1) First, in order to install your custom shape file in Photoshop, do the following: -Close Photoshop CS3 -Go to Program files/Adobe/PhotoshopCS3/Presets/Custom Shapes and copy the CSH file in that folder. -Open Photoshop CS3 (this will load the new shape file) 

2) Now to open the CUSTOM SHAPE TOOL dialog box

Position your mouse pointer over the RECTANGLE TOOL.  This will display several tools options to draw different shapes. Select CUSTOM SHAPE TOOL 

3) Make sure  “shape layers” button is selected SHAPE LAYERS will draw the shape inside a path which allows you to resize the shape as you wish without affecting the quality of your image  Also, with this option  each new shape you place in your layout will be drawn in a different layer. 

4) Also, make sure DEFINED PROPORTIONS is selected 

5) Click on the drop down arrow to display the custom shapes thumbnails, and select the one you want to use. 

6) Now, just right click and drag your mouse to draw the shape

Because these custom shapes are vector shapes you have to rasterize the layer.  You will see something like that in your layers pallete.

When you are happy with the shape and you do not need to resize it anymore you are ready to rasterize the shape, just right click on the layer and select Rasterize layer.

Photoshop is not a vector software, however it has some vector capabilities such as these custom shapes. you can’t  save the file as vector though. You will have to rasterize the file prior to save it.

You are all done!

©2010 Scrapbooking season.———————

Did you know we are having a lot of fun with the VIRTUAL CROP ROOM? There is a lot going on at MYGRAFICO and I tell you, Lindsay is giving a lot of ideas, tutorials and freebies to make the cutest cards, scrapbooks and every craft you can imagine! We are leaving our screens only to make dinner and feed the kids, and then we go right back to Lindsay’s virtual classroom. She is also providing us with a  lot of information to help us save money in crafting supplies. Wait no more! Go there, join the fun and strut your stuff!!

Hi there! Overlays are digital files, in general JPG or PNG used to add texture and change the look of your pictures. You can also use overlays to make your own background papers.

The following picture show how a photo changes when you apply an overlay, one side of the picture is covered by the overlay layer and the other half is not

This tutorial is for PHOTOSHOP users, and works as far as I know, in all versions of Photoshop. You will need: 1- Photoshop software: if you do not have it yet, you can safely download a free trial from the manufacturer ADOBE . Here is the link where you can download Photoshop Elements 7. 2-Digital overlays: to make this tutorial I used my sets ANTIQUE WALL OVERLAYS and AGED OVERLAYS both available in my store. 3-Digital picture or digital paper you want to embellish, in this tutorial we will create a paper from scratch so you do not need the paper.

TUTORIAL 1- Open a new layer in Photoshop with the following settings:  COLOR MODE: if you will design an artwork to be used in web design choose RGB color mode, and if you want to design for printing purposes you may want to use CMYK color mode. This is because RGB mode will show a lot of bright colors in your screen; but remember;  not all those colors will be available in your printer device (to learn more about RGB and CMYK click here)

2- Fill the layer with the desired color or gradient: 3- Open the overlay file you want to use, and just make sure to place the overlay layer above the color layer:

4- With the overlay layer selected, open the blendind modes dialog. You will find this dialog on the top of the LAYER BOX , set at its default “NORMAL” (see the yellow circle above) that is what you will change, choose for example  LUMINOSITY. Each blending mode will give you a different effect, you have to play around here and explore until you find the effect you are happy with.

5- This is what is going to happen, see the overlay turned into the color of the layer underneath, but, not only that, each color in the overlay, will change in a different way as you change blending modes, that’s why you need to play around a lot here. See how LUMINOSITY looks here:

And see how different COLOR BURN looks here: You can also change the opacity: with the overlay layer selected reduce the opacity to obtain more effects.    NOW LET’S SEE HOW THE OVERLAY CAN CHANGE THE LOOK OF YOUR PICTURES 1- Start opening the picture you want to embellish, then bring in the overlay you want to use. The overlay is going to be large, 12 x 12 inches, so you may want to resize it before, go IMAGE/IMAGE SIZE and set the new size which will have to be around the size of your picture (do not save this settings when you close the overlay file). Your screen will look like this: 2- Now follow the steps described above, just play around with blending modes and opacity. As you can see, the overlay will add texture and design elements to your pictures, after a little bit of practice you will know exactly how to achieve the effect you are looking for. The following is the result of LINEAR LIGHT blending mode at 100% OPACITY, but see how much texture you’ve got here: 3- You can also colorize the overlay, to do that, set the foreground color in the color you want the overlay to be; then select the overlay layer and click CTRL+U to open the HUE SATURATION dialog, a window will open, check the option COLORIZE and then slide the hue and saturation controls, play around to find what you like. This is going to change the appearance of your photos, some settings will look really fantastic, there is no recipe here, it all depends on the colors of your picture. See how my picture turned into washed shades of green and light blue., and also how the overlay added a lot of texture. 4- Another trick, is open a brush, set the brush box in CLEAR, and “pierce” the overlay layer like so: Explore and play around with these effects, you will find many different results you will love. Add drama and mood to your photos, overlays are an excellent tool to help the visual communication and impact of your pictures. Remember you have just one second to catch the attention of your future customers! I hope you liked this tutorial!

Love,

Lil Copyright 2009 Lilian Ellaboudy Picture used to demonstrate this tutorial from MICROSOFT WINDOWS VISTA SAMPLE PICTURES Brush used to pierce the overlay http://graphics-illustrations.com/

Hi there!Overlays are digital files, in general JPG or PNG used to add texture and change the look of your pictures.You can also use overlays to make your own background papers.

The following picture show how a photo changes when you apply an overlay, one side of the picture is covered by the overlay layer and the other half is not

This tutorial is for PHOTOSHOP users, and works as far as I know, in all versions of Photoshop. You will need:1- Photoshop software: if you do not have it yet, you can safely download a free trial from the manufacturer ADOBE . Here is the link where you can download Photoshop Elements 7.2-Digital overlays: to make this tutorial I used my sets ANTIQUE WALL OVERLAYS and AGED OVERLAYS both available in my store.3-Digital picture or digital paper you want to embellish, in this tutorial we will create a paper from scratch so you do not need the paper. TUTORIAL1- Open a new layer in Photoshop with the following settings:

COLOR MODE: if you will design an artwork to be used in web design choose RGB color mode, and if you want to design for printing purposes you may want to use CMYK color mode. This is because RGB mode will show a lot of bright colors in your screen; but remember that not all those colors will be available in your printer device (to learn more about RGB and CMYK click here)

2- Fill the layer with the desired color or gradient

3- Open the overlay file you want to use, and just make sure yo place the overlay layer above the color layer.

4- With the overlay layer selected, open the blendind modes dialog. You will find this dialog on the top of the LAYER BOX set at its default “NORMAL” (see the yellow circle above). Each blending mode will give you a different effect, you have to play around here and explore until you find the effect you are happy with.

5- This is what is going to happen, see the overlay turned into the color of the layer underneath, but, not only that, each color in the overlay, will change in a different way as you change blending modes, that’s why you need to play around a lot here. See how LUMINOSITY looks here:

And see how different COLOR BURN looks here:

You can also change the opacity: with the overlay layer selected reduce the opacity to obtain more effects. NOW LET’S SEE HOW THE OVERLAY CAN CHANGE THE LOOK OF YOUR PICTURES 1- Start opening the picture you want to embellish, then bring in the overlay you want to use. The overlay is going to be large, 12 x 12 inches, so you may want to resize it before, go IMAGE/IMAGE SIZE and set the new size which will have to be around the size of your picture (do not save this settings when you close the overlay file). Your screen will look like this: 2- Now follow the steps described above, just play around with blending modes and opacity. As you can see, the overlay will add texture and design elements to your pictures, after a little bit of practice you will know exactly how to achieve the effect you are looking for. The following is the result of LINEAR LIGHT blending mode at 100% OPACITY, but see how much texture you’ve got here: 3- You can also colorize the overlay, to do that, set the foreground color in the color you want the overlay to be; then select the overlay layer and click CTRL+U to open the HUE SATURATION dialog, a window will open, check the option COLORIZE and then slide the hue and saturation controls, play around to find what you like. This is going to change the appearance of your photos, some settings will look really fantastic, there is no recipe here, it all depends on the colors of your picture.

See how my picture turned into washed shades of green and light blue., and also how the overlay added a lot of texture. 4- Another trick, is open a brush, set the brush box in CLEAR, and “pierce” the overlay layer like so: Explore and play around with these effects, you will find many different results you will love. Add drama and mood to your photos, overlays are an excellent tool to help the visual communication and impact of your pictures. Remember you have just one second to catch the attention of your future customers! I hope you liked this tutorial!

Love,

Lil Copyright 2009 Lilian Ellaboudy Picture used to demonstrate this tutorial from MICROSOFT WINDOWS VISTA SAMPLE PICTURES Brush used to pierce the overlay http://graphics-illustrations.com/ Thank you!!