Collage / Photo frame BasicTemplate

Jan 12, 2018 19:33:17 GMT ipbr21054 said:

OK,
I still see when i drag / drop image then the image is smaller than the holder.
I then need to drag it out.
This is the guessing part.

Can you advise this then please.

Thanks! This really helps clarify the guessing part you were talking about.

This guessing is to be expected. Your photos seem to be of different sizes while the "black holders" in the template are exactly the same. One way to address this would be to crop the problem photo(s) to conform to the shape of the black holder before you add it to the template.

Jan 12, 2018 19:33:17 GMT ipbr21054 said:

When i drag / drop my image into the holder it is between the backgraound / 4 section layer.
By having it ontop i end up with the supplied image.
As you can see by dragging the images all the cross lines in the center of the page are not vertically / horizontally matched

I don't really understand why those lines are visible.

As a rule of thumb, when you create a photo collage with a template, each photo goes above the corresponding template layer (black holder?). Then, you clip it to the template layer (Group with Previous in Elements 7). Next, if needed, you reposition/resize your photo inside the template "opening" so that it will fit perfectly.

Can you post a screen shot of your layer stack? I will help a lot to see what is going on.

Jan 12, 2018 19:36:13 GMT ipbr21054 said:

This would solve my problem.

A background.

A layer like a large cross hair.

Now as the screen has 4 windows i need to drag my 1st image.
BUT it needs to go between background / cross hair layer.

Then all lines will match.
The cross hairs line can even be x amount of pixels so when i upload to my site it will look all symetrical etc.

Jan 12, 2018 19:55:17 GMT ipbr21054 said:

Photos need to be as is.

This is why i say load images between background and top cross hair layer,like a sandwich where my images are the meat etc

See if this will do.

1. Create a blank document in the dimensions for your project.

2. Activate the Line tool. This tool is nested with the Custom Shape tool (Shortcut = U).

3. Draw your cross hair lines.

4. Insert your images between the background layer and the cross hair layers.

5. Once you are done, you can delete the cross hair layers.

NOTE:

- Turn on the Grid; it will make it easier to draw the cross hair lines.

- After you have created the cross hair vertical and horizontal lines, if you want to, you can merge these two layers.

Jan 12, 2018 20:45:11 GMT ipbr21054 said:

But its still possible to drag the photos over the cross hair so its still out of sync.
There needs to be something where i cant drag over the line.

If you have the background layer selected when you move or copy/paste your images, Elements will put them above the background layer. Your images will not be over the cross hair lines (unless you drag them over yourself).

You can adjust the thickness of the lines. The default is 1 px.

Here is some more information on how to use the Line tool.

www.essential-photoshop-elements.com/draw-lines.html

Jan 12, 2018 21:10:02 GMT ipbr21054 said:

But as mentioned my images do not fill the space provided by the cross hairs so i must drag them

OK! Now I get what you mean when you said you "must drag them".

I am afraid this is the same issue we discussed earlier concerning the black holder template. Your images are different sizes; the black holders are uniform in size. It is the same case here; the spaces created by the cross hair lines are uniform in size. This means you need to apply Free Transform on your images to make them fill the space created by the cross hair.

I know you don't want to change the size of your images because you said earlier:

Jan 12, 2018 19:55:17 GMT ipbr21054 said:

Photos need to be as is.

The only thing I can think of is to follow the PDF tutorial posted earlier in this thread and create the black holders to conform to the size(s) of your images. You would have to tweak those instructions a bit. Unfortunately, this wouldn't give you 4 equally-sized images (as I believe you want).

I have to admit I am running out of options. Hopefully someone else will come up with an idea to help you achieve what you want.

I have thought of something. You mentioned this is related to uploading the resulting 4-image template to your website. Are you familiar with the GraphicRiver(envatomarket) website? They specialize in web design and they are very strong in the use of templates. You may find a template which will accommodate your needs. You could also contact them.

graphicriver.net/