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"Luc" by Kara Swanson
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Directions for one technique I did on this layout:
I wanted a solid paper as the foundation of my layout, but I couldn't find one that met my needs. I chose a patterned paper from the Rustique Collection Biggie, and using the Eyedropper Tool, selected the color I wanted for the solid paper. Then I opened a paper from the Hibernation Day Collection that had the type of texture I wanted. I added a new layer above the paper layer, filled it with the color in the Eyedropper Tool, and then played with the Blending Modes until I got approximately the color I wanted. Finally, I merged the layers together and placed this new paper in my layout.
Software used: Adobe Photoshop Elements 6
Name of challenge: Create a layout using five photos.
Other Ingredients:
"Friendship" by Gisele Queiroz
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Directions for one technique I did on this layout:
In this layout, I used a background paper that was full of small balls. When I wrote my text, the small balls were distracting and made it hard to read. I used the Healing Brush Tool to fix this. The Healing Brush Tool is located in the Photoshop Toolbox on the left side. This tool allows you to fix image imperfections such as scratches and blemishes, but I used it to erase the small balls under the text. I chose Sampled Mode, hit Alt+Click in an area that had no balls, and then I erased some balls until I could read my text.
Software used: Adobe Photoshop CS4
Name of challenge: Create a layout using five photos.
Other Ingredients:
"Puppy Love" by Julie Moberly
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Directions for one technique I did on this layout:
Even though all five photos were taken within a few minutes of each other, they needed adjustments to match each other. I used the Enhance> Adjust Lighting> Levels option from the top menu and adjusted each photo slightly to make them coordinate better in terms of lighting, contrast, and color.
Software used: Adobe Photoshop Elements 8
Name of challenge: Create a layout using five photos.
Journaling: Buddy and Cowgirl's eight (that's right - eight) puppies were incredibly adorable! As soon as the pups were old enough for us to hold them, we did! How sweet, soft, and cuddly! It was so cute how the puppies squinted their little eyes in the sunshine and nestled their bitty noses into our arms. The abundant joy on everyone's face revealed that we had fallen truly, madly, and deeply in puppy love.
"My Brother" by Charlene Crowder
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Directions for one technique I did on this layout:
I liked the colors and variations in the alphas from the Rustique Collection Biggie, but I wanted to brighten them up a little bit. I duplicated the alpha layers and on the upper layers, I applied ScrapSimple Tools - Styles: Glittered Epoxy 6041 Super Biggie. This gave me a little touch of bling and lightened up the letters.
Software used: Adobe Photoshop Elements 7
Name of challenge: Create a layout using five photos.
Other Ingredients:
"Fun Day" by Jo Corne
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Directions for one technique I did on this layout:
To make my husband, daughter, and myself stand out in the photos of us on the pirate ship, I duplicated each photo so I had two layers of each. On each top photo, I used one of the ScrapSimple Tools - Actions: Photo Effects 5101 to change the color and feel of the photo. Then I gave these same top layer photos a Gaussian Blur to blur out the people around us. Then I gave each top photo layer a Layer Mask and erased the part of the photo I wanted to stand out, bringing the clarity of the photo underneath to the front. Then I merged the photo layers to each other and added a layer style of a stroke around the photo.
Software used: Adobe Photoshop CS4
Name of challenge: Create a layout using five photos.
Other Ingredients:
Journaling: Sunday 24 January 2010 we took the kids to Funfields Fun Park. Jess and Al rode the Pirate Ship twice as Jess loved the thrill. Eventually I gave it a go as well... never again will I do that! I came off feeling sick to my stomach and it took me a good few hours until I found my land feet again. We had fun riding in the go-karts and the boys had a ball sliding down the water flumes. All in all, a great day was had by all, or at least by most of us, LOL.
"HERfect Moments" by Elisha Barnett
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Directions for one technique I did on this layout:
One of the easiest, most fun ways to get a layout done quickly is to combine a layout template with styles. I chose styles that were complimentary to the elements in the kit I was using, and with a click of my mouse I applied the styles to the element layers in the template. For example, I saw that ScrapSimple Tools - Styles: Aged Metals Biggie was a perfect compliment to the heart in Kim Meeder's Fab 5, so I applied that style to a few hearts already in the template. Don't you just love styles? I do!
Software used: Adobe Photoshop Elements 6
Name of challenge: Create a layout using five photos.
Other Ingredients:
"Places To Go" by Janine Buckles
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Directions for one technique I did on this layout:
When I first placed my photos on the blue background paper from Rustique Collection Biggie, I really liked the contrast. However, my pictures just seemed to float; they had nothing to ground them, so I chose the colors in the tie to create a banner, which would act as an anchor point for the layout. Because my son's white running shoes, also lovingly referred to as his "dress Chucks," were an important part of his semi-formal attire, I decided to use the shoelaces from ScrapSimple Embellishment Templates: Rivet Up Biggie as my main embellishment. Applying a deep shadow from ScrapSimple Tools - Actions: Deep Shadows 6501 PSE and PS Biggie provided a great sense of depth. All in all, I think the layout tells a great story of a great high school memory!
Software used: Adobe Photoshop Elements 5
Name of challenge: Create a layout using five photos.
Other Ingredients:
Journaling: Here you are getting ready for your first semi-formal. I, of course, followed you around with my camera, just waiting to get the "perfect shot." You, of course, completely ignored me. Instead of asking you, over and over again, to stand still I just started snapping as you finished getting ready. Once you were sure everything that needed to be tied was tied you were ready, and a bit anxious, to get going. I dropped you off, and despite your excitement walked to the door. At the end of the night, you said it was over too soon; that you could have danced all night! I guess you had a good time!
"Erinn Loves Horses" by Amy Flanagan
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Directions for one technique I did on this layout:
For this layout, I really wanted something to bring the eye back into the photo clusters. I decided to make a bracket frame from the bracket mat in Kim Meeder's Fab 5.
First, I placed and sized the green mat. Then I selected the mat and went to Select> Modify> Contract. I set the parameter to 100 pixels, then hit OK. That left the "marching ants" 100 pixels from the outer edge of the mat. Then I hit Delete. This left the outer portion of the bracket mat as a new border shape. I duplicated that new layer and applied the vellum style to the top of the two layers.
Software used: Adobe Photoshop CS4
Name of challenge: Create a layout using five photos.
"Big Springs" by Jennifer Wight
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Directions for one technique I did on this layout:
On this layout, I wanted a quick-and-easy way to add color and texture to ScrapSimple Embellishment Templates: Postage Due Cluster Frames. I decided to make a clipping mask with one of the papers from Rustique Collection Biggie to go with the rest of page. First, I placed the paper above one of the frame layers in my Layers Palette and, with the paper selected, I pressed Ctrl+G (Cmd+G for Mac users). Then I did this to each of the frames in my four-frame cluster.
Software used: Adobe Photoshop Elements 5
Name of challenge: Create a layout using five photos.
Journaling: On our way home from Montana, we stopped at the Big Springs in Island Park, Idaho. We got there just in time for the last tour of the Jonny Sack Cabin. The weather was perfect and the kids enjoyed playing pirates as they looked for their treasure among the trees. A favorite part of Big Springs is the large trout that hang out just below the bridge waiting for tourists to feed them. It was a nice ending to a fun family vacation.
"Life Lessons from a Four Year Old" by Joann Brown
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Directions for one technique I did on this layout:
One of the most important elements in a layout is the font (or fonts) that you use. A well-selected font will convey the theme and emotion of a layout - and you don't want to ignore this powerful tool in your layout. When you are choosing a font, think to yourself, "What message am I trying to convey?" Select your fonts accordingly.
In this layout, I really wanted a fun, playful title. I knew that I wanted the title to say, "Take time to smell the flowers," but when I typed it with one font, it just didn't have the fun, playful feeling that I was looking for. By switching up my fonts, using different colors, and changing the direction of a few of my words, my title immediately had the punch I was looking for. Pay attention to the fonts you are using and make sure you use a font that works with the feeling you are trying to portray.
Software used: Adobe Photoshop CS4
Name of challenge: Create a layout using five photos.
Other Ingredients:
- Font - Moderne
- Font - Mechanical Fun
- Font - TXT Annesia
- Font - Love Ya Like a Sister
- Font - MTF Chunkie
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