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How do I use the Blocked Out Photo Mats, Grunged Up Photo Blocks or Messed Up Photo Blocks Brushes-n-Stamps?

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Last Updated
11th o April, 2009

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There are several ways to use these products. One way is to use the .png images as clipping masks. Here are the directions for Photoshop Elements and Photoshop.

How to use the .png file in Photoshop Elements:

Open PSE and create a new document at 300 pixels/inch.
Open a photo in PSE.
Open a .png photo mat/photo block.
Get the Move Tool.
Double-click the mat to make it the active document in the editing window.
Drag the mat down onto your new document.
(Note: in PSE5 and PSE7 never drag an item UP from the bin onto a document.)
Double-click the photo
Drag the photo down on top of the blocked mat that is on your new document in the Photo Bin.
Make sure that the photo completely covers the mat. Resize it if necessary.
In the Layers palette (bottom right) make sure that the photo layer is above the mat layer. If it isn't, click and drag the photo layer directly above the photo mat layer.
Select the photo layer.
Press Ctrl + G on your keyboard (Mac: Cmd + G) to "glue" the photo to the mat.
Get the Move Tool to reposition the photo. Use the corner handles to resize your photo and the side handles to tilt the photo if necessary. These are found by hovering the cursor over the photo. Dragging from the corner toward the center of the photo reduces the size of the photo, dragging away increases the size.
In newer versions of Photoshop Elements, do NOT hold the shift key as you drag. In older versions, holding the shift key as you drag helps maintain the correct proportions of the photo.

How to use the .png file in Photoshop:

Open PS and create a new document at 300 pixels/inch.
Open a photo in PS.
Open a .png photo mat or photo block.
Get the Move Tool.
Drag the mat onto your new document.
Drag the photo on top of the blocked mat that is on the new document.
Make sure that the photo completely covers the mat. Resize it if necessary.
In the Layers palette (bottom right) make sure that the photo layer is above the mat layer. If it isn't, click and drag the photo layer directly above the photo mat layer.
Select the photo layer.
Select Layer > Create Clipping Mask OR press Alt + Ctrl + G on your keyboard to "glue" the photo to the mat. (Mac users: Opt + Cmd + G)
Get the Move Tool to reposition the photo. Use the corner handles to resize your photo and the side handles to tilt the photo if necessary. These are found by hovering the cursor over the photo. Holding the Shift Key + Dragging from the corner toward the center of the photo reduces the size of the photo, Shift + dragging away increases the size.

Another way to use these files is to use the .abr brush file with the Clone stamp tool. These directions are for Photoshop and Photoshop Elements:

How to use the .abr brush file:
Load the .abr brush file in Photoshop or PSE.
Open a photo and a new blank document.
Get the Clone Stamp Tool.
Select a photo mat from the Brush picker in the Options Bar.
Set the Mode to Normal, Opacity to 100%.
Click on the title bar of the photo to activate the photo. (PSE: Double-click the photo in the Project bin to make it active.)
Alt-click on the photo (Mac: Opt-click.)
Click the title bar of the new document to select it. (PSE: Double-click the new document in the Project bin to make it active.)
Click on the new document to "stamp" the photo in the shape of the brush.

Note:
You can also use these methods to create the shape from patterned paper. Follow the instructions substituting patterned paper for the photo.

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