Z Pink Boudoir

I’ve had a few of my friends  IM me and ask me tips on how to create my LOs even though I am not a pro (I only started July of 2008).  Anyway, these are a few random tips that I read about or discovered on my own.

• Join different scrap booking forums and sign up for their weekly newsletter.  This may be annoying when you don’t want your inbox to be overflowed by emails but this is an easy way to get awesome freebies.  Click here to see a few links.
• New to digital scrapping?  No biggie!  Check out other pro scrappers work to get more LO ideas and inspiration.  Believe me, once you see their work, your imagination would go haywire!
• Rule of thumb (for me anyway):  Don’t make your LOs too busy unless that’s your aim, of course.  Use your elements wisely.  Sticking a  few random objects on your page, does not make for a creative LO.
• Hold the shift key when you are resizing photos, elements, and papers to preserve their aspect ratio.  You wouldn’t want your photos or elements to look too fat or too thin.  Preserving the aspect ratio is a good tip in creating flattering LOs.
• If you’re new to digital scrapping, start by using sketches/templates as your guide.  By using them, you get a feel of  creating layouts and after a few stints with that, you can then make your own design!  Yes, I started with using templates for my layouts, played around with them, and now, I create my own pages without the aid of a layout.  Read about using templates here.
• Just like photography (and other media), it is best to use the rule of thirds in making your layouts.  Avoid putting your subject (photo) smack dab in the middle of the page.  Experiment by moving them around your page and pick one spot that fits your intended design.  Believe me, picking the perfect spot can do wonders to your work and it makes for an interesting LO, too!
• Creatively use different font styles and sizes in your work.  I use a different font for the first letter in a word for an artistic touch.  Remember, do not be limited to just clicking in the test button.  Use different text layers to manipulate each letter to your specifications.  Click here to check out my Word Art Gallery.
• Know your tools.  Familiarize yourself with the software that you are using.  Some of the things that I discovered were through exploring my software and using trial and error.  All my digital scrap booking work is made using Adobe Photoshop CS2.  But whatever your tools may be, it is imperative that you get to know them by heart.
• Let your creativity loose!  I believe this is the best way to come up with awesome pages!

Well, that’s it for now!  I’ll give you guys more updates when I find and/or discover something new!  Enjoy scrapping!

One of the things that I love about scrapping is using pre-made templates.  It’s fun, it’s easy, but it doesn’t limit your creativity.  I use pre-made templates when I am not in a really creative mood and just want to have a quick but beautiful scrap.

I’m going to teach you how to use the pre-made templates to your advantage.  Remember, imagination is boundless so feel free to unleash your full potential.  I am using Adobe Photoshop CS2 for this tutorial.

1. From the menu, open the template of your choice.  This file should be in .psd format to enable editing of layers.

2.  Now, select the kit and/or kits that you plan to use for this page.  I usually open another window for this one where all the files of my scrapbook kits are located.  This is because I tend yo use kits from different designers for one page.

3.  In the Adobe Photoshop CS2 menu, open the open the number of photos that you will be using for your page.  This usually depends on the template that you chose.  For this template, I am using one photo.  Your workspace should look something like this:

4. Now all you need to do is to drag the photo to your template window.  To do this simply select the photo and then drag it to the template window while holding the left mouse button.  Your photo will then appear as a layer on your template.

5. Now it’s time to start designing.  In the workspace menu, select the template and then maximize it.   In your palette, find the layers menu and look for any extra layers that you need to delete; e.g. photo, journaling, text.  These are used by the designers to guide you where a photo, journaling, etc.,  is to be placed.

6.  Drag the your photo layer to the layer where where the photo should be placed.  Like so.

7.  To place the picture on the photo mat, all you need to do is to use the clipmask option.  To do this, simply select your photo and then press the right mouse button and select the create clipping mask option.  Position and resize your photo inside the box.  Press the shift key while resizing your photo to preserve the aspect ratio of the photo.

8. Just repeat steps 6-7 with papers and other embellishments from digital scrapbooking kits that you chose to use.

This is how my layout looks like.

For this tutorial I used Template #4 by Shebadoo Scraps

Papers: KimB, Happy Birthday Kit | Flaneuse, Flaneries Etoilees Kit | Margote, Retro Kit | Sory Designs, princesa Magica Kit | Pam Lefors Designs, Odds ‘n Ends 25 | Juno, Summery Paper Pack

Giving proper credit to the digital scraps designers is very important.  Not only is it acknowledging someone’s work but it is also showing them that you love their work and I believe, it encourages them to make more freebies!  And we all know how awesome freebies are!  I am not limiting myself to freebies, though but I do look for them regularly.  When I do find kits that I love, I do not hesitate purchasing them.

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