Digital Page Frames
A fun digital product I like to use are digital overlays. A digital overlay is similar to transparencies in paper scrabooking. They typically look like a large frame or border so part of the image is transparent. You can print them directly onto your layout or onto inkjet transparencies to be used on top of you layout.
Here's my layout:
Here's how I did it:
In Photoshop/Photoshop Elements:
1. Create a new 8.5x11 document in PS/PSE
2. Open the .png overlay file. I used Cathy Zielske's Page Frames no 2 from Designer Digitals.
3. Click and drag the overlay onto your canvas. Be sure to drag from a solid (not transparent) part of the overlay. You can't drag from a transparent area, so zoom in to locate a solid area if necessary.
4. Resize your overlay to whatever size you want -- I chose to make my 12x12 overlay into a smaller square (8x8). I added journaling to the document.
5. Print your overlay onto cardstock, patterned paper or even a transparency.
In Word:
1. Open a new document the size of your choice.
2. Select Insert, Picture, From file. Browse for the overlays and click Insert. You can resize the overlay by dragging the corners.
Bonus tip: recoloring your overlay in Photoshop/PSE
Using the Fill Shortcut (for solid colored elements):
1. Open the image.
2. Select the overlay layer in the layers palette.
3. Choose Edit > Fill > Color, make sure the Preserve Transparency box is checked. You can select a color using the color picker here. Hit OK.
Super easy!
Article by: Paula Gilarde
