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How You Scrap | Pad Patter 3/19

jk703 said:
I start from the bottom... add paint, papers, ellies, shadow as I go, delete layers that aren't needed... so by the time I'm at the top, I add journaling, and I'm pretty much done! Do you randomly choose a spot to start?
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I do photos then papers then elements.
 
Angela Toucan said:
When I'm using templates I tend to start with the photos, then what layers I pick after that tend to be fairly random - as the inspiration goes or in accordance with the challenge. For example is the challenge requires 5 flowers and a piece of tape, I might do those next to ensure they are all there.
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You're right... I do photos first, then head to the bottom of the layers.
 
jk703 said:
I constantly save, but I actually think I set Photoshop to save every 10 minutes. I should double check!
I don't record anything but in the title of my layout (products/font/date). Does that take you a long time?
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Not really since I usually only use 1 kit. I record the kit name, font used, template name and any brushes/masks I use. I do have a script that will record the credits in the "Creator Information" in the image which is useful if I use multiple kits but it doesn't record the template name or font. I've used this spreadsheet since I started digi-scrapping in 2008 so it is just a part of my process automatically.

As for the saving, mine is set for 5 minutes. One time when the program shut down and I reopened it, it asked if I wanted to open that saved image. I did but it was missing all the shadowing I had already done. I knew I had saved it before starting the text so I closed it and opened the file from my folder and everything but the text I was working on was there. I'm on a forum specifically for Paint Shop Pro and the gal that runs it is a Corel Professional and does beta testing on new versions. She was doing a live Q&A a couple weeks ago and during it, her program shut down on its own. Several of us in the comments all said we have that happen as well. She has talked to the developers about it so they are aware of it. They told her they needed a certain type file. I found some on my computer so hopefully the file I sent to her to forward to them will help them figure it out.
 
jk703 said:
You're right... I do photos first, then head to the bottom of the layers.
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Yeah, this is me. I run a script to turn the photo spot into a mask then drag the photo in (to keep the photo file name). I have another script that will merge the mask group when I'm done that again keeps the file name. I don't do that until I've got all photos on the layout.

Then I head to the bottom and work my way up. I may not use all layers of the template so will turn off those I don't plan to use. I'll drag the paper or element above the layer in the template then turn the original layer off. After I've got all I want, I delete all the turned off layers to make the layer palette easier to scroll through. I do not shadow as I go because when I've got everything on the template, I may decide to move something or even rotate something. Rotating after a shadow has been applied doesn't always look right. So shadowing is done only after I have everything where I want it.

My bottom layer is almost always a plain, slightly textured paper. I usually do my journaling directly on it so I want something as the background that I can read any text! I tend to stay away from dark backgrounds, heck, I don't use dark papers that often anyways. I could never get the shadowing to look right on it although I am getting better at that but old habits die hard!
 
jk703 said:
I can't delete that fast. My brain wouldn't be able to let go so quickly. I do go in yearly to remove some things, but not a lot! I've used templates multiple times, so it's hard for me to imagine! :giggle

So when you use a template, you delete layers to add your own in that spot? Or just delete all elements? I'm intrigued.
Journaling is always last for me!
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I delete all the elements from the template and put my own elements wherever I like after I add the papers and photos. I do generally keep the paper layers in place (although I might delete a few layers if there are tons & tons) and the photos in place.
 
I choose a photo first.. than I kind of choose a kit that fits the theme I want to scrap .. or sometimes a bunch of kits..
than I sometimes use an idea from a pin.. but most the time I kinda just have an idea in my head and throw things on a page and re-arrange them till i like them.. and lastly I add paint and stitches
I shadow as I go.
 
I hadn't really thought of what my process is until now.

A few caveats:
  • 99% of the time it's for CT work so that narrows down my focus a lot - In my case that helps with the idea of too many choices which is good
  • 99% of the time I'm using a template or scraplifting in some way - I'm not creative enough to be totally original in my page design
My process usually goes something like this.
  1. Find the photos/story I want to tell + base kit and template/scraplift
  2. Turn off the layers of any extra bits on templates that I don't want
  3. Remove existing shadow styles from template and add in Cheryl's styles on photo spots only
  4. Place photos into template
  5. Start adding papers in - I usually start with a base plain paper of some sort and add others as I go. Occasionally I will have a patterned paper I really want to use and I'll make sure to play with it early on in the paper choosing step, otherwise I'll play until I like it - that's the beauty of Digi!
  6. Add in any elements I want - usually paint, stitches are my go tos
  7. Choose a title - even though I'm an alpha hoarder I mostly go for word art cause I'm lazy. Sometimes I will play with styles here too
  8. Journal - I start by opening up my Font Manager and temporarily loading a few fonts that might work
  9. Shadow remaining layers. I use a combination of Cheryl's and Mommyish's - sometimes I do this as I go, other times it's at the end.
  10. Using a digital note software (inbuilt into Windows 10 - Sticky Note) create my credit list including links. Copy and paste that info into File Info
  11. Save the PSD/Save For Web the JPG to upload to TLP and Instagram
 
I have to think about this a bit because I've been scrapping so little the last couple of years, I'm a little sad to say.

Over the years, my two primary motivations for scrapping were either doing a weekly/monthly project or participating in a challenge or speed/slow scrap. So those would inform my process. My projects have always been photo based, so I always started with the photos, then found papers and embellishments, and usually journaling would be last. For challenges/scraps, I'd do whatever those told me to do, but my preferred process of starting with photos did influence my page. I think there have been a few speed scraps when we were told to start with paper and I'd ask, "How many photos will we be using?"
 
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