The winner of the Creating Keepsakes magazine subscription from Tuesday is CarolS, commenter #5, who wrote “OOOOh! I love this! Thanks so much for the great tutorial, I’m going to use it for some of the kids’ Halloween photos.” Congratulations, CarolS! Please email us to claim your prize.

Hey RP fans! Deena Wuest from Creating Keepsakes magazine back at the table with yet another Photoshop tutorial! We asked you, the readers, what specific digital trick or technique you wanted to learn and you have certainly responded. Thank you! This week, we’re taking a reader request from Eunice which reads:

Filmstrips are so versatile and add such a fun element to a layout or card. While you can buy them at digital scrapbook stores, they can be costly and you might not always find them in the exact dimensions or photo orientation you need. So today we’re going to walk through how to create one of your own. Let’s get started!

Determine the size of filmstrip you want and create a new Photoshop document by selecting File >New (Ctrl+N). Set the foreground color to black, select the Rectangle Tool (U) and draw a horizontal rectangle at the desired dimensions.
Set the foreground color to white and select the Rounded Rectangle Tool (which is hidden behind the Rectangle Tool) by pressing Shift+U until it appears. Click and drag to create the desired photo mat.
To duplicate, hold down the Alt key then click on the shape and drag the duplicate image into position. Tip: Holding down the Shift key while dragging will ensure proper vertical alignment.
Select the black rectangle shape in the layers panel, right click and select Rasterize Layer.
Select the Eraser Tool (E) and click on Window > Brush (F5) to open the Brush Panel. Select a square brush and adjust the size, angle and roundness as desired. Make sure the box next to Spacing is checked and adjust the slider to set the brush spacing. Here I set the percentage to 185%.
Now we’re ready to create the sprocket holes! With the black rectangle selected in the layers panel, position the eraser at the top left edge of the black rectangle. While holding down the Shift key, click and drag the eraser to the other end. Repeat the step to create the bottom holes.
Use the Horizontal Type Tool (T) to add frame numbers and additional text. Add drop shadows if desired. Tip: Pull out an old filmstrip and take note of the text colors and position. They were never perfect so letting the text “slip” off the frame helps create a realistic look.
You’re ready for photos! Open a photo and position it above one of the white rectangles in the layers panel. Right click on the photo layer and select Create Clipping Mask. Repeat until the filmstrip is finished!

And now you know! By creating your own filmstrips you can create custom frames the exact size you need and can easily alter your images to create new designs. Other fun ideas to try? Consider duplicating several rows of filmstrips and merge them together to create a contact sheet that would hold a multitude of photos. Or give your filmstrip a fresh look by removing the individual photo placeholders and instead clip a landscape photo to the black background.

Copperplate Gothic Bold and Avenir Light fonts

Or use the filmstrip along with a fun blending mode to create a subtle border on a layout.

Materials Patterned paper and brushes by Katie Pertiet • Starburst and gradient by Anna Aspnes • Word art by Ali Edwards • Avenir Light font

I’ve included the finished filmstrip layered Photoshop file that you can download here. If it fits your needs, great! If not, feel free to alter it or test out your skills and start from scratch. I’ve also included a handout you can download and add to your “Wanna Learn How” library.

So now we want to hear from you! What are some fun ways you have used filmstrips on a layout? Or what creative plans do you have for them on future projects? Leave us a comment to let us know and you might walk away with more than you expected! We’re giving away a free one-year subscription to Creating Keepsakes magazine to one random (and lucky) commenter. So even if it’s just to say “Hi” (we like that too), be sure to drop us a line to be entered in the drawing! Good luck!

Have you seen a digital technique that made you say, “Oooh! I wanna learn how to do that!”? Leave a comment to let us know what techniques you want to see here.

Downloads

How to Create a Filmstrip Frame

Filmstrip Photoshop File

Deena Boese

Deena Boese is a Contributing Writer for Creating Keepsakes magazine and enjoys designing both digital and hybrid projects for each issue. She was first published with Creating Keepsakes in early 2007. Deena has a passion for story-telling and graphic design, and brings these elements into her digital and hybrid scrapbooking.

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Tags: Creating Keepsakes | Photoshop