Adding images to a collage

[louise19]

Good morning everyone

I have made a photo collage in PSE - and saved it - I now want to add an image to it - obviously when I have opened it up again the layers are no longer split because I did it a couple of days ago - what is the best way to add to it?

Is it possible to save half done work and then go back to it later so that you can still work on the individual layers?

Thanks again!

Louise

[Bill Guy]

It is all about file format. Save the layered image as the default PSD or Tiff. Then the layers are there the next time you want to work on it.

[louise19]

Magic - thanks for that Bill.

DO I have to start again then with my collage or can I add another image to it?

[emkayess65]

Hi louise19, if you save your file as a .PSD your layer will be preserved.
Use "Save as" from the file menu and choose .psd from thr dropdown menu.

You can add to your collage by making new layers above your existing image which will be your background now.

This may or may not work because you cannot rearrange anything on the existing image.
mks

[louise19]

That's great - thanks very much!

You guys are so clever with this!

[clemsonjim]

saved in PSD file format and they will always be able to be edited. Once you finalize the project then you can do a Save As to save in JPEG for photo printing services etc. (You can print from your own printer in PSD form without saving as a JPEG)
File storage is cheap, so I always keep the PSD file so I can go back days or years later and reuse without recreating.
Once you bring in a JPEG from a camera, file etc and do any work on it, then Save, PSE will usually give you the PSD file type as a default in the Save dialogue box and ask you if you want to save in version set. If you accept here, your JPEG will still be saved(unedited) and a PSD file will be created that you open to work on and edited later if necessary.
If you are doing things like collages, open a new blank file in PSD format and bring your JPEGs into it and the JPEGs are not altered and you have the PSD file to work on.

[cats4jan]

File storage is cheap

Amen to that. The prices of external hard drives are so low, it's amazing.

I save all my scrapbook layouts as psds and with having over 250 3600x3600 layouts to store, I still hardly fill up my EHD.

I often open a layout where I've used an item or photo and wish to use it again. it's so much easier than searching my files for the item. I just open the old project and drag the item to the new project.

[louise19]

Thanks for your replies - that is all really helpful and makes things a lot easier!

I am a bit stuck though - this is probably a basic question, but I can't seem to find the answer anywhere and have had a play around but with no joy - If I open an existing collage say, how do I actually add another photo image onto it? Can someone give me the path to do this?

I have a collage of three photos already - I have saved it as a PSD file now so can work on it but can;t amend the existing images I know that - that is fine though as I am happy where they are but I want to add another one to them - I can't seem to find out how to do it? If I go back to the create page it just opens up a completely new file - if I try and drag a phot onto the new layer it does the same thing. what do I need to do?

Thanks again for all your help!

Louise

[clemsonjim]

you should be able to open old project, open another file you want to add, (this will place it in the Project Bin of Editor). You should be able to then drag that new file onto the 'old' collage and it will be added as a layer. You can also open new file, do a Select>All, Edit>Copy and then open collage and do an Edit>Paste, that will put it on a new layer also.
When it is on a layer in your collage you can resize, move around or do whatever you want to include in collage.
If there are other questions, feel free to ask! We've all been there before and received help from people on this forum.

[louise19]

Many thanks Clemson Jim - I will give that a go and see how I get on. I will ask you some more if I need to.

Thanks again

Louise

[louise19]

Hi again - I have tried both of these options but it doesn;t seem to work - if I copy and paste it just adds a new layer to the existing file - if I drag and drop it just switches the project I am working on to the one being dragged. help! what am I doing wrong?!

Thanks !

Louise

[Wendy]

Hi Louise ..

Adding another photo to the file will indeed create a new layers in it ... as each of the things you add goes on a new layer :)

So the Copy & Paste does seemed to have worked OK ... what is the problem with it ??

Wendy

[frank abramonte]

if I copy and paste it just adds a new layer to the existing file - if I drag and drop it just switches the project I am working on to the one being dragged. help! what am I doing wrong?!
Thanks !
Louise

By "it just adds a new layer", do you mean that the new layer is blank?
If not, then just move the image to where you want it to be.

[louise19]

Hi again - sorry to have confused things - I will try and explain it a bit better!

I have an image I want to add onto my existing collage - I have tried to drag and drop the image onto the collage and so have opened up the collage and can see this appearing as a background layer - that is all fine. I have also opened up my image and so both collage and image are showing in the project bin. But when I try and drag and drop the image onto the collage, there is a small 'no entry' sign appearing which I thin kmeans it won;t allow it - if I drag and let go, the image then shows up as effectively a new project - as if I have switched the project I am working on.

If I copy and paste, it just pastes a new layer, but onto the image rather than onto the collage - I hope that has made a bit more sense?

I have tried various ways but I still just have two projects open - but nothing that is showing both image and collage on one project - a bit hard to explain sorry. There are two tabs open at the top and whatever I do, it seems to think I just want to switch working between these rather than what I actually want to do which is combine them.

I bet I am missing something really simple! If anyone can see what I am doing wrong it would be great! Thanks again

[louise19]

By jove I've done it - just not sure how!

I was just playing around with it and dragged my new image from the project bin onto the main panel - I had been trying to drop it onto the bit where all the layers are displayed. It seems to have achieved what I wanted anyway!

Thanks for all your help with thisanyway!