I love creative cropping of photos. Digital scrapbooking allows for some neat effects without destroying or needing multiple photos. Photo stacks are one of my favorite. You can create the stack and print and trim it to add to a traditional scrapbook page.

Open a photo and duplicate it. Close the original and save duplicate with a new name.

 

Activate the Preset Shapes Rectangle Tool and draw out the shape, Fill and Stroke set to white. The rectangle will be a Vector shape and on a Vector layer by default.

 

Activate the Pick Tool (K) and use the Free Rotate Handle to rotate into place. I lowered the Opacity of the Vector rectangle layer to be able to see through it.

 

Activate the Magic Wand and with Match Mode set to Opacity select the Vector Rectangle layer. You will get marching ants around the shape. Click the eye on the Vector layer to turn it off. Click the Photo layer to activate it.

 

We are going to add a frame to this selection, but first, we need to promote the selection to a new layer so we don't change the original photo. Selections> Promote to Layer.

 

To add a border, we need a selection to fill. To create this border, Selections> Modify> Select Selection Borders.

 

Set to "Inside" for sharp corners and "Outside" for rounded corners, Border width to 10, Click "OK." You will now have marching ants with space between them. We are going to fill this to create the border.

 

Activate your Flood Fill Tool (F) and set Fill to white. Zoom way in so you can see the selection area and fill with white. Ctrl+D or Selections> Select None to Deselect. Name this "Layer One."

 

Activate the Vector layer again and use the Pick Tool (K) to move it where you would like the next selection to be. You can use the Corner Handles to change the size and rotation of the rectangle if you wish.

 

Follow the steps above to create another promoted selection with border for each selection of your photo.

 

Name each layer as you create them.

 

Here are all my selections before I turn off the original photo.

 

Add a drop shadow to each layer.

 

Turn off the Photo layer and the Promoted layer. Image> Resize and make sure your ppi is 300, change if necessary. Save as a .PSPIMAGE.

Crop in as close as you can. Click "OK." Save as a PNG. You are now ready to add it to your layout.

Tutorial and layout inspired by Photo Stack Technique (Michelle Santiago) in August/September issue of Digital Scrapbooking Magazine. Thanks to Sarah Sanchez for posting the How-To question and Angela Nussbaum for her help with the technique.

Layout by Dee-Ann Decker
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	Note: Commercial license versions of ScrapSimple Tools - Scripts: Bevels 7501 are also available.

Tutorial written by Dee-Ann Decker