The winner of the Creating Keepsakes subscription giveaway is commenter #2, Linda Palmer who commented:

Thank you for an excellent tutorial. Easy to understand and follow. I love learning something new.

Congratulations Linda!

Hey RP fans! Deena Boese from Creating Keepsakes magazine back at the table with another quick and easy Photoshop tutorial! This week I was talking with a reader who was in love with magazine ads and wished she knew how to design her layouts with a similar look. As we talked, we agreed on a couple of factors that contribute to the designer look she was after:

1) A large focal point photo that spans the width of the ad, and
2) Bold graphic text that’s integrated with the image.

She immediately said she was drawn to full-page photos but didn’t know what to do when her photo background ran out before her layout canvas did. Ah ha! Enter Photoshop!

With an array of Photoshop super tools at our fingertips it’s easy to duplicate or clone backgrounds to get that margin to margin image we love. While this technique won’t necessarily work on photos with busy backgrounds, it’s a gem on photos with backgrounds featuring solid colors (think walls and fabric) or nature (think grass, sky, water and sand). By extending your photo backgrounds you create the perfect place to house titles, journaling, and even design elements! Here are a few examples of the impact an extended photo background can make on a layout.

Turning 3 by Deena Boese, as seen in the July/August 2012 issue of Creating Keepsakes magazine.

My SuperHero by Deena Boese, as seen in the January 2010 issue of Creating Keepsakes magazine.

God’s Beauty by Deena Boese, as seen in the April 2008 issue of Creating Keepsakes magazine.

Uncontainable Joy by Deena Boese, as seen in the December 2009 issue of Creating Keepsakes magazine.

Wanna learn how simple it is to create seamless photo backgrounds? Read on! 

1. Create a new document in Photoshop the size of your layout (12x12, 8.5x11, etc.), open photo and position as desired. Use the RECTANGULAR MARQUEE TOOL (M) to select the blank area you wish to fill with your photo background.

2. Use your arrow key to move the selection box over the portion of the photo you wish to copy. For the best effect, select the very edge of the photo.

3. With the photo portion highlighted, select EDIT > COPY. Select EDIT once more and click on PASTE. You will see the image portion copied onto a new layer in the Layers Panel.

4. With the new image portion targeted in the Layers Panel, select the MOVE TOOL (V) and position the new image portion over the blank background.

5. Select EDIT > TRANSFORM > FLIP HORIZONTAL. This will flip the image portion horizontally to “book” the image seams, creating a more seamless look.

6. To further blend the background or to erase any noticeable repeating patterns, use the CLONE STAMP TOOL (S). Move your cursor over an area you wish to copy, hold down the ALT key and click. Next move the cursor over an area you wish to blend and click. (The size and hardness of the clone stamp can be adjusted in the Brush Preset Picker.) Repeat as needed until you achieve the look you desire.

And now you know! I hope you have fun looking through your photos and experimenting to create extended seamless photo backgrounds for your layouts. It’s a quick and easy way to create an instant designer look! For easy reference, I’ve included a PDF handout you can download and add to your “Wanna Learn How” library. And as a bonus gift, be sure to swing by Creating Keepsakes to download this FREE Mad Lib Journal Spot (similar to the one on my layout) for your next project!

As always, we want to hear from you! 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. I have a free one-year subscription to Creating Keepsakes magazine in my hands that will go to one random (and lucky) commenter. So be sure to drop us a line to be entered in the drawing! Good luck!

 DOWNLOADS

How To Create Seamless Photo Backgrounds
Mad Lib Journaling Spot from Creating Keepsakes

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: marquee tool | Photoshop | Wanna Learn How