Digital Scrapbooking

Transcript

GETTING STARTED IN v Digital Scrapbooking Contents: (click on a topic to go directly to that page) The Software The Products The Basics of Creating a Digital Layout Saving Your Layout Saving for Printing Saving for Online Galleries Saving for E-Mail File Formats Loading and Using a Brush Making a Custom Brush from a PNG File Understanding Resolution Uploading a Layout to the DesignerDigitals Gallery copyright 2007 Designer Digitals Page 1 of 15 GETTING STARTED IN v Digital Scrapbooking The Software The first thing you need to begin digital scrapbooking is a photo-editing program. There are many different options on the market, and the one you choose depends your budget and how much time you are willing to devote to learning the software. By far, the most widely used programs for creating digital layouts are Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Photoshop Elements. Adobe Photoshop (PS) is a professional-level photo-editing program that will provide every possible photo-editing capability you can imagine and give you a lot more flexibility with your layouts once you get comfortable with the basics. The disadvantage to this software is that it comes with a hefty price tag and a steep learning curve. (Educational discounts are available at many academic software sites and the official Adobe website. Many stores only require that you have a child in K-12 or college to qualify.) Adobe Photoshop Elements (PSE) offers everything you need to begin digital scrapbooking. This mini-version of Photoshop is a much more cost-effective way to get started, as the price tag is under $100. The latest version of PSE is very easy to learn and packed full of the most popular features of PS. You can download free trial versions of both PS and PSE from the Adobe website. Note: Some of the most common digital scrapbooking features that you will only find in the full-version of PS are typing text on a path, using layer masks, recording custom actions, and curves adjustment layers. Fortunately, there are products you can purchase in the store that will do many of these things for you. Other common photo-editing programs include Corel Paint Shop Pro, Microsoft Digital Image Suite, ACDSee Systems Photo Editor, and LumaPix FotoFusion Scrapbook Essentials. copyright 2007 Designer Digitals Page 2 of 15 GETTING STARTED IN v Digital Scrapbooking The Products Like paper scrapbooking, digital scrapbooking utilizes using a combination of papers, alphas, stamps, ribbons, and a variety of other embellishments. Unlike paper scrapbooking, however, digital gives you the freedom to resize, recolor, and reuse any product in your supply stash. Best of all, there’s no mess to put away when you’re finished! Kits: Digital Scrapbooking Kits are a collection of papers and embellishments all centered around a particular theme and color scheme. Kits are the best way to get started with a page since everything coordinates and is designed to work together to give your page a cohesive look. Paper Packs: Digital Paper Packs are exactly that . . . packs of papers in digital format. You use these JPEG versions of 12x12” papers to create backgrounds, photo mattes, die-cuts, etc., just as you would use a traditional piece of paper. Of course, you’re able to use these papers over and over again, no longer worrying about making the “wrong cut” and wasting your supply. Alphabets: Digital Alphas come in a variety of formats. Some come with each letter/symbol as an individual PNG file, others come as a single PNG file with the entire set on one document, and still others are brush sets, or ABR files. Overlays: Digital Overlays are comparable to traditional transparencies. They are also PNG files, so part of the image is transparent, allowing elements beneath it on a layout to show through. Stamps and Brushes: These are perhaps the most versatile product in the world of digital scrapbooking. They are ABR files that must be loaded into your photo-editing program. Once loaded, they can be used as a rubber stamp, an eraser, a paint brush, a laser cutter, a distressing tool, and more. They can be resized, recolored, rotated, duplicated to create patterns . . . the possibilities are truly endless. Downloads also include PNG versions of the brushes that can be used if your software does not support brushes. Quick Pages: Digital Quick Pages are scrapbook pages that are already designed and ready for you to simply drop in your photos. These files are flattened PNG files, which means the elements on the page can’t be manipulated or changed in any way. You can, however, add additional embellishments and journaling to them. copyright 2007 Designer Digitals Page 3 of 15 GETTING STARTED IN v Digital Scrapbooking Actions: Actions are files that can be loaded into Adobe Photoshop (not PSE) and used to perform a variety of multi-step tasks. There are actions for adding drop shadows, inked edges, sanded edges, and more. There are also photo actions that can automatically sharpen, soften, brighten, or convert your favorite photos to black and white, sepia, etc. Once you load an action, it’s ready to use with the click of a button, giving you more time to spend on other aspects of your layout. Layered Templates: Digital Layered Templates are similar to a paper layout “sketch,” only better. These products are PSD files that include all the layers of a pre-designed layout. Unlike Quick Pages, these layers can be manipulated to suit your needs. You can remove, resize, or reposition any aspect of the layout. You use your own choice of papers and embellishments to compliment your photos and simply “clip’ them to the placeholders in the file. Instructions for using these templates in PS and PSE are included in the download. eBooks: Digital Scrapbooking eBooks are original design and idea books created in PDF format. They are packed with wonderful tips on creating layouts, using products, and getting the most out of your digital scrapbooking experience. They are completely hot-linked to the DesignerDigitals store, allowing you to locate inspirational layouts and must-have products quickly and easily. The eBooks are PDF files, and therefore require Adobe Acrobat Reader for viewing (available as a free download). Lesson Packs: Digital Lesson Packs are scrapbooking tutorials packaged with everything you need to create the layout being taught. They include a full-color PDF with screen shots to walk you through every step of creating your layout. All papers and embellishments required to complete the project are included and can be used over and over again in any future layouts you create. Fonts: Fonts are used to add journaling and titles to your layouts. There are custom fonts available in the DesignerDigitals store and at IdeaBooks4U. copyright 2007 Designer Digitals Page 4 of 15 GETTING STARTED IN v Digital Scrapbooking The Basics of Creating a Digital Layout When you create a digital layout, you do it in much the same way that you would a traditional layout, in that you layer papers and elements on top of one another. Each paper, photo, or embellishment exists on its own layer in your document, and you can reposition them at your discretion. Here are some simple steps for creating a basic layout with Adobe Photoshop or Adobe Photoshop Elements. 1. Open your photo-editing software. 2. Go to File > New and set your document size to 12x12”, 300 dpi, transparent background. (figure 1) Click OK. This will be your layout document. 3. Go to File > Open and locate the file of a paper you would like to use for a background. Click OK. figure 1 4. Position your layout document and your background paper document windows so that both are visible. (figure 2) 5. Select the Move Tool (click on the arrow at the top of the tools palette or just type “M”). (figure 3) copyright 2007 Designer Digitals figure 2 figure 3 Page 5 of 15 GETTING STARTED IN v Digital Scrapbooking 6. To move your paper onto your layout, simply hold down the SHIFT key and click and drag the paper over to your layout. Release the mouse once your cursor is positioned over the layout. The paper should now be centered on its own layer in your layout document. (figures 4a & 4b) figure 4a figure 4b 7. Repeat steps 2-5 with a photo, a frame and piece of word art, position your elements, and you have created a simple, but beautiful layout. (figures 5a & 5b) figure 5a figure 5b Tips: • To reposition an element on your layout, simply click on its layer, and with the Move Tool (V) selected, move your cursor over that element and click and drag the element on your layout to a new position. • To resize an element on your layout, select the element’s layer, then go to Edit > Free Transform (PSE users go to Image > Transform > Free Transform). Then hold the SHIFT key as you drag one of the corner handles in or out to resize and maintain the original proportions. (The bounding box with adjustment handles will shop up automatically if you leave the “Show Bounding Box” option checked in the options toolbar.) • To add depth to your elements, go to Layer > Layer Style > Drop Shadow and adjust copyright 2007 Designer Digitals Page 6 of 15 GETTING STARTED IN v Digital Scrapbooking the settings in the dialog box to your liking. (PSE users can find drop shadows in the Styles and Effects Palette under Layer Styles.) • To move elements in front of or behind one another in your layout, simply click and drag the layer up or down to a new position in the Layers palette. The higher it is in the palette, the closer it is to the “top” of your layout. Saving Your Layout It’s always a good idea to save your layout periodically as you work. Go to File > Save and save your file using the default PSD extension. This will save all of your layers so that you can make future changes if necessary. Once you are completely finished, you will most likely want to save different versions of your layout for printing, uploading to online galleries, or e-mailing to family and friends. Saving for Printing: 1. Open your original layered PSD file. 2. Go to Layer > Flatten Image. If prompted to discard hidden layers, click OK. (figure 6) 3. Go to File > Save As and choose JPG as the file type. Click SAVE. When prompted, choose a compression value of 10. Click SAVE. figure 6 Tips: • If you want to print at a size other than 12x12” you should go to Image > Image Size (in PSE go to Image > Resize > Image Size) and change the dimensions to your desired size, maintaining the 300 dpi resolution. Do this between steps 2 and 3 above. • Be sure to check with your online printing company for their preferred color profile to make sure your colors print as you see them on your monitor. • To print on 8x10” or 8.5x11” paper, resize your document to 8x8” after step 2. Create a new document the size of your paper, then Shift-Drag your flattened 8x8” layout over to your new document. Now flatten and save your new document for printing. copyright 2007 Designer Digitals Page 7 of 15 GETTING STARTED IN v Digital Scrapbooking Saving for Online Galleries: 1. Open your original layered PSD file. 2. Go to Layer > Flatten Image. If prompted to discard hidden layers, click OK. 3. Go to Image > Image Size and change your resolution to 72 dpi. Change your pixel dimensions to 500x500. (Make sure “Resample Image” is on.) Click OK. (figure 7) figure 7 4. Go to File > Save As and choose JPG as the file type. When prompted, choose a compression value of 10. Click OK. (figure 8) Tips: figure 8 • Each online gallery has its own maximum file size for uploading. Saving your file at the maximum pixel dimensions will allow your layout to be viewed at the largest possible size without any reduction in quality. At DesignerDigitals, this size is 700x700 pixels. • If your file needs to be below a certain size, i.e. under 100K, you can adjust the quality slider in the JPG compression dialog box until you see the file size drop below that value. (The file size is noted under figure 9 copyright 2007 Designer Digitals Page 8 of 15 GETTING STARTED IN v Digital Scrapbooking the Preview checkbox.) (figure 9) • If you notice a dramatic change in your layout colors when uploading to the gallery, you may need to change the color profile. In PS, go to Edit > Convert to Profile > select sRGB IEC61966-2.1, with “Perceptual” in the Intent options. (figure 10) In PSE, go to Edit > Color Settings and click “Allow me to Choose.” That will allow you to choose sRGB for web viewing and AdobeRGB for printing. figure 10 Saving for E-Mail: 1. Open your original layered PSD file. 2. Go to Layer > Flatten Image. If prompted to discard hidden layers, click OK. 3. In PS go to Image > Image Size (in PSE, go to Image > Resize > Image Size) and change your resolution to 72 dpi. Change your pixel dimensions to 500x500. (Make sure “Resample Image” is on.) Click OK. (figure 11) figure 11 4. Go to Save > Save for Web. You will get a new dialog box where you can adjust the Quality value until you see an acceptable file size in the bottom left corner. (figure 12) 5. Adjust the Quality value and click OK. You will be prompted to name your compressed file and save it to a location on your hard drive. figure 12 copyright 2007 Designer Digitals Page 9 of 15 GETTING STARTED IN v Digital Scrapbooking File Formats PSD: These are layered files. Although other photo-editing software programs can read these files, they are specifically created in Adobe Photoshop and Photoshop Elements. These files contain multiple layers that can be manipulated or removed from a layout. Layered Templates are this file type, as are the layouts you create yourself. JPG: These are solid image files. Papers and photos are the most common JPG files you will use. PNG: These are overlay files. The background of these images is transparent, allowing them to be layered on top of one another. The majority of digital scrapbooking elements and embellishments are PNG files (ribbons, frames, buttons, staples, etc.) ABR: These are brush files. They must be loaded into Adobe Photoshop or Photoshop Elements. If your software does not support brushes, there are generally PNG versions of the images provided in the download folder. PDF: These are Adobe Acrobat Reader files. They are often used when the designer provides instructions on how to use a downloaded file. They are also used for eBooks. You must have Adobe Acrobat Reader to view these files, and it is available as a free download on the Adobe website. Read Me: These are text files provided by the designer, often to provide the terms of use (TOU) and copyright information for their designs. copyright 2007 Designer Digitals Page 10 of 15 GETTING STARTED IN v Digital Scrapbooking Loading and Using a Brush These instructions are for Adobe Photoshop and Photoshop Elements. 1. Go to Edit > Preset Manager. A Preset Manager Dialog Box will open. (figure 13) 2. Click LOAD and point your computer to the ABR file for the brushes you wish to use. Click OK. 3. Your Preset Manager will now include thumbnails of the brushes you just loaded. Click DONE. 4. Create a new layer in your document. (Layer > New > Layer) figure 13 5. Select the Brush Tool (B). In the options toolbar, click the down arrow next to the current brush thumbnail. (figure 14) figure 14 6. In the drop down menu, you can select your brush and set its size (master diameter). You can also adjust the size quickly by using the [ and ] keys. (figure 15) 7. Once your brush is selected, click once to “stamp” the image on your blank layer. Click and drag to “paint” with your brush using your foreground color. (figure 16) Tips: figure 15 • Be sure to play with the settings in your PS Brushes Palette (Window > Brushes), or in your PSE “More Options” dropdown menu on the options toolbar. You can adjust the angle, size, spacing, and so much more. • Brushes can also be used with many of the painting and retouching tools, such as the Eraser, Pencil, and Clone tools. figure 16 copyright 2007 Designer Digitals Page 11 of 15 GETTING STARTED IN v Digital Scrapbooking Making a Custom Brush from a PNG File These instructions are for Adobe Photoshop and Photoshop Elements. 1. Go to File > Open and locate the desired PNG file. Click OPEN. (figure 17) 2. Go to Edit > Define Brush Preset (PSE users go to Edit > Define Brush). (figure 18) 3. Rename your brush. Click OK. (figure 19) 4. Select the Brush Tool (B) and locate your brush in the drop-down menu on the options toolbar. Realistic objects, such as the example, will be converted to a grayscale version of the original, but can be resized and recolored like any brush. (figure 20) figure 17 figure 18 Tips: figure 19 • Brushes can be up to 2500 x 2500 pixels in size, which is approximately 8x8” at 300 dpi. • Brushes are saved in a preferences file and can be lost if default preferences are restored. To permanently save your custom brushes, go to Edit > Preset Manager, select the brushes you wish to save, and click on Save Set. Name your set and save it to a location on your hard drive. • You can make a custom brush from any image, including a photo, but you will only get the transparent background if you use a PNG file. figure 20 copyright 2007 Designer Digitals Page 12 of 15 GETTING STARTED IN v Digital Scrapbooking Understanding Resolution Resolution is the fineness of detail in a given image. It is measured in pixels per inch (ppi), often referred to as dots per inch (dpi). The more pixels per inch, the higher the resolution and quality of an image. Our high quality digital scrapbooking files are created at 300 dpi, and you should create your layouts at this resolution. The higher the resolution, the larger the file size. It is standard for images viewed on the web or via e-mail to be saved at 72 dpi. For printing, however, images should be saved at 300 dpi or they will appear pixilated. Tips: • If you place a photo on a layout and it appears much smaller than expected, it is likely that the original photo has a resolution less than 300 dpi. If this is the case, enlarging it to fit your design may result in very poor print quality. Make sure your camera is set to capture images at the highest possible resolution. • As a general rule, you should not enlarge your images more than 150% to maintain the best image quality. copyright 2007 Designer Digitals Page 13 of 15 GETTING STARTED IN v Digital Scrapbooking Uploading a Layout to the Gallery Before you can upload layouts to the DesignerDigitals Gallery, you must register to create a username and password. It can be the same one you use in the forums, but you must register separately in the forum, gallery, and store. Once you have an account, click on the “Log In” link in the upper right corner of your screen. (figure 21) Once you are logged into the gallery, you will have an link to “Upload Photos” in the upper right corner of your screen. Click on this link. (figure 22) figure 21 Follow these simple steps to add your image to the gallery: (figure 23) figure 22 1. Choose a category for your layout. The default is “Member Gallery,” but if your layout is for one of the weblog or weekly challenges, choose the drop down menu and select the appropriate category. 2. Select the photo you would like to upload by clicking “Choose File.” Locate the 72 dpi JPG version of your layout. Trying to upload high resolution files will result in an error. 3. Enter a title for the layout your are uploading. 4. Enter a description for the layout, including product credits, journaling, etc. Please do not include links to or advertisements for other stores. figure 23 5. Enter keywords you would like associated with your layout (optional). 6. Indicate whether you would like instant e-mail notification of user comments to your gallery posting. 7. Click the “Upload/Submit” button when you are finished. copyright 2007 Designer Digitals Page 14 of 15 GETTING STARTED IN v Digital Scrapbooking Tips: • You can create albums within your own gallery and choose to upload to those albums instead of a preassigned gallery category. However, you can not submit the layout to more than one gallery. • Once you have uploaded an image, you might decide you need to edit the description or change the image. If so, simply go to your image in the gallery and click the “Edit Photo” link under your description. When you have made your changes, click on “Submit Changes.” You wilv not affect any of the comments left by other users, and your layout will remain in the same location. (figure 24) figure 24 You are welcome to visit the DesignerDigitals . . . Homepage copyright 2007 Designer Digitals Shop Community Gallery Weblog Page 15 of 15