Heidi here with a new Saturday special … shadows.  There are so many different directions I could go, but today I am going to show you how to change the color of your shadow.  If you have questions about shadows, you can always check here and here for a wealth of information. Before I get started, I wanted to highlight an amazing product in our store … Get Real – Realistic Drop Shadow Styles by Jennifer Barrette.  Jennifer had made it simple to apply a shadow to almost any element you can imagine.  With my example below, I have used her shadow styles on my layouts. Simple and easy.  Jennifer was kind enough to offer a coupon if you would like to purchase her style :

$1 off
code – getreal_1off
expires – March 20th 2010

O.k., onto the lesson.  Have you ever had an item that you added a shadow to, but it just doesn’t look right?  Sometimes, having a black shadow isn’t natural.  Look around you right now.  Are the items casting shadows black? Maybe they are a soft shade of gray. Maybe the are reflecting the color of the item as the shadow. Keep this mind as you go to shadow today’s layout.

However you add your shadow, go ahead and add it to your paper/element/etc.  Now, I want you to double click on the “fx” on your layer you shadowed.

It should bring up a box that looks like this:
Make sure you that the  “drop shadow” box is highlighted in blue like the #2 shows. If that is not highlighted, you will not see the screen above.  Next, I want you to click in the black box circled in #3.  It should bring up a new box that looks like this:
Notice that your cursor can now choose a new color if you place it over your layout. Next, I want you to click on your paper.  You color box will change to the color of the paper and this is o.k.  Now you want to start moving down on the color box.  I usually go to the gray side of my color.  Watch how the shadow color changes on your element.  Does it now look a little softer and more natural?  Keep playing with it until you get a shadow that looks like it would if it were sitting in front of you right now.  Or, if you have Jennifer’s style, you can keep the color where it is and just move the sliders as shown by the #4 until you get a color you are happy with.

For my layout above, I had white paper under my pics/elements.  With Jennifer’s shadows, she has a brown color for the shadow which give a nice warm natural shadow.  But for this particular layout, I wanted my shadow a little more on the “cool” side, so I changed the shadow color.  I did not, however, change the shadow color of the white paper resting on the bottom brown paper.  It was the perfect color for that paper.

Here is my layout:

Please note that this was using CS4.  I am not familiar with Elements, but I was told by Denise, who is the queen said that the dialog boxes look different, but the concept still works. This also works in Paint Shop Pro.

Happy Saturday Everyone!! Today I am going to talk about something I do all the time and it is fairly simple!  We are going to hang something on our layout that wasn’t meant to be hung.  So the first thing you need to do is “punch” a hole in it so the string can go through it. 

Once you choose what you are going to hang (I choose my part of my title (an Alpha).)  Position your element over the string in a way that looks appropriate and then reduce the opacity so you can see the string underneath.  Then use your elipitical tool to draw a small circle in a layer above the element you want to punch.  Use the string underneath as a guide for how big you want your hole to be. 

Simplify your shape and make sure your shape layer is highlighted.  Then using the magic wand tool and click on the shape.  You will get the marching ants around your shape.  Then select the element layer and cut (control -X).  Bring the opacity up on your element.  Now you can move your shape out of the way and see the hole has been punched. 

Now we need to “hang” it.  Select the string layer and use your magic wand to get the marching ants around the it.  (You can also select the whole string by selecting the magic wand tool and contol clicking on the string layer)  Select the layer of the element you are hanging.  Using the eraser tool, erase part of the element so it looks like it is hanging.  Now you might notice that the shadows look pretty funky…

To fix this first duplicate the string layer and drag it above the element layer.  Select the element layer again and use the magic wand to get the marching ants around it.  Then erase the part of the string that is under the element. (After you finish with the part of the string on top of the element,  deselect and make sure to erase the rest of the string except the part that is overlapping your hanging element so the shadow is not duplicated.)

Just to give you an idea of what this looks like, here is a screen shot before I erased any of the string and had selected the element.

Ta-da!! Your element is hung!  You can now delete your circle shape (or hole punch..lol).  A few pointers for hanging more than one thing (like a title).  Keep the same shape to punch each hole.  That makes it look more realistic.  And just to make it easier on yourself, “hang” all your elements first and then duplicate your string to fix the shadow problem.
Here is my Final LO using Jenn Barrettes NEW Happy Go Lucky, and Date Swirls and Get Real Shadow Styles, Chelle Creations NEW Lucky Me alpha and Sahilin Studios Sorbet Stamped Alpha clipped to Brittish Designs Glamorama Papers. 

Fun and easy!! I can’t wait to see what you hang!!

Here is some more awesome inspiration from our CT:
TanyaH666 used Connie Prince and Bella Gypsy’s I Wuff You.

Becca1976 used Jenn Barrettes NEW Happy go Lucky. (Great minds think alike..lol)

Alansrock used March 2010 templatepalooza by Connie Prince & BellaGypsy and Spring has sprung kit by Jeni Hopewell & MickeyB Designs

Kim21673 used Enjoy by GG Digital Designs and Just Call Me Niki Templates by Stolen Moments

And now for some rules.  No double dipping on challenges. You will not be able to use the same LO for multiple challenges.  You can earn one additional bonus point per challenge when you use a newly released (within the first week/7 days of release) ScrapMatters product. In order to receive the extra point you MUST indicate in your credits that the item you used was a new release.   You will have until the end of March to post your LO and  at the end of the month I will pick a winner and they will get an extra point! 

Have fun using your hole punch!! 

-Amanda (panders77)

Hi everyone!! Fiona here for this weeks Saturday Special. This week I’m going to show you how to do something that I just learned how to do myself. We are going to journal around a picture using vector shapes and text on a path! Sound complicated? It’s really not!
Maybe you already knew how to do this but I have always tried to use the pen tool to text on a path. Using vector shapes is so much less time consuming!
*Note* This tutorial should work in PS CS – CS4.

First open up your canvas, mine is 12×12 but any size is fine of course. Next, from your tools palette, select your Custom Shapes Tool, it might be hidden under the Elipse Tool or another shape tool, you can find it in the flyout menu.

Next, at the top of your screen, you will find a shapes palette. You can select any shape you would like, you will eventually be clipping your photo to this shape. For my page I am going to choose the eliptical shape.

Now, move down to your canvas. Click and drag to create your shape. Holding the shift key at the same time will give you a perfect circle if you have chosen to use the eliptical shape as I did. You should now have a shape on your canvas that is filled with a colour like this:

Don’t worry if your shape is not exactly where you like it. Just choose your move tool from your tool palette and move your shape to where you want it.
Next, from your tool palette, choose the Horizontal Type Tool:

Next, move your cursor over the edge of your shape at the point you want your text to begin.
As you move your cursor over the edge of your shape, you’ll see it change to show that your text will follow the path if you begin typing at that spot. Simply click on the spot where you want to begin typing. You can now choose your font, size, colour, etc. at the top of your screen.

Once you have these selected, just begin typing. Your text should follow the path around your shape.

Now that your journaling is added, it’s time to get your picture! Over in the layers palette, select the layer with your shape on it. Now left click and select "Rasterize Layer". The layer should now have just the shape you made on it.

Now drag you picture onto your canvas. Your picture layer should be directly above your shape layer in the layers palette.

Now clip you picture to your shape. You do this by hovering over the line between the two layers in your layers palette while holding down your "Alt" key. When you see your cursor change shape, simply click to clip your picture!

You should now have your picture in the the shape you chose with your journaling around it!
Your challenge this week is to journal around a picture, a paper or some other element. You can use this tutorial or, if you don’t use Photoshop CS, you can check out some of the great "Text On A Path" packs in the ScrapMatters shop! (Check to make sure they work for your program first!)

There is a even a freebie one from Happy Scrap Girl!

Here is my completed page:

using Winter Crush by Erica Zane and The Cutting Edge by Chelle’s Creations.
Now for some awesome inspiration from the CT:

by Emilee (emileem)

by Liz (mommy22girls)

by Amanda (panders77)

by Cyndi (Cyndi146)

You have until Feb 28th to complete your layout, upload it to the Saturday Special Gallery and link it back to the Saturday Special thread. You’ll receive an extra point for using a new release (remember to tell me you used a new release in your post.) At the end of the month I’ll choose one layout to get an extra point as well!
I can’t wait to see what you come up with!!

Fiona (aka canadianmommy)

Hey ladies! I’m continuing on our extraction theme for January and focusing on something I’ve been meaning to try for a long time: silhouettes.  I’ve been meaning to make silhouettes of my kids as a gift for my mom and I got a chance to experiment while working on a project for my kids’ room. I was making a set of alphabet cards and wanted silhouettes of the kids to put on their initial. Here’s the entire set:

And here’s a close-up of my completed silhouette.

So ready to get to it? First up, take a profile pic of your subject. Be sure to shoot in a well-lit room against a light background. here’s mine:

Next: use your favorite extraction method to cut out your subject’s head. I use the polygonal lasso tool, but you can reference this tutorial from earlier this month for additional instructions. Extracting hair can be tricky, but for this project, you want a simple shape, so I just cut off most of the strays. I did keep my son’s cowlick because I thought it added character to his profile.

Last: Select the layer (in PSE hold down the control button while clicking on the extracted layer thumbnail in the layers pallette). Now that the marching ants are surrounding your photo, go to edit, and then fill selection from the drop-down menu. A pop-up box will appear and if you click okay, it will fill the photo with the foreground color. Ta-da! You’re done! Just drag the silhouette onto your project and you’re done!

And check out this page from Amanda (panders77) using Juno’s One of a Kind, Chelles Creations The Cutting Edge Templates, and Brittish Designs Dated Stamped and Doodlie Doo Borders. I love it!

These look great on scrapping pages, but also make great gifts. Just print out your silhouette, frame it and you’ll have the perfect valentine’s gift. Now on to the fine print: complete an extraction and post your project or LO in the gallery. Link up here in the forum to get one MOS point. Earn an additional point by using a new release. Finally, I’ll award a point to my favorite layout or project. You have until the end of February to turn in your entries. I can’t wait to see your creations!

Hi everyone this is Liz, I have taken over this challenge for Jen so here is her tutorial:

This week, our topic is using an extraction to highlight a portion of a photo using color.  You start out with a photo that has a particular part that you want to highlight.  I wanted to highlight Zach’s blankie in this photo…

My lesson is done using PSE6.

First, I brought my photo onto my canvas and then made a copy of it and left the copy directly on top of the original.  Then, I got to work on my extraction.

There are several ways to extract.  You can try Amanda’s method from her Jan 2 Saturday Special using the eraser tool or you can try what I do using the Quick Selection tool.

First, I select the Quick Selection tool.  It looks like a magic wand pointing at a “dancing ants” rectangle.  If you hover your mouse over your tools, their names pop up and you can find the Quick Selection tool that way too.  Once you’ve selected it, roughly outline the part of the photo you are trying to extract.  Dancing ants will start to make an outline on the photo.  It won’t be perfect.  Now, to refine your ants, in the upper left hand corner of your screen there are three little mini quick selection wands…one with a “+” and one with a “-” and one with nothing.  If the dancing ants are missing a part of the photo you want to extract, choose the wand with the “+” and go back to that area and run the wand just inside the portion you want to add to your selection.  So, if I want to include someone’s arm that was missed in the initial selection, I would run my wand ON the arm, not the outside of it, to add it to my selection.  And the opposite goes for the “-” wand.  If there are parts that it did select that you want removed from the selection, use the “-” wand to take them out.  In both cases, the “ants” line will move as you go to show you the new selection line.

Once your selection looks good and you want to cut the rest of the photo away, choose Layer/New/ Layer via Cut in your menus and the photo will now be in two pieces, the part you extracted and the rest. Delete the rest of the photo.

Now, we’ll work on the other copy of the photo that is still whole and layered behind your extraction.  We need it to be B&W…so make that layer active and choose Enhance/Convert to B&W from the menus.  Now, your extraction pops on the photo because it is in color!  Merge those two layers.

You can edit both photos as you usually do by playing with their shadows and sharpness and brightness and saturation until they both look good.

Here’s mine…

And here’s more fab inspiration from our CT:

From Andrea:

From Emilee:

From Jan:

Tip:  You can use this same technique to make a part of a photo stand out in a different way.  Maybe there’s a distracting backgroud…  Do the same steps above except instead of making the photo behind B&W, blur it by choosing Filter/Blur/Gaussian Blur from your menus and playing with the radius number…10 is a good place to start.   Now your extraction stands out because it is in focus and the distracting background is blurred, but they are both either color or B&W so there is less contrast.  With this method you will want to choose the Refine Edge option at the top of the screen after you’ve done your Quick Selection and play with the Feather number.  This will make the edge of your extracted photo blend well with the blurred background photo.

Ok–you’re turn, let’s see what you can do!

You don’t have to use SM products but we love it when you do! To get your challenge point, please post your LO to the Saturday Special gallery and post it here too in this thread.  You have until Jan 31st to complete this challenge.  You’ll receive one point towards your January total. If you use a New Release for an extra point, PLEASE NOTE IT IN BOTH YOUR CREDITS IN THE GALLERY AND YOUR POST TO THE THREAD in order to receive your extra point. At the end of the month, I will pick a random winner, who will receive a bonus point on February’s total. Now go out there and be extracting maniacs!

Hello, it’s Liz and I have decided to do a Saturday Special about patterned papers.  I love patterns I would put every patterned paper in a kit on a single page if I could figure out how to do it, but I have gotten the impression that I am in the minority when it comes to patterns.  So hopefully this will give you some tips and tricks to work with patterns like a pro.

1.  Color is crucial. The color of your patterns will define whether your page ends up looking fabulous or like a hot mess.  One way to ensure harmony is to pick the colors from your picture and find patterns in those colors.  If you are colorphobic (which is nothing to be ashamed of!), you could use black and white or other neutrals.  Regardless of your choice, pick a color palette and stick with it!

2. Know the scale of your patterns. Patterns come in 3 basic scale sizes: small, medium and large.  Know the scale of the pattern will help you use pattern to its best advantage.  All of my examples come from “A Spot of Tea” by Erica Zane and Denise Beatty Originals because it was the kit I used for my page. A small scale pattern looks like this:

It is well small.  I like using tone on tone small patterns as backgrounds alot.  It gives interest without being overwhelming.  Small scales can work great for just about anything and can often be interchanged with solids.

Here is a medium scale:

It is larger than the small scale pattern and can give greater impact to a page.  You could use it as a mat for you picture or stack a solid with it for a background.  This pattern will definitely pop on your page!

Finally a large scale:

his paper says “Look at me!  Look at me!” I would suggest using large scale patterns as accent pieces when first starting out.  They can add alot of punch.  These patterns should complement your smaller scale patterns.

3. Mixing it Up Patterns look great as solo acts but mixing them can add a huge wow factor.  Keep in mind the scale and color when mixing.  A green and red stripe is going to clash with blue and brown dots.  Same color families will go together (e.g. blues, browns, pinks, etc.).  If the thought of multiple patterns scares you start out with some softer patterns (i.e. tone on tone flowers/dots, small polka dots or stripes) and then match a wilder pattern with it!

4. Stick to the Rule of Three When working with pattern less is more.  Stick to 3 patterned papers to avoid overwhelming the page.  You could do 4 if one of your patterns is subtle.  More than 4 and your page may start to look clutter.

5.  Have fun and stick with your style. Go with what works for you and have fun!  Patterns are not supposed to break you down into tears.  If you are a minimalistic scrapper, pick patterns that are more subdued.  If you like going crazy, pick some bright multi-colored patterns and really mix it up.  It is up to you to decide how crazy the page gets.

The challenge is to scrap a layout using 3-4 patterned papers on it.

Here is my page:

Using Spot of Tea by Erica Zane and Denise Beatty Originals

And here is some from the CT ladies:

From Courtney:

Great subtle use of patterns.  Adds a pop of color!

From Jan:

She used on tone on tone patterns that add dimension to her page!

From Jen:

There is alot going on this page but because the patterns are just small pieces it totally works!

From Mary:

So bold and bright!

From Jenn:

She used not only patterned papers but patterned elements as well!  Check out the striped swirl and checked ribbon!

The Rules:
The papers must be visible (no hiding them completely but a hint of sliver is okay, I just need to be able to see them.) Post your LO to the Saturday Special gallery and post it in the thread in the forum before the end of January.  You’ll receive one point towards your January total. If you use a New Release, PLEASE NOTE IT IN BOTH YOUR CREDITS IN THE GALLERY AND YOUR POST TO THE THREAD in order to receive your extra point.  At the end of the month, I will pick a random winner, who will receive a bonus point on February’s total.  Have fun and I can’t wait to see what you all come up with!

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to YOU! Emilee (emileem) here to bring you an easy tutorial. I think we all need something simple this time of year–don’t you? I’m going to talk about editing a scatter to better suit your needs.

I love when a designer includes a fun scatter in a kit–basically I love anything that makes my life easier–but sometimes the scatter needs a little tweaking to conform with my LO.  Let me give you an example using Andilynn & Haynay Designs Visions of Sugarplums Kit that includes a few great scatters.

Here is the LO I’m working on; I’ve decided I need a scatter under my title so I add a fun scatter, but it’s not long enough to emphasize my whole title.  First, I duplicate the whole scatter and drag it to the opposite side of the title, but then I have a blank space in the middle.  Next, I click on my lasso tool and highlight a portion of the scatter I would like to duplicate:

Then I duplicated (CTRL J with PSE) that section and moved it to an appropriate spot.

Next, I decide to move the first scatter so it is above my title, but it is a bit busy–so I take my lasso tool again and highlight a few sequins and delete them from the scatter:

Now I have a great scatter for my LO:

See how easy that was? Always remember you can edit elements by changing the size, color, shape, etc.

Here some more examples from the ScrapMatters CT to help get your creative juices flowing:
from Cyndi (Cyndi146):

from Nancy (kathleena):

Your challenge is to create a LO using this simple tutorial–edit a scatter to better conform to your LO–then add your LO to the Saturday Special Gallery and Forum.  Remember you can receive ONE point for your LO and TWO points in the Matter of Scrap Challenge system if you use a kit that has been released in the last seven days.  This challenge will continue through January 31.  Post your LO in December to receive points in December; post in January to earn points in January.

Emilee

Hello All… this is Cyndi and I am here to challenge you with a new technique for our Saturday Special.  Today we are going to revisit an oldie but a goodie.  Shadowing transparent objects.

Let me start by saying, there are soooo many ways to do this.  And probably much easier ways than I’m about to show you.  But I started digi-scrapping in Photoshop Elements and was so frustrated that Elements didn’t have all the fancy flexibility as some of the other programs.  Let me tell ya… this method works in Photoshop Elements.  I hope it works in other programs too.

Also, a lot of designers these days are shadowing their elements just to make it easier on us.  But let’s say you want a darker shadow than what’s provided.  We’ll assume that’s the case.

Let’s start by opening the transparent elements you want to shadow.  Now drag them onto your layout.  I’m using Krista’s gorgeous alpha from her new kit So Grateful and just a colored background so you can easily see the results.

Duplicate your element layer from the flyout menu on the layers palette or just click Ctrl-J.  Now click on the lower layer.  Shadow your lower layer as you prefer.  (Settings that work well with acrylic are Distance 5-8, Size 5-8 and Opacity 60-70%)

With your lower layer still active, go to Edit > Fill layer.  Fill the layer with Black and make sure the Preserve Transparency box is checked.  Use the bucket tool to completely fill in the element with black.  Hide your top acrylic layer and make sure your “filled” layer is solid black.  You may need to touch up some spots with your brush tool.  Just be sure not to go outside the lines

Now go to the top of the layers palette and set your blending mode to Difference.  Your black fill should be gone with just the shadow showing.

Now click on your top acrylic layer to bring it back and you should have a wonderfully shadowed acrylic element.

Your challenge is to scrap a layout using at least one transparent element (acrylic, vellum, glass, etc.) and be sure to shadow them.

Here’s my LO

using So Grateful by Sahlin Studio and Sugarplum Paperie; Fabulously Negative Template v.3 and Simply Dated v.2 by WM[squared]; Edge 2 Edge Word Art & See Right Through You by Britt-ish Designs

And some from your CT and DT…

from Amber
using Innovation and Lots O’ Photo Templates by Sahlin Studio

using Sarah Bennett’s Tough Boy and Clearly Funky alpha

using Haynay’s new Playtime Petshop, Sahlin Studios and Sugarplum Paperie’s So Grateful, and Brittish Designs We’re Just Dating V3 and Doodlie- Doos Page Borders

and from Liz

using Chocolate Frosted Snowflakes, All Bundled Up, Icy Alpha, Clearly Seen Elements and In Stitches: Wonky and A Story of Friendship and template by Cindy Schneider

Please upload your LO to the SATURDAY SPECIAL GALLERY and link back to THIS THREAD so we know you are playing along. 

This challenge will run through December 31.  No double-dipping… your LO must be unique to this challenge.  Everyone who participates will receive one point.  You’ll also get an additional point if you use a NEW ScrapMatters Product (released within the last week.)  Please let us know in the forum that you’ve used a new product.  Also, one special LO will be awarded another point.  That’s 3 possible points for an easy peasy challenge. 
Can’t wait to see your beautiful shadows!

Happy Saturday everyone! Sarah here with another Saturday Special. This week I want to focus on embossing text. With the holidays coming up, I thought this would be a great tip for those holiday pages and projects. I’m sure there are many ways to do this and today I’m going to show you the way I do it in CS4.

You can emboss just about anything and today I’m going to emboss some text on my one of my paper blocks. I’ve opened the paper I want and in a separate layer, I’m going to type the text I want raised in black. After you type, rasterize the layer. Because I am going for a subtle look, I’m going to change the blending mode of the text to soft light. If I didn’t do this the type would be gray against the paper. After you’ve rasterized and changed the blending mode, go to FILTER –> STYLIZE –> EMBOSS.

You can play around with the angle, height and amount until you get it looking just right. On my example, I’ve used the settings: angle 135, height 20, amount 344%

The possibilities are endless here, not only can you do text, but you can do elements and textures as well. On my page I’ve embossed “December 2007″ and the snowflakes on the background paper. For those, I just changed the threshold of the flake so that it was pure black and played around with the settings until I thought it looked right.

Here is my page using Erica Zane’s A Touch of Winter and EZ templates 10

Here are some more pages showing this technique:

In this page by Jenn (jennamy82) she embossed the names along the picture using the Brightside and Jellies: Blooms both by Britt-ish Designs & Love Me Some White Space Template Vol 2 by Trixie Scraps

Li (Li14) embossed the snowflake and used Happiest Season of All, Pocket full of Templates 4, and Candy Stripped Alpha…. all by Britt-ish Designs.

Your challenge is to create a layout with some embossing. Once you’ve completed your LO, upload it to the Saturday Special Gallery, and be sure to link to the challenge post in the forum.

A few reminders:

* You will receive one point for your entry
* You will receive one extra point for using a NEW product within the first week of its release
* You have until the end of October to complete your layout
* No double dipping – please keep your layouts unique to each challenge
* HAVE FUN!

Jen W. (aka abcmomof4) here with your Saturday Special. I’ve got an easy peasy challenge for you today. I thought I’d share with you how to make your own brush. To keep it simple, we’ll make a brush using text. Let’s use the word “moments” to make into a brush. I am using CS3 ,but am sure this can easily translate into PSE or any other Photoshop programs. Open a new document 4 inches by 2.5 inches, Resolution at 300 PPI, background set to white.

Choose a font and a large font size. Type the word “moments”. Now go to edit, define brush preset, and name your brush.

Select the brush tool

and choose your newly created brush. Use your mouse to position the brush and left click to stamp.

What is great about making and using your own brushes is you can create your own word art or title work unique to your layout. There are so many endless possibilities in making your own brushes. It doesn’t have to be just text. You can make shapes/designs, textures, or create a watermark to copyright your creations. I love my logo that I made into a brush to watermark my creations with (see lower right corner of next image).

If you are new to the world of brushes, think of them like a stamp. When using one on your layout, be sure to create a new layer before stamping so that if you make a mistake, you can delete the layer and try again.

So for this challenge, make a brush and use it in a layout.

Here is what I made:

Here is a super cute example by Cristina:

Remember:
* You will receive one point for your entry.
* You will receive one extra point for using a new product within the first week of release. Please note this in your post. Link us up to your layout in the gallery so we can leave you some love.
* You have until the end of November to complete your layout.
* No double dipping please. Your layout must be unique to this challenge.