Two new template kits today!
Picture This [Go Long]
and
Picture That [Go Long]
Just like the original Picture This + Picture That kits, one has the white space and one does not.
chocolate. vanilla. again.
They are 10″ x 5″ templates, but of course can be sized and rotated as needed.
Works in Photoshop + Photoshop Elements.
Works in Photoshop + Photoshop Elements.
Additionally, I’ve had a request or two for a 1.25″ square template for those of you
who are creating your monthly pages like Miss Nichol Magouirk (see HERE).
In there!
Here’s what the templates look like:
Price: $7
This stuff is seriously addicting. I mean, I’ve used my own “hand-made” templates as I needed them, but this is so nice to just create a bunch all at one time to have on hand to use as I need them. Hopefully you’ll be just as excited as I am to have them too! :) A square version will find its way here soon too.
I thought I’d play around with one of them, just to see it in action. The beauty of these is that you don’t have to just use them “as is.” Change a square to black or a complementary color and use it as a text box, add brushes, text, change a photo to black and white….it’s crazy what you can do to personalize it how you want!
So here’s what it looks like just as it is. It’s nice. It’s clean and simple. I like it.
I use my templates this way a lot.
But now here’s what it looks like all duded up.
Adds a totally different flavor. I’ll call this one Rocky Road.
I added a simple black photo frame, a black rectangle with text, a title,
and then used a few grunge brushes to make it look more like an old photo.
Okay, so you’re probably looking at the grouping of photos and thinking,
“Hey! That upper right photo had two spaces, not one.”
Right? You’ve all got that going through your head right now?
Okay, so be honest, you probably didn’t even notice. lol
Remember how I said the possibilities are endless?
Well, here’s how you can manipulate the template to fit your needs
with the photos you may be using for your own project.
Pull in the photo. As you can see, there are two rectangles (masks) there in the upper right.
Select both layers by clicking on one, holding down the Shift key and clicking on the other one. You’ll see both layers highlight in the Layers Palette too.
Right click and you’ll see the option to Merge Layers in the drop-down box. Click on it.
The two layers now become one.
The rectangle area (mask) will still “look” like two because of the shading,
but it’s really only one as you can see in the Layers palette.
Now, once you’ve clipped the layer and your photo together,
it will look like what you saw at the top of the post.
i. love. clipping masks.
[for more info on how to use masks/collage templates, refer to this post HERE]
You are so versatile. Great stuff. Now if you have time please show how you used them on a page. Printed out and then paper scrapped? Or how? My creative deprived brain always needs inspiration from you geniuses.
Hey Rhadonda! I don't know if I will have time to scrap today, so tomorrow I'll put up some pages I've done with templates in the past.
I like keeping them all together, but you could totally cut them apart and use them individually too.
…stay tuned… :)
Can't wait to see what you've done with them. I'm new to PSE and have always wanted to try something like this. Maybe this has been asked before…but can I send this off to my photo printer (I use Sam's Club/Shutterfly)? I'm assuming they would be able to print them out as an 8×10 (with 3" of white space on one side)?
Hey Amy! Yes, you sure can send these off to a photo printer. All you'll need to do is save your grouping as a JPG (File/Save As) and you are good to go! I would also make sure you save it at a Maximum Quality (like 10-12).
Hope that helps! :)
And i see that Nichol is also going to show pages using these. Like i commented on her site you two are the dynamic duo!! Hmm…… i wonder who requested the 1.25? ( : You just take your sweet old time posting pages. It is always worth the wait. I know you have a life and a room to redo!
Love, Love, Loving these Kerri! Needless to say, they're on my wishlist!
I especially love the "Galway Factor" – it reminds me of my trip there last summer, when I went to visit my cousins. What a beautiful place! Love from Scotland xoxo
Kerri!
These are SO great! I was admiring the first two last week, but hadn't purchased yet. Then today I saw Nichole's post, and realized that you had done exactly what I was close to requesting….the small squares and 2X3 size. Now I am so excited!!
I am going to purchase, and am determined to learn how to use them. (Just received PSE as a Christmas gift. Can you say NEWBIE big time?) I so appreciate your instructions to go along with your designs, and if you ever decide to make an instructional video, I would pay whatever you charge. Your instructions are clearer to me than anything else I have read!
Feel free to see this as a "pretty please" request :)
Thanks again, Sandi Kuhlman
Hi Kerri
Thank you so much for making these. I am impatiently awaiting the delivery of PSE and can't wait to learn how to use it. I have a question for you regarding these files. What is the difference between the two? I see that one has white space and the other doesn't, but what does that mean? How would I use one vs the other?
Thanks!
Shawn
Shawn,
The main difference is the white space. The masks (templates) with white space are a fraction smaller in the 8×10 world due to the white space, but they are roughly the same size.
The difference is in the appearance. One has photos butted up against the other while the other would have a 1/8" space between them. I'm going to show some examples in Wednesday's post (today), so keep an eye out for them.
Sandi, you are way too cute!
Issy, totally with you. Sooo want to go back to Ireland AND Scotland. THAT'S on my wish list. ;)
Oh yeah, and Shawn, you can download PSE from Adobe while you're waiting for your program to come. They allow you to use it for free for 30 days. Then, when you get your program, all you'll need to do is enter your license number–won't even need to reinstall. Sweet!
Love templates makes the process so much quicker and simpler! You ROCK Kerri!!!!!!!!!!!1
Thanks Deneen. :)
Kerri!
Thanks for answering my question. It totally makes sense now. Also, thanks for suggesting I use the trial version til mine arrives. I will do that today! Cant wait to start using your templates. Decisions, decisions!
Shawn
question will this work on corel photoshop or just adobe photoshop? i would love to work on that template but not sure if it will work on my program.
Unfortunately I'm not aware of what other programs can do. But I did do a search on the internet to see if Corel could take PSD files and found this article: http://www.ehow.com/how_5883339_convert-psd-image-corel.html
The question then becomes, does Corel do Layers and Clipping Masks? If it does and bringing in the PSD file maintains its Layers, then I would think it would work. But that's something you'll need to search for too. :) I did a quick search and found some different things. I typed in "corel layers clipping masks".
Hope that helps!
Kerri
oh ok cool yeah my photoshop has all that your talking about so it might just work thanks a bunch!
Kerri I love your work! I'm always checking out new postings on your blog =D
Michele
Do you know of any sites/ blogs that use template kits like yours for Aperture? I have not yet purchased Aperture and am still debating on PSE or Aperture- there is such a debate out there.
You know, I just don't know. I went out and did a quick search because I'd never heard of Aperture..then saw it was made by Apple and that it replaces or upgrades from iPhoto (that's my speed reading take on it anyway).
The funny thing is, because I'd never heard of it, my first thought was to compare getting PSE over Aperture is like getting something Apple to say another brand….oddly enough. lol It's just that Adobe is such a leader in the photo editing department that there are so many more tools readily available for PS/PSE. Actions, masks, digital scrapbooking…so many people that create for our little corner of the world use PS/PSE.
I'm not saying that Aperture is bad…I've never tried it so I can't say how one way or the other. But I might be inclined to download the trial version and see how it works though.
I just did another quick search on "apple aperture clipping masks" and one article I read says it doesn't do clipping masks.
Without researching it more…I'd be more inclined to say PSE is your best bet to play as scrapbookers do. :)
Hope that helps!
Kerri,
I value your opinion and hope you can answer this for me.
Which version of PSE would you recommend? I currently have an old, old version that is no longer compatible with Vista. The reviews I am finding are conflicting and I would be learning PSE from scratch. I have full blown photoshop on my desktop BUT have never learned to use it.Not one thing. Have never understood the concepts of masks….I know that is the basics of the whole thing. I do not plan to do digital scrapping I just want to use it for photos/collages. So I am determined to learn how to use PSE in 2011.
Thank you for the clear, simple, concise instructions. I have to agree with a previous poster, your instructions are the best I've found and even I can understand them !
I will look forward to your opinion and go with your suggestions.
Thanks a million ! LOVE all your designs and want everything single thing in your store….on that note gotta get ready for work :(
Edit:
I meant to say Layers, "never understood the concept of layers….I know that is the basic of the whole thing".
Well, my personal opinion is that if you have a version of PS already, you really don't need PSE. That may depend on its version too though. If its pretty old, then your tasks may not be the same as those with a more recent version–probably anything CS2 and above you'd be fine with…I'm guessing. :)
While the thought of having or trying to use PS may seem overwhelming, the concepts of the program would be just the same as PSE–you just have a TON more options and capabilities with PS that you'd probably never use. PSE is just a scaled down version of PS. I am not a PS expert by any means, but I know that what I do in PS I would be able to do in PSE as well. So my theory is, if you can get past the fact that you have this monster program to "learn", and just take it a feature at a time, you'll do great with just owning PS. So maybe you start with learning masks. Then maybe next you take on Actions (LOVE). ThePioneer Woman.com has free Actions for you to download and play with.
That being said, you can download a trial version of PSE from Adobe and see if it would suit your needs. I LOVE that! I love when you can try something out before spending your hard-earned money.
Now, to understand Layers. Think of layers like building a sandwich. Each layer that you have on your sandwich does something unique to the end result of your masterpiece. So say your sandwich has layers of bread, ham, roast beef, tomato, cheese, mayo, pickle and onion. Each one of those does something really great for your sandwich. But you know what, maybe you're not in the mood for that mayo after all. Rather than having to rebuild that whole sandwich to get rid of the mayo (cause you know you just can't scrape it off), you can click a button for that layer and turn it off–getting rid of the mayo. But being women and we like to change our minds, you decide you want the mayo after all, just click the button and voila, the mayo is back on your sandwich. Or maybe you want just a light bit of mayo, you can change the Opacity and soften it up.
That is the most basic and fundamental concept behind layers. It allows you to add pieces to your masterpiece and then have control over that piece/layer as well. You can do so much more with Layers, however, for the purpose of masks, what's used is done very simply.
So regardless of whether you're using PS or PSE, you still have Layers to deal with. But whichever program you use, if you can think of it kind of like that sandwich, it might help you wrap your brain around it a little more.
I hope that helps. If you have more questions, let me know. :)
Kerri
Can I just say…..I love you !
That analogy explains it better than I've ever heard from any site/person I've tried.
I am going to play with the big daddy PS this weekend and then check out the trial version of PSE, so I can load it on my laptop for travel a.k.a crops ….
Thanks a million.You really are the best :)
Great! You know, leave it to me to use a food analogy. You know where my mind must always be. lol
Good luck on your exciting new PS endeavors! :)
Kerri
Hi,I found you through Nichol Magourik's video and fell in love with the template. So, I already purchased one template.What happens next? How do I get hold on it?
Hey craftytassy! I emailed you the files within a few minutes of receiving the order yesterday. Let me know if you still didn't get them. :)
Kerri
Hi Kerri,
Having a little trouble wondered if you can help. I've purchased two collages (so far), and I'm using PSE 8, but I'm having trouble fitting some of the pictures inside the mask. Some are look squished or distorted after I resize and some do not. What am I doing wrong? Thankful for any suggestions.
Kerri,
No worries I figured it out! There is a little bar that only pops up in PSE only when you start to resize called contraint porportions. I've found out sometimes it's checked marked and sometimes it isn't. You have to make sure it's always checked marked before you do any resizing. Makes sense! ha ha Thanks!
[...] uses shapes from these kits: Picture That [Go Long] / School Years / This & That: [...]