I am a relatively new convert to cut files (from the likes of Scrapping with Liz etc) but apart from clipping papers to them, what other creative ideas have people had to use them?
I also like to use them to cut a piece out of the paper. They make great titles, word art, photo mats, etc.
You can fill cut file letters like I do in this video (and my Big Words template series already has the backing pieces available for you to clip papers to them): You can also use the cut file to make a custom mask.
As I was looking through Liz's cut file products for layouts using them, I ran across one that really stood out to me. It was under her basketball cutouts and was by Anne. Of course, it isn't linked to the gallery and I couldn't find it to link it. But it appears that she placed the cutout over her photo that she used on the layout maybe as a mask like Cheryl said above. Quite striking! At another store I saw a cutout as a part of the background. Hard to explain but it appeared that the poster used the same paper as the background paper and with shadowing had it stand out. It was also quite striking and I have been trying to figure out how to do it in PSP since I saw it in December! @amien1 I believe this might have been your "Joyful" layout. If so, how did you do it?
Yes! I basically added the cutfile on top of background paper with a shadow style, then clipped the same paper to the cutfile! Easy peasy!
I absolutely love that layout and the effect but PSP handles shadows differently than PS so it has been much harder to simulate. I did get a couple different effects I like, one using cutout and the other using outer bevel.
Things I do with cut files: Use them as an background interest piece Fill with paper Fill each part with pieces like Cheryl said Shadow it super high like a paper cut file with pop dots Layer it like another element with other elements Use it as a photo mask Use it like a stencil mask (I forget how I do this one, but basically you select the cutfile and delete it from painted background. Leave the outline of it in paint. Like if you painted over a stencil and then removed the stencil) Use as titles Add styles to them - glitter, wire, gold, etc Cut it out of the background paper so it's the void part left, instead of layered on top of the background paper That's all I can think of at the moment.
