Digital Challenge Project Idea - Alpha Merge

This project uses a technique that we have issued as our latest challenge on Face book - what we're referring to as the "Alpha Merge". It's pretty slick & easy. It will also teach you all about using the "Align" feature in SBC+ - a very handy dandy little tool! Give it a try!

Ingredients:

• StoryBook Creator Plus 3 Software
• Recipe Digital Kit (for background paper only)
• Fonts Used: 1543 Humane Jensen, You Are Loved (both from dafont.com)

How to Create:

1. First I added the background (paper 21 from Recipe Digital Kit) and changed it to sepia, then messed around with the colors to mute it down a bit.
2. Decide on the word you want to spell across the bottom of your photo "rectangles". My word was "TREES", so I needed 5 rectangles, one to attach to each letter. For 5 rectangles, I decided to make them each 1.75" wide by 5.5" high. I first created one (I created mine as a photo drop spot by clicking on the "Insert" tab, then "Empty Frame", however it makes no difference if you create these rectangles as empty frames or as a solid colored shape - they'll later be flattened with a letter and filled with a photo).
3. After you have created your first rectangle, copy that rectangle over & over so you have the same number of rectangles as letters in your word.  Line up the rectangles from left to right as you copy them. Don't worry about the exact placement of them now, we'll work that out later. So, like this:
   
4. Next, we'll want to line up our rectangles horizontally, and make sure they're spaced evenly. That's easy! To do it, you'll want to select all of your rectangles (click the first one, then hold down the shift key while you click on all the others). Right click on any of the rectangles, then mouse down to the "Align"option like this:
   
   From this menu, you will want to choose "Space Horizontally" (NOTE: This will space each rectangle identically apart using the width you had set up between your leftmost and second-leftmost rectangles). You'll want to right click the rectangles, choose "Align" again, and then choose "Top" to get them to line up horizontally across the top too. Now your project should look like this:
     
5. The next step in the process is to add your letters, so you'll want to choose a font that works well with this type of project - namely a font that has thicker letters because you will want a good bit of your photo to show up within each letter.
6. Add one letter (makes no difference what color the letter is), then apply your font and make it big (like 180 pt size). Next, you will want to copy & paste this letter once for each photo strip (so I have a total of 5). Go through the letters and change each one so collectively the letters spell your word, like this:
    
7. After you have created your letters, you'll need to flatten each one. To do this, right click the letter, then select "Flatten". (NOTE: do these one at a time - if you try to do them all at once, they collectively become one giant flattened image - not what we want!)
8. Next, you will move one letter to the bottom edge of each rectangle and butt the top of the letter up against the bottom of the rectangle, like this:
    
9. The next step is to flatten the letter and the photo drop spot (or shape, if that's how you created your rectangles) together. To do this, click on the rectangle, then holding down the control key, click the rectangle too. Right click on the letter or rectangle, then select "Flatten". Do this for each letter/rectangle combo. (NOTE: if you created photo drop spots for your rectangles, the "Drop image here" will disappear after these are flattened).
10. Now it's time for the fun part! We'll be filling our rectangle/letter combo with a photo. It's best to choose photos that have a very vertical orientation to them. You will likely have to do a bit of cropping before you get your photos to fill these things up to your liking. To crop, click on the dropdown arrow to the right of a photo on your photo tab, then select "Crop". You'll be cropping your photos into tall, skinny photos like this:
    
    (You'll notice that I went ahead and filled the second "E" rectangle back there with this photo to show you how this cropping would fit into that rectangle). Yes, it will take some tweaking. You will get a bit frustrated because that one photo you really want to use isn't going to work, but keep playing with the photos. Just keep dropping them in, and if you don't like it - then pick another photo to try. Eventually it gets a bit easier :)
11. The only real step you have left is to center your rectangles onto your page. Once you've gotten them all filled up with your photos, you'll want to group them together (click on each one while holding down the "control" key, then right click and say "Group". You can then move them and/or resize them to work on your page.
12. Add any additional embellishments and journaling to your page that you'd like.
13. Have fun!
     

Comments

[Simply Dawn]

That is so awesome, I can't wait to try!

[R. Turner - Michigan]

I just LOVE this application to a page! I first noticed it right after I printed my last 8 1/2 x 11 100 page vacation book to Europe with my daughter's senior class of 2009! I would have used this application for Title Pages as we entered each country! We went to 7 countries! My second daughter's book will definately have this type of page for each Title Page for each country!!! I can't wait for that trip!

Thanks for sharing, this is a great addition to any page!

[Mags]

I've never done this before so I had to fiddle for a bit but I finally figured out that I needed to select the element and then choose the 'fill selected element' from the menu at the photo to get the picture into the rectangle/letter
Wow! Does this ever look great!

[debbie]

great idea to show us step by step with screen images! can you do more project ideas like this?

[Lesrae]

Thank you so much for the step by step instructions. I have had trouble figuring this out before and am so excited that I have finally done it!!

[Heather B.]

that was awesome!! I made a sister fram with your idea. Thanks!