Life Muses by Ro

Just a thought: Stand up for what you believe

 

Technorati Tags: patriot,patriotism,stand up for beliefs

Digital Scrapbooking Tutorial: Using digital scrapbooking backgrounds as photo textures

Want to add textures to your photos to create an artistic look? I’m going to show you how you can use digital scrapbooking backgrounds from your stash to do it!

(Note:This tutorial assumes that you understand the principles I demonstrate in my Scrapbook Software Secrets Revealed and MORE Scrapbook Software Secrets Revealed movie tutorial series. There are versions available for Photoshop, Photoshop Elements, and Paint Shop Pro here.)

I’m going to take this photo of my nephew’s son…

...and make it look like this.

First, I edited the photo so that it wasn’t dark. I also bumped the colors up.

Next, I selected a digital scrapbooking background paper to use for my texture. I choose Marnie Adam’s Gather Together Solids Paper Mini for this particular photo.

I decided to use the golden paper because I wanted to add warmth to the photo.

After I opened it in Photoshop, I slide it on top of my photo layer. Then I changed the lighting blend setting to Overlay.

Next, I duplicate the photo layer and changed the lighting blends for each. I used the Overlay setting for one layer and the Lighting setting for the second one. I reduced the Opacity for each layer as well.

Last, I added a Curves Adjustments layer. I played with the settings a little until the photo lightened back up.

The last thing I did was add a mask layer on top of my texture layer. Then painted over the face a brush from my Artistic brush set so that the face peeked through better. I lowered the brush Opacity and Flow levels as I worked because I didn’t want to erase too much.

As you can see, it’s fairly easy to get a lot of bang from your digital scrapbooking buck. You’ll get photo textures and digital scrapbooking backgrounds in one purchase!

If you decide to use this technique, I’d love to see the results. Give me a link if you post them on the Internet, okay?

Have fun experimenting!

Technorati Tags: digital scrapbooking,photo textures,tutorial,adding a texture to a photo

Today's serious matter: Clint Black

Technorati Tags: Clint Black,concert

BLOG CONTEST: We have winners!

Well, that was fun! I loved reading your answers to the question, “What advice do you have for new digital scrapbookers?” Lots of wisdom to be found!

This morning, I had some sweet little ladies visit me. I innocently asked one of them to pick out five numbers between 1 and 223. She had no idea why I wanted the numbers, but she provided her choices. Once I told her what was up, she was excited to learn that she had picked our contest winners!

Winning copies of the book, The Photographer’s Eye:

• jke7698
• Mary Kay
• Margaret Hunter

Winning $10 Gift Certificates to the Scrap Girls Boutique:

• JoEllen
• Gail

A note to our winners: I have sent a notification email to everyone but jke7698. If my email doesn’t arrive, please email me so that I can get your prize to you.

jke7698 Please contact me as soon as possible at rozanne@scrapgirls.com. Because you didn’t register, I don’t have your email address. If I don’t hear from you during the next two weeks, I’ll have to pick a replacement. Hope to hear from you soon!

A concert, a big breakfast, and giant fish

Scattered applause filled the auditorium as my name was called. “Rozanne is going to play and sing for us.”

I gulped. Shaking, I stood and walked down the aisle, climbed the stairs to the stage, and sat at the black, shiny grand piano. “Oh no,” I gasped. “I’ve forgotten the song.”

“Just start playing,” my inner-self said. “You’ll be okay.”

I timidly started to play and sing, grateful to hear music coming out of me. As I neared the end of the first verse, I was startled to see a famous woman walk out on the stage singing. She stood near the piano and belted out the chorus as I played. The audience roared with delight.

“How did this happen?” I thought. “What if I mess up? This is too big for me.”

The woman looked at me and smiled. She raised her hands in the air and sang even louder. The audience stood and cheered. “Brava! Brava!”

“I can’t believe this is happening,” I told myself. “Why did she decide to sing with me?”

I heard my stomach growl. I realized I was starving.

Instantly, the scene changed and I found myself standing in front of a concession counter. “Can you tell me what you have for breakfast?” I asked a girl in a red uniform.

“We only have one option,” she replied. “It comes with a biscuit, pancakes, eggs, bacon, sausage, ham, French toast, and orange juice.”

My stomach rejected the thought of the size of the meal. “I don’t want that much food,” I replied. “Can I have just a biscuit and orange juice?”

“No,” the girl said. “It’s all or nothing.”

“If I eat all of that food, I’ll feel sick.”

With a bored look, the girl replied. “If you get the breakfast, you have to eat all of it. It’s required.”

“Why?”

“Because… just because…You have to eat it. It’s required.”

She handed me a plate, piled with food. I touched the biscuit.

“Quit fussing and take it,” she replied. “Or give it back to me and find something else to eat. It’s your choice.”

I decided not to take it.

Immediately, I was carried to a stream at the foot of a mountain. I decided to create a dam in the water so that I could catch a fish.

I had barely finished my work when a man appeared on the bank. “You can’t do that,” he said.

“Why?”

“Because you will catch a little fish if you use the dam. You need to catch a big fish.”

“But I don’t want a big fish,” I sighed. “I want a little one. That’s all I can eat.. a little fish.”

He looked at me seriously, “Oh, but you are supposed to have a big fish.” Pointing at the stream he added, “Like that.”

I gasped to see a gigantic fish swimming to me. “I couldn’t possibly catch that,” I said. “It scares me to look at it.”

Patiently he instructed, “You are supposed to catch a big fish. Don’t settle for a small fish.”

“But I like small fish,” I replied. “I feel comfortable with small fish. It’s easy to eat a small fish.”

He shook his head, “The big fish is yours,” He pointed up the stream, “Look… there are lots of big fish. Catch them.”

I was seized with fear. “I don’t know if I am strong enough,” I told myself. “The line will break. The fish will flop all over me. I could get hurt.”

As I considered the size of fish, my head began to ache. My eyes began to burn. “The light… the light… it’s so bright,” I said, covering my eyes. “AHGH…Oh no, it’s morning. What time is it? It must be noon.”

I picked up the clock from the nightstand and stuck it in my face. “It’s not even seven o’clock,” I rolled over and put a pillow over my head. “I want to go back to sleep.”

But I couldn’t sleep. My mind was filled with famous women, large breakfasts, and giant fish. “What was that all about?” I wondered. “Never mind… I’ll forget it. I always do. As soon as I get ready, the dream will be gone.”

However, the dream remains fixed in my mind and I am wondering if it has a message for me. As I’ve considered the three scenes, the unifying thread is that I wanted something small – something comfortable – but something larger, scarier, more challenging was being thrust upon me. I was offered something good, but my fears got in the way and I rejected the rewards.

Maybe the whole thing was a crazy dream. But maybe – just maybe – something big is on the way and I need to be alert to the opportunity that I'll be given. I guess time will tell.

Meanwhile, it’s time to get back to work! I have some winners of a contest to select. (Wink)