Tired of walking around for weeks with glitter glued to your body? Want another way to create scrapbook pages? Well, Photoshop allows you to create your own unique scrapbook pages that are free from mess, but just as fun!
Scanning in Images
Scrapbooking is fun. But, it can also be messy, too. There is a way, however, to create a scrapbook page in Photoshop that keeps your fingers from sticking together. All you need is Photoshop CS3 or CS4 and a little imagination.
The first thing that you want to do is scan in anything in that isn’t already a digital image. For example, if you want to add someone’s diploma to your scrapbook page, you will need to scan it in. Or, if you’ve made a drawing that you want to add to your page, this is the best way to do it. Scan in your materials at no bigger than 8 inches tall and wide with a resolution of 300 dpi. This will allow you to turn these images into brushes that can be used on your page.
Creating Brushes and a Background
Once the image is uploaded, use the Marquee Tool to select your image. Then, go to Edit and then Define Brush Preset. Now save your new brush in the Preset Manager, which can be found by going to Edit and then Preset Manager.
Next, you want to create a background on where you can add your images. Open a new file (12x12 is a good preset for a scrapbook page). Click on the background layer, and use the Fill tool to fill the entire background with a solid color.
Once you’ve done this, you can use the Brush Tool to use the images that you turned into brushes and place them around your page like stamps. Put them randomly around the page. Now, you can add shapes,
which you can use as backgrounds for your digital pictures. Draw the shape as big as you need it to be, and then fill it with either white or black.
Adding Photographs and Text
Next, drop your photos into the shapes that you’ve made. To have even more fun, use the Eraser tool to remove edges of photographs to give them a blurred look. To add wording to your photographs, draw text boxes under the pictures or on other sections of the page to help you remember the people or events that have been captured.
Finally, jazz up the page with additional clipart to fill in any open spaces that need to be occupi
ed. Save each page of your scrapbook with a page number so you know which order they need to be in. Now, you can print out your pages and put them in a real scrapbook. Or, save paper, and share your scrapbook with your friends using an online scrapbook service, including http://www.Scrapblog.com.