Check out these sites for free digital papers and embellishments:
www.shabbyprincess.com
www.scrapgirls.com
www.freedigitalscrapbooking.com/digital_scrapbooking_quick_pages.html
www.smilebox.com
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Change eyedropper sample size to 3 by 3 average so that when you sample a
colour in your image, you get a more representative colour match of that
area. (Otherwise, you sample a specific pixel.)
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PROBLEM: Photo is washed out/ not enough contrast
SOLUTION: Enhance| Adjust Lighting| Levels...
The histogram shows the distribution of pixels. Shadows, midtones,
highlights.
If the pixels are all lumped in the middle, the photo has a lot of gray
and not much dark and light. If the histogram is skewed left, the photo
is very dark overall.
You can redistribute the pixels to get better contrast without losing
detail. Move middle slider to affect midtones.
Left slider: shadows
Right slider: highlights.
Generally, you want to bring the outer sliders in towards the edge of the
histogram so that you bring out shadows and highlights. To lighten up
midtones, move the middle slider left. (e.g. this will lighten up a
person's face that was in shadow.)
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Layers:
Each element can be placed on its own layer so that it can be moved
around, transformed - without affecting the rest of your project.
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Blending a layer with an underlying layer:
The simplest blend is to change the opacity of the top layer so that you
can see through to the underlying layer.
A gradual change in opacity resulting in one photo fading into another can
be achieved by using a gradient:
Make sure your default colours are foreground BLACK; background WHITE.
Layer photos.
Add adjustment layer in between. (click little B/W circle, chose "levels")
Add gradient to it. (click gradient tool, drag from right to left)
Black reveals; white conceals. The black part of the gradient lets the
underlying picture show through. The white conceals it. The gray is the
semi-transparent part that allows the "fading".
Group top layer to adjustment layer to see the effect. Move top layer
and/or redo your gradient to get the fade effect just right.
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The Different Blending Modes
Layer blend modes change the way in which the pixels on a layer interact
with the pixels on the layer below, using a math algorithm to determine
the results.
for example
Darken: Each pixel is compared to the base layer pixel. The darker
colour pixel is the resulting colour.
Lighten: same idea - the colour you see after the blend is applied, is
the lighter of the base pixel or the top layer pixel.
Multiply: Pixels are given a "value". The resulting colour is the base
colour value multiplied by the top colour value.
It's hard to picture the results in your head, so you just have to try out
the different blend modes and see what suits your design. To quickly view
all choices, have the Move tool selected, then hit Shift+ to "scroll"
through the layer blend modes.
Example of tree photo and lightning photo. (darken mode)
Example of designer paper and girl photo. (multiply mode)
You can reduce the opacity to tone down the blend effect.
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Some other darkroom techniques:
PROBLEM: Overexposure
SOLUTION:
Make duplicate copy.
Select MULTIPLY blend mode
If need more, duplicate background again.
If too much, reduce opacity.
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PROBLEM: Underexposed
SOLUTION:
As above, but select SCREEN mode.
