HELP! Can't get proportions right - SBB Digital Scrapbooking Forums | Scrapbook-Bytes

jenwantstoscrap · #1 (**permalink**) 04-17-2006

I am having trouble getting the proportions of photos right in my LO's. I've been working in 12x12 but every time I add a photo I feel it's too small. I know that on a actual 12x12 it will be bigger than what I have on my desktop. If I make the photo the size I feel it should be I don't have any room for much else. Has anybody got any tips about this (if it makes any sense at all) because lately I'm deleting every LO I do and not getting anywhere except frustrated.

collage lover · #2 (**permalink**) 04-17-2006

If you are going for the" real " look make it a 4X6 picture which is what it would be in life, or 8X10 but would be a little large but you could do that too.play with it untill you see what you like,thats all that matters.

Tracey R (Haley64) · #3 (**permalink**) 04-17-2006

Maybe by turning on your rulers on your image you can get a better feel for sizing, since you mentally know exactly what a 12x12 inch piece of paper looks like. You can mentally gauge your photo's against your paper size???

coffeequeen · #4 (**permalink**) 04-17-2006

Jen, take some time to peruse the galleries and even some magazines. Find layouts and ads that you really like, that just jump out at you, and then look at the photo proportions. Don't look at proportions first, just look for what looks great to you. Maybe you'll find you are a scrapper who prefers to have their photo take center stage without a lot of embellishment. Those layouts are just as beautiful as the layouts that are heavier on papers and elements.
And even more importantly, don't be so hard on yourself! Stop deleteing those layouts! This is a process. You will likely find your style emerging, and then evolving, never staying the same. So then if you have saved your LO's in layered format, you can always go back in a few months and change them if you like. Or use them as a kind of chronicle of your journey- knind of a "Look where I was then and how I was doing it, and how different my art is now." Be proud, Girl! Chances are, your friends and neighbors will be awed by your work, no matter what you think of it! If you find it getting frustrating, put it away for a bit, and go gallery or magazine browsing. Take a break, but don't delete!
Hope this helps.

LuvLovett · #5 (**permalink**) 04-17-2006

Everbody's suggestions are bang on--I've had (and sometimes still do) the same issue as you. I just recently stopped using my rulers b/c now I can kinda guess.

My first few LO's I scraplifted so that I could see would the proportions should be. You could try that (just give proper credit).

The other thing I did was to do a few 8x10 LO's and have them printed right away so that you can actually see the proportion in real life. It made a big difference in how I view my computer screen, knowing that the pic really isn't that small after all. Sometimes a brain just need concrete evidence.

A finally, don't delete! I still have a folder of 'current projects', some dating back almost 6 months. I just knew I had a good idea, I just couldn't translate it at the time. So when frustration sets in, I just file it and move on.

HTH, and it does get a whole lot easier!

collage lover · #6 (**permalink**) 04-17-2006

Yes definitely use your rulers! great suggestion! I use mine all the time, if you need to measure stuff in real life.One thing I had problems with was staples! So I measured a real one so that when I would print it it wouldnt look fake (and an inch long lol)

jenwantstoscrap · #7 (**permalink**) 04-17-2006

Thanks everyone. I will try your suggestions and hang in there. I guess it's a matter of trial and error. I'm going to start using the rulers which I wasn't doing and will start a "work in progress" file to keep the ones I've been deleting because I just couldn't get them right.

4guysandme · #8 (**permalink**) 04-18-2006

but I find the easiest way to VISUALIZE something is to think in hard core measurements. I personally like to work in pixels when designing, but when doing quick and dirty layouts, I prefer to work in inches. Why? Because with an inch measurement, I KNOW what size the images are (without having to do the math first).

I personally scrap 8x8, but on a 12x12 page you'd do the same thing. I try to remember that most images are standard size 3x5, 4x6, 5x7, and 8x10. I typically work with images that are 4x6 or 5x7 in my layouts, but keep in mind that I scrap 8x8 so that is what fits. It doesn't mean that I can't crop an 8x10 to fit, as I certainly could and sometimes I do.

BUT once I started placing real sized pictures on my layouts, it became easier for me to see where things would fit and where things wouldn't fit. I do recommend turning on your rulers to help you visualize.

One of my biggest beefs is actually that the elements are often out of proportion to the rest of the layout more so than the pictures themselves. Most standard sized staples are a given size. Most bookplates are standard sizes. Most round tags are a certain size. For me, my goal is REALISM! I go to scrapbook night with my paper scrapping friends. My goal is to make it look real. So for me, I want the elements to be just as realistic in size as the images.

I spend time browsing the paper scrapbooking isles in the stores. Why? To see what sizes things are. I even carry a little tape measure in my diaper bag so I can measure things if the sizes aren't stated. I design my elements to the standard sizes.

FWIW, I also have an "under construction" folder where I put things I can't get right. I've gone back 6 months later and totally scratched the layout and started over and finished them in a matter of a couple of hours. Sometimes it just takes time and and distance to get it right.

HTH