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“Remember This Day” by Julie Moberly
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Directions for one technique I did on this layout:
I wanted the title to look printed on the ribbon. To get this effect, I usually change the Blending Mode. This time, I didn’t like the effect. Instead, I selected my Eraser Tool and loaded a brush from Brandie Valenzuela�s Brush Set: Well Worn. At 100% Opacity, I erased portions of the title.
Software used: Adobe Photoshop Elements 5.0
Name of challenge: Two-Page Layouts
Journaling: I remember this day. The sun was shining brightly. The birds were singing. The smell of freshly cut grass filled the air. Derek chased a super ball around the yard. Marissa skinned her knee, but didn’t care. Brian and Dylan sported their new favorite Spiderman shirts. Dad caught it all on film. Out of all the photos, these are my favorite because they are natural, relaxed, and just so very real. Every time I look at these photos, I am drawn back in time to this day, and relive it in my mind. I remember this day. The sun was shining brightly. The birds were singing. The smell of freshly cut grass filled the air.
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“Smiles” by Amy Flanagan
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Directions for one technique I did on this layout:
I wanted to slip various edges of the photos under the ScrapSimple Embellishment Templates: String Fling. To do this, I layered the strings both above and below the photos and their torn frames. Then I highlighted the top layer of the two string layers, and simply erased away the sections I did not want, to achieve the look of the photo being slid under the strings.
Software used: Adobe Photoshop Elements 5.0
Name of challenge: Two-Page Layouts
Journaling: Some say that wrinkles exist where the smiles used to be. I say the smiles exist to keep the wrinkles away.
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“Blessings” by Kara Swanson
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Directions for one technique I did on this layout:
I’m big on symmetry. I like to make sure that angles complement each other, that flowers appear on opposite sides of the layout and two sides of a layout are equal.
Software used: Adobe Photoshop Elements 6.0
Name of challenge: Two-Page Layouts
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“Butterfly Sanctuary” by Armi Custodio
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Directions for one technique I did on this layout:
To blur the background of my main photo, I used a layer mask. To do this in Photoshop Elements 6, first duplicate your photo. Then blur the duplicate by going to Blur> Gaussian Blur (I used 20 px). Create an adjustment layer between the original photo and the duplicate. Do this by going to the Layers Palette and choose Create Adjustment Layer> Levels (just leave the default settings as is) and click OK. Clip the duplicate photo to the adjustment layer by hitting Ctrl+G. With the layer mask selected and foreground color set to black, brush on the areas you want to be sharp. If you want to bring back some of the blur that has been sharpened, simply set your foreground color to white and brush over that area.
Software used: Adobe Photoshop Elements 6.0
Name of challenge: Two-Page Layouts
Other Ingredients:
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“Showered With Love” by Amy Lemaniak
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Directions for one technique I did on this layout:
I used one of the brushes from the Dynamic Brush Set: Fresh Flowers 7301. Using the brush tool, I selected a shade of green from one of my photos by using the eyedropper and clicking on the part of the photo that had the shade of green I wanted. Then I brushed on the stems along the top and bottom of my photo sequence in my layout.
Software used: Adobe Photoshop Elements 7.0
Name of challenge: Two-Page Layouts
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“New Washer and Dryer” by Janine Buckles
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Directions for one technique I did on this layout:
The arrow shape from Mandy Steward’s Overlayed Embellishments was originally clear with black shading. I wanted it to coordinate with the brown shades in the alpha set from Gillian Hurst’s A Washed Garden Collection. To do this, I selected my Foreground Colour Picker and, using the little eyedropper, I chose a brown colour from on of the alphas. Next I highlighted my arrow layer by clicking on its thumbnail image in the Layers Palette. Then I locked the arrows transparent pixels by clicking on the little square beside “Lock.” Then I chose my Paint Bucket Tool and making sure I had “Contiguous” unchecked, I clicked on a black section of the arrow. This filled all the black areas with brown while leaving the clear sections untouched. Now I had an arrow that perfectly coordinated with the rest of my title.
Software used: Adobe Photoshop Elements 5.0
Name of challenge: Two-Page Layouts
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Journaling: Normally those words just mean you’ve either fixed something or built something cool so this is not at all what I expected to see when I went downstairs! One permanent marker, left in one pocket, left one heck of a mess on the inside of the dryer. After spending a couple of hours, using various noxious chemicals, trying to remove it we gave up and decided it was time to put the machine to rest and purchase new. We did some shopping around online and then, the next day, I headed out with my good friend Marilynn to look for a new set. It was a good thing we chose to purchase the washing machine too because while we were waiting for the new ones to be delivered, I ran a small load through it and it started making those “I’m on my last legs” kind of noises! Four days later our shiny new machines were delivered and installed. They look great, but I still don’t like doing laundry!
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“Spring Happenings” by Karen Chandler
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Directions for one technique I did on this layout:
First, I loaded Gillian Hurst’s Brush Set: Flowering Flourishes Flowers and chose three to use as embellishments. I wanted a quick method to color the flower brushes and add a softly distressed look. So I loaded the brushes, created a new layer for each flower, resized them, set the foreground color to white, and clicked on a new layer under or over the photos. Then I loaded Durin Eberhart’s ScrapSimple Tools - Styles: Unique 5104 Biggie and applied the style in the colors that coordinated with the background papers. To apply soft sponged “paint” to the papers, I set the foreground color to colors I sampled from the papers. Then I loaded Durin’s Dynamic Brush Set: Sponge Painting 5101 and brushed on a new layer above the background papers to apply the “paint.”
Software used: Adobe Photoshop CS4
Name of challenge: Two-Page Layouts
Other Ingredients:
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“Sydney Harbour Bridge” by Jo Corne
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Directions for one technique I did on this layout:
To create my headline, I typed out the words and then chose a big, heavy font. Next I placed my photo over the word and ‘clipped’ the photo to the words, ‘putting’ the photo into the words. Then I duplicated the title and on the top layer used Mandy Steward’s ScrapSimple Tools - Styles: Acrylic Bubbles Mini 1801. This made it look like my photo, in my words, was in a bubble you could reach out and touch. I linked the two layers together so that if I moved my title around, they would move as one piece.
Software used: Adobe Photoshop CS4
Name of challenge: Two-Page Layouts
Other Ingredients:
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“Let Them Eat Cake!” by Christy VanderWall
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Directions for one technique I did on this layout:
I love the colors in Gillian’s Afro Candy Collection Biggie, so I used the papers from it to color the layers in the cake from Erica’s ScrapSimple Embellishment Templates: Make a Wish 1. This created a perfect match to complement the background paper and embellishments from the same collection.
Software used: Adobe Photoshop CS3
Name of challenge: Two-Page Layouts
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“Love” by Jennifer Labre
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Directions for one technique I did on this layout:
I often try to include little details in my layout that will make it look more polished. One thing I did on these pages is to add a white stroke to the photos. I really think this simple step helps to pop the photo off the page. With your photo layer active, go to “Add a Layer Style” on the Layers Palette. (It’s the little “f” in the circle.) Select “Stroke.” For my photos, I used these settings: Size - 20px, Color � White, Position � Inside. Everything else stays the same. The Position is the key element here to keep those corners sharp. Try “Outside” and you’ll see what I mean. This is such an easy technique for adding a little pop to your photos!
Software used: Adobe Photoshop CS3
Name of challenge: Two-Page Layouts
Other Ingredients:
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