Happy Valentine's Day!

No she isn't tossing candies. Those are digital elements! Supplies here.

AAM Monday Project Life Week 2

I have tried the Project Life app in the past and didn't quite get it. Now I do! I was also testing some actions for WendyZine I can see how those will work just fine with the results from the app. I don't know that I'll do this style every week but it's good to have a quick option. One that I can start on my phone  or iPad when I don't have the computer and get the layout up to Dropbox for later finalizing on my desktop.

Options are good!

I did stick to the same gray background since I'm not sure if I'm putting the CA pages in 2015 or 2016. Getting a full background with more color or pattern is one of my goals though. I just have to figure that one out somehow.

Tuesday Tutorial: Using Lightroom Templates for Scrapping

This is another post on using a tutorial that is already out there for something I wanted to do. WendyZine makes the best actions and other helpers for those of us who scrap digitally. I have heard many times about using templates in Lightroom, watched videos, but it is Wendy who is a digitally scrapper who 'gets' what we want to do in LR.  Here is her Lightroom Tutorial on making and using templates IN Lightroom.

Right off, I'll say that at this moment I don't want to reinvent Wendy's wheel, and so I am using her template. I have a few others that I bought also but still haven't used. You know how that is....

With the sample given, I made this collage from some of my granddaughter's photos from the recent Alaska fishing trip.

 

Mistake #1 I used a video from the bought set rather than try to read the instructions given.  I then tried to add the overlay. No luck. Went back and listened to the tutorial again. <-- No I still didn't read the written instructions.  Sigh.

While the free Template Says Overlay, I don't see it working quite the same way. If I put it on top of the image file it covered up the photos. If I put it below, and changed the print to a layer, not background, you didn't see it because there is a white fill in the spaces outside the photos. I could not get rid of that. So...

I tried one of the bought templates. I have to confess I have not worked in Print module much at all. I am no way 'fluent' in its use. One thing I tend to do is mess with a template. Not a good idea here.

My print image looks good enough but that group photo on the bottom right was supposed to be in a square cell. I decided to enlarge that cell so the group would be larger. Mistake #2.

When I added the overlay, I realized the shadow overlay was set to squares. I also saw that I must have moved the cells a bit as they did not line up with the shadows. I have to remember to only use the move tool with the cmd button rather than just click on the photo which moves the whole cell. Mistakes #3,4 etc

You can see the cell misalignment in both of these last two images but of course there is also I shadow running through the middle of that group shot.

The concept is good but the user definitely needs more practice! and the user needs to pay attention to the specific instructions given.  I'll be back when I finally get it right! You should try it because seriously, Wendy' instructions are very clear. I apparently have difficulty following instructions.

 eta: I had to take my time and pay attention but now I get it!

With a background paper added in LR and the text and not so strong shadows added in PSE with the overlay. I think with the black stroke from LR it's hard to see the shadows but it's done. I could have added more stuff but I just wanted to be sure I knew what I was doing. What I obviously didn't know how to do was spell.  All of this was corrected and now what I need to do is practice, practice, practice. btw, I didn't do much of editing in the LR develop module but I will from now on. First things first.

AAM Monday; Project Life Wk 20

This week didn't seem to have that many photos except for a donor event I went to at the Maryland Food Bank so I thought I might add more journaling. Kinda worked that way!

I decided to take the time on rainy Saturday to go back to Wendy Zine's  Scrap It Pocket Pages and watch the video as I walked myself through doing the same in PSE as a test.  I think it clicked! Up until this point I have been using many of Katie Pertiet's Pocket Page templates that she designed for doing Project Life, though of course they cannot use that exact name. I then decided to take the test layout and delete the image and paper I had used, only one of each as it was just a test, and keep the template as a ready made template with all the journaling text boxes etc. This action did come out before the standard PL templates Becky Higgins is now selling through AC Digitals However, as I already have the action - through The Digi Files I believe - I'll just stick with that.  Some day in the future, I'll do more of them AND add stitching between pockets. Just not today!

But I'm glad I remembered how to use that action and now have more options for the weeks of the year...32 more! How time flies.