Below is just one of many ways to create a basic scrapbook page in Photoshop.

As you become familiar with the program, you will find there are alternatives to every step and develop a style that works for you.

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1. Create a New Document

Create a new document that will be the layout. Go to File>New, Ctrl-N. The New Image dialog will open.

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For the image size, choose Inches and make the layout whatever size you want to use. The sample is 12x12, but 8x10.5 is fine.
Under Resolution choose Pixels/inch, and 300.

Note: The Pixels/inch is the resolution, or pixel density of the image. Also called ppi for pixels per inch, and at least 200 is necessary for high-quality printing.

Under Color Mode, choose the RGB Color.

Under Contents, choose the Transparent box. Click OK.

2. Add a Photo

Choose a photo to use for the layout by going to File>Open and browsing to the chosen photo.

Pick any photo from the folder (AllModules\Digital Scrapbooking\FILES\Pictures)

The photo will open in its own window. Choose the Move Tool from the top of the Toolbox on the left of the work area.

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The photo should be roughly the same size as the layout, usually larger. If it's significantly smaller, it is likely not high enough quality to print. Verify the layout is the correct size using Image>Resize>Image Size (at least 1800x2000 pixels each way), and verify that your camera settings are for high-quality photos such as High, Fine, Superfine, etc.

Resize the photo to be smaller and fit on the layout better. Go to Edit>Free Transform or hit Ctrl (Cmd)-T to create a bounding box around the photo.

Hold down the Shift key and click and drag a Corner Handle on the bounding box to resize the photo to the desired size on the layout. Err on the side of too large, as it can easily be reduced in size again if needed, but enlarging after reducing will degrade the image quality.

Reposition the photo on the layout by placing the cursor inside the bounding box, then click and drag to move the photo.

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If needed, rotate the photo by typing the angle number into the Rotation box in the Options Bar at the top of the screen.

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To finally place the photo on the layout, click the green arrow icon in the Options Bar, double click inside the bounding box, or hit Enter on the numeric keypad. To make changes, use Edit>Free Transform or Ctrl/Cmd-T again.

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Add an outline to the photo. Hit the letter D on the keyboard to set the colors back to black and white. On the menu bar, go to Edit>Stroke. Use the Color black, Location Inside, about 5-10 pixel Width, and click OK.

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3. Add Graphics

Digital Scrapbook graphics are often called page elements. Use the free Welcome Kit you received when registering, or anything else you've downloaded. After registering and logging in, check out the Freebies Gallery here at DSP for many free elements to use. Please read the tutorial for unzipping the file in order to use the separate graphic files included in the kit.

Go to File>Open and choose a background paper and a few simple graphics. Use the Move Tool to drag the background onto the layout, holding the Shift button while dragging to place it exactly centered. Go to Layer>Arrange>Send to Back to place it behind the photos. To view the Layers Palette, click Window>Layers and note how the photo and background paper are each on their own layer.

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Add a smaller secondary photo to the layout in the same manner: use File>Open, drag to the layout window, resize and reposition, and add an outline with Edit>Stroke. Note the new photo is also on its own layer.

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Continue adding graphics to the layout. Use Layer>Arrange if needed to place items on a higher or lower layer to overlap items.

Use the Move Tool located at the top of the Toolbox to reposition objects more if needed. Check the Auto Select Layer box, click on an item, and drag it to a new position. To get the resize/rotate/move bounding box back, use Ctrl/Cmd-T or click the Show Bounding Box option, then click and drag a handle to resize, rotate, or reposition the photos or graphics.

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4. Add a Title

Create a title using the Text Tool. Click the T icon in the Toolbox or type T. In the Toolbox. Use either black or white as a text color: hit D on the keyboard to reset the colors to black and white. The current Foreground Color in the Toolbox will be the text color.

Click the Text Tool cursor on the layout to start typing.

Type the title on the layout, then double click on it to highlight it to make any desired changes to the colors and settings. Only when the text is highlighted can changes be made. Using the various drop down menus, adjust the font, size, and typeface such as italic or bold. Highlight only certain letters to use various settings in the same text block. To use a size larger than 72, click in the size box and manually type in the size number.

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After making changes, move the title into place if necessary. Move the cursor away from the text until it changes to the Move Tool cursor, then click and drag the Title into place. Commit the Text by clicking the Checkmark icon in the Options Bar, hit Enter on the numeric keypad. To edit the text again, either click the text tool on the existing text to re-enter Text Edit Mode, or double click the Text Layer thumbnail in the Layers Palette.

5. Add Journaling

Click the Move Tool on the black mat to activate it as the layer to type on. Change the color to white (type D to reset the colors to black and white, and hit X to swap white to the Foreground color).

Click and drag the Text Tool on the layout to create a text box, and use the Options Bar drop down menus to choose a font and size and color for the journaling. For journaling, choose a font that that looks either typed or hand written, but is thin and easy to read.

Type the journaling and click the Apply check mark when finished.

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6. Add Drop Shadows

For added realism, all objects on a Paper-style page should have a drop shadow. The downloaded graphics have drop shadows already on them, so only the 2 photo layers needs shadows.

There are several ways to add a drop shadow. One of the fastest is to use Layer>Layer Style>Drop Shadow.

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The Layer Style dialog will open to the Drop Shadow section. Usually the default of Distance 5, Spread 0, Size 5 is fine, though for thin papers and photographs 2, 0, 8 may also work well. Remember to keep shadows very small and subtle! It's tempting to make them large and dark, but for best realism, the mind should not consciously notice the shadow. Click OK to apply the shadow.

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7. Save

Save the layout by File>Save, Ctrl-S, to open the Save dialog box.

Create a new folder in which to keep scrapbook layouts. Save in .psd format, as this format saves all the layers in case the layout needs changes later, if the Layers box is checked in the Save Options. Use the Default sRGB color profile .

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Now the layout is complete! Congratulations on completing your first digital scrapbook layout! Use this tutorial again with different photos and graphics to create many unique and varied layouts as you solidify the techniques you learned.