Simplifying Templates

I'm a simple scrapper.... so I "hide" all extra ellie layers - oodles of flowers, scatters, bows, buttons, etc. I leave paper and photos, then as I scrap I turn on layers to see what I want to keep or not. Half the time, I'm almost in the middle of all the layers, and I seem my layout done. Then I delete all the layers I didn't use.

 

Lots of times this is exactly what I do.

 

Ditto re what @jk703 said

 

Yup. Jenn's got it. Hiding the "extras" helps, because then they're always there if you think you need them. Sometimes I like having a clean work area so I can think; other times I need all the extra help I can get!

 

Same here. I just "pare them down" to what I want to use. That's what I love about sketches. You can totally make them your own. In one of Christa's @cfile template tutorials, I loved what she said about making them your own. This might help you, Jennifer. Christa calls all of the elements on the beginning template, "markers".

 

Hugs.. Thanks Cheryl Was that my tutorial on Kate Hadfield's Blog?

 

Just like you'd never feel forced to use every.single.paper and every.single.element in a kit, I don't feel forced to use every single element or photo spot in a template. Once I figured that out, I felt more "free" to play with templates.

Like others have said, I just hide layers and go from there.

Other times, I've actually flattened the template (after hitting SAVE AS and saving my lo). Then I make that template layer my LO's bottom layer. Sometimes I even put the opacity at like 50% and move the template to the top layer spot; that way, I can see how my LO shapes up compared to the template itself.

 

Yes, very recently, Christa. I'd never heard them referred to as "markers" but it really made sense and I know it would to somebody fairly new to using templates.

 

I think I called them place holders but markers/place holders = same thing

 

One of the things I do with Cheryl's (Fiddle-Dee-Dee's) template in my Artisan software is go through first and group layers together. The flowers will have anywhere from 2-4 layers usually. Other elements frequently have multiple layers as well. So, once they're all grouped, the number of elements comes out to a much more reasonable amount to deal with.

 

FYI - On Cheryl's more recent templates, the flowers are now only 1 piece instead of 2-4 layers. Yay!

I love the Dressed Up version of her templates because they have all those big photos, but like everyone else, I tend to only use a few of the elements suggestions.

 

I sometimes do a HIDE ALL LAYERS and then just pick and choose what to add. I may put it back and take it back a few times until I am happy.

 

Big Yay!

 

Try turning off the layer rather than delete. (Use the eye on the left in the Layers Palette). Then add them at the end, and see where you want o add more items.

I only use a few flowers or a simple cluster. I found I get stressed to try to make all my clusters beautiful and layered... so I just stopped. I had to embrace my simple-ness, lol!

 

I just think of the flowers as a place marker for any type of element, not necessarily the flowers. I do use flowers but not that many on my layouts! I've been known to put an element where the designer has something then move it around because I may not like that exact placement. That's what ends of making the layout totally mine.

Like others I don't always put an element wherever a designer has one on their templates either. I've even been known to not use all the element markers on some of Liz's templates very simple templates!

 

I usually place just one element where there may be a stack of 4 elements on a template. That simplifies the result significantly. But sometimes I just want to use all the layers!

Bart loves to use templates too!

 

kiss bart

 

I tend to start with the photos and then add in stuff as I want to, If I'm leaving things out I normally do a quick balance check, just in case the template designer was using those particular elements to balance out the photo block. If the balance has been lost then I rearrange things a bit to get it back.