This tutorial is the fourth in a series of small tutorials guiding you in creating a custom layout using the Simply Digital scrapbook templates, which are in PSD format.  Here is a breakdown of the steps this series will cover:

1. Adding Photos

2. Rotating, Re-sizing, Adjusting Layer Position, and Moving Photos (or other elements)

3. Adding Drop Shadows and Borders

4. Deleting Layers and Adding Custom Text

5. Changing Colors of Papers and Embellishments

6. Saving and Printing Layouts

Supplies needed:

Adobe Photoshop Elements 2.0

Simply Digital Template CD (tutorial uses Simply Vacations CD)

All of our fully-layered PSD format templates come with a sample title and some even come with sample poetry.  You may or may not want to use these in your custom layouts.  As your computer system is unlikely to have the same fonts as our designers, we made the decision to rasterize (simplify) all text on the templates.  That just means they are images and not text, so they can’t be edited.  However, they can be resized and repositioned.  If you want to use the sample titles / journaling as is, they will work just fine. Otherwise, just delete the sample titles and any poetry or sample dates.  You can do this simply by selecting the Sample Title layer in the Layer Palette, right click and select Delete Layer.  Select Yes when the dialog box asks you to confirm (as shown below).  See our tutorial on deleting and duplicating layers for more detailed instructions.

Another option is to make the Sample Title invisible by clicking the EYE image next to the specific layer in the layer palette and making it disappear. In this way, you can use it again by clicking the same box for the EYE to re-appear. See how the title is not visible on the layout with the EYE unchecked.

Delete Sample Title:

or make Sample Title layer invisible:

In my case, I like the title "Architecture", but would like to enhance it a bit by adding the word "stunning" above it in a complementary script font: "P22 Cezanne" available from www.myfonts.com (a similar free font is Hannibal Lecter).

1. Click the Text tool on the tool bar and set the text options as below:
   Font: P22 Cezanne
   Size: 90 - dependent on size and dpi of your layout (tip: the dropdown shows a maximum size of 72 points for font size, however, just highlight the size with the mouse and type in any size you’d like)
   Click the Text Color Box on the top Tool Options Palette.
   Color: Using the color picker tool, click on any color in the photo you’d like for your text color.  I chose taupe to match the architecture (HTML: D9CBAF).

2. Place cursor in position on layout where you want title to appear.

3. Type desired text in desired location.  In example below, I typed “stunning” above Architecture.  For text in a different location on page, or if you’d like to adjust row spacing, just make a new text layer and start typing again in new location.  You can move text around page by either selecting it with the Select Tool or activating the Text Tool and clicking anywhere in text.  You can then drag it to new location.  To pivot angle of text, activate Select Tool and make text layer the active layer.  Move cursor to the outside of one of the four corners of the selection box until you see the curved arrow symbol.  You can then turn the text in any degree you’d like. Type title, adjust position and size, if necessary.

4. Add drop shadow, if desired, as described in our previous Tutorial 3. I used a Hard shadow, 120 degrees, 12 pixels deep.

5. I also added smaller journaling and the date using the font, Garamond, size 30, color dark gray below the title art.

6. As a final touch, I cut a portion of the state capitol and enlarged it for a border on the right side of the page.  I colorized this photo by selecting Enhance>Hue/Saturation/Lightness and clicking the Colorize box.  I then moved the hue and saturation sliders until I liked the results and it coordinated with the paper.