Project12.Create Your Own Custom Stationery


Project 12. Create Your Own Custom Stationery

Create your own personal stationery using nothing but your imagination!

Tools: Photoshop Elements

Materials: Your photos or artwork (optional)

Custom stationery is just the answer when you need personal thank-you notes, family greetings, small club correspondence, or when you need a personalized gift for a special someone. In this project you will create stationery either using an existing photo or just starting from scratch.

Open a new file. Open Photoshop Elements 4.0. In the Welcome window, choose Edit and Enhance Photos. Once the program launches, choose File > New > Blank File. In the dialog that opens, select Letter from the Preset pop-up menu. If you are using a photograph, set the resolution to 300 for the best quality. The size of the photo should be fairly small so it won't be a problem even if you don't have a megapixel camera.

Edit any artwork you want to use. If you are going to be using your own artwork, you may have a few different types of files. For example, if you are creating something for a club you may have logo artwork in Adobe Illustrator, or you may be using a photo that is a .psd file.

If you are using a photograph, open it in Photoshop Elements and make any color corrections and other edits that the photo may need. Save a flattened version so that you can copy it directly into your stationery file.

Place your artwork. Place and size your artwork. Use one of the following techniques to place your artwork:

  • In your artwork file, choose Select > All or press Ctrl+A. Then select Edit > Copy or press Ctrl+C. Return to your file and choose Edit > Paste, or press Ctrl+V.

  • Alternately, choose File > Place. Navigate to your file and select Place.

After you place the artwork, use the Move tool () to position it in the upper-left corner. If you are printing the stationery on a home printer, leave at least a quarter-inch margin from the edge of the document. This will ensure that your printer won't crop your artwork.

Pick a color for your border. Select the background layer and create a new layer by clicking the New Layer icon at the top of the Layers palette (). Click on the Set Foreground Color swatch in the toolbar to bring up the Color Picker. Select a color that will work with your photo or artwork. You may even want to use the eyedropper to pick up color from the art. Next, choose Edit > Fill Layer and choose a foreground color in the resulting dialog. This new color layer will be used for the border. Note: You can also use an adjustment layer.

Add a border or accent shape. Select the Cookie Cutter tool () in the toolbar. Click the Shape icon on the options bar. In the Shapes palette, click the pop-up menu to select from all the different shapes libraries. Choose Frames.

Now, click and drag your border shape from the upper-left corner to the lower right. Press Enter to apply the shape. Ta-da! To add an accent shape instead of a frame, use the same steps, but instead of selecting Frames in the Shapes pop-up, select another library such as Ornaments, Flowers, or even Animals!

Add your text. We all will have different ideas of how much information we want on our stationery, but typically you will include at least your name, and often your address. Select the Text tool in the toolbar (). Click in the area where you want your text to go and enter your text. (Use the Move tool for exact placement.)

Adjust your text. You may want to change the size and color of the text after you are finished. To do this, double-click the text layer to select it, and then use the options bar to change the font, size, and color.

Save two versions of the final file. As always, you want to save a version of your file with all the layers in case you want to change it. Save the layer version in a PSD format. Finally save a TIFF version for printing and leave the Layers option unchecked. Note: Instead of saving the file as a TIFF you could save as a PDF. This will give you a smaller file.

Print and go! Print multiple copies so that you'll have plenty of stationery for either handwritten notes or to pop in the printer for letters printed on the computer.




25 Things to Make and Do in Adobe Photoshop Elements 4
25 Things to Make and Do in Adobe Photoshop Elements 4
ISBN: 0321384814
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2006
Pages: 81
Authors: Lisa Matthews

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