Once you master the basic concepts of this tutorial, you will be able to extend the usefulness of your digital kits and papers. I’ll be using Photoshop Elements for this tutorial, but the basic tools/ideas are similar in many programs. Let’s get started!
(1) Start a new document, 12” x 12” and 300 dpi, white background. Open file ClaraWallace-MatterOfScrap_Lola-paper-pattern.jpg and drag it over to the new document, centering it on the page.
(2) Open the file, ClaraWallace-MatterOfScrap_Lola-paper-hibiscus.jpg from the mini kit, or the file of your choice. In the Editor, select the Rectangular Marquee tool in the tool box (fig. 1) Set marquee tool options in the options bar. These options modify tool behaviors such as feathering and width. Choose Fixed Aspect Ratio and enter the numbers “5 in” for height and “7 in” for width (fig. 2).
(3) Drag over the area you want to select. The size of the selection will automatically be a horizontal rectangle. Once you have your selection made, just let go of the mouse button. You can move the selection by clicking within the selected area and moving your mouse. Do this to choose certain parts of your paper that you want to be included in your mat. Note: It’s always better to draw your selection bigger – you can always resize it smaller without loss of quality.
I drew my rectangle to include a large portion of the flowers in the paper. Now, CTRL-C to copy. Click on your new document (step 1) and CTRL-V to paste. You should now have a mat on top of your patterned paper! We’ll add a photo and/or journaling soon.
The same technique can be used to make a border or ribbon. Instead of choosing ‘Fixed Aspect Ratio’ in the dropdown, use ‘Normal’ option. Drag out your selection from one edge of the paper to past the opposite edge of the paper, sizing it to a narrow rectangle stretching from one edge of the paper to the other. I’ll do this with the striped paper (ClaraWallace-MatterOfScrap_Lola-paper-multistripe.jpg). Copy and paste it the same way you did the mat.
I made another ‘copy’ of that ribbon by CTRL-V (pasting) again. Move them with the MOVE TOOL (looks like a solid black arrow in the tool box-top right).
Making your own solid color mats/borders: I wanted to add a solid color strip of “paper,” so I used the marquee tool and made a vertical rectangle selection. Click on the New Layer icon in the layers palette to create a blank layer. Now, ALT+BACKSPACE to fill that selection with color in your color palette.
I also added a white strip of paper for journaling. This is what I have to this point:
Now, add your photo, title and journaling! All done! Here is my layout, with a few added details.
Additional credits: Bottlecap, Inked edge overlay*, flower cut-outs by Clara Wallace. Font: Happy Heinrich downloaded from MyFonts.com. *Available in the boutique at www.matterofscrap.com.
Is this your first digital layout? See June’s tutorial “Ready to digiscrap? Let’s create your first layout in Photoshop!” Click here.
