Audience: Intermediate
Category: Photoshop Tips
Operating System: Windows 7
Software: Adobe Photoshop CS6
What does every scrapbook page, traditional or digital, have in common? You guessed it – paper! Digital paper has many advantages over traditional scrapbooking paper. Digital paper can be layered, blended with other papers, mask out so part of it is hidden, and so many other options. Digital paper in a kit is fun, but I love using ScrapSimple Paper Templates. They are so versatile and I can make them look any way I choose. But there is another excellent and perhaps lesser-known way of using the templates.
For this page, I chose ScrapSimple Paper Templates: Texture Play, not only for the background of the image, but also to make a text effect. After deciding which papers to use, I added gradients, layered them, and changed Blending modes. From there, I added my photo using ScrapSimple Embellishment Templates: Photo Masks Winter Magic and theBlossoms and Blooms Winter Embellishment Biggie to create some depth and interest to the page. Now all I need to add is the title.
I love using the ScrapSimple Paper Templates to make patterns. Photoshop makes it very easy to create your own patterns. To make a pattern, you need to start with a black-and-white image. Perfect! The templates are already black and white. Create a selection of the entire sheet or just an interesting part of the paper template. From there, go to Edit > Define Pattern.
All you have to do after clicking Define Pattern is name it. Piece of cake! Now that you have created the pattern, you can put it to use. I wanted to add some texture to my title. To do this, click on the fx symbol at the bottom of the Layers panel and choose Pattern Overlay. Simply click the drop-down triangle next to the pattern and choose the one you made. It will be located at the bottom of the patterns list.
You can change the opacity, scale, and Blending mode of the pattern overlay. You can even move the pattern around by clicking on the image (where the pattern is located) and dragging. Have fun experimenting with the different looks you can create with your new pattern. Add a few more layer styles and you are all set!
Now that you know how to create patterns, you can start making your very own pattern library by simply using ScrapSimple Paper Templates. Your possibilities are virtually endless. If you make your own pattern, please share your layout in the Scrap Girls Gallery. Have fun playing with the paper templates!
Tutorial written by Kari Kumura
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