Creative Memories Project Center - Digital

Wishes and Dreams! + Technique on how to make make Blue Eyes in a Sepia Photo!

Ingredients:

• StoryBook Creator Plus Software
• Digital Embellishments - Office Supplies Kit II
• Cottage Garden Custom Cut Frame Freebie (click here to download)
• With Love Digital Kit
• Make Believe Digital Addition (For thin rectangular border)
• Discover Baby Boy Digital Kit
• Discover Digital Power Palette

How to Create:

1. Make your photo the Background.
2. "I discovered a neat little trick in SB+ for changing a photo to Sepia yet keeping the Blue Eyes.  Many times this works in editing programs with B&W photos but NOT with SEPIA!  However, in SB+ you can do it with Sepia OR B&W!  Woo hoo! HOW:
     
   1 -  Add the photo and then flatten the photo (in this case you will have to flatten it).
   2 - Now, by using your zoom slider located at the bottom left hand side of your screen.  Zoom right into one eye (you can do the second eye after).
   3 - Use the Custom Cutter tool found under Tools>cutters>custom.  Then select the "curved edge type".  go right around the eye and then select "COPY the shaded area".  (if this isn't working... remember you may just need to click "invert the shaded area" located right inside your custom cutter window).
   4 - After you have cut around and COPIED each eye. Then all you need to do is select the actual photo... go up to the "Enhance" ribbon and click on Sepia.
   5 - The photo will change to Sepia but the eyes will remain blue (because they were copied seperately from the photo.
   6 - After you have done this... feel free to play with the eye color by utilizing the hue, color and light, curves etc. to make the eyes a little more blue etc...
   7 -  NOW GROUP THE EYES TO THE PHOTO.  Do this by selecting both eyes and the photo right click and select "group"!!  Your'e done!
   Note: this may seem like a lot of steps to make eyes blue in a Sepia or B&W photo... but I promise once you have tried this once or twice you will be able to do it in under a minute!  It's all in the trying!! :)
3. Now, add the Cottage Garden Frame FREEBIE to the page and stretch to fit the entire outside of the page. Stretching it to this degree will work best on a 7x5 or 8.5x11 page since it is a horizontal frame.
4. Then add the ink blot from the Office Supplies Kit II and change the color to white.
5. The little thin border was cut from paper one (i just cut a thic strip along the polka dot portion of the paper) and then I frame it with another white thin rectangle as well.
6. The heart is from the With love kit.  I just simply changed the hue & curve of the color to make a very light blue.  (go to Enhance>hue>curves).
7. The little circle is from the Discover Power Palette.  The title "LOVE" with the circle border.  Just remove the word with the wand tool and you have a nice little circle border!
8. Wish and Dream are in the Discover Power Palette.  Wonder (along with the arrow) are from the Discover Baby Boy Kit!

SBC+ Tips & Techniques: Photos Ribbon - Mat Tool

Did you know that you can use the mat tool to 'cut' photos into different shapes?  That's what the cutout box is for on the Mat Tool!

To use the Mat Tool, you'll go to the Photos Ribbon.  First, select the element (or elements) that you want to mat. Next, choose the width of the mat, then the color, and then the shape (cutout). If you don't choose a cutout, it will default to a rectangle, and you can easily mat all of the square and rectangular images on your page. 

Remember that you can mat multiple images at once - just choose the first one, then hold the shift key while selecting all of the other elements you'd like to mat. This makes it easy to make sure all of the photos have mats the same size and color, which generally leads to a pleasing page.  Be sure to use the color sampling tool to match mat colors with other colors on your page.

To 'cut' a photo or photo frame into a shape, don't choose a width or color, and choose the shape you'd like.  Now the mat tool will make the picture the shape you've chosen. It's an easy way to 'round the corners' too.  Just leave the mat width at 0, leave the checkerboard (opacity) instead of choosing a color, and then choose the shape that has rounded corners (from the Geometric shapes package). Play around with it!

If you select a color and a cutout, the Mat tool only makes rectangular shaped mats, with the shape you've chosen cut out around the photo. In other words, it would be like putting an oval or circle shaped photo on a rectangular or square mat.

If you want a photo 'cut' into a circle and mounted on another circle, the best way to do that is to use the mat tool so that the photo will retain its photo properties - you will still be able to zoom in on it, move it around within the frame, edit it, etc.  The easiest way to make sure your image will be a perfect circle is to add an empty square photo frame to your page.  Right click on it, go to Properties, and make sure that it is a square.  Correct measurements here, if needed.  Now use the mat tool to make the frame a circle and then add your image to it.  An alternate method is to cut the photo with the cutting tools, but this requires flattening, which means the photo will no longer behave as a photo.  We will get into flattening later - don't stress over it now!

Once you have your shaped photo (regardless of the shape you've chosen), it's a snap to mat it.  This is what I do (and there are other ways!): Copy the shape you just made and paste it. Drag a corner of the new shape to enlarge it slightly. Fill it with the color or paper (tools ribbon) you want. On the elements panel, drag it down so that it is under the image you want to mat.

Select the mat, hold the shift key, and select the original photo, too. On the layout ribbon, in the alignment section, click on the second button from the left on the top row and the next to last button on that same row (align selected elements vertically & horizontally with last selected element). I always go ahead and group the two while they are still both selected and I'm on the layout ribbon anyway. Now you're all matted and ready to go!  Have fun with it!

SBC+ Tips & Techniques: 3D Frame

Making a frame appear three dimensional is a fairly involved, but really simple process, and the results are amazing!  Start with a frame of your choice, or make your own frame. These directions are for a square frame, which can then be stretched to any size square or rectangle.

1. On the Shapes panel, choose "Create a rectangle" and create one of any color you desire. Right click on the rectangle and go to Properties.  Unlock the aspect ratio and make the width and height both six inches.  Apply.
NOTE: If you would prefer to 'eyeball' the opening area of your frame, skip steps 2 - 4.
2. Copy and paste this six inch square.  Using the properties key, make this square 4.5 x 4.5 inches.  Make it a contrasting color (black or white) by using the Color key on the Tools ribbon.
3. Select the smaller square; hold the shift key and select the larger square also.  On the top row of the Alignment section of the Layout ribbon, click on the second button from the left and the second button from the right to align the small square exactly atop the larger square.  The small square is the size that the opening of your frame will be, so if you would like it larger or smaller, now is the time to change it.
4. On the Tools ribbon, select 'Rectangle' and position the shaded area directly over the small square.  You may need to "invert the shaded area" and be sure to click the "Make square" button.  Choose "erase the shaded area".  You now have a frame to work with. 

To make the frame look three dimensional, we'll be adding several layers of lowlights and a layer of highlights.  First, the outer layer of lowlights:
1. Copy the frame and paste it twice.  Select both copies and make them a shade darker than the original frame, either by choosing a darker color or by altering the intensity and saturation of the original color.  While both copies are selected, drag the corner handle to make both copies slightly larger than the original frame. 
2. With both copies still selected, hold the shift key and select the original frame, too.  Using the same alignment tools as in step 6 above, line the copies up with the original.  Now go to the Elements panel and drag the original frame to the top of the list.
3. Select one of the copies (choose the one that is right under the original on the elements panel) and on the Tools ribbon, click on the drop-down box under Shadow.  Set the depth and shadow at 2; set the direction at about 4 o'clock and the color a little darker than the frame. 
4. Select the second copy.  Apply the same shadow as before, except this time set the direction at about 10 o'clock.To keep from getting things confused, go to the Elements panel and Lock and Hide both of the dark lowlight copies.
Now for the inner lowlights:
5. Paste two copies of the original frame (it should still be on the clipboard) and make them the same color as the other copies.  With both copies selected, drag the corners to make them slightly smaller than the original.  Hold the shift key and select the original frame, too.  Using the same alignment tools as in step 6 above, line the copies up with the original.  Now go to the Elements panel and drag the original frame to the top of the list.
6. Repeat steps 3 and 4 above to apply shadows to the interior lowlights.  Lock and hide these two copies.
For the highlight layer:
7. Paste one more copy of the original frame.  Color it white.  Using the alignment tool as above, align the white frame on top of the original frame.
8. Select only the white frame.  On the Tools ribbon, select "More" and then "Edge Blur".  Slide the slider all the way to the right side.  This highlight layer will remain at the top of the Elements panel.

Now we're ready to combine all the elements: 
Unhide and unlock the lowlights.  Select all frame elements in this order: the four dark lowlights, one highlight, and the original frame.  Use the alignment tools as above to line them all up.  If you would like to apply a gradient, select ONLY the ORIGINAL frame.  Apply gradient as desired.  Now select all six frame elements together - white highlight on top, followed by original frame and then the four lowlight layers.  GROUP together.  Add image and resize as needed.  Group image and frame.

Digital Technique - "Harvesting" digital goodies from predesigned pages

Have you seen others using goodies from predesigned pages, then wondered just how to get those parts and pieces into your own personal stash to use over and over again?  It's actually quite simple! :)

First, you will need to create a project that will serve as a "workspace" for you to save out elements pulled from the predesigned pages.  To do this, create a new project.  Select the project size based upon the size of predesigned pages you will be pulling elements from.  (So if you have a 12 x 12 Predesigned Recipe Book Kit, choose Storybook - 12 x 12 project size). Choose "Blank" for the theme, click "Next" and name this project something like "workspace".

Next, you'll need to create the predesigned book to pull elements from.  Create a new project and select the same sized project as the first. Next, choose the predesigned page kit you want to pull elements from, then select "Next". To make it easier to remove the book after we're finished using it, name it "HarvestBook". (You can save this anywhere - your desktop, or somewhere else on your hard drive that will be easy to locate later).

Once the predesigned pages are ready for you to work with, begin clicking through the individual pages looking for individual elements on each page that you find interesting. To save out an individual element, click on it, copy it, and then click over to the "workspace" project.  Paste the element on the workspace.  Drag element to near full size on workspace.  Right click on the element, then click on "Save Selection". This should default your file to save as a .png file. (Save this is a location where you will find it later). After saving, delete element and click back over to predesigned page project. Continue through all pages, saving out all components from this kit, then close the predesigned pages file.  After you have all elements pulled that you need, click here to learn how to add those embellishments to your own batch for use in StoryBook Creator Plus.

After you are finished "harvesting" goodies from a predesigned page project, you can delete it from your hard drive to regain that space.  When you create the next predesigned project to harvest goodies from, name it the same thing so you can keep track of what you need to delete.

Looking for some suggestions on what some favorites are for grabbing goodies from predesigned pages?  The 12 x 12 Recipe Predesigned Pages is loaded up with goodies - distressed frames, torn edges, ribbons, stitches, a very cool bow, a cool flower, etc.  There are several free downloadables themes that are great, too - Vintage Blues, Holiday - Traditional, Seasons, etc.

Have fun!

Digital Technique - One Photo Spanning Multiple Photo Frames - Dream

Ingredients

• Storybook Creator Plus Software
• Digital Overlays – Earthy Serenity
• Jewel Digital Power Palette (for Dream title)
• Digital Embellishments – Office Supplies Gold (staples)
• Daily Inspirations Digital Kit

How to Create:

1. Create a new 12x12 project.
2. Make the background black.
3. Place three photo frames on page one on top of the other but keep them straight. Right click on frames and go to properties and change the top and bottom to 6.25 x 2.50 and the middle one to 6.25 x 4.00.
4. Add same photo to each photo frame. Align photos to match by moving photos around in their frames using the yellow plus sign in the middle of the photo. You might have to zoom in on some of the photos to get them to align up just right. Making the three frames look like one.
5. I changed the picture to a sepia color using the sepia feature in the “Enhance” Tab at the top of the page.
6. Hold the shift key and left click on each photo to highlight all three photos at the same time. In the "photos" tab mat photos in off white with a width of 2.
7. Now arrange each photo as shown using the green ball on top of each photo.
8. Place one staple at the edge of each photo as shown.
9. Add earthy serenity overlay. I used the straight cutter to cut the overlay into 4 pieces. I could then fill each section with a different paper to give a multicolor effect. I used random papers from the Daily Inspirations Digital kit.
10. Add the “Dream” word title from the Jewel Digital Power Palette and color to match photo mats. Give the title a heavy shadow.

Workable Digital Template - Mosaic Scrapbook Page

Want to create your very own mosaic page? Janet has created a quick and easy template for you to do so.   Follow these simple instructions, and your mosaic page will be a snap to create:

Simply RIGHT click here, then select "save target as".  Next, nagivate to a place on your hard drive where you want to save this file and select "OK". DO NOT CHANGE THE NAME OF THE FILE IN ANY WAY. Open StoryBook Creator Plus Software and create a new project (this project should be a 12 x 12 page print type).  Once your project has been created, on the "Home" tab, click on "Import Page" icon to the far right.  Navigate to where you saved the page file at, then click on it, then click "Get pages". Your page will be all set for you to drag and drop your photo on to.  Just click on a tile, then from your photo tab on the right select the photo you want to use.  Right click on the photo and choose "fill selected element with Photo". 

That's it!  Enjoy!

Digital Technique - Mosaic Effect

Give your picture a new look of dimension with this Mosaic effect. 

Start with your desired blank Storybook plus page and the picture you want to make mosaic.For this particular page I am using a 12 x 12 picture on a 12 x 12 page.

Because I am starting with a picture that is the same size as the background, I will need to make room for the spaces in between each individual square after the cuts are made. You can crop, resize, etc... but I wanted to keep the size of the tree trunk area the same and the picture square. I took 1/2" off each side (total 1") to keep the trunk centered and because I love the trunk and roots I took a full inch off of the top (so I would not have to cut the bottom of the picture). You can take as little or as much off as you want, it just depends on the amount of white space you want between each square to achieve the mosaic look you desire. If your picture is already smaller than the background, you may be able to skip this step. To cut picture to desired size I used the rules and the straight cut tool. Before cutting your picture you must flatten. Layout tab>Flatten. Tools tab>Straight cut.

To prepare to start cutting your picture into mosaic squares, move your picture to the top left corner of your page. You will need to use the rules on the top and left side to make equal cuts.

If there is anything else you want to do to your picture, such as change to b&w, sepia, etc… now is a good time. But should you want to highlight a particular portion of your picture, it is best to wait till all cuts are made. For example if you were wanting the background to be black & white but the focus of the picture to be colored, you would want to wait until all the cuts were made so you can decide which squares to change. When I have done this on other mosaic pieces, I use Memory Manager to remove color first before importing into StoryBook Creator Plus Software, but should you not have that capability you can somewhat achieve the same look by doing it this way, the only difference is that your full square will be the same color.

If you did not have to cut your picture prior to get desired size, next you will need to flatten the picture before you start cutting into mosaic squares. Layout tab>Flatten

Now you are ready to start cutting your picture into the desired size squares. I have chosen to use 1” squares.

VERY IMPORTANT….while in the process of cutting never click out of the picture! You will lose your grouping and cut marks and not know where to make the next cut, and then you will need to start over again (this I know from experience!!) Always click immediately back on straight cut after the previous cut is made, until you have made your final cut.

After all vertical cuts are made, start your horizontal cuts. Do not click out of your picture, click Straight then rotate shaded area to horizontal position. I find it easiest to line up the shaded area with the bottom of the picture to make sure the cut will be perfectly straight. Next move the shaded area up to 10”, click > cut around the shaded area and repeat for 9”, 8”, 7” etc….. until all cuts are made.

Next separate all squares.

Then place the top and left squares in desired location using the alignment tools and line the rest of the squares up using the alignment tools under the layout tab. Layout Tab>Alignment tools.

Because I wanted to make the pieces look like they were really popping, I placed a shadow behind alternating squares. I wanted the shadow to be sharp so I made the depth 1 and the softness 1 (Tools>Shadow>drop down arrow).

Should you want to add a mat to the individual squares (like in the Chili pics) just cut a shape out of paper and drop behind and size. You will not be able to use the mat tool under the Photo tab because you have already flattened the picture. Then you would add a shadow to the mat layer, if that was the look you wanted.

After the mosaic is finished you are ready to continue on with whatever desired effects you wish to add to finish your page, background, additional pictures, embellishments, etc…..Happy cutting!!

Digital Scrapbooking Technique - Word Merge

Word Merge is a fun technique that allows your photo to flow into text! To get this look, start on a blank 12 x 12 Page in StoryBook Creator Plus. 

Bring the photo onto your page. (Works best with photos that have the focal point more toward the center of the photo...you can always crop as needed, which is explained below!)

Next, make a text box and type in your word of choice using a “chunky, wide, font.” (Go to Dafont.com to look for some if you need them. On their first page, they have instructions on getting the fonts into your computer!)

Once you have made the text large enough to reach from side to side of your page, go to the top of the screen in the Layout tab and click, “Flatten” to flatten your text.

Now, move the text until it just touches your photo. 

Next, hold your shift key down, and click on the photo and the text box. (You will see that they are both gray on the left of the screen in the elements section.)

Now, go back to the Layout tab at the top of the screen and click, “Flatten” again. You have just created ONE element out of the two.

Last, go BACK to the right of the screen and right click on your original photo and choose, “Fill selected element with this photo”.

Your photo will now flow down (merge) into the words you have added!

If your photo is not filling the area just the way you want it to, note that it is filling from the TOP LEFT of the photo you are clicking on in the thumbnail view. You may need to CROP the photo in thumbnail view by right clicking on it, choosing “Crop” and cropping a bit closer in.

Digital Photo Edit - Warm and Sunny

SOOC {Remember this means straight out of the camera}

This is a cute photo of Anna but it has some problems. Lily hanging out in the corner, it's a little blurry, and washed out.

But there are some really great things about it as well, like the soft early evening light, and her cute face. I am going to make this ok photo great by highlighting that magic light.

The first thing we are going to do in Memory Manager is change the photo from a horizontal to a vertical by:

• Open the photo

• Go to the Common menu

• Then Crop

• At the bottom of the list click the little vertical photo

• Crop so that all the clutter is gone.

Next we are going to wash out the color even more by:

• Go to the Color and Light menu

• Then Hue and Saturation

• Move slider down, in this case to -0.4

  Now let's warm up the light:

• Go to Color and Light Menu

• Then Color Temperature, Move the slider toward warm, here I went about a 1/4 of the way from centerMake sure that the maintain white box is checked otherwise it will get too orange

The colors seems a little flat and they definitely need some contrast.

Let's add more contrast:

• Go to Color and Light Menu

• Then Light, Move the Contrast slider up, on this photo I went all the way to the end, but most of the time just a dab will do ya!

This just looks warm and sunny and kind of has a vintage 1980's feel to it.Let's see what else could we do. Take it over to Storybook Creator Plus............. I'll wait..................

{humm..zippidy do dah zippidy day hummm}

Ok over here in StoryBook Creator Plus let's add a little more vintage. Add a Light yellow mat. Add an overlay from Best Buds and using the custom cutter tool, cut out the overlay that is over the face.

You could print it just like this at the Creative Memories Photo Center and place it on a traditional page, in say an 8x10, that would be fabulous!!! You would have the prettiest page at your weekend crop.

Or you could make a digital page with the photo...... 

Making and Importing "Workable Templates"

How to save a file as a "workable template":

1. Create your page or card in StoryBook Creator Plus. If you only want to save ONE page or card, create it as the ONLY page within that project.
2. Once you have it just the way you want it, click on "Save".
3. On the Home Ribbon at the top of the screen, click on the drop down arrow below the Save Icon.
4. Choose the second choice, "Save As". You can choose to rename your page or card.
5. Browse to a folder that you will remember, and save your page to that folder.
6. Now, you are able to share that card or page as a workable template by emailing it as an attachment!

The recipient of the card or page can import your project into their StoryBook Creator Plus by following these steps:

1. DOWNLOAD the item onto the computer desktop or into a folder. Do NOT try to open" the card or page.
2. OPEN or CREATE a same-sized project in StoryBook Creator Plus.
3. For example, if the item is a 4 x 6 landscape card, you would need to open or create a 4 x 6 landscape project.)
4. Go to the Home Ribbon at the top of the screen and click on IMPORT PAGE BROWSE to the place the card was downloaded and import it.
5. It will come in as a workable template and can be customized, printed and shared!!!!

Thank you, Jan McCallum, for teaching me how to do this!  Dawn!