Techniques Archives

Creating Drop Shadows in Photoshop

Have you ever seen digital scrapbooking layouts that make you want to reach out and touch the elements on the page? Well, the secret behind those unbelievably realistic layouts are drop shadows. The best way to approach this technique is to think about which page elements would have shadows if your layout was created with […]

Putting a Shadow on Its Own Layer

By creating a shadow for your embellishment layers, your embellishments look more three dimensional and add depth and realism to your layout. One trick to mastering your shadows is to place your shadow on its own layer.

Using Layer Masks

Have you ever looked at a digital scrapbook layout with lots of interwoven layers and embellishments and wondered how it was done? Chances are good that layer masks were used. A layer mask is a non-destructive tool you can use to control the transparency of parts of your layer, unlike the opacity sliders which control […]

Using Layer Alignment Tools in Photoshop Elements

When creating your layouts, do you sometimes have elements such as embellishments or alphas that you just can’t seem to line up so they look nice and neat and on the page? Maybe you want to have a row of flowers or a column of stars that you want to create a border with, and […]

Adjusting Layer Opacity In Photoshop

Changing the opacity of different layers is an easy way to enhance your digital scrapbook pages. Adjusting layer opacity allows you to easily blend papers and photos. You can also use it to lessen the effects of blending modes and actions. In this tutorial, you will learn how to change a layer’s opacity in Photoshop. […]

Adding A Stroke in PSE

A stroke is an outline or border that can be added to photos, papers, text, and embellishments. It can act as a frame or mat on any item you choose. Strokes are super versatile as you can adjust the color and width, plus you can also add styles to strokes, thereby changing their look completely. […]

Using Gradients to Color Papers, Embellishments & Photos

Gradients are an often overlooked but easy-to-use tool. They are perfect for adding multiple colors to a photo, embellishment, paper, or just about anything! I’m going to show you how to add a gradient to a paper template, a seashell embellishment template, and a photo.

Gradient Map Magic

I love black-and-white photos for many reasons. Sometimes, a little less color helps to capture the mood of the moment better. Plus, some full color pictures are full of distractions. Removing the color helps us to focus on the expressions on the faces, the lines in the photo, etc. In this tutorial we’ll explore how […]

What Are Blending Modes?

What are Blending Modes? What do they do? Today I’m going to try and answer those questions for you. And I’m going to keep this on the simple and hopefully easy-to-understand side!

Using the Dodge and Burn Tools to Add Depth and Dimension

Even though I am 100% a digital scrapbooker, I love to make my pages look as realistic as possible. I am always looking for little details I can add to make things look three-dimensional. One trick I like to use is to add shadows and highlights to embellishments using the Dodge and Burn tools, making […]