You Asked…We Answered {part 1}
Posted in Computer Tips and Tricks, Just for Beginners, Photography Class | 15 Comments »
15 Comments »
Thank you so much for all of your questions the other day! We are really glad that people felt open enough to ask what was on their mind. There were some GREAT questions! Some of them will be answered all in their own post, and some we will do throughout the next few weeks in a series of “You Asked…We Answered” posts. Today is part one.
YOU ASKED…
“I’m just wondering what’s the easiest way to keep track of credits (you know, all the wonderful designers) while doing a layout. I want to give credit where credit is due, but sometimes it feels like such a daunting task while I’m in the moment. Thanks for all you do! You’re all awesome!”
WE ANSWERED…
Keeping track of credits can be a tough activity. With tons of kits and element sets out there and the freedom to mix and match to our hearts content, how in the world do we remember who made what when it comes time to post in a gallery? One of the best tricks I learned was this: when you are creating a layout, create a layer WITHIN THE LAYOUT that contains a text box. As you add elements, papers, etc. write it on that layer (turning the visibility of the layer on and off while you work). Since you have all the papers and elements already open, the file names usually tell you who made it so it is easy to do. When you are done with your layout, turn off the visibility (click the little eye icon in your layers palette), and save your .psd file. When you go to post in galleries, if you can’t remember something, open your file and check your credits.
Another simple way that works for many people is just to keep a small notebook next to your computer while you work. You can add credits as you go. You could also keep a running list on a document on your computer.
The key to this is to write it down as you go. Don’t try to rely on your super-scrapper memory to get it right.
YOU ASKED…
I would love a tutorial about editing eyes in photoshop!!! Ever since you did a post on editing a photo you mentioned about a tutorial at a later date for eyes. Each time I see a Photography Class post I hope it is that one. Not that I don’t love the other ones, I just look forward to it!
WE ANSWERED…
Sorry you missed the follow-up post. The post from February 17th, called She’s Got Her Daddy’s Eyes, is a simple tutorial for making those eyes truly shine (without making your subjects look like aliens!)
YOU ASKED…
I’d love to hear more about your personal scrapping style and how you’ve chosen to record your family’s memories. Do you keep chronological scrapbooks? Theme albums? Something else? I’ve thought a lot lately about changing my own style and it really helps to get inspiration from other great scrapbook artists.
Thanks for this opportunity!
WE ANSWERED…
I will answer this personally, but I am going to throw it out there to our team, too, to see the different ways we can do this.
When I was a “paper scrapper” (and I use this VERY loosely because I think I did about two pages a year) I fretted over how to organize my albums. When my first child was born, I fretted even more. Should I make a baby album? If I had a picture of us on vacation while she was a baby would it go into a vacation album, her baby album, a family album, or all three? I was seriously confused and it was the number one thing that kept me from actually scrapping the memories. And then I was at a friends house. At the time, she had six children (she has seven now). She had just gotten some photos back from the developer and in it were SIX copies of a particular photo. I asked her why there were so many. She told me it was so that picture could go in all six of their albums. At that point, knowing I wanted a big family some day, I KNEW I would have to find a way to not have separate albums. There was no way I was going to recreate a page three, four (or more) times. Even once I found digital, and “recreating” a page is as easy as printing multiple copies, do I really want every page I do to be printed four times?
All that said, I decided on a family album. I don’t scrap chronologically (WAY too boring for me) but I do put them in the albums chronologically. Almost every page I do goes into that year’s album(s). I love the cohesiveness of the running tale of our family. There may be a page about just one child, but it goes into OUR albums. I have no baby books. I have no separate vacation albums. Right now, as a family of six, we have ONE story. Our lives all intertwine and we have one tale to tell. It works well for us. When they are older, I can let the kids pick and choose pages that they want for “their” album. I can reprint those pages, leaving our family story together. And I do say “pick and choose’” because there is no way they are going to want to lug EVERY page I have done about them to their freshman dorm room
The only albums I keep separate are my All About Me album (which is dedicated to layouts that are JUST about me) and a Christmas album. I go back and forth about just adding these to the family story. I also frequently make mini albums for stories about a vacation, a special time in our lives, or about anything that makes me happy
I also highly recommend Stacy Julian’s book, The Big Picture. In it she describes her method (including only doing five pages a year per kid!) and albums that carry titles such as, “People We Love” and “Places We Love.”
YOU ASKED…
I’m a fairly new digi-scrapper. Occasionally, when I download a kit, I see a file labeled _MACOSX. When I open it, I don’t see anything that I need to keep. What is this? Why is it there? Do I need it? Inquiring minds need to know please!
WE ANSWERED…
I will be honest to say I have never done a thing with that file. It has always appeared in files that were created/zipped on a Mac computer. When I click on “get info” for the file, it registers as 0kb so I have left it alone (since it doesn’t take up space). You can delete it if it bothers you.
A reader answered with this explanation, “These files come from people who design on a MAC computer. After downloading (make sure you have the little box clicked to open file after downloading)(DO NOT UNZIP!!!) & look at the contents of the download then grab(right click & hold) the file with the name of the kit (or whatever else) you were downloading then drag ONLY that file to whatever file on your computer that you are saving it in & drop it there. Don’t move the file with the _MACOSX on it or any other part of the download. Now go to the file where you moved the kit file to & open that file. You will find all of the contents in that file & there is no need to do anything further!! If you need more help with this, leave me a message & I can email you a tut with pics to help you out!! Hope this helps!! Hugs!!”
But again, I have never touched the files and never had an issue with them.
YOU ASKED…
One of the most important aspects of making a digital page look “real” is the shadowing and I find it so hard to get it right! What do you do? Do you have a set formula that you use? Do you use a separate layer for your shadows. I see some people use shadow actions. I want the most realistic shadows possible but don’t really know how to get them using PSE?? Would love you advice on this. Thanks.
WE ANSWERED…
Great question! Shadows are not my strong point and I have relied mostly on drop shadow actions with a little tweaking here and there. Steph has a GREAT acticle on shadows with tons of tips and links to tutorials. You can find it HERE.
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More questions and answers to come in future posts!
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I love your reasons for completing one family album. Just before my son was born, I remember wondering how to do my album, which were paper then. I’m leaning towards books for my son because they won’t take up as much space.
What type of albums do you use? They look really nice on the shelf.
Thanks…
This was great! I use Stacy Julian’s method…. her book called “photo freedom” is a must read. Changed my life. Since changing from paper to digi, I still use her method and it’s very liberating. (my .02 cents)
Hi-
I love the idea of the family album. I would have never thought of that. I actually feel a little relieved after reading that – the pressure is off to make so many albums. What albums do you use? I love the look of the albums you have shown in the picture. Thank you!
I truly don’t understand the reader explanation on dealing with the mac files. There’s no way you can tell if the product was designed on a mac or pc before downloading the zip (unless it’s a designer you’ve previously purchased from) – so that method just doesn’t make sense to me.
I am a pc user and I always just delete those mac files after unzipping and haven’t had any issues.
Could your reader please explain further as to WHY we should do it the way she described rather than deleting.
I download my files and open them all at once at later time. Since there is no way to know if a product was designed on a mac or pc prior to downloading the zip – it would be awfully time consuming for me to have to download them each one at a time and open them rather than save the zips just for the 5% of the products I get that have the mac file in them.
I was wondering where you purchase your albums? They are so pretty lined up on the shelf:)
I have another tip for keeping track of credits.
In PS (I use Elements)after creating my blank canvas, I go to File-Place and then navigate for my paper or element. It places it right onto the canvas (centered); identifies it in the layers palette, and there’s no need to close lots of windows afterward. I love this little trick. Hope it helps someone.
Thanks for all the great tips!
For tracking credits, I create a notepad file for each of my PSD files. In it I write the credits (as soon as I finish a page) and sometimes the journaling (prior to adding it on the page, then I just copy and paste).
A friend of mine uses a tool in PS called note or something, it’s a similar approach to Janet’s hidden text layer, but it’s a note layer.
I also just delete the MACOSX folder and never had any problems with it.
Hi, there, All,
Here is an idea I came up with:
When trying to keep track of each every one of the designers whose things you use, make DUPLICATES. As you open a new file, you usually make a copy so you don’t permanently mess up the original, right? (If you don’t, already, it is a good idea.) When you make the ‘working’ copy, make one more and put it in a new folder of it’s own, within your creation’s folder.
Add any notes by “text document’, such as url’s, website titles, notes on TOU’s, a brief description, etc. When done, all you have to do is go to that doc/folder and there it is. This way, you ascertain not only that you have included all the designers, but, the exact piece(s) you used.
For brushes, actions, styles, etc, that don’t come in a file that you have to open to use, make a duplicate/copy of the item after it’s use and place in this folder. “Text documents” don’t support images, just text, but,you could add the images in to the same folder as the text doc, if you need an image, too. If you don’t need any images, one ‘text doc’ will do the trick for an entire creation. Just remember to add the name, and any other info, for every source, as you go.
To open a new text document, go to “File” at the top-left of the pertinent window. Click on “New”, then, “Text Document”. Name it as you wish, then, be sure to “Save, or, Save As” after every entry. LOL I didn’t the first couple of times. Silly me!
I hope this helps someone. Thank you for the wonderful ideas!
Su
In Paint Shop Pro I keep a running list in Image -> Image Information -> Creator Information, Description. From there I can copy & paste into any gallery. The best part is that the information is preserved in my .jpg files so I have the information even when I don’t have access to my layered files. Good stuff.
So, what are your favorite shadow actions for PSE?
And, I’d love to know about your albums, too! Are the albums D-ring or post? Do you scrap 8×8, or are those 12×12? Do you print yourself?
For credits I use File Info in PSE and put the details in the copyrigh field of my psd file
I have written a shadow tutorial for PSE and PSCS3 users http://digitalscrapink.com/forum/showthread.php?t=29
Great idea with the family albums! I have done and am “trying” to keep doing family albums as well as albums for the kids (all 7 of them) and it’s getting really exhausting! My first 2 kids have really nice baby/toddler albums and some school ones as well, and kid #3 has some nice album layouts as well, it all started going downhill on baby #4! It is so much to keep up with and with all the goings on now with them, since now there are teenagers, a pre-teen, an some elementary kids in the mix as well as babies, I feel like it might be an early trip to the crazy ward if I try to keep it up! I love your idea so very much and think that will be so much easier on me and my life. Also, the fact that the kids can take the layouts they want when they leave home, I love that! I cannot believe I never thought of that. I too, love your albums, they are nice on the shelf. Thanks so much for all these great ideas/tips. I can honestly say that since going digi in my scrapping, I have gotten so many more layouts done than I ever did the paper way. It has totally amazed me! Yall are awesome! Keep it up!
Hi Janet – I love your articles! I have a quick question for you…are those really YOUR albums up there in that picture? If so, where did you get them? Are they all 12×12?
Thanks so much for the great site!
Leah
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