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Note from Heidi: This digital scrapbook tutorial by Erica Hite is just jam-packed with amazing tips and tricks! Erica always creates such amazing layouts, full of detail and subtle touches that draw you in, but don't overwhelm. The layout she creates for this tutorial is no exception! The way she uses the fresh, colorful digital products to accent an older heritage photo is inspired, and I promise you'll want to try at least one of the tricks she talks about here. Take your time, and read slowly through this one. Stop and try any of the techniques you might be unfamiliar with. It will truly be worth your time!
Using ScrapSimple Alpha Templates and Layer Masks to Enhance a Heritage Layout
This free digital scrapbooking tutorial was created using Adobe Photoshop CS2 with a Mac, but should be able to be adapted easily to other systems. If you have questions about how to do this, just ask on our Message Board!
I had this wonderful old photo my mom sent me of her family.
I wanted the digital scrapbooking layout to consist of browns and beiges, but I liked the book cover spine from this violet paper. With the Marquee Tool, I selected the spine area of the paper.
I held down the Shift key and dragged the brown spine from the violet paper onto the beige paper.
Now that my background was starting to look good, I needed to go back and fix the photo border. Because the photo had rounded corners, I cropped the photo to make it neater. I selected the Shape Tool and scrolled down to the Rounded Rectangle Tool option.
I dragged the Rectangular Shape Tool over my photo.
To get a selection from my new shape, I held down my Command key (Ctrl on a PC) and clicked my cursor on the right-hand box on the Shape layer.
"Marching ants" now appeared around the photo.
While on the photo layer, I made a mask with my selection by clicking on the Layer Mask Icon at the bottom of the Layers Palette.
Now my photo was bound by the selection.
I wanted a brown decorative frame behind the photo. I dragged another digital scrapbook paper from the Bookworm Collection Biggie and put it behind the photo layer.
To make a decorative frame, I selected the Custom Shape Tool and loaded a frame from ScrapSimple Tools - Shapes: Frames 2101.
After creating my digital frame, I made a selection from the shape. With the selection, I made a Layer Mask on the dark brown paper by again clicking on the Layer Mask button at the bottom of the Layers Palette.
After hiding the white shape layer, I could see my new brown paper frame.
Now I wanted to add a title to my layout. I've opened a couple of PNGs from the ScrapSimple Alpha Templates: Enchanted.
I dragged the letter PNG onto the letter decoration PNG.
With my Marquee Tool, I selected the "F" letter and jumped the selection onto a new layer by typing Command+J (Ctrl+J on a PC). Next, I selected the "F" embellishment and jumped that selection onto a new layer as well. I hid the letters and embellishment layers so that only the "F" and "F" embellishment are visible.
I dragged the "F" and its decoration onto my layout and positioned the layers where I wanted them.
To color my "F" initial cap, I locked the layer's transparent pixels by clicking the "Lock Transparent Pixels" option at the top of the Layers Palette.
I selected brown colors from my layout using the Eyedropper Tool and filled the letter and its decoration by hitting Option+Delete while the layers were individually selected.
I added "amily" in a script typeface to complete the word Family.
The digital layout was looking nice, but I wanted to add some interest to the background by working in another paper. I opened another paper from the Bookworm Collection Biggie.
To blend the lettering paper into my background paper, I added a Layer Mask to my new paper. I clicked on the right-hand box on my paper layer. I selected the Layer Mask to edit, not the paper itself.
I made sure my foreground color was black. I selected my Gradient Tool from the Tools Palette and dragged down from the top left to the middle of my layout.
My gradient was applied to my Layer Mask. Where the Layer Mask was dark or black, the lettering paper would not be visible in my layout.
The simple beige paper was now blended perfectly into the lettering paper. I could read the word Family, but I also had some nice texture at the bottom right of the layout. I added some more embellishments to my digital scrapbook layout, as well as drop shadows, and I'm done!
Layout by Erica Hite
larger view
Free digital scrapbooking tutorial written by Erica Hite
Here are some other great products that would work well with an "updated" heritage look!
Scrap Girls, Etc. is a weekly column pulling bits and pieces from all over Scrap Girls. Stay tuned each week as Scrap Girls' Jane-of-All-Trades Heidi Dillon brings you tutorials, musings, recipes, interviews, design/software tips and tricks, layout walk-throughs, and who knows what else!
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