Hi,

I'm new to this forum, new to scrapbooking of any kind, and new to PhotoShop. I've been lurking here for a few days reading everything!! You are all so very wise and I really, really want to learn all I can from you and with you. I was invited by a friend to a scrap-card forum and joined that and have been making digital cards for a week or so. I made a couple of layouts but didn't save them correctly I realize now in hindsight. But, I want to make new ones anyways for the gallery here.

I worked most of today making my very first layout completely in PhotoShop7. I use PSP7 a lot but have only been playing with PS for a week or two. I'm pleased with the layout except when I save it. I saved a complete copy with all layers in tact in PS first. Then I flattened the layers and saved in highest setting of JPEG. For the third save I reduced the size of the page and saved that as a JPEG also. I read somewhere on this forum to save it in those three ways but the person said the first JPEG should be between 10-15MB, mine comes out 3.something or other. Well my original looks nice, but my saved ones look dull. My granddaughter is on the page, not the best photo, but one I really love. In the saved versions she looks dull and takes on a green tinge--if that makes any sense. Does anyone have a clue what I'm doing wrong?

If anyone wants to take a look at the page I will post it to my website or send it to you via email. I want it to look nice before posting to the gallery here since it will be my first try.

Thanks in advance for any help!!

~Betty Jo~

Okay, I've continued to work with this and managed to get a bit better color. In Save for Web I found "Use Document Color Profile", clicked that and it helps the color look more like the original. But, now the smaller JPEG I was going to use for the gallery is over 100K, so it is back to the drawing board.

~Betty Jo~

Hi, just curious how it is going for you?? Can't wait to see your LO!!

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Betty Jo, now that you have cracked your colour problem (which I couldn't help with), I can help you with your size problem. There is an option in "Save for Web" where you tell it the size you want and it will do it. Yup. No more guessing! I have played with this a lot since discovering it. This is my routine before I upload here:

1. I save a .psd of the original layout.
2. I duplicate that image and I close the original (just to be supersafe).
3. I flatten all layers.
4. I change the resolution from 300 to 72.
5. I change the image size from whatever to 600 x 600 or the nearest equivalent.
6. I go to Save for Web. In the far right beside the Preset dropdown box, there is a little triangle. If you click, it brings up a new menu. One of the items is Optimize to File Size. If you click, up pops a box. I insert 124.5 in the box which is the file size I want my upload to be. Viola! Done.

If you can't follow this, please let me know and I will be happy to try to clarify. I used to use the 2 -Up view and keep plugging in different optimizations until I hovered around 124.5. This takes away all that pain.

Thank you, thank you Nevermore!! Yes, this is very clear and I can follow it.

Now, I have another little problem: When I went to PS this AM to start another LO and tried to save it I could not find the place where the .psd files are stored! Duhhhhh . . . I just did the one yesterday, saved it with all the layers as a .psd and haven't a clue where it is/went!! Help!! I'm used to Paint Shop Pro which sets a folder up in My Pictures and everything I save as a PSP file goes into that folder automatically. Does PS have such a system?

BTW--I posted my first PS layout with fear and trembling! I'm still not overly joyed with the color but it will do for a first one:
http://www.scrapbookbytes.com/galler...cat=500&page=1


~Betty Jo~

Hi Tracey,

Well, I posted the first one and I see you commented on it already!! Thank you ever so much!! That is so very encouraging for me. I just visited your gallery and you have some gorgeous layouts. I love the one of your daughter with the bunny. I see you are using PSP. I went and looked, thinking I had posted in the wrong section of the forum!! I am much more capable with PSP, I have PSP7, but I really want to learn PS too--that's why I'm having such a time with my LO's.

~Betty Jo~

Actually, I can probably help you with file location, too! It is definitely true that PSP is much more user friendly. To begin, to get back last night's layout, use File, Open Recent and it should be on the list. You should change the default number of files listed on the Recent menu if you want (Ctrl-K). That should solve your immediate problem. Ongoing, PS saves them wherever you tell it to. While a session is ongoing, it will keep popping up the same directory for you so it makes multiple saves during a session fairly easy. I use File Browser which does have a favourites labelling mechanism to take you to a particular folder quickly. So, for example, I have an "undone layouts" folder. I have pointed the file browser to that directory as a favourite and I cruise there using Browser. What you will find with PS is despite its lack of friendliness, there are usually about 7 ways to skin any particular cat so you might find something you like better.

Hi Betty,
Sorry for getting you confused over you having posted your LO and that I didn't put the two of you together..names are so confusing on here sometimes to keep track of!!
Well you are one up on me..I have PSE3 and it just confuses the heck out of me. I have used PSP since the beginning and I have a hard time with thinking the 2 programs should act the same way. I went from 6 to 9 now and love it...too bad I missed all the in between versions..the more I help people the better at it I get. People ask some really great questions to try figure out!!
I think I have pretty much giving up on PSE3...I haven't opened it in over a month now!!

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