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Do you remember back in grade school when you got a new piece of paper, and some scissors or a crayon and the possibilities of what you could make seemed endless? When I get a brand new digital paper I have the same feeling, only this time I can actually make something with the precision of a computer, my creativity, and the most professional paper to start with. With the use of shape templates I can create a photo mat, a frame, a tag, vellum, and even alphabet squares!

Note: These instructions are for use in Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Photoshop Elements (other image editors, such as Jasc Paint Shop Pro would have similar steps).  All are shown with a soft 120 degree drop shadow.  Check out your Help file for information on adding drop shadows.
 

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How to Make a Mat

1.  Open the background paper you would like to use for your mat.

2.  Draw a rectangle using the Rectangular Marquee Tool. Use the Fixed Size function if you would like to make the mat a particular size.

3.  Copy the rectangle (press Control and C at the same time or use the Edit>Copy menu at the top of the program) and paste (press Control and V at the same time or use the Edit>Paste menu at the top of the program) it onto your layout.

4.  Add your photo on top on another layer.

5.  Adjust the mat if needed.

How To Make a Frame
(a mat with the center cut out)

1.  Follow the Mat instructions

2.  Choose from the menu Select>Modify>Contract and enter in the number of pixels of how wide you would like the frame to be.

3.  Press the delete key to delete the center and you are left with a frame.

4.  Add your photo on a layer under the frame.

How to Make Alphabet Squares

1.  Follow the Mat instructions but use a smaller size - for example 1 inch by 1 inch.

2.  Type letter and move to center of square

3.  Link the letter and square layers and move your alphabet square on your layout freely!

How to Make a Tag

1.  Open the Tag Template file in your software program, and select the shape. Tip: In Photoshop you can press Control at the same time you click on the layer and it will select the contents of the layer.

2.  Using the Move Tool, drag the shape onto the paper you would like to make a tag from

3.  Select the layer of the paper, with the selection still active and copy. (Control-C)

4. Paste (Control-V) onto your layout

5. Resize, rotate adjust as needed. Adorn with embellishments!

Tag Shape Templates: (right-click and save to download .png file)