14. Creating Special Print Projects

In this chapter, you’ll learn how to use your photos to create special projects, including photo books, scrapbook pages, CD and DVD packaging, and greeting cards.

It’s time to take the final step in becoming a true Photoshop Elements master. Step 1 was getting your photos digitally organized by moving them into Photoshop Elements and setting up your tags and albums (Chapters 1 through 4). Step 2 was learning how to improve your photos by using Photoshop Elements’ digital darkroom tools and developing your photo-editing expertise (Chapters 5 through 11). In step 3, you’re going to get your photos out into the open throughout your life so you can enjoy them and other people can marvel at their awesomeness. Don’t just store your photos: Use them!

Chapters 12 and 13 showed you how to print your photos and share them online. In this chapter, you’ll learn how to turn your photos into objects that can be used and cherished for years to come. Most of these projects are found on the Create tab in both the Organizer and the Editor, but they are completed in the Editor. Some of them are for you to print out on your own printer, and others must be printed by online service providers who ship your order to you when it’s complete.

Creating Photo Collages for Scrapbooks

Scrapbooking just gets bigger and bigger, and it’s a great way to showcase your best pictures. Supplies and tools can get pretty expensive and time-consuming, however, which has spurred many to turn to digital scrapbooking. Digital collages make marvelous scrapbook pages, and you can put as many “extras” on them as you want in Photoshop Elements without once taking out your wallet. Not to mention, you’ll never be troubled by pages that didn’t come out quite the way you envisioned them, because you can keep making changes until you’re sure each page is just the way you want it.

LET ME TRY IT

Designing a Photo Collage

You can choose photos before you start the project, or create your themed page and then choose photos to add to it. Either way, you’re not locked in; you can add or change photos at any point in the creation process.

1. If you want to choose your photos ahead of time, select them in the Organizer.
2. Click the Create tab, and then click Photo Collage.
3. In the Projects panel (see Figure 14.1), choose a size for your printout, making sure it’s one your printer can accommodate if you plan to do the printing yourself.
   

   Figure 14.1. If your printer is limited to standard paper sizes, you’ll want to choose Letter size.

   

4. Now choose a theme, keeping in mind that the thumbnails with gold ribbons are available only to Plus members of Photoshop.com (see Chapter 11, “Using Built-In Content and Templates”). You’ll be able to customize some of the theme’s attributes later, but the general look should complement the photos you’re using.
5. Choose a layout. Start with the number of photos you want to include, and then think about whether your images are portrait (vertically oriented) or landscape (horizontally oriented). The layout thumbnails reflect the page size you chose in step 3, with different layouts available for each paper size.
6. Choose the final options for your layout: how many pages it contains, whether captions should be included with the pictures, and whether Photoshop Elements should automatically drop the photos from your Project Bin into the layout. Click Done. If you’re in the Organizer, you’re switched to the Editor, and the project opens in a regular image window.
   

   It’s not required, but now is a good time to save the project. Choose Save from the File menu. Give the project a name that will make sense to you when you see it later on, and click Save.

7. Go wild! No, really—now is the time to add embellishments from the Content panel, along with special effects (see Figure 14.2). My project got a tag (where I’ll overlay a caption later) and some music notes from the Shapes category, to which I applied the Orange Glass Button and Low Drop Shadow effects from the Effects panel.
   

   Figure 14.2. A few extras from the Content panel can really energize your design.

   

8. If you haven’t dropped in your photos, now’s the time. Making sure the Move tool is active, click each photo frame in turn and choose a photo for it from the Replace Photo dialog (see Figure 14.3).
   

   Figure 14.3. The Replace Photo dialog drops you into your Pictures folder, but of course you can navigate to any location on your computer to choose a photo.

   

9. Once a frame contains a photo, you can adjust that picture in several ways (see Figure 14.4). If you don’t see the photo controls, double-click the image. Then drag the slider to resize it, or click and drag to reposition it within its frame. Click a rotate button to turn it within the frame, and click the Replace Photo button to bring up the Replace Photo dialog again and drop in a different photo.
   

   Figure 14.4. The little control bar at the upper-left corner of the picture enables you to make any necessary changes.

   

   If your project has multiple pages, click the arrow buttons in the lower-left corner of the image window to move from page to page. Individual pages are also shown in the Project Bin.

10. Choose Save again when your project is done. It never hurts to save at a few points along the way, either. If you want to see the project in the Organizer, make sure the box labeled Include in the Elements Organizer is checked, and then click Save.

While you are creating a photo collage project, the Editor enters a special user mode similar to Quick Fix; the interface is limited to the Move, Zoom, and Hand tools and the Content, Effects, and Favorites panels. To use the rest of the Editor’s tools (such as the type tools), switch to Full Edit mode by clicking the Edit tab and choosing Full Edit from the drop-down menu. In Full Edit mode, each component of your layout appears as a separate layer (see Figure 14.5). Choose Layers from the Window menu to display the Layers panel so that you can target the layers you want to work with.

Figure 14.5. Each object I added during the design process occupies its own layer.

When you’re satisfied that your collage is complete, you can either print it or save it in a different format for use outside Photoshop Elements. For posting on a website, JPEG is the best format to use; for printing at another time or by another user, PDF is the best choice.

Creating Printed Photo Books

Raise your hand if this describes you: You’ve got at least one album’s worth of photos sitting in a closet somewhere because you never found the time to go through the prints, pick out the best ones, stick them into an album, and put in captions. Okay, I see all those hands going up—mine included. The answer to this sad state of affairs is to try out the photo books in Photoshop Elements, which take much less time to create than old-school photo albums. On top of that, they contain just the photos you want, printed in full color on heavy white paper, and professionally bound, with captions and other info included, and you can use any of the built-in templates to make them look as cool as any photo album on the face of the planet.

LET ME TRY IT

Designing a Photo Book

This project is the only one in this chapter that isn’t really intended to be printed at home (although you can do so if you want), so your choice of page sizes is limited. Your choice of photos, on the other hand, isn’t limited at all.

1. In the Organizer, select the photos you want to use. There are typically so many photos in a photo book that bringing each one in by itself later on will be more trouble than it’s worth, but if you prefer you can begin the design process without any photos selected.
2. Click the Create tab and then click Photo Book.
3. Choose whether you want to print the book yourself (Print with Local Printer) or use the services of Shutterfly or Kodak Gallery. Printing yourself amounts to creating multiple photo collage pages at one time, which can be quite efficient but which doesn’t actually produce a professionally bound book. For this project, I’m using Shutterfly’s Create Photo Books option (as opposed to its more complex Create Digital Scrapbooks option), but Kodak Gallery works almost identically.
4. The next thing you’ll see is a new window asking you to confirm that you want to create a book with Shutterfly using the photos you selected (see Figure 14.6). At this point, you can click Add Photos to include more photos in the book, click Next to continue with the photos you’ve got, or click Cancel to return to the Organizer.
   

   Figure 14.6. You’ll have many chances to cancel before placing your order, including here, just by closing the window.

   

   Now would be a good time to grab a cup of coffee or take a walk around the block. You’ve got a bit of a wait ahead of you while Photoshop Elements prepares and uploads the files and Shutterfly sets up the book for you.

5. On the next screen, choose a format for your book: 8 × 8 Story Book, 8.5 × 11 Classic Book, or 12 × 12 Memory Book. My project will be an 8 × 8 Story Book.
6. Your web browser opens to the Shutterfly site, where you’ll see a form asking you to choose a book size (you can also create these books at 12″ × 12″) and a cover type (soft photo cover, hard photo cover, padded photo cover, or fabric/leather). The prices are listed, so you can make an informed choice. When you’ve decided, click Get Started.
7. The next screen has more than a dozen different style choices, some with several rotating background design options, others with just one background (see Figure 14.7). Choose a style, and then pick a font, text size, and text color. Choose a coordinating photo edge style, and then click Next.
   

   Figure 14.7. This style only offers one background option, but I can swap out backgrounds on individual pages later on.

   

8. In the Apply Changes dialog, click No if you want to go back and change your settings or click Yes to continue.
9. Now Shutterfly shows you the pages of your book. For each page, choose a layout, drag the pictures onto the placeholders on the page, and click the text placeholders to add text (see Figure 14.8). You can also click the Background and Edges tabs if you want to use a different background or edge style on an individual page.
   

   Figure 14.8. The orange outline shows which page you’re currently working on.

   

10. If you want to modify a picture, click it on the page to open the Edit Picture window (see Figure 14.9). Click the Red Eye tab to locate and fix red eyes (which you’ve probably already taken care of in Photoshop Elements), click the Effects tab if you want to apply special effects such as a sepia tone to your picture, or click the Crop tab to resize and rotate the photo. When you’re happy with the image, click Done.
    

    Figure 14.9. Be sure to crop your photos so that they zoom in on the focus of the action.

    

11. Move to the next page spread by clicking the Next button (a right-facing arrow) above the layout preview. An open book icon indicates where you are in the book’s pages, and you can move to any other spread by clicking it in the row of spread icons next to the Previous and Next buttons. Go back a spread by clicking Previous.
12. When you get to the last spread, you can add more pages by clicking the Add Page button (see Figure 14.10). If you’re done, click the Next button at the top of the window instead.
    

    Figure 14.10. Adding a page is as simple as clicking Add Page above the book preview.

    

13. Now you can design your front and back covers (see Figure 14.11). If you don’t want to insert text where you see a text placeholder, just leave it there and that space will be blank. You can change layouts and photos for the covers just as you can for the interior pages. When you’re happy with your design, click Next at the top of the window.
    

    Figure 14.11. Here you’re looking at the cover, including back, front, and spine.

    

14. At this point, Shutterfly asks you to save your project so that you can return to it in the future. Give the book project a name and click Save.
15. All done! Now you have one more chance to preview the pages of your book before you order it. If Shutterfly thinks you’ve forgotten to add pictures to a page or some of your text doesn’t fit, you’ll see a note that your book has problems (see Figure 14.12). This is your last chance to correct them before ordering. Click Where? to see what pages have problems, and then fix them if you want to. To order the book, click Order at the top of the window. If you don’t want to order at this time, click Save; you can come back any time.
    

    Figure 14.12. Now’s the time to fix any remaining problems with the book, such as empty picture frames.

    

16. On the next screen, fill out the quantity of books you want to order and choose a recipient for the shipment, and then click Add to Cart.
17. Next, review your order, choose a shipping speed, and click Go to Checkout.
18. On the Checkout screen, choose a payment method, enter the appropriate information, and click Place My Order Now. That’s it—your book will be on the way soon.

Creating Greeting Cards

Another option you’ll find in the Create tab is Greeting Card, a wizard that walks you through turning your photos into charming cards for any occasion. Templates vary from Football Field to Sloppy Borders, so finding one suitable for the event you want to commemorate shouldn’t present any problems at all. Each card design has space for one photo, text on the front, and text on the inside, just like the cards you can buy at the drugstore.

LET ME TRY IT

Designing a Card

The Greeting Card Wizard can take you to Shutterfly or Kodak Gallery to create cards using those companies’ templates, but what we want here is the print-it-yourself option, which provides immediate gratification.

1. If you want to choose your picture or pictures before starting the design process, select them in the Organizer.
2. Start your project by clicking the Create tab, and then click Greeting Card.
3. Click Print with Local Printer to design a card you can print yourself.
4. In the Projects panel, choose the size of your card: 5″ × 7″ or 4″ × 6″.
5. Choose a theme from the selection available in the Projects panel. Remember, if a thumbnail is marked with a gold ribbon, it’s available only to Plus members of Photoshop.com.
6. Choose a layout based on the number of pictures you want to use and the best frame shapes to accommodate them (see Figure 14.13).
   

   Figure 14.13. This simple layout uses just one photo.

   

7. Make two more choices for your card: whether captions should be included with the pictures and whether Photoshop Elements should automatically drop the photos from your Project Bin into the layout. For a card, generally you’re going to want to turn both of these options off. Click Done to move to the next step.
8. In the Editor, add a photo or photos if you haven’t already. Click any placeholder to open the Replace Photo dialog and choose a new image.
9. Size, rotate, and position each photo to your liking (see Figure 14.14).
   

   Figure 14.14. With the photo in place, I size it to fit the frame perfectly.

   

10. Add text to your card to convey the message you want to send. My card is a party invitation, so I added the words Let’s Party! to the front by dragging the Gradient Purple Dark text effect from the Content panel into the image window and replacing the placeholder text with my own (see Figure 14.15).
    

    Figure 14.15. You can change the font, size, and other attributes of the placeholder text as well as what it actually says.

    

11. Add any embellishments you want to use, and then choose Save from the File menu to save your project.

Creating Disc Jackets and Labels

Sure, you can hand someone a CD or DVD labeled with Sharpie in a plain box, but why would you when you can create a custom jacket and label for that disc with a minimum of effort? Custom disc packaging makes your disc stand out from a pile of others, and you can use it to convey important information such as track titles and times. One of the create wizards in Photoshop Elements guides you through the steps needed to create disc packaging based on your photos and Adobe’s snazzy templates.

LET ME TRY IT

Designing a Disc Jacket

A CD jacket consists of a single page, folded in half, and sized to insert in the front of a CD jewel box. One half of the page is the front cover, and the other half is what shows on the inside when you open the box.

1. If you want to choose your photo before beginning the design, select it in the Organizer. Keep in mind that you can use an individual photo (or more than one photo, with some layouts) or a photo collage that you created earlier.
2. Click the Create tab, and then click More Options. Choose an option from the menu for the project you want to create (see Figure 14.16). I’m working on a CD jacket using the same theme as the photo collage I created earlier in this chapter (shown in Figure 14.5).
   

   Figure 14.16. DVD jackets are vertically oriented, sized to go in those taller black boxes, whereas CD jackets are square, designed to be inserted in jewel boxes.

   

3. Choose a theme and a layout for your project, and then click Done. You don’t get to choose a size; disc packaging uses standardized sizes.
4. If you picked out a picture (or multiple pictures) before starting, Photoshop Elements inserts it into the appropriate portion of the layout. To edit the picture’s size or orientation, double-click it and then use the slider and buttons to resize and rotate it (see Figure 14.17). Click Apply or Cancel when you’ve finished.
   

   Figure 14.17. Dragging the slider or the corners of the picture resizes it.

   

5. Using the Content and Effects panels, add text (see Figure 14.18) and graphic content and apply effects as needed.
   

   Figure 14.18. Dragging a type effect into the window drops in the placeholder text and applies that effect to it.

   

6. If you want to further modify the layout or image, you can click the Edit tab to switch to the complete set of editing tools. Each element of the layout occupies a separate layer, so choose Layers from the Window menu to see the Layers panel and switch to the layer you want to work on.
   

7. When you’ve finished, save and print. I included a flower image in my final design and gave it a drop shadow. I also put an outer glow on the CD title (see Figure 14.19).

Figure 14.19. The final design uses only stock elements, but it will definitely please the proud parents of these musicians.