Audience: Techies
Category: Apps, Technology & Hardware
Operating System: iPad 3
Software: Adobe Photoshop Touch app
Whenever I create a new layout, I have a few old standbys I always turn to. Journaling, embellishment clusters, and masking tools are essential “tools” in my scrapbooking “tool box.” So when I first started scrapping on my iPad, finding ways to create and use these tools was a must. After a little research, I discovered the Adobe Photoshop Touch app offers the most options for masking photos using ScrapSimple templates and papers. Adobe Photoshop Touch is an Android and Apple-friendly app that uses many of the same tools and features as traditional Adobe Photoshop Elements but on a smaller, more compact scale.
With Photoshop Touch, the Magic Wand tool and/or the Selection tool allows users to mask embellishments and photos in a variety of ways.
You can go from
Or you can go from
It’s actually a pretty simple process of trial-and-error to create the look you’re seeking.
First, to create a mask, load the background paper, ScrapSimple paper template, and the paper being used for the mask. I’m using the wood plank paper from Chambray Collection Biggie, a template from ScrapSimple Paper Templates: Faded Vignettes, and light cream paper from Chambray Collection Biggie.
All the layers show up in the panel on the right. Make sure the order of the layers is background, paper template, and then the paper to be masked on the very top. Next, tap the paper template layer in the middle to highlight it and make it the active layer being used. Select the box with the gear in the upper left of the screen and choose Select Pixels. This activates marching ants around the pixels of the paper template. Finally, choose Inverse from the same menu.
To cut the selected pixels and create a little masking magic, tap and highlight the top paper layer. Use the Pencil icon, also on the upper left, to choose Cut.
Most of the time, I use Select Inverse, but for a mask, but I thought that the outline of the ScrapSimple template would work better if cut/masked in the opposite manner. So I clicked on the Undo arrow in the lower left and chose to just Cut. This cut the opposite area of the inverse selection.
Finally, delete the mask layer using the Layers icon on the lower right. To move or adjust the size of the final masked paper, simply tap the arrowed + sign. If the selection tools don’t create the desired effect, try the Magic Wand tool in the panel on the left. Depending on where you tap on the template, different parts will activate the marching ants that will be cut from the top masked paper layer.
For me, the Magic Wand tool is easier in the app than in traditional Photoshop Elements. It just takes some experimenting with each ScrapSimple template to see which options create the effects I want to achieve. The beauty of Photoshop Touch is that I can create beautiful layouts of equal quality to my laptop even when I am on the go. So if you have not experienced the magic of tablet scrapbooking, give Adobe Photoshop Touch a try. Its many features are worth taking a look!
Digital scrapbooking products used:
Commercial license versions of ScrapSimple Paper Templates: 8.5×11 Artsy Borders 1 are also available.
Tutorial written by Angie Durr
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