Here is my next layout for the genealogy challenge in the forums. I invite you to join me at any time (in the future) and just go through them as you have time. This is the third one.
I was excited to accidentally make the cool line edges for the layout. There's some along the edges at the top and one dividing the two areas on the brown. I am still trying to get my next kit for sale done. I don't know how these fast designers do it!
I have been too busy to actively recruit and remind designers, so I was blessed when Kelly Shuts found me and volunteered. I enjoy meeting other designers and getting to know them and I welcome you to get to know Kelly with me today.
Often, we are stuck with a small area to journal after putting all of our photos on a layout, but that space is not the right contrast for seeing text. Kelly is sharing with us today a technique she uses so that you can journal on any paper.
Kelly Shuts is a name I've been familar with a long time, but I've never gotten to know who she is and where she designs. She designs for traditional paper supplies at Dream Street Papers and I clicked on over there and was inspired by their gallery... do take a peek at it. You can keep up with Kelly on her blog where you will find some great craft ideas.
Kelly is also did the website design and graphics for Digital Scrapbook Previews, a site owned by Amy Teets. If you have not visited there, it's a great place to find new kits or kits of a specific topic.
Kelly sells at A Cherry on Top (check out the coupon below!) and Scrapbook-Elements and her designs have a soft or warm feeling about them, perfect for the majority of scrapbook pages, as well as some templates and other items.
Kelly's tutorial is in the form of a graphic, but here's what Kelly had to share about herself:
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Hi! My name is Kelly Shults, and I am a 30-something college junior working on a degree in Early Childhood Education. I am also digital designer and I have some paper collections out as well. I am Mom to Andrea, Ericka, and Tristan. We have the cutest little Dachsund named, Zoe. I am blessed to be married to my best friend and soul mate, Chris.
I have been a traditional scrapbooker for many years and began Digital Scrapbooking with Photoshop early in 2004. I also love to experiment with web design, altered art, painting, and drawing. I started selling my digital designs in March 2004, when Scrapbook-Elements first opened their virtual doors and have been at it every since. About a year ago my dream of having a traditional paper line came true when I was hired as a designer for Dream Street Papers Scrapbook Company!
Designing and creating art seem as natural to me as breathing... I sometimes even dream about creating art! I am so happy to be doing what I love!
Lastly, here are a couple of odd factoids about me: I am not a big TV watcher, but when I do watch it, my favorite shows are Lost, CSI, and Joyce Meyers. I also enjoy watching Carol Duvall and the HGTV channel, I am an idea book/magazine junkie. My current favorite music groups are Frou Frou, Skillet, SuperChick, and Michael Buble'. My favorite food is Mexican ---anything!
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Here is a code 50% off purchases of $10.00 or more on my items at my A Cherry on Top Digital Shoppe. The coupon code is: ( Hummie_World ).
Please allow me to introduce you to our next designer for the Designer Technique, Monica Larsen. Monica is a Norwegian mother of three (two younger twins and a teenager). Once again this week I am so thankful for Monica as she contacted me first and got her writing to me right away! I get so overwhelmed and busy myself that it means a lot to me. I also see it as someone who is most likely to provide great customer service.
I have never worked personally before with Monica, but understand that she is well known for her amazing bows and ribbons which she creates solely by digital, not scanning. So as you browse through her shops, take note at how amazingly realistic they appear to understand what advanced skills she must possess.
Monica shares with us another blending tutorial which is quite a different method than last week's Designer Technique. That is what I love about digital in that there are always so many ways to acheive one technique. It is always interesting to visit with others to see how they accomplish a task. Will we ever quit learning? That's what keeps this hobby addictive.
I was able to translate everything into Photoshop Elements with one exception. PSE does not have the 4 settings for drop shadows and that makes the drop shadow portion of the layer below the photo difficult to follow. It can be done, though. See my custom blending tutorial for that.
She has another blending tutorial which I have known to be popular at her site, click on the layout at the top of the right sidebar.
Be inspired by her unique layouts at her DST gallery where you can see blending is part of her scrapping style.
Monica is the owner and designer of Commercial-use.com with some amazing actions for Photoshop CS2, CS, and 7.0 users.
Monica has her own private store where she sells (sign up for the newsletter to get coupons), and a store at SBE, and a store at Digitals, and a store (as co-owner) at We Do Scrap, and a store at scrap-garden.
There is a coupon at the bottom for 50% off a quick page set, don't miss it!
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Blending - by Monica Larsen
This is a technique that is easy, but gives a great touch to your page. I'll show you the basics - but the possibilities are endless.
Open a new document at 12*12 inches. Add a background paper that fits your photo.
Place your photo in the middle of the page.
Use the marquee tool and mark a square around the main object in the photo - or the part you want highlighted. Use select-transform selection to turn the square a little - then press ctrl+ J to copy the selected area. Make the layer with the main photo invisible to see the copy better.
Duplicate the copied layer, make the upper copy of the photo invisible - select the bottom copy of the selection and use round marquee selection to cut out parts off of the photo.
Make the upper copy visible and add these layer styles to the upper layer:
Shadow: 75 - 5 - 0 - 10
Stroke: Inside, 40 pxl, and your colour (I prefer white)
To the lower layer of the photo (not the main photo - but the selection)
Shadow: 75 - 35 - 20 - 35
Make the main copy visible. Make it selected by clicking in the layer window while holding the control button down.
Choose selection - feather - 250 (try out the amount of feather) and then invert the selection and press delete (you might want to press delete a few times to make sure that the edges are completely "smudged"
Now you can either choose to reduce the opacity on the original photo, or use different blending modes.
50 % opacity
Overlay - 100 % opacity.
Linear Lightning - 50 % opacity.
Then - add you personal touch by adding scrapbook supplies like swirls, ribbons and bows, photo fasteners and more.
Here is my version.
For the readers of this tutorial, I am happy to offer both a 50 % off coupon on the page set Mathilde, and for a limited time only – two quick pages for free – made with the Mathilde page set.
To get the 50% off on the page set – use the code – mathilde – at checkout.
I have known Betty Jo and her designs for quite a long time, but have not really had any personal contact with her. As many know, I've been having a stressful few weeks and thought I would be behind again on the Designer Technique and had resolved to be a week late again as I had not sent Betty Jo a reminder as I always do for all designers.
However, to my great surprise, Betty Jo contacted me today inquiring as to whether or not I had received her e-mail days ago. I am usually careful in checking my spam folder, but it must have gotten by me. Wow, first she is on the ball getting it done and then she is on the ball making sure I had received it to get it up in a timely manner and I just want to declare, "Bless your heart, Betty Jo!"
I remember my first impression of Betty Jo; that being her name itself lending to a type of person that you could just feel welcome into her crafty country home to sit about her table with a cup of tea and freshly baked cookies to chat away. How surprised I was when I peeked about her kits to realize they exemplified the same feeling. They are very unique to her own style and make me feel cozy as if I'm walking down the craft isles at my local hobby store.
You can find Betty Jo's kits at Kathryn Balint and Friends and E-scape and Scrap. Get to know Betty Jo at her blog called Digi Scribbles.
Be sure to catch her BIG coupon at the bottom of this post.
I love the blending technique she shares with us and I was able to translate it all into Photoshop Elements while I read it. There is one step she shares that I had never thought of doing, so I appreciate her tutorial and hope to find time to try it soon.
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Thanks ever so much Hummie for inviting me to be one of your featured designers. What an honor!
I’m a minimalist scrapper, photo-focused, generally using only a few elements on a page. Photography is a passion, especially nature and landscape photography. My two granddaughters are also favorite subjects for my albums but have become a bit camera shy lately. However, that’s not a problem. I want them to grow up knowing their Gran is more interested in just being with them, then photographing them. When my photos are in scarce supply, and I have an itch to scrap, I often borrow from my dear friend and long-time CT member, Cheryl Flora. Cheryl is by far one of the best child photographers I know and it is always a joy for me to scrap a RAK for her.
I often use only a title and/or quote on my page for public view, adding personal journaling later before printing the layout.
This is a recent layout and one for which I’ve had many wonderful comments. My friend’s photo of her gorgeous granddaughter Meikina is the main focus of this page. I so love the photo, I used it twice, blending a duplicate into the background. I’d like to share with you the simple way I did the blend. I’m only familiar with Photoshop CS2, but perhaps you can adapt my instructions to your own program.
Full list of credits
Blending a Photo into the Background with Photoshop CS2:
First, I duplicated the photo so I had a working copy, and then recolored the photo in this way: I chose one of the background colors with the color picker so it was showing in my foreground color box. In this case, it was RGB bfa074.
Next, I followed these steps: Image> Adjustments> Hue/Saturation> and checked the Colorize box. This changed my photo to the color I chose from the background. I then played around with the Hue, Saturation, and Lightness until I got what I liked.
I then flipped the recolored photo: Image> Rotate Canvas> Flip Canvas Horizontal.
Next, I placed the photo on the background of my layout. Then I resized it: Edit> Transform> Scale. Grabbing a corner node, while holding down Shift and Alt, I dragged the photo to the size I wanted and clicked OK.
Then I clicked the "f in a circle", "Add a Layer Style", at the bottom of the layers palette. Clicked Blending Options> Overlay> and set the Opacity to about 80 and clicked OK.
Next, I used the eraser tool with a large soft brush set at 250 pixels or more, at around 50% Opacity and Flow, and carefully removed the hard edges from the photo, and anything else I didn't want there.
I finished my layout by adding other elements of choice.
Hummie requested that I share a favorite kit. Actually I would like to share two of my favorites and most popular.
Top Flight is located:
KB & Friends
Escape and Scrap
&
Rusty Skillet Christmas is located:
KB & Friends
Thank you so much for stopping by. In appreciation, I would like to offer you a coupon good for 30% off anything in my Kathryn Balint and Friend’s store only.
Coupon is good until November 30, 2007.
For the coupon to work, you have to be logged into the store and add the items to your shopping cart, then, while in the shopping cart, scroll down and put the coupon code into the coupon code box. Don’t accidentally use the gift certificate box during checkout.
Coupon code (case sensitive): Hummie-30off
I am excited to share with you Faith True's Designer Technique! When I contacted her, she knew right away what she wanted to share. She seems to be a delightful lady full of energy! Just to back that up, can you believe she sells and three stores? How can she keep up?!! You can find her stores at OAKS, The Digi Shoppe, and Scrapbook-Bytes. You can keep up with her products on her blog or check out her DST layouts. From my review, it appears her style leans toward bright fun colors and she has some great commercial use products too.
Be sure to catch her coupon at the bottom of her writing!
I read through this tutorial and it is applicable to PSE too, so I have something new to play with when I get time! Feel free to share your layouts with this tutorial by leaving a comment with a link.
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Comic Book Tutorial for Photoshop
First open up the photo that you would like to give a comic book look to. I am going to show you step by step how to make a colored comic. I chose a picture of my sons truck that he got on his birthday.
Duplicate the layer so that you have two layers. You can use the keyboard shortcut: Ctrl+J
Turn off the visibility of the top layer so that only the bottom layer can be seen. (You can do this by removing the eye beside the top layer)
Select the bottom layer. You are going to run a cutout filter on the bottom layer. Filter-Artistic-Cutout 
You can feel free to use the settings I used or you can make your own.
Next turn the visibility back on your top layer. You are going to run a halftone filter in black and white. Hit the letter D on your keyboard and that will reset your colors. Now you are going to run the halftone filter. Go to the top of your screen where it says Filter. Filter-Sketch-Halftone
The size of your halftone pattern will depend on the size of the photo you are working with to create the most realism. Use the dot pattern at a high contrast.
This is similar to what your photo will look like.
Now you need to change the blend mode on the top layer by selecting it from the menu (highlighted in photo). I used the overlay blend mode and it gave my photo a nice look.
You can experiment with different blend modes and perfect it on your own.
Here is a layout I made using this technique. It is one of my favorite layouts.
Find credits here
My favorite product that I have so far would have to be my newest kit at One of a Kind Scrapz. I sell at 3 stores that have a wide variety of items, but I think my kits are by far my favorite. Celebrate is also free with a $7 purchase in my store. Even if you buy commercial items!
Thank you so much for stopping by Hummie's blog and reading my technique. For all of you readers out there I made a special coupon for you in my One of a Kind Scrapz store. 4hummiesfriends is good for 25% off of all my products (not counting collabs) at One of a Kind Scrapz only and the coupon will last through October 27, 2007. Also feel free to visit my new blog where I will occasionally post about special deals and include freebies from time to time: http://faithtrue.wordpress.com
Please allow me to introduce Blythe Evans to our Designer Technique this week! It seems if my memory is correct, I first met Blythe at another store and remember her very friendly disposition in e-mails and such. It seems I've known her for a long time and am very familiar with the cute names of her boys, Liam and Greyson, but I've never taken the time to review her products or style well. Unfortunately, OAKS is down due to a server move this morning! Timing is key! But she has her products listed at DST and Digital Scrap Previews also, so you can run over there to check out her wide variety of products.
I love the technique that Blythe is sharing with us today. It is something I do with almost every layout. My process is to start with the photos on my page first, then match my paper colors to the photo. Blythe shares some excellent examples.
Be sure to check out her big coupon at the bottom of this post!
You can find Blythe at her blog. Visit her and get to know her better. Check out her designs at her store at OAKS. I have always loved the acronym for One of a Kind Scraps.
I must add, Blythe is really on the ball! She sent me her write-up right away and I was SO thanks that I did not even have to remind her or anxiously await her contribution. I am sure she's got great customer relations with action like that!
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First of all let me say what a great honor it is to be featured here on Hummie’s blog!
Today, I have chosen to talk about “Color Matching”. How you can effectively pull certain colors from your photos and make the picture the main focus of your layout.
When I scrap, there is usually no method to my madness. I do take my time and move things around until I feel they are perfect. I always have a picture in mind before I start and I pick my papers and elements based on the photo. I tend to pull the most striking color from the photo and match it to my papers. This helps make my photos the main focus of the layout.
In this layout I chose to pull the color from my eyes to coordinate with my background paper and also the color from my lips to coordinate with the elements.
Another example:
Here I used burnt red and orange papers to coordinate with the colors from the horizon as my main focus. All you see at first is this gorgeous sunset from 10,000 feet!
**Please Click HERE and HERE for a full list of credits**
One of my favorite kits that I recently released is my Sparkleberry Kit. I fell in love with the color scheme and it kind of just snowballed from there. If you like sparkle and grunge, you are in for a real treat!
I also included an incredible layout by one of my Creative Team members using the kit.
You and Me…Forever by lmccandless
**Click for full list of credits**
A big thank you to Hummie for giving me the opportunity to share and to all of you for taking the time to read. As a special thank you, I would like to offer you this coupon good for 30% off anything in my One of a Kind Scrapz store. Coupon is good through the end of November.
Coupon code: bevans-30off
Please allow me to introduce to you today Sara Ellis! I have only recently met Sara, but I my initial thoughts were as to how sweet she seemed! You can learn more about Sara and her precious children on her blog.
She sells at DigiScrapBoutique, as well as One of a Kind Scraps (OAKS). In addition, she contributes to the charity kits at Scraps For Charity -- isn't that a great concept?!
For layout inspiration from her, take time to visit her galleries at OAKS, The Digi Chick, and DST.
Sara shares with us how to utilize the magic extractor in Photoshop Elements 4.
Watch out below for a 40% off coupon!
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Hi there….
I’m very honored that Hummie asked me to be one of her featured designers.
After lots of pondering, I decided to talk about extractions. Extracting an image out of a photo is a fabulous way to take care of a picture with a very boring or extremely busy background that just doesn’t do any justice for the subject you’d like to focus on.
Take this picture for example. The plain white hallway and shadow do not do anything for this adorable picture of my son, Griffin.
Click on “Magic Extractor” and that will bring you to a screen like this.
Then use the foreground brush tool to color in the subject that you’d like to keep…it will be in red…………
Feel free to alter the brush size to fit the area to your liking.
Then you will use the background brush tool to color in everything you wish to delete…it will be in blue.
Then you may click on the smoothing brush and slowly go over the edges of the keeper image and what you’d like to discard….this will iron out some of the rough pixels
After those few steps, click on preview….it may take a few minutes for the altered photo appears
Closely look at your picture to make sure it has been altered to your liking……you might have to add a little back into your picture by clicking on the “add to selection” or by clicking on the “remove from selection” tool ………… you can then paint or erase the targeted areas……
…..then once it looks perfect to you……….click on “ok” and it will look similar to this
now you can save this image as a PNG or just go ahead and start playing with it …….
Here’s the LO that I made back in July using this picture of Griffin
you can find all of the credits here
now……Hummie asked me to also share a favorite product of mine…….my newest favorite isn’t in the store yet, but it should be within the next 24 hours….it’s a collaboration with Faith True called Not So Spooky………..
soooooooo….here’s my Livid Vivid Morning Papers and Elements…. I absolutely love these also
You can find them at OAKS and DSB.
thank you so much for taking the time to read my rambling about extractions… I really appreciate it.
I am excited to introduce to you today Kim Hill. Kim is sharing with us her technique for an Imaginary Triangle.
Make sure you scroll all the way down and utilize her 40% off coupon!
I must share that last week when by my own fault of failing to remind the designers it was their time for the Designer Technnique, I contacted both Kim and Karen at the same time because they were both overdue. How ironic that both of them would send me the same technique on the same day!
I felt that each was still unique as each lady highlights the rule of thirds in a triangle in a different relation. In addition, I was already planning on a photography challenge for the rule of thirds which I hope to get up soon.
This must be such an important technique that it will be reinforced on my blog here three times in one week! So, sit up, pay attention, and go play with it!
Kim is an amazing lady! If you have traversed the digiworld at all, you most likely know her name. Her contributions to the digiworld are numerous and we thank her for all that she does.
You can keep up with her and get to know her better at her blog called A Day in the Life of Kim. She is the mother of two adorable boys and is a professional photographer in the State of New York. From her blog you can feel how important motherhood and family are to her.
Kim is the Owner & Designer of CG Essentials and the Owner of DigiScrapping Tutorials. I have been blessed by her tutorials on both of these sites, especially when I was a newbie scrapper. She has spread kindness by the time she has put into these very helpful tutorials. Her tutorials can be found for every program available, so they universally help everyone! She even has an offer to make custom kits at a reasonable price!
She sell at ACOT and Scrapbook-Elements. Besides her kits, she has layered templates for sale, as well as the Photoshop actions for which she is well known (separate actions available for PSE too).
You can see her photography at Photos by Kim Hill and her layouts at DST Gallery to be inspired. Her layouts really are simple and all about the great photo and the journaling.
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To be honest, I'm a simple scrapper.....I like to keep the focus of my pages on the photos and journaling. As much as I love looking at the cluttered layouts that others do so well, it just isn't my style. So I thought I would share with you a composition technique that is often used on most of my simple pages.
I like to balance out my layouts by using an imaginary triangle. Each point on the triangle will be a focal area within the layout. As your eye moves around the layout, you will stop at each of these points and see something of interest. In this layout, you can see that the journaling is one point, the photo is the second point, and the title is the third point. The triangle composition will keep your eye moving around the layout with a nice flow. Try using this technique on your next layout!
Hummie asked that I share with you a product of mine. My personal favorite is the Cottage Charm Kit. This kit has a soft shabby feel with bits of lace and fabric as well as weathered wood and ribbons. The kit can be found at my shop at CG Essentials.
I invite you to try out my products for 40% off using coupon code Hummie40. This coupon is only valid at my personal shop at CG Essentials and expires on September 30, 2007. Simply enter this coupon at checkout and you will see the savings in your cart.
I am happy to be able to get back into the swing of things and introduce to you Sharon who is also known as ksharonkdesigns. Sharon is well known for her clean and uncluttered layouts---just my style! I can easily be inspired by anything posted on her blog. Her layouts are all about the photos and her photography skills stand out in her pages.
Just as her style, Sharon is sharing with us a simple, yet very effective, technique to incorporate into layouts of utilizing a visual triangle.
You can keep up with Sharon on her blog and shop called "Artistic Musings." Find something to scraplift at her SBB gallery or PBP gallery.
You can find Sharon's designs at Pickleberrypop and Littlescrapbookshop.
She also creates for Tracy Ann Designs and Shabby Miss Jenn Designs.
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My Designer’s Tip … by [ksharonkdesigns], aka ksharonk ☺
My scrapping style is predominantly simple, incorporating lots of white space. I almost always use two ‘visual aids’ when creating a page … a grid that I use to help position my photos, and the ‘visual triangle’ principle.
Grid: I imagine a three by three grid is on top of my page, and place the eyes of my subject in my photo, or point of interest in my photo, over one of the intersections.
You can see that Natasha’s eyes are close to the intersection of the top right corner part of the grid.
Visual triangle: my visual triangle ties my page together. You can see that there are three flowers on my page that make up an imaginary triangle. This creates a virtual boundary for the viewer’s eye, linking all the layout elements together, and creating a feeling of ‘organized space’ on the page.
My favourite kit: The Girly Collection 1 is a pretty set of four minikits of girly goodness!
available at http://www.pickleberrypop.com/ …
Wild Child minikit: 5 papers, two frames, three felt flowers, three buttons, notepaper, two ribbons, gold staple and 3 'dymo' tapes. These papers are 12 in x 12 in, and the elements and papers are created at 300 dpi.
Summer Freckles minikit: five papers, two felt hearts, one frame, tape, two ricrac, staple, card, two buttons and one green clip. These papers a12 in x 12 in, and the elements and papers are created at 300 dpi.
Day Dreaming minikit: five papers, three tags, three buttons, two scrolls, frame, notepaper edge and zigzag stitching. These papers are 12 in x 12 in, and the elements and papers are created at 300 dpi.
Frivolous minikit: five papers, three buttons, two flowers, two bows, frame, tag and silver brad. These papers are 12 in x 12 in, and the elements and papers are created at 300 dpi.
My nephew turned 16 yesterday! Yeah! We traveled to St. Louis for his party and we are making it a double day of fun by traveling to his dirt bike race today to support him. That means a lot of time on the road and little time on my blog.
I do realize that the Designer Technique has gotten behind, but I have made recent efforts on it and do have two posts that have come in, so I will get the first one put up next week.
Any designer can volunteer for it and I would appreciate you volunteering rather than me seeking and inviting. It is a great way to contribute to the digi-community!
Please allow me to introduce to you today LaWanna Desjardin who is featuring in our Designer Technique this week an application for creative text! I am excited about this and glad to see a designer utilizing this opportunity to share a simple, yet really cool, technique to be used on a layout, rather than teaching how to design something.
I met LaWanna online when she first started selling and have a few of her first kits. She was always warm and helpful, but with the ever-changing world of digishops, I lost track of her. One day, I noticed one of her ads and thought to myself, "Wow, have her designs really improved!" I just knew I needed to invite her to the Designer Technique so that I could get reaquainted with her.
You can find LaWanna at her site Desjardin Digital Designs where you can find tutorials and her blog to get to know her better. You can find her stores at Scrapbook Bytes, Oscraps, and free samples in her product gallery.
PSSST...there's a nice coupon at the bottom, so read all the way down!
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Masked Painted Text Effect for Photoshop/Photoshop Elements
By LaWanna Desjardin
One of my favorite ways to personalize my pages is to use a unique text effect, usually in the title of the page. I’m going to show you one of my favorite techniques for titling a page –using a masked paint effect. For those among you who are more adventurous, I’ve also taken it a step further; by showing you how to use layer masks (Yes, PSE can do layer masks!) to get this same effect and how layer masks allow you to manipulate the layer even more. You can see this finished effect in this layout, You Make Me Smile.
Masked Paint Text Effect: Selection Method
1. First you will want to type your text on new text layer. Then Cntrl+Click on the layer thumbnail to select the word(s) you typed. You should see marching ants around the word.
2. Now go to Select/Inverse to reverse the selection. Hide your text layer by clicking the little eye icon in the layer’s palette.
3. Create a new layer by going to Layer>New>Layer. Make sure this new blank layer is active in your layers palette. You will see something like this in your layers palette and canvas.
4. Next you are going to choose your brush tool and choose a brush. Different brushes will yield different effects. I am using Dry Media Brushes #63. Now with the selection active, simply click and drag on the new blank layer. The paint will appear only in selected areas. In the image, I have hidden the background layer to reveal the transparency.
5. Like I said different brushes will yield different effects. Here are three different effects.
The first two use brushes available with Photoshop Elements and Photoshop.
The last uses a grunge brush I created.
Masked Paint Text Effect: Layer Mask Method
Now I’m going to show you how to do this same technique using layer masks. Why? Using the layer mask technique will allow you to manipulate the layer even more creating even more cool effects.
Photoshop Elements does not have a built in layer mask tool. But, you can download a PSE-compatible layer mask action along with some other great PSE Actions here at Grant’s Tools. These tools are amazing for PSE. While some – such as curves – will not work with newer versions of PSE, others like the alignment tools and the layer mask tool are indispensable! Just follow Grant’s Installation Instructions.
One of the coolest things about layer masks in Photoshop or in Photoshop Elements is that you can manipulate the mask separately from the main layer. That means that you can apply a filter to the mask and that will affect how the main layer will look.
1. For this version of the effect, we are going to create our paint layer first. So create a new layer, and select a brush from the palette. For this tutorial, I used Dry Media Brush #63. Click and drag the mouse to paint on the new layer.
2. Now you need to apply a layer mask to the paint layer. We’ll use the layer mask in a moment, but for now you won’t see any changes to the canvas. You will see the layer mask appear in the layers palette though.
a. If you are working with Grant’s Tools in PSE, they will appear in the styles and effects palette. Choose effects from the first drop-down menu and Grant’s Tools from the second drop down menu. Then choose layer mask from the effects menu. It looks like a pair of Drama Masks in the drop down menu.
b. If you are working with PSCS, click the add layer mask icon on the layers palette or go to Layer>Layer Mask>Reveal All.
(Now forget about the layer mask for just a moment.)
3. On a new layer, type the text you want to use as your mask. Cntrl+Click on the layer thumbnail to select the text and put marching ants around it. For now turn off the layer visibility, by clicking the eye-icon in the palette.
4. With the selection still active, select the paint layer. Click on the layer mask thumbnail to activate the mask.
Using solid black as your foreground color, fill the selection area (the area surrounded by marching ants) with your paint bucket. On your canvas, you should see the text area disappear from the paint layer, similar to the effect in method A of this tutorial.
Now we are going to add some further special effects to our new masked paint layer. Now you will see the fun of layer masks.
5. Make sure the paint layer is selected. Now click on the layer mask thumbnail as before. (If you want to see the layer mask on the canvas, click Alt+Layer Mask Thumbnail. Repeat to see the main layer.)
6. Now go to the Filter Gallery, under Filter>Filter Gallery. We are going to apply some effects to the paint layer mask. Remember that layer masks respond to shades of gray. White will reveal parts of the main paint layer and black will hide parts of the main paint layer. Grays will result in varying opacities in the main layer.
a. Under Distort. Choose Glass. Settings should be:
Distortion>1;
Smoothness>2;
Texture>Frosted;
Scaling>94
Don’t click OK yet. You can already see the effects of the filters on the layer mask in the preview window.
b. Now Choose New Effect Layer (the small square icon on the bottom).
Select Spatter from the Brush Strokes menu. Settings should be Spray Radius>15; Smoothness>5
c. Add another New Effect Layer.
Select Crosshatch from the Brush Strokes Menu. Settings should be:
Stroke Length> 26
Sharpness>1
Strength>1
Now click OK. Here is the finished product. Play around with the settings in the Filter Gallery for more effects.
Hummie wanted me to share one of my favorite kits with you! That’s kind of tough for me, because my favorite kit is usually my most recent one, which is currently Joy of Life at Scrapbook-Bytes. I just love the fun colors and elements in this kit!
Oh,yeah! I almost forgot. I hope you enjoy this coupon code for 25 Percent of my products at Scrapbook-Bytes. (Expires October 31, 2007) Just use code: HWTutCoup. (If you cut and paste, be sure not to get any spaces in there!)
Please allow me to introduce Barb Speck to the Designer Technique this week. Barb is sharing with us how to make a Greeting Card with a free template to download.
Barb's name is very familiar to me as she has been in the digicommunity the entire time I have been in it. She is always busy contributing to the community in some way or another, coming up with creative products for our pages.
She was formerly at Scrap Outside the Box, but has moved. You can find her at her site and where she now sells at Natural Designs in Scrapbooking and Commercial Use.com and Purple Paper Flowers (which seems to be down right now).
You’ll find one set of my card templates at my store here and I’m slowly working on new ones all the time. I like using things out of my kits to make my cards.Please welcome Katie the Scrapbook Lady to the Designer Technique this week! Katie shares with us how to fill shapes, alphabet letters, and other elements with photos.
I am so happy that she has provided us with a simple technique to inspire everyone to get creative with their layouts. Whether you are a newbie and new to this technique, or you are an avid scrapper and done this technique before, this focus will get our brains churning on unique applications of this technique! I myself have not done it in a while and think I am going to use it in one of my next layouts...thanks Katie! This is what our Designer Techniques are on the blog is to be all about.
You can read more about the fabulous Katie the Scrapbook Lady (catchy name, huh?) and get to know her personally at her blog.
Katie sells at The Digi Shoppe and A Cherry on Top. She is clearing out her store at ACOP and has a sale until July 31st. As I always do when posting the Designer Techniques, I have viewed her entire store and appreciate the simple, yet unique inspiration she provides through her sales.
Katie runs a Wordy Wednesday Challenge at the Digi Shoppe and I have reveiwed this week's and last week's challenge and, yes, once again, simple yet powerful inspiration. Do check those out on her blog. They are simple ways to use journaling in layouts. I may have to pay attention to this challenge more myself!
If you sign up for Katie's Newsletter, you can be notified of her freebies! Her latest Newsletter freebie was her Chocolate Kit.
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A big thanks to Hummie for inviting me to share a designer technique her on her fabulous blog!
The technique I am going to focus on is “filling” shapes, alphabets, borders, etc. This may seem simple, but I’m always surprised at how many digital scrapbookers are not aware of how to use this easy and versatile technique. Once you understand how to fill your own elements, you will never be at a loss for adding a matching page embellishment again!
Now I could show you a lot of screen shots here, but I believe the best way to learn is to actually DO something. I have a free gift for you to download that includes the 2 shapes and SWIM title pictured above, a sheet of striped paper and a pool picture so you can practice filling these objects. Oh, and did I mention that I am including fully illustrated tutorials for photoshop programs and Microsoft Digital Image?
These are the same tutorials that are included with my “fill-able” products at The Digi Shoppe, but you can use these instructions to fill any shape you want! Also any thick alphabet will work nicely for filling with patterned papers or photos.
Download your free gift at http://www.4shared.com/file/20293633/f71b9757/Hummie_gift.html
I hope you enjoy it!
For the second part of Hummie's Designer Technique I am to share my most popular or my favorite item in my store. My very best selling item is one of my favorites as well and it fits in nicely with the tutorial. My comic book visual stories templates are by far my best seller.
Please allow me to introduce Mona Minnie to you today. She is the owner of Scraptures. You can read more about her here.
I first met Mona earlier this year when she gifted me with one of her kits in exchange for making and sharing layouts with it. I enjoyed working with her kit.
I am happy that she is providing a technique in a different program other than Photoshop or PSE, so that these techniques can reach a broader audience. This looks like a really neat tip!
Be sure to read to the bottom! She's offered a nice coupon on top of her sale!
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Align and Space Evenly using Photoimpact
I discovered this technique in Photoimpact and now I use it on most of my layouts when I need to align elements on a page symmetrically. Previously I tried to line things up visually or use the snap-to-grid feature. Using the align and space evenly tools I can do the job much quicker.
For the most part all you need to do is position your left and right elements and let Photoimpact position everything else in between automatically!
Open a blank document and open and drag your elements to your canvas. Placement doesn’t matter at this point.
Position your left and right elements – in my example I dragged the pink and yellow brads to the left and right side of the canvas.
Click Objects and Select all Objects from the drop down menu.
Click Objects, Align, Top.
All the brads are now top-aligned.
Next we’ll have Photoimpact automatically space the brads evenly across the page by selecting Object, Align, Space Evenly.
The Space Evenly option box opens and gives you the choice of whether to space horizontally or vertically. Select horizontally.
Done! The brads are now aligned to the top of the page and spaced evenly.
Sometimes I’ll make a grouping of my aligned elements by making sure they are selected and clicking Object and Group.
Then I can flip and rotate the grouping easily without messing up the spacing!
As a special to readers of Hummies Blog you can use coupon code HUMMIE worth $1.00 toward any purchase in my store. Coupon expires July 15, 2007.
My Early Spring Page Kit is a former freebie on my site and is priced at only $2.00 if you missed it. Right now everything in my entire store is 35% off until July 10th and you can also save 30% off your order by using coupon code DIGI-DEAL!! That makes Early Spring only 91 cents! The DIGI-DEAL coupon expires July 31, 2007.
Here is a layout I did of my husband’s family using my Early Spring Page Kit. I used the Align Right and Space Evenly tools to align the brads along the right side of my layout.
One of my most popular products is my Season of Color Page Kit! My customers have said how versatile the colors are and have used it for much more than holiday layouts. Check out the Gallery at Scraptures to see some ideas!
I would like to introduce to you Darcy Baldwin, our Designer sharing a technique with us this week! Darcy says she does not consider herself a "designer" because she merely sells (really cool) fonts, but I would contend that anyone who creates digital scrapbooking pages is a designer!
Darcy is sharing with us today a technique to make stickers.
I have only recently met Darcy, but from the experiences I have had with her, I can share that she is a care, loving, warm person (and I am sure a great mother and wife too!).
Darcy sells custom fonts (with your handwriting) and other fonts at the Blue Flamingo. The prices are reasonable! Some day I may get my own font as it sounds as if it would be fun to play with. I think it is wonderful that Darcy has shared with us a technique today to utilize the fonts she sells!
Darcy has a gallery at DST. Pay special attention to those fonts and find other techniques to utilize fonts!
Keep up Darcy on her blog. Her sons are the subject of most of her scrapbooking pages. Isn't he adorable? Blogs are a great way to really get to know someone.
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Like the sticker look? Would you like to be able to make any of the alphabets or images that you have into a sticker? It’s really quite easy. Follow along with me using any alphabet of your choosing or any image that you have. These instructions are specific to Photoshop CS as that is what I’m using, but work in any of the PS programs and are very similar in PSE.
Open a canvas of any size. Then make a text layer by choosing your text tool and clicking on the canvas. I’ve colored the background here to make it easier to see the results.
Next, double click on your text layer. That’s the easiest way to bring up your layer styles, and check the stroke box. You’ll see a bright red halo surround your letter. Not very attractive, is it? We’ll change that in the next step.
Click on the red box named color and you’ll see your color palette pop up. Use the color selector tool to choose your new stroke color. I’ve chosen white for a typical sticker look. Click ok once you’ve chosen your new color.
The next step will be determining how large you’d like your stroke to be. I find that 20-30 pts is a good range for the sticker look. However, you can make it whatever size you’d like to fit the style you’re looking for. Click okay once you’ve made your choice.
Now you have your sticker! But..it doesn’t look much like a sticker, does it? In order to make your style permanent, you need to choose a new layer by clicking the layer button at the bottom of your layer’s palette (the square button that looks like a page with it’s corner folded). This will give you a new layer. Lock the new layer to the text layer and do Ctrl E (for PS) or Layer>Merged Linked from your Command bar. This will lock a new layer to your stroked layer to make the stroke permanent.
Now – you have a sticker! Congratulations. You can apply any shadow application to the sticker at this point for a more realistic look.
This is also a technique you can use on any font to get a bold look when bold isn’t an option, or you just want something even bolder.
In the next example, I created my text layer, double clicked that layer to get my style sheet. I chose to stroke the image, chose the same color as my letter color, and changed the stroke to a 4pt stroke. You can see the difference in the next two images.
