Summary:
Page Borders - You can flip the page border to give you more options. Go to Image/Rotate/Flip Layer Horizontal (or vertical depending on the border being used).
Making Cluster Frames Easy:
Option 1:
Place your photo behind the cluster frame. Resize the photo. Select the eraser tool and erase any of the photo outside of the cluster frame. Repeat for other photos.
Option 2: (tutorial below)
1. Using the magic wand select one of the "picture holes" in the cluster frame (active layer).
2. Go to Select/Modify/Expand (I usually do 5-10px). This ensures there is not a gap.
3. Create a new layer.
4. Go to Edit/Fill Selection (make sure the preserve transparency box is NOT checked)
5. Move new shape layer below cluster frame.
6. Move picture immediately above shape layer. Click Ctrl G to clip.
7. Resize/rotate picture to your liking. Link when happy to keep the shape and picture together.
8. Repeat for other pictures.
See Below for more details and an example.
Using add-on extras like Cluster Frames, Page Borders, and Premade Titles can really save a significant amount of time when it comes to digital scrapbooking. For this tutorial, I will be using Photoshop Elements, but you can use these products in most photo editing software programs as they are saved as PNGs.
Open PSE (photoshop elements) and choose a page border, cluster frame, premade title, and a solid paper from the kit. For this tutorial, I will be using my Barrel of Monkeys kit. Either use your paper as your base workspace, or create a new workspace (File/New/Blank File). It should be 12x12 inches at 300 dpi (unless you are printing using different dimensions). Either way, make sure it is at 300 dpi instead of 72dpi.
Now drag all of your pieces into a single workspace. Arrange and re-size your pieces to your desire. Using the move tool, you can click on an item and drag it to your desired location. Remember when you resize an object, always resize from the corners to maintain correct proportions. If you need additional hints and tips of how to navigate in PSE, please see my other tutorial for some basic navigation tips. Here is what mine looks like now. Notice I angled the cluster frame and reduced it in size slightly.
Another nice feature of PSE is that it allows you to flip an image or single layer. So say I would prefer that the page border be on the right side of my page instead of the left. If I just drag it over, then it would look funny because the straight edge would be in the interior of the page. Instead, make sure the page border is the active layer. Go to Image/Rotate/Flip Layer Horizontal. Now just your page border is flipped. I moved the now flipped page border to the right side and then shifted the title and cluster frame to the left. Notice that the page border is the only item that flipped while the other two remained untouched.
Now it is time to put a picture in the cluster frame. An easy way to put a picture in a cluster frame is to create a shape of the cut-out (in this case a circle) and then clip the picture to the shape. This ensures that you do not have any extra picture hanging out outside the frame.
To create the cutout shape, select the magic wand tool. Ensure your cluster frame is the active layer. Select the interior of one of the frames. Create a new layer. To ensure that we do not have a gap, I always expand the selection slightly by 5-10px. Go to Select/Modify/Expand. Now go to Edit/Fill Selection (make sure the preserve transparency box is NOT checked). Now drag the shape you just created below your cluster frame layer. Repeat this step for the other frame. Once you are finished, go to Select/deselect so it will remove the “marching ants” selection on your workspace.
Now drag your picture into the workspace.
Resize/rotate/move the picture so only the portion that you want to see is visible in the frame. Ensure that the picture layer is below the cluster frame layer and above the shape (partial circle) layer.
Now with the picture layer as your active layer clip the picture to the circle shape (Ctrl G).
Repeat this step for the other picture.
And now you are done. Remember to “link layers” once you are satisfied so you can move multiple objects at once. For example, link the two pictures, two shapes, and cluster frame layer together so you can move this entire piece at once. To link a layer, select all the desired layers in the layers box by selecting ctrl-click. Once all are selected, click the link layer tool (in the layers box it looks like two chains linked together).
Once you are satisfied, save your file as a JPEG (I recommend a quality level of 10).
