Thursday, February 4, 2016

Photoshop and Brushes

Hello scrappers!

I thought I would talk about brushes today. Brushes and/or stamps are the fundamental elements that are used for digital scrapbooking! Photoshop lets you manipulate brushes in so many different ways, actually too many for me to list here today.  I love to make brushes to go with my kits and, when I was scrapping more, I would go out prowling in my favorite shops for new brushes on a regular, almost daily, basis! Brushes can be used in most, if not all, of the digital photo enhancement software programs today. If you do not have access to brushes or cannot use Photoshop brush files (.abr) you can always use .png files which are considered 'digital stamps.'

The advantages of being able to use the .abr files over the .png files are numerous but the most notable advantage is that you can resize a brush smaller or larger and it does not lose its crisp edges or distort in any way. The .png files can usually be reduced in size but when you enlarge them, most of the time, you end up with an inferior element.

I use brushes to make background papers too.  You can repeat a brush or stamp on a layer above a solid or print layer, add a style (or not) and end up with a beautiful background. Try reducing the opacity of the brushes layer and/or the blending option for the layer, the possibilities are almost endless!

When I make a brush for a challenge in the ScrapBird forum, I always include the .png file format for the brush so anyone can join in on the challenge. So it makes no difference which software program you use to create with, you can always join my challenges!

Here are a few of this month's Brush On! Challenge entries for you to see how the brush was used in three different ways.

In the first layout, smikeel, used the brush as a template and clipped the brush layer to a paper layer to get the multi-colored and textured look for her awesome page,  A Rose:

 

Kim, smikeel, also used one of my templates,  For The Love, and my kit Bright Love; all available at ScrapBird.

In the next layout, by twizzle, you can see she resized the brush and duplicated (also mirrored) it several times to make a border treatment for her photo grouping in her outstanding page, Brothers:

 

 Chris, twizzle, used my kit Afternoon Delight to make her page; it is also available at ScrapBird.

In the third layout, by betsyfru, she recolored the brush and added glitter to the edges and added it as a part of her cluster focal point, to her cheerful and bright page, Candy Love:



Betsy, betsyfru, also use my new kit Bright Love for her page.

When I make a brush for a challenge in the ScrapBird forum, I always include the .png file format for the brush so anyone can join in on the challenge. So it makes no difference which software program you use to create with, you can always join in the fun!

Please drop by the ScrapBird forum and get your free February Brush On! Challenge brush and make your brush masterpiece to share with us!

So I hope these tips and layouts shed some light on the use of brushes and encourage you to include more of them in your scrapbooking layouts! 

Thanks for dropping by and come back soon!


Saturday, January 30, 2016

An Invitation To Fun!


Hello Scrapbookers!  

How are you? Do you have the seasonal doldrums and need something to spark your creativity or just to keep you awake? LOL! Will you come and join me and others in the ScrapBird forum for camaraderie, scrapbooking information, tutorials, games, and challenges? 

Free Products

We want to welcome you and encourage you to join in and receive free products just for registering in the forum!

Here is the kit you get just for registering in our ScrapBird Forum:



Here is the kit you get by posting 30 times:



Scrapbooking Challenges

Don't know what a scrapbook challenge is? Don't be shy, as none of us knew what they were until we familiarized ourselves with the scrapbooking sites! Scrapbooking challenges are a giant array of scrapbooking projects to participate in from Brush Challenges to Progressive Scraps!  At ScrapBird each challenge is listed in the forum index and you can find all the instructions and help you need right in the thread (topic/subject) you are interested in. 

My Current ScrapBird Challenges
    
    Brush Challenge:  For my brush challenge, I will give you a free .abr (Photoshop file) or .png (other generic digital programs) brush/digital stamp and you make a layout, greeting card, desktop, or artist trading card (ATC) using my brush and my products!  You then post your finished project, in reduced pixels, in your personal ScrapBird Gallery Album and in the thread (topic/subject) you made it for. I not only give you the free brush, you also get a Loyalty Stamp for participating in the challenge: get 6 to 8 stamps a month and trade them in for free products of your choice! A real Win Win situation!

Here is the free brush/digital stamp I'm giving away this month: 



  You can use this link to go to February’s Brush Challenge:  http://forum.scrapbird.com/viewtopic.php?f=245&t=42357

    Desktop Challenge:  For my desktop challenge, I design and give you a desktop template (blueprint for a personal layout you use on your computer's monitor) that you use to make yourself a pretty and colorful monitor desktop! So, you get the template for free and I also give you a Loyalty Stamp for this challenge to go with your monthly collection! 

Here is February’s free desktop template:


Use this link to go to February’s Desktop Challenge: http://forum.scrapbird.com/viewtopic.php?f=240&t=42356

Not Familiar with Forums?

Don't worry about registering in the Forum or for a Gallery Album, we have all the instructions you will ever need right in the forum, in plain English! If you should have a question, speak up! We'd love to answer and talk with you either in the forum or via PM (Private Message) in our forum. Questions are always welcome because your question could lead us all into a new technique or thought pattern!

Special Forum Links

ScrapBird Forum:  http://forum.scrapbird.com
ScrapBird Gallery:  http://gallery.scrapbird.com/
Gallery and Forum Guidelines and Instructions:  http://forum.scrapbird.com/viewtopic.php?f=133&t=40685
Country Liv’s Challenges:  http://forum.scrapbird.com/viewforum.php?f=208
Creative Team Challenges and Information:   http://forum.scrapbird.com/viewforum.php?f=160
ScrapBird Store:  http://scrapbird.com/
CLGraphics Shop in the ScrapBird Store:  http://scrapbird.com/country-livs-graphics-m-179.html