mrod
January 11th, 2006, 02:09 AM
Every year, we make a calendar of the grandkids for the grandparents.
Well, we've just about got the 2006 calendar finished (we're usually a little late), but, the cover is done. It's very similar to 2005, as the style seemed to be quite popular with the clients--er--grandparents. One minor difference that perhaps only I will notice is that I tried to blend the photos more than I did in 2005 (which wasn't hard, since I didn't try to blend them at all last year).
The major difference is that, unlike 2005, this one didn't take nearly as long. It's amazing what a little bit of knowlege will do for ya.
Briefly (or, not so briefly), I....
1. Chose a typeface and typed 2006
2. Selected the numbers, created a blank layer, made that blank layer active, and stroked the selection on the blank layer, outside, to the desired thickness
3. Hid the layer with solid numbers in case I needed it later
4. Chose, cropped, edited, resized, etc. and positioned the various pictures.
5. Right about this time, I wanted to see what it would look like without the pictures hanging over the edges of the numbers. And here is that proverbial fork in the road--both ways get to the destination, but one is a lot shorter. Last year, I got there, but I went the long way. This year, here's what I did: I went back to my original layer of text, the one with the solid 2006, and selected it (ctrl-click on the layer thumbnail). Then, I inversed the selection (Select > Inverse or Ctrl+Shift+I), created a blank layer, moved that blank layer to the top of the stack, and, on that blank layer, filled the selection with white.
6. Now, with a "cover" on top of the pictures, any time I wanted to see the image with the excess parts "erased" all I had to do was turn on that top layer, and presto, they were gone! Then I could hide it again, and continue placing pictures.
7. When the pictures were all in place, it was a simple matter of saving one final time (remember what Jodi says--super glue, and LEGO's, and all that), flattening the image, going to File > Save As, and saving a second copy (one that was flattened, and ready for printing), and bingo! Done.
Last year, I'm embarrassed to admit that I erased all the excess outside of the numbers.:eek: This year, I actually enjoyed the process, not just the final product.
If you're so inclined, it's a pretty fun project. A bit time consuming, especially if you have a lot of pictures to go through, choosing just the right ones. And of course, there's the font choice...no worries, though. Wendy will help you.
Time issues aside, it is enjoyable. I liked the challenge of navigating the various obstacles and hurdles. And, I think the end result is pretty cool, too.
Mike
Well, we've just about got the 2006 calendar finished (we're usually a little late), but, the cover is done. It's very similar to 2005, as the style seemed to be quite popular with the clients--er--grandparents. One minor difference that perhaps only I will notice is that I tried to blend the photos more than I did in 2005 (which wasn't hard, since I didn't try to blend them at all last year).
The major difference is that, unlike 2005, this one didn't take nearly as long. It's amazing what a little bit of knowlege will do for ya.
Briefly (or, not so briefly), I....
1. Chose a typeface and typed 2006
2. Selected the numbers, created a blank layer, made that blank layer active, and stroked the selection on the blank layer, outside, to the desired thickness
3. Hid the layer with solid numbers in case I needed it later
4. Chose, cropped, edited, resized, etc. and positioned the various pictures.
5. Right about this time, I wanted to see what it would look like without the pictures hanging over the edges of the numbers. And here is that proverbial fork in the road--both ways get to the destination, but one is a lot shorter. Last year, I got there, but I went the long way. This year, here's what I did: I went back to my original layer of text, the one with the solid 2006, and selected it (ctrl-click on the layer thumbnail). Then, I inversed the selection (Select > Inverse or Ctrl+Shift+I), created a blank layer, moved that blank layer to the top of the stack, and, on that blank layer, filled the selection with white.
6. Now, with a "cover" on top of the pictures, any time I wanted to see the image with the excess parts "erased" all I had to do was turn on that top layer, and presto, they were gone! Then I could hide it again, and continue placing pictures.
7. When the pictures were all in place, it was a simple matter of saving one final time (remember what Jodi says--super glue, and LEGO's, and all that), flattening the image, going to File > Save As, and saving a second copy (one that was flattened, and ready for printing), and bingo! Done.
Last year, I'm embarrassed to admit that I erased all the excess outside of the numbers.:eek: This year, I actually enjoyed the process, not just the final product.
If you're so inclined, it's a pretty fun project. A bit time consuming, especially if you have a lot of pictures to go through, choosing just the right ones. And of course, there's the font choice...no worries, though. Wendy will help you.
Time issues aside, it is enjoyable. I liked the challenge of navigating the various obstacles and hurdles. And, I think the end result is pretty cool, too.
Mike