Digital Scrapbooking Tips

In order to use the overlays, you'll first need to download them to your computer and unzip them. Your computer probably came with unzip software already loaded.

If not, there is a list of free unzip programs at http://www.thefreesite.com/Free_Software/Unzipping_compression_freeware/

We can't recommend any of these specifically, but it will give you a starting place.

Once the files are downloaded and unzipped, you can open the the .png Overlay files in a Word processor like Microsoft Word or a graphics editing program like Photoshop Elements.

In Word:

First make sure that you have unzipped the file that you downloaded.  Make a note of the location of the unzipped files.

In Word, open a new document the size of your choice.  Select Insert |Picture | From file.  Browse your computer for the unzipped overlays and click Insert.  You can resize the overlay by dragging the corners.

And here are instructions for using them in Photoshop or PSE:

Make a new document the size of your choice.  Give it a white background, RGB mode at 300 ppi.

In Photoshop and Photoshop elements, select File | Open and browse your computer for the unzipped overlays.  You can press the Ctrl (Mac: Cmd) Key to select more than one overlay at a time.  This brings the overlay into your editing window.

Get the Move Tool.  If you are using PSE6 or PSE7 you'll need to double-click on the overlay at this point to make it active (which makes it the large preview in the editing window.) Now click and drag the overlay onto the background paper in the photo bin (or onto your background layer if you are in Photoshop.) Never drag an item UP from the bin onto a document in PSE6 or 7.

You can use the Text tool to add words and you can also insert photos in Photoshop Elements.