DigiTutorial -- How to Create a Layout

[sakura-panda]

This is a basic tutorial on how to make this layout:



...using this kit:



...and this sketch:

.

The software used is Photoshop Elements 3 and the fonts are Storybrook and DreamerOne.

[sakura-panda]

First, open up a new blank file:

File --> New --> Blank File

Set "Width" and "Height" to 12 inches, "Resolution" to 300 pixels/inch, and "Color Mode" to RGB Color.

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Now, pick your photo:

File --> Open

Original photo:



It looks like the sketch is suggesting a 5x7 photo, and you can resize your photo to that exact dimension. For this layout, I cropped a photo and resized it without knowing what the final dimensions are.

To crop the photo, you can select the "Rectangular Marquee Tool" from the left tool bar:



...select the area of the photo that you want to crop by using your left mouse button and dragging a box around the area you want to keep. (Can you see the dashed lines around the part I selected?)



Then select the Move Tool (the arrow at the very top of the tool bar) to pick up your crop and drop it onto your working document in the tool tray at the bottom.



My photo did not end up in the middle of the new sheet, but beyond the bottom left hand corner. I picked it up and dragged to the center of the page.



It's a little big on the page.

To resize it, I checked the box "Show Bounding Box" at the top of my working window. Then I grabbed the box at the corner of my photo and I moved it in until I was happy with the size of my photo. To keep the dimensions proportional, I clicked the link between the %Width and %Height changes to make the percentage size changes equal:



Finally, I went to the "Styles and Effects" window on the right side of the screen, and I selected "Layer Styles" from the first drop down menu, and "Drop Shadows" from the second. With the photo selected, I picked "Low".



Final result:

[sakura-panda]

Let's pick the background next.

File --> Browse Folders and choose your background paper. I used LR_Placebo_PP03.jpg. Double click on it to bring it to the working area and then drag it down to your working page with the photo on it.

When I did this, the paper became Layer 2 and was on top of Layer 1, the photo. To move it, go to the Layers Window on the bottom right of the screen, pick up Layer 2 and drag it below Layer 1.





Final result:

[sakura-panda]

Now for the photo mat.

I opened LR_Placebo_PP04.jpg for the mat.

Returning to the working page, "Grab" the photo and drag it to the paper in the tray. This makes a copy of the photo onto the paper for the mat.

Select the layer "Background" in the Layer window and then select the "Rectangular Marquee Tool" from the left side tool bar. Drag the dashed line around the photo in the approximate size of the mat:



Then select the Move Tool, grab the background inside the dashed lines, and drag it to the working page:



Swap the layers (if necessary) so that the mat is between Layer 1 (photo) and Layer 2 (background) and add the Low Drop Shadow.

Final result:

[sakura-panda]

Time for the paper strips.

I used LR_Placebo_PP05.jpg, LR_Placebo_PP06.jpg, and LR_Placebo_PP07.jpg.

Simply use the Rectangular Marquee Tool to select the desired strips, and drag to the working area, similar to the way the photo mat was created.



Make sure the layers fall the way that you want and drag them to the appropriate spot if necessary. I added low drop shadows to all of mine.







The journal block was done the same way, using the same paper as I had used for the mat, simply because it was less busy than some of the other patterns in this kit:

[sakura-panda]

The last big element in the sketch is the tags below the photo.

I used LR_Placebo_BurlapPiece02.jpg.

Open and drag onto the working page and put the layer on top of all of the other ones. Add a low drop shadow.

Make two copies.

Layer --> Duplicate Layer --> [OK]

The copied layer will lay right on top of the original. Drag all three layers into their final positions.

[sakura-panda]

To add a title:

Select the Text Tool from the tool bar on the left:



This brings up the text menu at the top of your screen. Select your font (in my case, Storybook), size (72pt), and color.

(To choose a custom color, click on the color box to bring up the dropper palette -- it will match any color that you pick from your page -- or use the drop down arrow to select a from a set of popular choices. I like to pick a color that is already in my layout.)

Type in your title and either select the check mark or the Move tool when you are finished:



From the Styles and Effects window, in the second drop down window select "Layers" and "Low" and then select "Bevels" and "Simple Inner":



For the journaling, again select the Text Tool. Choose font (DreamerOne), size (24 pt) and color (if desired.) Type and format text. The date in the upper right hand corner uses the same font as the journaling, but in a smaller size (18 pt).

[sakura-panda]

To finish:

Open LR_Placebo_PhotoCorner.jpg and LR_Placebo_RingedStitch02.jpg.

Drag the photo corner onto the layout and resize to 171%. (Have "Show Bounding Box" checked, drag corner until % boxes appear, type in 171 into "W", click the link icon, and then the checkmark to save.) Add a low drop shadow.



Drag the stitch onto the layout. Place it so that it appears to connect two of the tag pieces together. Add a low drop shadow. Duplicate the layer three times and move to their final positions:

[sakura-panda]

You're done! How does that feel?

Now you'll want to save your work. (It doesn't hurt to save as you go along as well.)

I usually save the finished layout three times, in three different directories.

First as a regular photoshop *.PSD file so that it can be edited later. Not that I do, but it is nice to keep that option available: File --> Save As... with the default format, Photoshop (*.PSD, *.PDD).

Then I select Layer --> Flatten Image to collapse all of the layers into one "Background" layer. I then File --> Save As... and I select Format "JPEG (*.JPG, *.JPEG, *.JPE). This is the full resolution image that I use for printing.

Finally, I select Image --> Resize --> Image Size and adjust the Pixel Dimensions to 600 pixels for both Width and Height. Then I save it the same way that I saved the full resolution version, but in a different directory so that they do not overwrite each other. This is the version that I post in my gallery here.

At the end of the year, I zip the Original PSD and the Full Resolution JPEG directories -- two different zip files -- to keep. I toss the reduced size ones since they are only for posting and I can always recreate them off of the other two versions.

It's up to you what you want to do.

I hope this tutorial was helpful. Please feel free to post any questions or comments that you have.

[nvmagpie]

I have copied and pasted this into a word file for me to refer to later - although I don't have Photoshop yet. Thanks!