Scrapping by Design

Winter is in full swing, at least in my corner of the globe. As any scrapbooker knows, winter (or any other season) means an opportunity for photographs and photographs mean an opportunity to do more scrapbooking.

However, winter photography has its challenges. Blue snow is one of them.   A family member sent me the picture above. It was taken on a bright, sunny day with brilliant blue skies and glittering white snow.  You can see from the picture that the result was problematic. The snow is very, very blue.

In the picture to the right, I have corrected the blue snow and made it much whiter. I did this using my favorite photo editing software, which is Adobe Photoshop CS. You could do the same with Adobe Photoshop Elements 8 . Undoubtedly you could do the same with various other software applications, but I am personally familiar only with the Adobe family.

There are various ways you could correct the snow with Phosohop. I used the Image Menu — Adjustments– Hue and Saturation.

However, in my view, prevention is preferable to correction after the fact.

In most cases, the occurrence of blue snow can be avoided by a camera adjustment before taking the picture. The problem is caused by the extreme contrast between snow and ski — a contrast that affects the camera’s white balance.  If your digital camera has a setting for Beach or Snow, then try that and see what a difference it makes. If there is no such setting, or if there is and it still doesn’t offer the color you want, then the solution is to adjust the white balance manually. Your camera undoubtedly has an adjustment that allows you to do this, and the camera’s manual will tell you how.

If you’re new to digital photography, you might want to check out Beginners Guide to Digital Photography.

If you have some experience with a digital camera already, and you’re ready to move to the next level, then you might like to visit Digital Photography: Beyond the Basics.

Happy Snapping!

Yesterday, I showed a video demonstrating how to make this 3D pop-up ball that you can make into a photo cube.

The second challenge is obtaining suitable photographs to attach to the photo cube. One way would be to cut shaped pieces out of your prints.  In my view, this would rarely work to your satisfaction since photos tend to be much larger than this small ball.

The better way, at least in my opinion, would be to resize and reshape your photos in an image editing program. I used Adobe Photoshop CS4, but the more affordable Adobe Photoshop Elements 8 would work in much the same way. Undoubtedly you could use many photo editing programs, but my instructions are specific to Adobe Photoshop CS. For others, you will need to figure out how to do the same things.

The first thing you do is either save the two shapes below in your own computer so you can open them in your image editing software program and use them as templates, OR scan your own two pieces into your computer and use them instead.

	To save these images, right click your mouse in the image. This brings up a menu with several options. Choose Save Image As, and save the file to your own computer.

When I made my first photo cube, I didn’t realize that that the top and bottom part of the ball are reversed shapes, so foolishly I printed out 12 pieces that were all the same shape. Talk about wasting glossy photo paper and ink!

Now that you have the two shapes, open them in your software application. I will say Photoshop CS from now on for the sake of simplicity. Make a copy of the two templates. Work with the copy and save the original.

1. The first step is to check and possibly change the resolution of the templates. If you are using my pictures, the resolution is 72 pixels per inch (or ppi), which is suitable to display on the web but not suitable for printing. If you scanned your pieces, the resolution will be different depending on how you have set your scanner. You need to decide what resolution you intend to use to print your photographs. A resolution of 350 pixels per inch is the minimum number I suggest, but even higher is better. I used 350 ppi.

Change the template resolution to 350 ppi (or whatever res you are planning to use). To do this in Photoshop, refer to the Image menu at the top of the screen, and go to Image Size. A window opens. In this window, be sure to put a check mark beside Scale Style, Constrain Proportions and Resample Image. When you have the three check marks, put 350 in the Resolution box and adjust the right side of that box to read Pixels Per Inch. Click Ok. The template is resized. Save it to be sure you don’t lose your work. To see it as it will appear when printed, to go the View menu and select Print Size.

2. Open the photo that you want to use. Chances are good that you will only want to use a small part of this photo, perhaps a face. In your ToolBox, select the Rectangular Marquee Tool. Draw a selection around the part of your photo you want to use. When that part is selected, copy the selection to your clipboard (Control-C). Then , go to the File menu and open a new file. It will open at the size and resolution of the image in your clipboard. Paste (Control-V) the selection in the new file.

3. You must now change the size and resolution to fit into the template. Using the same procedure that you used earlier, open the Image Size window and change the resolution to 350 ppi, or whatever you are using. In the part that says document size, change the width and height to approximately the same size as the template. The template is 2.4 inches by 2 inches. Your photo can be a little larger than the template, but it should not be smaller. Click OK. Change the view to Print Size as you did before.

3. Copy Selection to Clipboard. With this new file active, go to the Select menu and choose Select All. Then, copy (Control-C) this to your clipboard.

4. Paste the Selection into the Pink Template. Activate the Template by clicking on it. Using the ToolBox, select the magic wand tool. Click it in the pink part of the template. This will select the pink part but not the white. With the pink selected, go to the Edit menu and choose Paste Into. Voila! Your picture appears INSIDE the pink selection. It may be off kilter, however. To rearrange it, select the tool that you use for moving things. I don’t know the name of it but it appears directly beside the Marquee tool. It has a small triangle with an X underneath it. Move the image around inside the shape until it is positioned to your satisfaction.

If you are dissatisfied with your image, you may need to repeat the steps using a different selection from your picture.

5. Save your Image for Printing. When satisfied, refer to the file menu and save your file as a JPEG or jpg.

6. Repeat this procedure another five times with five different pictures. To remove the previous photo from the pink template, I refer to the History window. I delete the history from the entry that says Paste Into. This gives me the original template with its pink middle, ready go work again.

7. Repeat the same procedure with the reverse template, creating six files for printing.

Color Tip: Should you want to print your pictures in black and white instead of in color, you simply go to Image->Mode-Grayscale. Alternatively, your printer may have a function that allows you to print color images in black and white. Use whichever is simpler for you.

Printing Tip: If you have Ms Office on your computer, you should have a software application called MS Publisher. I open a blank page in MS Publisher, then insert my 12 pictures for printing. You can move them around on the page to be sure you aren’t wasting expensive glossy photo paper. Print when you have your pictures arranged on the Publisher page.

And this is how I modified and printed my digital photos for the photo cube.

I made these pop-up photo cubes and the holiday ornament ball using the Sizzix BIGZ Dies 3D Ball PopUp.

Its cut on the Sizzix 655268 Big Shot Cutting-and-Embossing Roller-Style Machine, and you need a Sizzix extended cutting pad to handle the Bigz die.

If you haven’t used the Big Shot, I have to tell you it has quickly become my favorite crafting tool, right after my Fiskars Paper Trimmer. There is a video demo of the Big Shot at this link.

These photo cubes will be Christmas gifts for two little boys, and the blue ball makes a neat Holiday ornament. Although the shape lends itself well to Christmas and the holidays, these balls would work well at any time of the year.  Using black and white images makes a truly elegant photo cube, based on some pictures I have seen.

I like these little pop-up balls quite a bit. You can flatten them in an envelope or between folded card stock and mail them. When the envelope is opened, the balls pop up. The high tech items that make them work are good old-fashioned elastic bands.

The balls are easy to make, once you know how. I am not particularly skilled at figuring things out, so I confess that I struggled with the instructions for quite some time.

I have made video demonstrating how to make these 3D pop-up balls.

As for the photo cube, I have to say that sizing the digital photographs and printing them out to the right size and shape was a time consuming project, at least the first time I did it. It was much easier the second time around when I made the second photo cube.

Don’t know how to resize or shape your digital images to use them in this photo cube? I have a post describing how to resize and shape your images using Photoshop CS or Photoshop Elements.

In the meantime, how about these other great Bigz Dies at eBay? I need to win the lottery.

PC Crafter gives away free fonts every month. This month, the font is Easter Parade. They’re also giving away two bonus fonts as thank you to their visitors. I believe you have to register to the site (free), but can’t say for sure. It is a long time since I started using these fonts and memory fails. LOL

The fonts are available for both Windows and Mac computers.  They’re easy to install. They come with an installation program so you don’t have to know much of anything other than downloading the fonts and then double clicking on the executable file.

The link is PC Crafter Free Fonts

Enjoy.

This round mini album has a St. Patrick’s Day theme. It’s a gift for a friend of Irish heritage, and it’s all about her dog, which she spells “dawg.” The title of the little scrapbook is “Dawggone Irish.”

The back cover (shown in the middle photograph)  has a three dimensional shamrock shape which contains a picture of the dog, and the text “Dawggone right I’m Irish.”

I used Photoshop CS to edit the photo, bu you could do the same with Adobe Photoshop Elements 7

To make the shamrock shape, I started with a shamrock shape from Microsoft Office clip art. I copied and pasted the shamrock into a new file in Photoshop, then resized it to the size I wanted my printed picture to be. I think this was about three inches wide. I also converted the clip art to a resolution of 300 dpi, which is the resolution I planned to use for printing. Then, I resized my photograph to the same size as the shamrock.

I used the magic wand tool to select the inside of the shamrock. Then I selected the photograph and copied it to my clipboard. Returning to the shamrock image, I used the “Paste Into” command to paste the picture of the dog into the shamrock. I used the Move tool to move the dog picture around to get the best display.

So back to the mini album. The third picture shows the mini album standing upright and fanning open like a flower.  Despite having only four pages, this little mini album has plenty of places to put pictures, journaling or other artwork.

And, because no ready-made album or kit is used, its an economical project. it uses only four squares of card stock, some chipboard from a cereal box and whatever papers and embellishments you choose to add.

I embossed the card stock and paper with the Allegro Embossing Folder from Cuttlebug. It shows a musical score.

Here is a video tutorial showing how I made the round mini album:

I did a Google search to find the various Irish blessings, sayings and proverbs that I included in the project.

Anyone wanting some beautiful images for St. Patrick’s Day art work, you’ll do well to check out The Original Printables Holiday Countdown, published by artist Lisa Vollrath.

Lisa has some terms and conditions, but those terms are more than reasonable. She asks only that you post a link in your blog or on a forum or email group in exchange for downloading the graphics. Also, the graphics are for personal use only, and cannot be used on a project you intend to sell.

I intend to edit these images using Photoshop CS or Adobe Photoshop Elements 7 and use them in one or two St. Patrick’s Day projects. No doubt I’ll post pictures and possibly a video of what I make.

Want to add some special interest to your photographs? If you’re doing digital photo editing with a software program like Adobe Photoshop Elements 6 or Adobe Photoshop CS3, you can create the look of a colorized black and white photo quickly and easily.  Other digital editing software will probably have similar capabilities, but these are the only ones I have used personally.

The top picture to the left is a full color picture of a magnolia blossom. These wonderful trees grow in Vancouver and treat us to their blooms every spring. People call them “tulip trees” because the huge blossoms somewhat resemble a tulip.

To produce the spot coloring, first open the image in your software.

Next, click on Layer>New Adjustment Layer>Hue/Saturation. Click okay to create the layer.  A window with a slider appears. Move the Saturation slider to zero. This removes the color and gives you a black and white photo. Refer to the middle photo to the left.

Finally, select the Eraser Tool and move it over the parts of the picture that you want to colorize. The color returns as if by magic.  See the bottom photo.

This technique gives you an attractive effect for artistic purposes. The magnolia picture produces a subtle effect, since the original background of the tree is dark and the pink flowers are delicate in tone.  You can obtain a much more dramatic effect if your picture lends itself to it.

This technique is similarly  handy if you have a photograph with a central object, but a lot of “busyness” in the background.  Simply leave the “busyness” black and white and colorize the central object. The main object stands out and the busy background is minimized.

There are so many neat things you can do with digital editing software. Digital scrapbookers and hybrid scrapbookers truly have an array of tools at their disposal.

Here’s a cool tip for digital scrapbooking or hybrid scrapbooking. You can create unusual and unique titles by filling type with an image. The title then does double duty by delivering textual information while also displaying your pictures. In the picture shown to the right, I have put a woman’s face in the letter F. I made several letters, printed them (I’m a hybrid scrapper) and arranged them to spell a word.

I used Adobe Photoshop CS3 to do this, but I believe that you could get similar results using the more affordable Adobe Photoshop Elements 6. The method would be similar.

Here is what I did.

First, open a picture in your image editing software.  In the example to the left, I started with this picture of a Grinch Tree, which were all the rage in Vancouver last Christmas. My friend won this one in a draw, the lucky sod.  (They cost a fortune to buy!)

2. Decide whether you want to use the entire picture or a clipping from your image. If you want only a clipping, select that part you want, copy it to the clipboard and then paste it into a new file with a white background.

3. If you are working with the entire image rather than a clipping,  you will need to make a duplicate layer. Open the Layer Window. Activate the bottom layer by clicking on it in the layers palette and create a duplicate.  Fill the first, bottom layer with white and activate the second layer which now contains the picture.

4. Resize your image to the size you want your completed letter to be.

5. Using the Text Tool, select a “fat” letter that will give you space to show the picture.  In the grinch tree picture, I used Tempo font.  Activate the image layer if you have not already done so. Type a letter, which will appear in a layer on top of your picture.  Adjust the size of the font to make it as big as will fit in the picture.

6. Using the Layers Palette, pull the picture layer with your mouse, moving it so it is on top of the text layer.

7. Referring again to the Layers Palette or the Layers Menu, select Layers- Create Clipping Layer.  Bingo!  your image appears inside of the alphabet font.  See the middle picture to the left.

8. Using the Move Tool, move the picture around until it displays the way you want.

You can now add special effects to the layer if you wish. In the third picture to the left, I have placed a woman holding an umbrella in the letter B.  I then “stroked” the layer with a few pixels of dark blue that I picked up from the blue showing in the picture. If you are using Photoshop CS, you will have to “flatten” the image, which you can do in the Layers Palette.  To stroke the letter after flattening the image, you use the Magic Wand tool and select the white parts of the image. Next, refer to the Select menu and choose Select Inverse. This selects the letter instead of the white. With your preferred color active in the Color Picker, go to the Edit Menu and choose Stroke. The blue (or whatever color you have chosen) forms a slim border around the entire image.

You can add multiple other special effects, such as giving the letter a drop shadow, or placing additional type directly in the image.  For example, in the third picture, if the woman’s name is Betty, the B picture itself is the first letter of her name. Next, spell out “ETTY” in the dark curve of the B.

Playing with type and images is fun and a very cool way to spruce up the journaling and titles in your scrapbook layouts.  If you prefer more expert instructions, refer to your software’s help menu. The phrase to look for is “fill type with image” if you are using Photoshop.

A scrapbooker showed me this cool technique for  cropping scrapbook photos a long time ago. I love the look, and I have used it many times. I call it the “self-framing” technique.

The picture to the right is a snapshot of a layout in which I have cropped the two pictures of a cherry tree in blossom.  I cut into copies of the original photographs to do this.

Essentially, this technique involves cutting your photograph into pieces, trimming as needed, and reassembling in such a way that the photograph forms a border or frame for itself.

In the cherry tree pictures above, I have cut a rectangular shape from the center of the photograph, trimmed around the edges of the inner rectangle,  then reassembled and mounted on card stock.

The picture of the petrel (taken while crossing the Drake Passage from Argentina to Antarctica) is a similar example, but in this case, I have cut a rectangle from each end of the photograph, then reassembled and blocked the image. This technique does quite a bit to liven up these dark, moody, grayish pictures, but without taking away from the layout’s feel or “look”.

 

The albatross picture shows the same technique as the cherry trees.  Note how the cropping helps to emphasize the huge bird in the center of the otherwise bleak water.

The dark and eerie picture of the Drake Passage was taken through the porthole in my cabin.  The photo is typical of the gray sky and gray waters of this remote area of the world. In this image, I have used a six-sided cropping design to add interest to an image that could otherwise be dull and boring in the layout.

The great part about this technique is that you can do it digitally if you’re into digital or hybrid scrapbooking, or you can do it in “real life” by cropping the actual photos.

One word of caution: avoid cutting through key components of a picture.  Unless you were going for a special effect, you would not want to cut through a person’s face, for example.  Remember the purpose of this technique is to give emphasis to a picture, not to take away from the highlights.

If you choose to crop your pictures digitally, most photo editing software applications will give you a look like this quite nicely.

I use various other photo editing and cropping techniques in my scrapbooks and memory albums. I’ll be posting descriptions and pictures from time to time.

What about you? How to you like to crop your scrapbook photographs?

Today we have a guest poster, Karen Bellamy. Karen writes the very successful blog ScrapsOfMind.com about all things scrapbooking. She firmly believes everyone has a creative side ready to be revealed and she has created a web site called StepByStepDigitalScrapbook.com which is specifically designed to help beginners to digital scrapbooking get started turning their own special photos into creative art works they can share with friends and family around the World.

StepByStepDigitalScrapbook.com is packed with information, videos and tutorials to get you started. And if you need some extra personal help or are nervous about dealing with the technology, you can join her mentoring program and get some hand holding coaching to really kick start your digital scrapbooking journey.

Today, Karen writes about using scrapbook sketches to design a layout.  I confess that I seldom use a sketched layout, but I have found that the times I do, my finished page is usually much nicer.  I’m going to start doing this more often.

How do you go about designing your scrapbook layout?

Do you place the photo on the page and then fit all your embellishments around it? Or maybe you have a clear idea in your head of what your layout is going to look like before you start. So you can start cutting and gluing straight away and rarely have an ‘oops’ moment.

Well I can’t truly say that sounds much like me.

I need to have some sort of visual roadmap for where my layout is going or it could end up anywhere. And that’s where scrapbook sketches are my scrapbook sketches are my “get out of jail free” card.

I’ll always draw out a rough outline of the design of my layout before I begin and even if my finished page looks nothing like the original plan, that’s OK. By having the plan I have the infrastructure on which to make my changes. And the plan helps me to crystallize my ideas.

And the great thing is, you do not have to go it alone here. There are heaps of  places that you can get scrapbook sketches from.

The first lady of scrapbook sketches has to be Becky Higgins. Her books and articles in magazines have really raised the awareness of scrappers to this great scrapping aid. And she creates such fabulous sketches, especially ones for incorporating multiple photos.

But the Internet also abounds with scrapbook sketches that you can use for free. A couple of my favorite sites that I would recommend you should try are Page Maps and Scrap Maps. Oh, and Pencil Lines is another goodie.

These sites offer dozens, if not hundreds, of different scrapbook layout designs for you to choose from. And you can adapt and modify them to suit your own needs. In fact you should adapt them so they can morph into your own design. But just having the sketch to start with makes the whole layout design process so much easier.

I got the sketch for this layout below from Page Maps and the credits for the scrapbook elements used go to Erica Hite for her fabulous Bookworm Kit which is one of my all time favorites.

These days I mostly do digital or hybrid scrapbooking. I find the ‘undo’ button on my Photoshop Elements software program gives me a feeling of a safety net. Knowing that I can’t ruin any precious supplies by an overzealous snip of the scissors or a misguided swipe of the glue stick encourages me to be a bit more adventurous and creative. But even so, I still like to start with a sketch, just to give me some sort of end vision and structure.

And for digital scrapbookers, digital templates are now becoming popular and an extension of the Scrapbook Sketch concept designed specifically for the Digital Scrapbooker. These templates are multi-layered element blocks you can replace with the digital papers or elements of your choice using your graphics editing software. Effectively the layout structure and design is provided for you and you choose the colors and patterns you want to use, as well as the photos of course.

Whilst these can be quite handy, and are definitely more reflective of your personality than the Quick Pages, where you just stick your photo on and walk away, I don’t find they give me much creative satisfaction. Whereas scrapbook sketches allow you to apply your own style and creativity to a far greater degree.

So next time you’re looking at that blank sheet of card stock, wondering what you’re going to do with it, grab yourself a sketch and get scrapping.