Holiday Greeting Cards
Using the techniques discussed this month you can create a stand-alone post card style greeting card, or make the photos on the front or inside of your greeting cards much more personalized.
Although the card above does not look that much like one you would send out for the Holidays, it uses several important effects and techniques that are only limited by your creativity.
In class I sold a supplemental CD-ROM that uses video to demonstrate these various techniques. If you would like me to send you one of these videos, please email me and I will send you ordering information. The cost is $3 + shipping.
To brush up on the techniques used make sure you read the notes from our March meeting called "Solving the Mystery of Layers."
STEP 1: Create new image by going to FILE –> NEW. This will open up a window asking what dimensions you want the card to be. Make sure you design it at around 200-300 dpi (ppi). This will create a better print later on.
STEP 2: Create a background or graphic. With most image editing tools this is simply done by selecting the fill tool and filling the blank area in with the desired color (red in the photo above). Don’t forget about gradients, they can also give a nice effect.
STEP 3: Place in the picture. This is best done by opening the picture that you want to use, then (with that picture selected) go to SELECT –> ALL, then EDIT –> COPY. Then select the card image (colored background at this point) and go to EDIT –> PASTE. This will paste the picture into the background.
STEP 4: You may need to resize the image. Do this by going into IMAGE –> TRANSFORM –> FREE TRANSFORM. By holding down shift and dragging your left mouse button over one of the corner handlebars you can keep the image proportions while resizing.
STEP 5: Insert Text. Select your text tool from your main menu bar. Click the cursor where you want the type to be. Type.
STEP 6: Special effects. Use your Layers, Layer Styles, and Effects pallets to alter each layer with special effects such as drop shadow, glow, or beveled edges.
Once you are done make sure you save the original file in the program’s proprietary format (PSD or PPS for Elements). This will preserve the layers. BUT, if you want to email it, save it as a jpg file with a different name.
TIP: You can also save these files in JPG format and then insert them into your greeting card creation program.
