Precise Trimming with Photoshop Shortcuts

This free digital scrapbooking tutorial was created using Adobe Photoshop 7 with Windows XP, 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!

While working with the ScrapSimple Digital Layout Template: Loved One, I came across a situation where I wanted to use a paper that was smaller than the template. Here’s the template and the denim paper that is not quite 12 inches across.

I brought the denim paper onto the template and layered it over the medium gray Paper Surround layer. With the denim paper layer active in the Layers Palette, Ctrl+G snapped the two layers together. Hmmm... I can still see part of the gray template.

After thinking about it for a second, I tried a trick that I have started to use in product design. I went to the Layers Palette and held down the Ctrl key. Then, I clicked on the denim paper layer (click the thumbnail in CS2 and above). A set of marching ants highlighted the denim paper.

I then clicked Select> Inverse (or Shift+Ctrl+I). Now, the denim paper is not highlighted with marching ants, but the negative space around it is.

In the Layers Palette, I clicked on the paper surround layer that is holding the denim paper.

Using the Ctrl+X keyboard command, I cut out the extra gray from the paper surround template layer, leaving the denim and fringe intact.

Ctrl+Click> Inverse> Ctrl+X can be used with Scrap Girls papers and templates. Enjoy digital scrapbooking!

Digital Scrapbook Layout by Sarah Batdorf
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Commercial license versions of ScrapSimple Digital Layout Templates: Loved One, Lettering Delights Warm Heart Font, ScrapSimple Paper Templates: Line Dry and ScrapSimple Embellishment Templates: In Stitches Biggie are also available.

Free digital scrapbooking tutorial written by Sarah Batdorf.

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