Digital Scrappers - Post pages here!!!

[Marypoppinsiam]

stenogoddess-

When I got started with PSE 5.0 I ordered a CD from Adobe called "The Scrappers Guide to Adobe Photoshop Elements 5.0." This has been the most valuable CD I have ever bought. I also have Scrapbooking Secrets by Scrapgirls.com and that also has helped me explore the world of PSE 5.0.

Mary

 

[susan0326]

stenogoddess,

Here's a tut on fitting pictures into odd shaped frames:
http://spraguelab.squarespace.com/b...friday-25-fitting-into-odd-shaped-frames.html

It's on Jessica Sprague's blog (the creator of the beforementioned kit). She also has links to other neat freebies.

This helped me gain some insight so I thought I'd pass it along to you.

 

[stenogoddess]

First, y'all have been so helpful! I really appreciate it. Because of that, here it is..... drum roll, please......my first layout (let me first say that I used the Refresh freebie kit at ScrapGirls.com and their inspiration layout called Summer to get started. ScrapGirls is a great site in case you didn't already know.) Now on with the layout.....

I'm not sure I like it totally. I'm not sure about birthday at the bottom or something just feels something about it. I think our faces may still be a little off, and I'm thinking of changeing the Autumn 10yrs from black to purple. Hmmmm Any feedback would be great. Overall though, I'm pretty happy with my first effort. BTW: when I say feedback, please feedback on anything!

Thanks again

Feedback, right, y'all heard that??

 

[susan0326]

stenogoddess,

That is such an awesome layout. I love the colors. It's so beachy!

WTG!

 

[beasleybear]

Lauren, I think it looks great! I really like the colors, too. I do agree with your assessment that the girl picture is stretched/squashed a bit. Were you using PSE5, PSE4, or CS2? (Or something else?) In PSE5, I think there's a Constrain Proportions checkbox near the top of the menu when you transform, which you would want to have checked. In PSE4 and CS2 (and probably all versions below those), you do need to hold down Shift when you're clicking and dragging out a *diagonal* corner point. It won't really help to drag from a center side point, but by pulling the diagonal, it changes both height and length at the same time.

The only other thing I see, and this really has little to do with the layout, is that your cute flip-flop cake photo could use a bit of lightening/brightening to show it off better. If you take either the photo or that photo's layer on the layout, and choose Levels (location depends on the program), then slide the white triangle directly underneath the histogram to the right until everything is lighter. Again, this is directions for how a PS program does it, so if you're using something else, I'm sorry that it's probably not helping.

Lots of cute layouts posted here recently, as usual.

 

[Lisa0503]

Hi Everyone -

It is great to see all these new posters adding some great layout!!!!

Lauren - I LOVE your first layout!!! It is so wonderful. I can't believe it is your first digital one. I can't wait to see more. Once you get the program down, you are going to be unstoppable ;-) I can't help you with any PSE help since I use Paint Shop Pro but you are getting great advice from the other girls here.

 

[Yzerbear19]

Here is the one I did tonight. Again this is from my Antietam scrapbook. It is of the West Woods Monuments. Not a lot of people go back and find these ones since the road isn't marked on the tour map and cars aren't allowed down it.

No kits were used in this layout.

 

[beasleybear]

Lovely; I love the classic feel to this and the black & white pics.

Here is the one I did tonight. Again this is from my Antietam scrapbook. It is of the West Woods Monuments. Not a lot of people go back and find these ones since the road isn't marked on the tour map and cars aren't allowed down it.

No kits were used in this layout.

 

[stenogoddess]

I really like this one. My mom and I took the local cemetary tour here for Mother's Day. I know wierd, right? But we had a really great time. I might have to lift some of your ideas for my LO!

Hey Chris, I've been poking around your blog this week. Very cool! I love your dream trip stuff. I'm working on a layout right now using your swirl head paperclip thingy. I'll post it so you can see it when I'm done.

Lovely; I love the classic feel to this and the black & white pics.

 

[Fran98765]

Thank you!

Here's the link. It's a very nice freebie!

 

[beasleybear]

I'm working on a layout right now using your swirl head paperclip thingy. I'll post it so you can see it when I'm done.

Cool, I look forward to it! And yeah, I don't exactly know what to call it, either.

 

[Yzerbear19]

Here are the layouts I got done today:

First up this is from my Family book, Bachelor's Dream:

This was my maternal Grandparent's cabin located up near Harrison, MI. This was while they were still building it. I'm not sure why they called it "Bachelor's Dream," that was its name. They had a sign above the front door with that on it. Sadly, I don't think its still standing. I blurred out my Great-Grandma's last name for privacy reasons.

Kit(s) Used: "Go Camping" by Christine M Stone at Calico Designs.

----------------------------------------------------------------------
And this one is from my Michigan at Gettysburg book, 1st Michigan Infantry

I tried a couple of different things, but in the end I went with this one because I liked the simplicity of it. And I like the flag being the only bit of color.

Kit(s) Used: None.

 

[stenogoddess]

How cool is it to have this picture?! I think this LO turned out great.

Here are the layouts I got done today:

First up this is from my Family book, Bachelor's Dream:

 

[stenogoddess]

Drum roll, please.......... ...........Okay, no drum roll but how about a dancing banana? Anyway, here are my next two. I'm pretty proud of them if I do say so myself. I'll admit, there was swearing and eye narrowing that went on but in the end it came together pretty all right. Keep in mind that I want FEEDBACK y'all! That's how I learn. (my faces in the other LO are looking much better thanks to you lot Plus, I like showing them here the best. I feel like I can still be learning here, ya know? Those scrapping boards are so next level. Plus, I don't know anybody there! LOL How second grade is that?

The credit section is the brown paper layer is called EHI Family Ties, the frames and whatnot came with Elements. I even used an Elemnts brush and put the leaves on there just to see if I could. Big font is Walt Disney script and little font is just one that comes with the computer.

And the SUPER cool swirly silver mouse head clippy thingy (technical term) came from our very own BeaslyBear, as well as the little notebook paper pieces. Which the little notebook pieces were the cause of the swearing I must admit. They didn't want to behave for the longest time, and then they did. I wish I knew what I was doing to make them mad, and then to make them happy, but they're not telling.

As a set, here they are:

comments, please!

 

[Lisa0503]

Lauren - I am sorry I can't offer any constructive feedback for you to help you learn anything. I think you layouts are just fabulous and you are doing a great job!!!! I still have so much to learn myself when it comes to digiscrapping. Thanks so much for sharing you layouts with us!!!

 

[beasleybear]

Lauren, I think it looks good! LOVE that paper choice, and your layout. The only thing that caught my eye is that you appear to have a shadow on your photo layers; I would think that the shadow should be just on the frame/photo edge layer. As it is now, the photo seems to be hovering over the top of the frame, and I think those frames are supposed to look more like old photo edges, if I'm correct. (The old photo look was new to PSE5, and I actually wanted to upgrade to v5 because of them! Instead I just went & made my own, which are on my blog somewhere.)

What part of the notepad was giving you a problem? Was it the lining up of text? I used to try to adjust the leading in btwn. each line of text to get everything to sit on the lines. But I find that's more time-consuming than just typing each line separately. I've also learned that if you type a line of text, then hold down the Shift key and click where you want the next line of text to start, it'll begin a new text layer quickly for you.

Speaking of text, I just noticed it looks like you need a space in "willwork" under Year of the Ox. Ah, the joys of digital! We can fix stuff like that easily!

Here's a dancing banana from me! (I love that little guy!)

 

[Yzerbear19]

Drum roll, please.......... ...........Okay, no drum roll but how about a dancing banana? Anyway, here are my next two. I'm pretty proud of them if I do say so myself. I'll admit, there was swearing and eye narrowing that went on but in the end it came together pretty all right. Keep in mind that I want FEEDBACK y'all! That's how I learn. (my faces in the other LO are looking much better thanks to you lot Plus, I like showing them here the best. I feel like I can still be learning here, ya know? Those scrapping boards are so next level. Plus, I don't know anybody there! LOL How second grade is that?

comments, please!

Good job! You are learning quickly. Your photos are gorgeous and your layout shows them off really well.

 

[stenogoddess]

Thanks everyone for the kind words on my LOs. It really makes me feel good about the stupid amount of time I'm spending dorking with these things!

Chris:
Thanks for the shadowing suggetions. You're right about that. It always helps to have fresh eyes!

I didn't know that about the shift to get a new text layer faster, note to self on that one! I was just typing and then moving the lines around as I went.

Where the fight came in is for some reason...... let me back up because, who knows, it may be important. I opened my notepad and did the writing and everything in its own window, then merged visible and then drug it over to the LO. I don't know why I decided to do it that way, but if it's better to put it on the layout first let me know! So when I drug it over to the LO the notepad lost its color and became vellum looking so you could hardly see it. I thought at first maybe it was supposed to be kind of see through (cause the opacity was all the way up so it wasn't that) so I tried putting a more solid brown behind it and thought maybe I would mat it or something. That wasn't it. I kept moving it around and poking at it but it just stayed see through-ish. Finally I deleted that layer from the LO, worked on something else for a while (cooling off period!) and then came back to it and drug the notepad from the bin on the bottom of the program into the LO this time instead of opening and then dragging from the main page, and that worked. The whole thing may have been a fluke or something, who knows. I just love the little notepad idea though so I'm glad it worked out! Probably something weird I was doing without realizing it. That's my theory anyway!

Lauren, I think it looks good! LOVE that paper choice, and your layout. The only thing that caught my eye is that you appear to have a shadow on your photo layers; I would think that the shadow should be just on the frame/photo edge layer. As it is now, the photo seems to be hovering over the top of the frame, and I think those frames are supposed to look more like old photo edges, if I'm correct. (The old photo look was new to PSE5, and I actually wanted to upgrade to v5 because of them! Instead I just went & made my own, which are on my blog somewhere.)

What part of the notepad was giving you a problem? Was it the lining up of text? I used to try to adjust the leading in btwn. each line of text to get everything to sit on the lines. But I find that's more time-consuming than just typing each line separately. I've also learned that if you type a line of text, then hold down the Shift key and click where you want the next line of text to start, it'll begin a new text layer quickly for you.

Speaking of text, I just noticed it looks like you need a space in "willwork" under Year of the Ox. Ah, the joys of digital! We can fix stuff like that easily!

Here's a dancing banana from me! (I love that little guy!)

 

[susan0326]

Lauren - great job! You are doing an amazing job learning PSE!

Yzerbear - great layouts. I love your battlefield layouts. They are so professional looking -- looks like something from a coffee table history book.

Thanks for sharing, y'all!

 

[Yzerbear19]

How cool is it to have this picture?! I think this LO turned out great.

I have a bunch more of the Cabin, but this was just the first one I got done. Both of my Grandma's have some cool pictures, but it takes me a while do those layouts because I have to double check with my Mom who everyone is. If I have time tonight I might work on another one of the cabin layouts.

Yzerbear - great layouts. I love your battlefield layouts. They are so professional looking -- looks like something from a coffee table history book.

Thanks for sharing, y'all!

Thank you. Eventually the battlefield ones will be printed in books, but I have to do some mroe research and work on the writing for each page, but I haven't had time for that, though I have a ton of notes on Antietam, but since I'm getting close to finishing that book, I might actually begin work on the writing portions of the book.