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Note: Tutorial created using a PC with Windows XP and Photoshop CS2.
If you have been looking for digital scrapbooking ideas that will help you include more photos on your layout, ScrapSimple Embellishment Template: Reels has the answer for you! With room for 14 small photos, you will have an easy, yet unique way of adding extra memories to your page. Read along with me and I will show you how you can create with this useful Embellishment Template.
First, choose the type of reel windows you would like. I chose to go with the traditional square windows. Open the base and the windows you chose. You can also open the reel outline/border and the textured overlay if you wish to use these options. Create a new document size 8x8, 300dpi to build your reel. Starting with the base, hold down the Shift key, click on the base, and drag it to your new document, then release. This should place the base exactly in the middle of the document. Continue to Shift+Click and drag each piece to the new document. Close all the individual pieces so the only thing on the screen is your new document with the layers of your reel.
Now choose your photos. I went through my photo collection and picked out a bunch of photos that would work great for my photo reel. Take the first photo you want to work with and click on it with your mouse, hold, and drag it onto your document.
You may have to resize your photo so it is closer to the size of the windows. To resize it, make sure the photo is highlighted in the Layers Palette, then go to Edit> Free Transform (Ctrl+T).
You will notice that this puts a perimeter around your photo. By holding down the Shift key and putting your mouse pointer over one of the corners (until your mouse pointer becomes a double-sided, straight arrow), then clicking and holding, you can move your mouse to make the image smaller.
After resizing the image, align the photo over the top of one of the windows. Double check your Layers Palette and make sure that your photo is on the layer directly above the windows layer. Using the Move Tool in the Tools Palette, move your photo so that it is covering one of the rectangle windows. To shape the photo to the exact size and shape of the window, apply a clipping mask. For some Photoshop users, this can be done by clicking Ctrl+G. For me, I will right-click on the photo layer and select "Create Clipping Mask."
In the screenshot further up, my photo isn't angled in very pleasing way. To fix this, go to Edit> Free Transform (Ctrl+T), put your mouse pointer near one of the corners (until it becomes a double-sided, curved arrow) and rotate the image until you are happy with how it looks. You can also use the Move Tool to move the image around in the window to get it just right. After rotating the photo, I found that it still overlaps just slightly into the other windows next to it. However, I am happy with the size of the photo and I don't want the photo to appear any smaller, so I will fix the overlapping in the next step.
To fix the problem of the photo overlapping into the windows nearby, use your Lasso Tool in the Tools Palette to delete those parts. Carefully select the area overlapping, and then click Delete on your keyboard.
Now you are ready to continue adding more photos. Drag photos onto your document, which should automatically give them their own layer above the last layer you worked with. With each photo, resize as necessary, and again, apply a clipping mask and move and/or rotate each one until it displays correctly in its window.
After adding the rest of your photos, add a paper to the base. Select (highlight) the layer that has the reel base, then click and drag your paper of choice to the document. This will place the paper directly above the base layer. To cover the base with the paper, right-click on the paper layer in the Layers Palette and select "Create Clipping Mask." If you wish, you can also add the inked edge and textured overlay that comes with the ScrapSimple Embellishment Templates: Reels set.
To give your reel a more realistic look, select (highlight) the windows layer and apply an Inner Shadow. To do this, click on the little "f" at the bottom of the Layers Palette, choose "Inner Shadow", and play with the settings until you achieve a look you like.
Now your reel is ready to use on a digital scrapbook layout or any other art project. To move it to your project, hit Ctrl+A on your keyboard to select the entire document, then Shift+Ctrl+C to copy the reel (this will copy the reel with merged layers). Then hit Ctrl+V to paste the reel on your layout. If you don't want your layers merged on your layout, hold the Ctrl key down and click with your mouse on each layer in the Layers Palette of the reel to highlight them all. You can then drag all the layers at one time to your new document.
Layout by Brandie Valenzuela
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Tutorial written by Brandie Valenzuela
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