Just Playing around with Crop Shapes

This is really nice and the background marries up so well with the colours.

Fantastic, Moto.

Haven't got a clue how you did this.
(Probably way beyond my capabilities anyway.)

I hope this helps Whippet.

Read and look at the Layers Panel image in my reply to Sepiana.

You'll find the Cookie Cutter Tool by clicking on Crop tool. Or use the Shape Tool like cats4jan said in her post to you.
After you using the cookie cutter tool turn off the brkgrd layer visibillity so that you can see the transparent part of the crop.
Put a new layer in between the bkgrd layer and the cropped shape layer. This will be your new bkgrd layer.
New Background Layer:
Use the Color Picker Tool to chose two colors from from the image for the foreground and bkgrd colors, (alt click to chose the bkgrd color.)
Use the Gradient Tool / Foreground/Background, and pick a gradient type - I used a Diamond gradient (see the layers image in my reply to sepiana.)
Optional: add a texture to the background.
Blending:
If needed for blending - play around with adjustments layers and see what works - Contrast/Brightness, Levels or Hue/Staturation.
What worked for my image was to darken the shadows with levels and lower the saturation.
Optional:
Whatever works to enhance the image. I used a drop shadow on the crop, an inner glow on the whole image and a texture, (pattern adj layer), on the bkgrd.

I have now checked out the link.
Yes, it's what I did, except I used a gradient for the bkgrd.

Many thanks Moto. I will be having a try now.

I am finally remembering that some tutorials are on cc.
No wonder I can't do them.


Two days and several tries later.
Are you using Elements 11 moto?

I am having difficulty trying to find things.
Nothing comes out anything like your picture.

Are you on the photo layer when you use 'crop shape 4' ?  Are you using the Cookie Cutter Tool? 
in the first screenshot, the tool under Modify - with the six point star - is the Cookie Cutter/crop shape tool.

The Cookie Cutter is a crop tool - you need to be on a layer that can be cropped, so make sure you are on a photo layer.

The confusion may stem from the fact that we were talking about both the shape tool and the crop shape (cookie cutter) tool

They are two different tools - they work differently even though you can end up with the same result.

The Cookie Cutter Tool cuts a photo into a shape

The Shape Tool creates a shape in the foreground color - it can then be clipped to a photo so the photo takes on the shape of the shape.


Please don't give up.  I know this can be frustrating, but once it clicks - it clicks.  







This screenshot shows what the Cookie Cutter tool does - it needs to be accepted by hitting the checkmark




This is what it looks like after you hit the checkmark