Hi everyone. I'm hosting a technique slow scrap, starting at 6:00 PM Pacific Time and we'll be in the chat room where the instructions for the slow scrap will be given out until 7:00 PM Pacific Time. The instructions, along with the technique, will be posted in this thread, in the main post. Tonight the technique I'll be showing you is how to frame your photo with a single stroke, a double stroke and cut-out frame. Instructions for this technique are listed at the bottom of this main post. 6:00 Start with a solid or lightly patterned paper, any color for your background. Then add 2 patterned paper strips vertically along the left side (must touch the left side but can be slanted, tilted, etc, as long as part of it touches the left edge). 6:10 Add photo anywhere on the left portion of your page, having applied one of the stroke options. You may add a duplicate photo mask, blending, any other technique you like, but you must include one stroke option. 6:20 Add any paint/stamps/brushes to your background or overtop the layers. Keep it all on the left side of your page. 6:30 Place at least 4 elements on the left side of your page. 6:40 Place descriptive text on your photo or stroke i.e. who, what, where, time, date. 6:50 Place a small cluster in the bottom right corner using paint, embellishments, stamps, overlays...your choice of anything you want to use. 7:00 Add any journaling you want but not required. Here's my sample page. STROKE FRAMING, USING PHOTOSHOP There are 3 options for framing using a stroke, and for the slow scrap, choose whichever option you prefer. OPTION #1: - STROKE (cannot be created on the background layer, drag your photo layer down onto the "create new layer" icon which will create a duplicate layer of your photo to work on. A quick and easy method is to selection edit, then" stroke" . Enter the desired size (I often choose 15-30) and then click the color box to bring up the the color sampler. Click a color for your frame either by color sampling from your photo in the color picker box. Once you have created the stroke frame, aside from going back in your history, you cannot edit this stroke frame. Or....a better option is to click the FX icon at the bottom of the layers palette and select "stroke". When the layer style box opens, select the size and color. This will be editable as long as your layers are not flattened. ================================================== OPTION #2: - DOUBLE STROKE (create stroke on photo before copying over to your layout) Drag photo layer to the bottom of the layers palette, onto the "create new layer" icon (2nd from the right). On this new layer,from the menu above, select Edit, then Fill , contents black. Mode will remain at default normal and opacity 100%. Preserve transparency is left unchecked. Click FX icon at bottom, select "stroke", layer style menu opens, select size (whatever you want but I usually chose between 15-30) and recommend a light complementary color to your photo (click on color box to open so you can make your color selection). Reduce opacity slider to 60%. While that layer style menu is still open, now click on "Blending Options" on the left side of that menu box. Change fill opacity to 0% and select OK to approve and close the menu box. Now you see a vellum-like frame around your photo. Drag that layer down to the "create new layer" icon to create a duplicate copy of that layer. While remaining on that layer, click the arrow for the FX layer at the right of this layer to open it up and click "stroke". Change size to something smaller than the first stroke you created i.e. 15% and reduce opacity to 60%. Choose a darker tone for the color. This creates a double stroke around your image, both editable, so you can click them on and off, and edit the values. ================================================== OPTION #3: - EMPTY FRAME (create frame on photo before copying over to your layout) After creating your stroke frame, you can select the photo portion and delete it to create an empty frame which can then be used to overlay an image for framing. I prefer to use the marquee tool to make the photo selection to delete and then save the frame as a psd. Thereafter, I can use open the frame and drag the layer or layers (depending on how many stroke layers I had created in my original). I like to open the photo and layout page in separate floating windows so I can select "v" for move and click and drag the frame over onto my layout page.
So, I did not calculate Pacific- Central time properly. But, I got a page done (after crying my eyes out watching One Mississippi).
Thanks for the tutorials, I've never done a double stroke before. Of course then I got to playing around and this is how it came out!
Until I get my iMac back, I'm not trying Photoshop as it's too hard for me to see the detail on the photos in the tutorial images. I did a PSE work around for the double stroke and wish I had one of those mini avocados right now! (I've never seen an avocado tree but I imagined it looking like that palm frond...LOL)
I have had this open ALL day...kids were schooling and lots of bumps, but just finished and I adore this technique! Thank you Rae!
here is mine! I was at the chat, but was half sleeping! could not stay awake, glad I got to try the technique though! Thank you!
Bummed I missed the chat. I tried following the directions to use a different stroke style than I normally do, but I couldn't get it..user error
This is closed now. I will get the participation coupon out first thing in the morning. Thank you all for playing along. @bbymks5 are you using photoshop? I can help you tomorrow if you want me to. I'm on fb if you want to chat about it.
This is so cool Rae! I don't think I've ever done the double stroke or lowered the opacity on the strokes so it blends softly with the photo content. Beautiful ... love these ideas! Thanks for sharing and teaching us!