Coloring ScrapSimple Digital Templates Using Custom Styles

Article written using Adobe Photoshop CS6 with Windows

I started digital scrapbooking because I wanted the ability to change the colors of my supplies to get my photos and other embellishments to match perfectly. ScrapSimple Embellishment Templates take this creative freedom a step further by giving you, the artist, control over the entire finished look. ScrapSimple Templates are extremely versatile, but they can be a bit intimidating. In this tutorial, I’ll show you how you can quickly color ScrapSimple Embellishment templates using layer styles.

I’ll be using a label from ScrapSimple Embellishment Templates: Bracket Labels. In the PSD file, each part of this template has its own layer; you can apply a different style to each layer. I colored the template in the screen shot below using ScrapSimple Tools – Styles: Chalkboard 6301. The style set comes with an assortment of both chalkboard and chalk styles. The chalkboard styles are proportioned to fill a 12×12-inch page, but this embellishment is much smaller. As a result, the style creates an effect slightly different than the one I’m after. You may run into similar problems while playing with your styles, but you can make them work better with your embellishments by scaling the style.

Here is how you do it: After you’ve applied the style, an fx will show in the item’s layer. Right-click on the fx and choose “Scale Effects” from the list that pops up. Now, simply adjust the percentage until you get a look you like.

I tried a variety of different styles on the same template and got very different looks with just a few clicks of a mouse! I’ve written the different styles I used for each label in the screenshot below.

Try using different combinations of layer styles to color ScrapSimple Embellishment Templates in your next digital scrapbook layout. The hardest part is choosing which styles to use!