Stuck making new layers

[lynder]

Greetings to all! Santa brought me Photoshop Elements 7.0 and I'm determined to learn digital scrapbooking this year! Downloaded a tutorial and used a book to successfully create 2 layouts. Now I'm addicted!

I played with editing a photo in the edit function and all worked fine.


With great confidence I started a new layout on my own. I downloaded a kit from designerdigitals, unzipped it, and tried to put the paper on my background canvas. I opened elements and created a blank page. The canvas appeared larger and went to the top and bottom of the screen. I opened the downloaded file and selected a paper. When it appreared on my elements screen, it covered the canvas but did not make a new layer. Any subsequent attempts to make a layer just put the new element on top of the old and it became the new background. Still no layers. The move tool did not allow me to move the new paper to the background like I learned in the previous layouts.

I tried the same thing with papers from the tutorial that had worked before - again no layers, they just covered the canvas. I reset to default settings but no change. Couldn't find anything in "Help" that worked. Any ideas? I was in editing working on a picture before this happened so I could have messed something up then.

I'm anxious to get back in! I would really appreciate your help.

Lynder

[Wendy]

Hi ..

Just try this :

Create a new file. File>New Blank File make it 3600 pixels x 3600 pixles, RGB, 300 resolution with a white background.
Now open up one pf the scrapbooking papers and do Select>All then Edit Copy.
Click back onto your new file and do Edit>Paste

You should then have a new layer in your image.

... just do the same for anything else that you want to add :)

Wendy

[lynder]

Wendy,
Thank you for your help. All was well until I opened the scrapbook paper file. I selected the paper I wanted and clicked open. The screen immediately goes back to my workspace and the background is now covered with the paper. In the layers, it shows the paper as the new background. Still no layers. When I choose edit, my only choice is paste. I tried pasting and it gave me the last item I had pasted in word on top of the paper, as a layer.

I think that's a clue but we're not there yet. Could it have something to do with my paper files? I chose the downloaded file and it shows all the paper choices. I then clicked on the one I wanted. That takes us to where I was in the first paragraph. What now????

Lynder

[Diana]

Hi Lynder,

Just follow Wendy's instructions -

"Now open up one pf the scrapbooking papers and do Select>All then Edit Copy.

Click back onto your new file and do Edit>Paste"

It sounds like you may have forgotten to select the paper you want to copy. From the menu: Select > All, or use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl-A.

Diana

[lynder]

A big thank you to Wendy and Diana for your help with layering. I got it to work and just created a layout! Hoo rah! Didn't understand the use of the files below the workmat but got it now. I'm "building the plane as I fly it" without the manual. Thanks for getting me back in business! :)

[Wendy]

Oh that is great news ... I can;t wait to see the finished page :)

Wendy