Digital Scrapbooking Tips

Once you download your calendar kit, you'll need to unzip it to a folder on your computer. Photoshop and PSE cannot open a zipped file, so that's an important first step. Your computer probably came with unzipping software, but if not, there are several free options at TheFreeSite.com: zipping and unzipping and compressing freeware

•  Open PSE.
• Select Edit > Color Settings. Optimize for either computer screen or printing depending on what you will do with the calendar when you are finished.
• Select File > Open.   Click the down-facing arrow next to the box labeled Look in:            Use the folder tree from that drop down menu to find the unzipped calendar folder.             Click on the template labeled AE_PhotoCalendar_January2009 and click Open.
• Select File > Duplicate so that you are working on a copy of the template and not the template itself.
• Get the Move Tool.  Click once on the tan box in the January 1 spot.
• Open a photo the same way you opened the template.  The photo will be active (large in the editing window.) You should be able to see both the calendar and the photo in the Project bin below.  If you can’t see the Project Bin, select Window and make sure Project Bin is checked.  If it isn’t, click it.
• Now get the Move tool.  Click and drag the photo down on top of the template in the Project bin.  Let go when the the photo is directly over the template.  This makes the template active and the photo will be on the template.
• Look in the Layers Palette.  The photo layer (which is probably titled Layer 1) will be directly on top of the January 1 photo layer that you selected earlier (which is labeled Photo.)  If it isn’t directly above the January 1 box layer, drag it up or down until it rests directly over the box (labeled photo.)  Click to select your photo layer.
• Press Ctrl and G at the same time on your keyboard.  This “groups” the photo layer onto the January 1 box and makes it take the shape of the box.
• If the photo is too large, you can resize it by moving your cursor to the corner of the photo.  It will be a dotted outline.  Sometimes you need to zoom way out to find the corner of the photo.  When you reach the corner of the photo, you’ll see a square at the corner and your cursor will turn into a diagonal arrow.  Click + drag toward the center of the photo to make the photo smaller or away from the center of the photo to make it larger.
• Use the Move tool to drag the photo into place.
• To turn or tilt the photo, hover the cursor over the sides to pick up the side handle and use it to turn the photo.
• Click the green checkmark when you are happy with the size and position.
• Now click on the January 2 box and repeat.  Repeat with the remaining boxes and photos.
• Scroll down to the bottom of the Layers Palette and locate the layer named “insert background paper over this layer.”  Click on that layer and open a piece of digital paper.  Drag the digital paper onto the layout.  It will cover the background.
• You can add text with the Type tool.
• To save the project, select File > Save As.  Save as a Photoshop file (.psd) to preserve the layers.  Save as a .jpg if you are going to send it away to be printed.
• To print, select  File > Print and follow the onscreen directions to print the project.

Here’s a link to our Getting Started Guide

For more information, check out the  Getting Started with Templates tutorial