo editing program. Then use the pull down menu to select the font of your choice. (I later changed this text color to grey because I liked it better. The nice thing is any time you want to change something on a layer, just click it and then you can make the changes.)

Step 9: And how about some photos? Before I added the photos, I changed them to black and white (see WOW #8–Changing Photos to Black and White for this process). Now select the first photo layer “1-Clip Photo Here”, and drag the photo onto the layout. Use your shortcut key: CTRL-ALT-G to snap it to the frame. You may notice this photo is too large for the frame. No worries. See Step 10 to fix this.

Step 10: To fix an element on your layout, you can use another shortcut key: “CRTL T”. This shortcut key allows you to maninpulate the size of your element to fit the space you’re working in. Be careful with this button as you can distort your photo. Use only the corners to fit and squeeze the photo or you will elongate or widen your item disproportionately.

 

Step 11: Item still not where you want it? Once you apply the transition, you can select the “move” key and move the photo into place exactly where you want it.

 

Step 12: Continue these steps until all three photos are in place.

 

Step 13: Now we want to change the date. So select the “Date” layer, and then select the “T” text tool, and then highlight the word “date” on the layout.

Step 14: To manipulate this text, you can select a larger font size, or a different font. And then once typed, you can use the “move” key to center the text underneath the circles.

Step 15: This step is for eliminating a layer that you don’t care for. The journaling block area didn’t quite work for what I wanted so I am going to delete it. I select the layer titled “your journaling goes” here and drag it down to the little trash can. It’s gone. Want it back? “CTRL Z” will undo this step.

Step 16: Now I want to insert my own text. Select “Layer” in the top menu and “New” and “Layer”. Then select the “T” text tool.

 

Step 17: Then select your font style, font color, and font size. (You can also decide to left or right adjust or center the text). And then determine where you want to start typing on the layout. I chose to type beneath the photos, with a right justify.

 

Step 18: At this point, you can use the steps in Step 15 to elminate the guide for this layout, which is titled “guide–hide when done.” This is the saved layout so far.

 

(Step A: You can stop there. If you decide you’re done, then select “Layer” and then “Merge Visible” from the top menu.)

(Step B: To save the document as a jpeg, you select “Save for Web”, and then I adjust my image size to about 1500 px wide, and save it.)

But you can always keep going, adding elements and pieces until the layout is a little more detailed from when you started. Here’s my layout after playing with it a bit more.

 

(Supplies: Paislee Pressplate No. 15 by Paislee Press; Paper No 12 from Kit for Kate by Crystal Wilkerson; Polka Dot Buttons by Michelle Underwood from the Roll with It kit by www.twopeasinabucket.com; Paper No 1 by Michelle Underwood from the Roll with It kit by www. twopeasinabucket.com; Paper No 2 by Michelle Underwood from the Roll with It kit by www. twopeasinabucket.com; Paper No 4 by Michelle Underwood from the Roll with It kit by www. twopeasinabucket.com; Long Cross Stitch by Carina Gardner from the Stitches 2 kit from www. twopeasinabucket.com; Bird on a Wire brush by Erica Hernandez from Feeling Bookish kit from www. twopeasinabucket.com; Branch 5 from Jen Allyson from the Apricot Avenue Stamps kit from www. twopeasinabucket.com).

Did you try this? I’d love to see. Got a tip for me? A better way to do one of these steps? I’d love to hear it as I’m still learning too. Just post a comment with your tip or a link to completed project. I can’t wait to see what you’re working on.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, September 23rd, 2009 at 1:06 am and is filed under Work it Out Wednesday. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.