Today I’ll show you how to create a template like the one shown in Album DS website for the “squared bride”.
This effect can not be achieved directly by a premade template because it’s impossible to know which picture you will fit, and therefore must be made to fit the picture. Please follow this steps:
1.- Create a new document or open a template
2.- Create a shape layer or select one from the template
3.- Place a picture with Album DS
4.- Select the rectangle tool in Photoshop
5.- Draw a shape layer with this tool over the picture
6.- Change Fill property to 0% for this layer
7.- Apply a white stroke effect to this layer
8.- Copy this layer as many times as desired and place it over the picture
9.- Rotate them if desired with the Move tool
10- Press CTRL and click at the first layer of this “squares”
11.- While pressing CTRL, press Shift and click at the other squares, this will create a selection of the sum of all squares
12.- Use Album DS- Extras – Selection to Shape button in order to get a new Shape with this contour.
13.- Drag this shape layer just between the first shape layer and the picture
14.- Press CTRL + ALT + G , this will ungroup the shape
15.- Select the picture and press CTRL + ALT + GÂ , this will group the picture to the new layer
16.- Delete ( or turn invisible) the inital shape layer where the picture was groupped
17.- If needed add a background or a solid color fill layer
I hope you like it 
Alejandro Fresno, February 10th 2010 |
Tags: shapes, Special template, squares
Posted in Tips & Tricks
A frequently asked question is … How do I align my pictures in the sheet ? Well, it’s very easy As you remember the pictures are grouped to shapes and the shapes determine the size and position of the pictures, then we have to align the shape layers in order to get the pictures aligned.
I’ll show you now how to align the shapes, here we have a sheet with some shape layers open in Photoshop
Now we have to select the shapes to align, please click at the first shape in the layers palette, then hold down the CTRL key and click at the other two ( you may also use Photoshop’s autoselect feature for the Move tool).
Once selected the layers please select Photoshop’s Move tool in the Tools bar, you will get an options bar just beneath Photoshop’s main menu ( if you can’t see it please select Window – Options at the menu). In this options bar you will see at the right part a serie of small icons for alignment
Click at the one for aligning left and you will get the 3 shape layers aligned to the left part
Of course you may select other alignment options like center, right, bottom, etc and you may also space the layers evenly between the first and last. No more need to place complicated guides to get perfectly aligned pictures 
Alejandro Fresno, January 13th 2010 |
Tags: align, move tool, shape layers
Posted in Learning, Tips & Tricks
Did you know that you may use shapes that are not the standard rectangle ? Just select the RECTANGLE TOOL in Photoshop and select one of the custom shapes available in Photoshop, then draw it in your document and use Album DS to place the picture.
They are many shapes predesigned available in Internet, make a search for “Photoshop shapes” in your favorite search engine. Most of them are even for free
Alejandro Fresno, January 9th 2010 |
Tags: Photoshop shapes, shape layer
Posted in Tips & Tricks
