A few people have been asking me how exactly to USE a template so I’ve written up a little tutorial!
Scroll down to the bottom to grab the FREEBIE and try it out!!
Here goes…
HOW TO USE A LAYERED PSD TEMPLATE IN PSE/PS:
Think of a layered template as a 3D sketches.
If it’s a PSD layered template (like mine are), when you open it in photoshop or elements it will open in layers.
Each layer is a piece/section of the layout (like pieces of a puzzle) and when all of the layers come together – in the right spots and everything – they make a scrapbooked page/layout.
I have a few freebies here on my blog! If you need one to practice with, download one because here we go…
Download, unzip and then open up the PSD layered template in Photoshop or Photoshop Elements (they do work in a few other programs – but the instructions will be a bit different for those).
The FIRST thing that you need to do is go to FILE and then SAVE AS. Save the layout that you will be working on so that you do save over the template by accident!
Now, you can open up (in PS or PSE) the kit (papers and elements) that you’d like to work with…
When you have the template open on the screen, look at your layers palette and select the layer that you’d like to work with first… (highlight/select it in the layers palette by left clicking on it)
Pick a paper that you’d like to use and then select/copy it. In elements I use Ctrl+A to select it and Ctrl+C to copy it. Go to your template and paste (I use Ctrl+V) it into the template. In Photoshop you can also drag and drop – but I prefer the other way.
Make sure that in the layers palette, the new layer that you just pasted in is directly above the layer you want it to take the place/shape of.
Look in your layers palette and you should see the new layer that you just pasted in… and on your template on the screen, you should see the paper you pasted in as well!
Once the new layer/paper is directly above where you want it to be in your layer palette, press Ctrl+alt+G type thing (in photoshop) or Ctrl+G (in Elements) and that will join the two layers together and the paper will then take the shape of the layer beneath it! Almost like magic!
Ctrl+E will “merge” those two layers together to make them one – but you don’t NEED to do that part. It’s sometimes better if you wait until the end to do that (or don’t do it at all) because if you want to swap papers or photos around, you’ll be able to still.
Keep doing that over and over until all of the spots/layers are filled with the elements/papers and photos that you want on your layout!
You can delete or hide certain layers if you don’t need them or if they don’t suit your style or the layout you are working on.
You can also add layers and things in too! Just open up an element (let’s say a cute little flower) and then selcet/copy/paste it into your template. You should see it as a new layer in your layer palette now. Move it around to wherever you want it to be on your layout! You can drag that new element up and down in your layer pallette too – to get it just where you want it (because when you first paste it in, it might be hidden behind a paper or something). Moving it up in the row of layers in the palette will bring it to the surface and make it visible on your layout – kwim?
So now, you just keep doing those steps over and over until you have your page the way you want it!
Before you know it, making a scrapbooked page with a template will be easy peasy! Using templates is how I started into the world of digi scrapping!
I have a few freebies here on my blog – I hope you’ll grab them and play around!
Feel free to ask questions in a comment if you have them and I will do my best to help if I can!
Here’s the freebie…click the preview to download it!
If you want to see more of my templates, you can CLICK HERE!
Chrissy
Posted by ChrissyW
