Cool Digital Paperclips and a FREEBIE!

One of my latest digital scrapbooking layouts showcasing the use of one of my latest digital scrapbooking products - "paperclips" in the shape of talk bubbles. Or, perhaps, in the case of this particular layout, thought bubbles!

Here is the set that I designed yesterday:

Aren't they fun?? The set includes seven different talk/thought bubbles, each one is delivered both with and without dropshadows. They are 300 dpi and delivered in .PNG format with a transparent background.

Use them like any digital paperclip. Position the clip over your photo, paper, tag or whatever, and then erase the portion of the clip that shouldn't show because in real life it would be hidden underneath the photo or paper. Adjust your dropshadows and you have totally realistic "clips" to add dialogue to the photos on your layout. You're gonna use these over and over again!

Easily change the color to match your layouts, too. In Photoshop set your foreground color chip to the color you want. In the layers palette select the layer containing the clip then add a hue/saturation adjustment layer. In the hue/saturation box click the colorize button. Move the lightness slider to the left until color appears. Then use the three sliders to adjust the color to your liking.

Want to try one out? Just click here (4shared) or here (mediafire) for a free downloadable talk bubble. Exactly which one I'm giving you is a surprise!

To get the complete set at my online store for just $ .99 click here. (Might as well check out some of my other products while you're there, don't you think???)

I'd love to hear what you think, so please leave me a comment and/or send me a quick note.

Enjoy!

More Ways to Spice up Your Photos in Photoshop

Still working my way through the on-line class I'm taking at Jessica Sprague's website, "Photo Editing: Frame-ups & Special Effects." I'm about 3/4 through the lessons, but am hoping to also have time to do the extra assignments at the end of each lesson; those are in addition to the layouts we students create during each lesson. I have to admit - I love learning.

So here's my first storyboard! These are really fun, especially choosing just the right photos that will convey a story. I love how this turned out. These are soooo nice, framed, and hung on the wall. I think I'll be doing just that with this one!
We also learned to create collages. Well, I've created lots of collages; still, I enjoyed working through this lesson and, while doing so, got NINE of the photos from our recent trip to Kauai on a layout! Heck, it's ready for my album! I think the photos I chose really give a good representation of our zipline tour (my first ever) and (bonus!) this layout is ready to be printed and placed in my album.
Here's the same layout with some additional techniques added. I changed all the photos to a sepia tone using a hue/saturation adjustment layer, then painted over the center square to let the color show through. Added some additional words, a dropshadow to "Zipline," and it's a totally different (and totally cool) look!
Okay, so I know I told you that I'd have a new freebie for you soon, and I will, I promise!! It's on my list for tomorrow. I have a lot of catching up to do with stuff for my little scrapbooker-for-hire/digital design business but the freebie is #1 on the Master To-Do List.

I hope you are all enjoying your summer - I know I am! If you'd like to read more about what I'm doing in my personal life, check out my other blog, Debz Talkin'.

No matter which blog you read, please leave me a comment (with email address). I love to hear from you, would enjoy knowing what kinds of freebies you'd like (personalized stuff???), what you've learned recently, where you've vacationed, where you live.....uh, yeah, I AM kinda nosey! I enjoy people, and want to know about you!

More Special Effects in Photoshop CS3

I'm still working through the lessons for Jessica Sprague's online digital photo editing class, "Photo Editing: Frame-Ups & Special Effects." This morning got through lessons 2, 10 and 11. Here are my efforts!

Selective coloring

digital brushes and burned edges

combination of adding textures, an overlay, and type

I'm having a blast with this class. Most of these techniques I have used before...but it's always good to practice AND I'm learning better ways to do some of them.

I love having a lot of techniques in my "toolbox" for when I'm creating digital scrapbook layouts, either for myself or my clients.

What photos do you have that would lend themselves perfectly to these techniques??

Special Effects with Photoshop CS3

I've been taking some online classes at Jessica Sprague's website on editing and enhancing digital photos, and also about adding special effects to them like frames, cool text, word art, textures, etc. It's so much fun!

Here's my effort from Lesson 1 of Jessica's class titled "Photo Editing: Frame-ups and Special Effects:" I first took the photo through the steps I learned in the class "Photo Editing: Good-to-Great Workflow" and then I cropped it, applied a digital frame, and added the word art and text.I love how it turned out! It could be framed as is, or placed on a digital scrapbook layout.

The "frame-ups" class is instructor-led, by Jessica herself, and is going on now. I'm sure it'll be offered again so if you are interested take a peek at her website. The "workflow" class is self-paced so you can get in on it anytime you like. There are other classes, too, on digital scrapbooking, organization, and even mini-classes where you make a single hybrid scrapbooking page.

I'm hoping to get caught up on the lessons in the "frame-ups" class (I was on vacation during the first week) and will share my finished creations here as I go.

Keep an eye out for a new freebie SOON, too!