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"Family" by Jo Corne
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Directions for one technique I did on this layout:
To scan in these old photos given to me by my mother-in-law, I gently placed them on the scanner and placed a piece of white paper over the top of them. I closed the lid and scanned the photos with a 300-dpi setting and in color. I didn't want to scan them in as grayscale or black-and-white because I would lose the subtlety of the sepia and black-and-white tones of the original photos. Once they were scanned, I tweaked them using Blending Modes as well as different styles available in the Scrap Girls Boutique. Once the photo "restoration" was completed to my satisfaction, I could use them exactly as I do with digital photos, placing them on my page and creating my layout.
Software used: Adobe Photoshop CS4
Name of challenge: Create a layout using scanned photos.
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"April Fools" by Joann Brown
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Directions for one technique I did on this layout:
ScrapSimple Tools - Styles: Transparency 4901 is such a fun way to add embellishments without the embellishments taking over the layout. I like to layer the transparency style - create a blocky section, and then use a brush or an embellishment on top of the section, and apply the style to the brush stroke for extra dimension.
Software used: Adobe Photoshop CS4
Name of challenge: Create a layout using two or more Dynamic Brushes.
Journaling: One of my favorite tricks to pull for April Fools Day is the "confuse 'em during dinner time" trick. Dessert looks like dinner, dinner like dessert. Easy as... meatloaf with colored mashed potato topping in a cupcake liner, or toasted pound cake with cheese colored frosting, perhaps?
"Louise and Jerry" by Julie Moberly
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Directions for one technique I did on this layout:
The original photos didn't coordinate in tone or color, yet I wanted to use them together on my layout. First, I opened a new file for each photo and closed the original photo files to preserve them. Next, I applied the "Sepia with Color" Option from ScrapSimple Tools - Actions: Photo Basics PSE 5001 to each photo. Then I placed them on my layout and played with multiple layers, Blending Modes, Hue and Saturation, and Brightness and Contrast until the two photos were well matched.
Software used: Adobe Photoshop Elements 8
Name of challenge: Create a layout using scanned photos.
Other Ingredients:
"Baby" by Jennifer Labre
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Directions for one technique I did on this layout:
Things don't always have to be used the way they were initially intended. I love the bracket paper in the Twigs and Twine Collection, but it didn't quite work for this page. I still wanted to use the shape though, so I ended up using the original paper as a mask. I put the original bracket paper on one layer and the paper of my choice on the layer above it. Then, I clicked Ctrl+Alt+G to mask the paper onto the bracket shape. Now I had a new paper to use. I repeated this process again with a different paper and moved them to the edge of my layout to only show half of the bracket. I got a completely new look!
Software used: Adobe Photoshop CS4
Name of challenge: Create a layout using ScrapSimple Embellishment Templates.
Other Ingredients:
"So Young" by Gisele Queiroz
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Directions for one technique I did on this layout:
I scanned these three photos. These photos are from when my husband and I were very young. In the first photo, I had to remove a chocolate stain from the mouth of my husband. I used the Healing Brush Tool. In the photo that is on the right side (that I didn't bother to fix), I clipped the photo to the paper that was below the photo and then I applied a style to it. In the third picture at the bottom of the layout (that's me), I needed to fix the contrast and adjust the balance of colors. For this, I went to Image> Adjustments> Brightness/Contrast and then I went to Image> Adjustments> Color Balance. Working with old photos is a delight and our Scrap Girls Boutique has beautiful products to match them!
Software used: Adobe Photoshop CS4
Name of challenge: Create a layout using scanned photos.
Other Ingredients:
"Ball Pit" by Armi Custodio
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Directions for one technique I did on this layout:
To create the plastic balls, I simply applied ScrapSimple Tools - Styles: Jelly 2101 to circle shapes. Then I tweaked the style to my liking by going to Layer> Layer Style> Scale Effects, using the slider to make the adjustments.
Software used: Adobe Photoshop CS3
Name of challenge: Create a layout using five photos.
Other Ingredients:
Journaling: The ball pit must be one of the greatest inventions ever! No kid can resist jumping, diving and burrowing into those brightly colored balls. Even a "big kid" like Dad can't resist joining in the fun!
"My Little Men" by Laurel Lakey
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Software used: Adobe Photoshop CS4
Name of challenge: Mother's Day
"Good Old Days" by Elisha Barnett
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Directions for one technique I did on this layout:
This photo of my little brother and I was taken in 1971. It was old and faded to begin with, but when I scanned it in, it became even more dull and lifeless! To give it life again, I used ScrapSimple Tools - Actions: Photos That Pop PSE 1801. The set comes with three action versions: Basic, Dark, and Light. I use this action frequently to bring life to my photos. I like to use a combination of them on different layers, adjusting the Blending Mode and Opacity of each. I played around with this method here, but I'll share my final settings: I duplicated the photo twice, so that I had three layers of the photo. I ran the Basic action on my top layer and the Blending Mode is set to "Soft Light." I ran the Light version on the middle later and the Opacity is set to 50%.
Software used: Adobe Photoshop Elements 6
Name of challenge: Create a layout using scanned photos.
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