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From YourSITE.com *NEW There are so many designers offering kits that are full of fabric-type papers and elements. One thing that I noticed was it is harder to assemble a layout due to the general make-up and reduced opacity levels of fabric pieces. Shadows, Inner Shadows, Inner Glows can all be applied to make the fabric have depth, but it is mainly a matter of trial and error because each fabric element is different  So instead of teaching you how to create fabric items, or how to shadow the fabric elements, I am going to show you how to assemble a layout that uses a couple of pieces of fabric. For this tutorial, I am using a Primer Page Set from my Linen Closet Collection at SBB and one of the Papers from the Linen Closet Part 1, but you can use any similar type of products. This Primer Page Set includes all of the items we will be using except the background paper which I grabbed from the Paper Pack. One thing you will want to do in the process of making this layout is to apply any drop shadows and filters to the photograph and merge the photo with effects to one without any effects so that your working image already has the shadows and effects. Again, I would like to mention that each designer’s fabric elements will be different, and you will have to play with the settings to obtain the effects that you desire. To begin, open a new blank transparent document that is 12x12 and 300 ppi. First step is to add the base paper you wish to use (LC01-04.jpg from the paper pack) Next, open the PNG fabric overlay and place above the background paper. The fabric overlay has a frayed and torn opening which you can place a photo completely behind, or have the photo tucked in on one or two corners.  Now I am adding the Stitched Ribbon and Stitched Fabric border above the previous layers in the layers palette. So far, we haven’t had to add any shadows or other effects, but you could add a small inner shadow or drop shadow to the ribbon if you like (personal preferences here)  Now I added the Ribbon edge and row of brads above the fabric border. You will want to add a low shadow to the ribbon edge, and I found using an outer glow on the brads made them look more realistic. Remember that if you can’t get the perfect amount of shadowing, try “scaling” the effects.  Now we are ready for the photo. Place the photo in between the background layer and the fabric background. Tilt and position it now, as there is no moving it later without repeating the steps that follow Ctrl+Click on the image icon for the ribbon in the layers palette, click on the layer with the photo, and Ctrl+J to copy that portion.  Move the new partial photo layer above the ribbon layer, and your layout starts to look more complete. Because we are using an image that has already had the shadows and effects merged into it, there are no odd shadow lines to deal with. To get your photo corners, ctrl+click on the overlay image icon in the layers palette, click on the photo layer and ctrl+J to copy just the corners of the image. Move this layer new layer above all other layers.  If you turn off the visibility of the full photo, the image on the far left shows what you should see on your layout. Since we don’t want all four corners above the overlay, we are going to delete the top-right and bottom left corners so that the fabric overlay shows instead of the photo in these areas. Select your rectangular marquee tool and make a square that encompasses the corner you want to delete. Click on the corners layer, and hit “delete”. How simple was that?  You can see that the turned-up, stapled corner is now visible, which is what I was trying to do. Repeat this step to remove the bottom corner of your choice. This image on the right shows the results of deleting the corners. Bring back the visibility of the whole photo layer, and your layout is done!  The key thing to remember is that all layer effects must be merged before you start copying portions of your photo. If you don’t, you will end up with a photo that looks like it has been cut up and pieced back together. **First published in Tidbytes April 2007** © Copyright by YourSITE.com |