Time for another Shortcut Sunday.  This isn’t a shortcut, it is about how to use a product.  How many of you have seen an overlay, and wondered how in the heck people use them?  It looks funky when you add it straight to your layout.  Well, there are a couple of fun ways to use overlays.

Fill:

• One of ways you can use these elements is by filling it with a color.
• Drag the overlay onto your paper.

• Using the color picker, choose the color you would like your overlay to be.
• From the Menu Bar, choose Edit>Fill.

• Make sure Preserve Transparency is checked.
• Click OK.

Blending Mode:

There is another way to use Overlays.

• In the Layers Panel there is a section called Blending Modes.
• Verify that you have the overlay selected.
• In the Layers Panel, change the blend mode to Overlay.

• Your overlay has now changed to a slightly darker tone of the paper color.

• Change the blend mode to achieve different effects with your overlays!

Credit: tutorial by Lisa Hanks

Overlays: Elegant Overlays by Southern Creek Designs

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We worked with zooming in using the keyboard shortcut, last week.  I told you that I would show you how to change it so you could scroll in using your mouse wheel.

For Photoshop:

In the Options Bar, select Edit>Preferences>General.

In the pop up window, check off Zoom with Scroll Wheel.

Click OK.

For Photoshop Elements, you follow the same directions.

In the Options Bar, select Edit>Preferences>General.

In the pop up window, make sure that Zoom with Scroll Wheel is checked off.

Click OK.

Now your mouse should be set up to zoom around.  Drive safely with it ….

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I have a sweet tip for you today!  Just a quick way to zoom into your page.  If you don’t have a mouse with a scroll wheel, or if you use a tablet, the keyboard shortcut helps you zoom in and out with ease.

To zoom in press Ctrl = (Mac: Cmd =)

To zoom out press Ctrl – (Mac: Cmd -)

Next week I will show you how to set up your configuration so you can zoom in and out with your scroll wheel on the mouse.

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We are back for another quick shortcut. This one is about brushes. Do you use brushes? I love using different brushes. I do not like taking the time to change the size of the brush. That is easily resolved with a quick keyboard shortcut.

I have a super cute layout I was working on. I used ScrapDZines new kit, Programmed to Play. I wanted to add some emphasis behind the photo.

I brought up the Brush tool, by pressing B on the keyboard. (Do you now see the Brush tool selected?)

I loaded a new brush set, Northern Stars Design Acrylic Brushes 1 and 2.

After I selected the brush I wanted, I saw it was too big. By pressing the [ key, on the keyboard, I was able to make my brush smaller.

If I wanted to increase the size of the brush, I would press the ] key.

Using these two keys, I was quickly able to size the brushes and add a quick splash of color to the background.

Credit: layout and tutorial by Lisa Hanks

Kit: Programmed to Play by ScrapDZines,

Brush: Acrylic Brushes 1 and 2 by Northern Star Designs

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Did you know that you could speed up your scrapping process?  Really.  Yes, really.  I am not joking with you.  I used to think I needed to make the selection of my photo’s go quicker. Yes, that would help.  I also used to think that picking my items could go faster.  Well, it could.  Things really started picking up when I started learning how to use my keyboard shortcuts.  Yes, your keyboard has some shortcuts to help you pick up your tools faster.  SO, this year, we are going to cover them.  At first it will seem like it isn’t making anything go faster, but as time progresses it will flow naturally and you will be surprised at what time savers these are.

Today’s shortcut is one that we use often as scrapbookers.  The transform tool, Ctrl T (Mac: Cmd T)

Why we use this?  To quickly rotate objects on your layout.

Make sure you are on the layer you want to rotate.

Press Ctrl T (Mac: Cmd T) to bring up the transform squares on the object

Rotate your object to the desired angle.

Hit enter to accept the changes.

By rotating items such as flowers and buttons it will make your layout look more natural.

Try this shortcut and see if it speeds things up for you.

credits: picture, layout, tutorial by Lisa Hanks

Kit: Dawn is Breaking by Southern Creek Designs

Cluster: freebie clusters by Southern Creek Designs

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