| Digital Scrapbooking - The Makings of a Digital Layout |
|
Part
II: Article by Michelle Shefveland |
The
Makings of a Digital Layout
The following is an outline of the steps needed to create a basic digital layout
from scratch. The steps defined below describe each process, but don’t show
specific keystrokes, as this tutorial isn’t software specific.
Create a New Image/File
Add Photos
Create Background Paper to complement photos
Create Photo Mats
Add Titles and Journaling
Add Drop Shadowing
Add Ready-made Embellishments, if desired
CREATE A NEW IMAGE (BLANK CANVAS):
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To begin we need a blank canvas, right? So, determine the size of the layout you would like, such as 12” x 12” or 8.5” x 11”, or whatever suits your tastes or albums.
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My favorite is 12” x 12”, as I can then print it at this size, or 8” x 8” or 6” x 6” for the fun new mini-albums available.
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Let’s create an 8” x 8” layout to be able to print on a standard printer. 180-225 dpi is a good resolution for inkjet printers; 300 dpi is professional quality.
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Enter the settings in your software’s new image dialog box, including a white background, then press OK.
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At this point, and frequently throughout the design process, save your layout in your program’s native format so all the layers remain intact and you can go back and make changes to individual layers whenever you wish. Choose File > Save As and then save in your package’s native format to keep all the different layers intact.
ADD PHOTOS:
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Since the photos determine the color scheme of the layout, I add these before selecting paper and mat colors.
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To add a photo to a layout, browse your file system, and find your photos.
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Click and drag photos into the layout or use the edit/copy and edit/paste commands to paste them into your new layout.
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Now, move the photos to desired position. You may end up moving them to different positions later, but that’s one of the wonders of digital. Nothing is glued down!
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Resize photos if necessary.
CREATE BACKGROUND PAPER:
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Now that the photos are added, we can pick complementary colors for the papers using your software’s color picker tool.
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Use your software’s paint bucket tool in your color of choice to fill in the background, then use effects or paint brush tools to design your background.
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Add some effects, such as texture, or use the paintbrush tool to design your own, and just like that you have a gorgeous background to set off your memories.
CREATE PHOTO MATS:
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In scrapbooking, it’s a good design idea to have coordinating photo mats to complement the background paper.
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Use your photo editor’s rectangular shape tool in a color of your choice and draw a rectangular photo mat (or use whatever shape you desire).
ADD TITLES AND JOURNALING:
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My personal preference is to wait until the end of the design process to add the titles and journaling, as I’ve had time to work with the photos and see what story I want to tell or what feelings I to share.
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Using your text tool, pick the text color, font, and font size. Then click the mouse on the page where your text should be placed and type away. Play with different text sizes, effects, bevels, etc to give your text dimension. You can even warp text to make it wavy.
Congratulations! You have
created a digital layout from scratch! You might be satisfied and want to leave
it as is, which is great. But, read on if you’d like to jazz it up a bit.
Don’t forget to save your work again!
APPLY DROP SHADOWS:
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My favorite way to enhance a digital layout to make it look more realistic is to add drop shadowing. It’s amazing the illusion of depth created with just the click of a button (well, maybe three clicks).
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Most digital imaging packages have drop shadow capabilities under their Effects or Layer Styles functions. Check your package’s HELP for more information. I prefer a small, faint, drop down right shadow for realism.
ADD READY-MADE EMBELLISHMENTS:
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For a punch of detail and splash of color, you can add some fun ready-made embellishments from the Simply Digital CD line, which can easily be dragged into your layouts from the CDs. You can even change their colors to perfectly complement your photos or style.
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While your layout is open, choose File > Open and browse your CD drive with one of the Simply Digital CDs. Browse the CD for which embellishment(s) you’d like to add, open them, and then cut and paste or drag them onto your layout. You can change their rotation, color, and size, if desired. You can even duplicate them if you want more than one. See our other tutorials for more information on how to do this.
SAVE FILE FOR PRINTING AND/OR WEB DISPLAY:
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Save final image to same filename as in beginning of tutorial. You can print directly from this file for high resolution.
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If burning to a CD to take to print at a professional copy center, save as a full-size .pdf, .jpg, .tif, or .bmp file.
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For posting to Internet sites or e-mailing to family and friends, also save to different name at 150dpi, 500 pixels wide, .jpg format, keeping file size less than 100KB (some sites require 72dpi).
Well, that's just a little bit about this wonderful art form so many are embracing. See our other tutorials for more detailed instructions. Get to know your photo editor's functions by reading the help guide, as well as searching the Internet for fabulous websites and forums.
Return to Part I: One Photo - Three Layouts
