Cactus Flowers

A nice variety of flowers, cjt. You posted on the perfect board. cats4jan and Lillias can gently and gradually lead you to steps that you might take to improve your presentation. I have learned, and continue to learn, so much with their expert and gentle guidance.

First off - I want to second what Lillias said - when creating a digital scrapbook page - it is a form of art. Art is in the eye of the beholder - so, as long as you love it - that's all that matters. That being said, because you've asked, I'll jump in...

Again - I agree with Lillias  - about the text -

I would like to see it together as a title and the names of the flowers near the photos. You can add interest to your title by using different fonts or by varying the size of the lines of text.

I would also like to see the flowers anchored somehow - maybe a series of blocks behind the photos - grouped together on one side of the page - your title on the other side. If you wish to add some more text about your day - put that under the title.

When I look over my old work, what I realize is that I don't remember the facts of the day. I can't remember why we went - what we did there, who was with me...

You can mix a photo of the people you were with or a photo of the building - and more small photos of the flowers you saw.

DATE your layout. Date it for the day you did the activity not for the date you created the page - unless the page is about various subjects and trips, then the approximate time span is enough or maybe the date you were inspired to create it. 


Notice how I've neglected to date my layout...  Oops

In my defense, there is a year on this one 


This layout is what I call a “collage” style page.  Square on - no artsy additions or use of mask. No fancy titles.






Although the photos in this layout are not extractions like you have, I still would like to see an anchor of a color block or something, i.e., a thick ribbon, etc. under your flowers.  Sometimes I just take a brush at a very large size and drag it across or down the page to make a 'foundation' for my photos.

See how these flowers, although not extracted like yours, are anchored by that block running across the page?  


This page is a little more artsy - achieved easily by using a fancy font and a complex background paper - yet still using the basic tenets of collage making. 

Welcome back cjt. Neat idea. I'll defer comments about the layout to the resident scrappers. 

My comment leans to more "sciency" things. I'd like to see names of the individual flowers. For example, the one in the upper left is probably a prickly pear.

Plains Prickly Pear
Opuntia polyacantha

Just a thought.  

Sounds like a great place to visit, I can see why you keep going back.

Never fear - you can make a great page without the names of the cacti.

Suggestions for getting those names next time -- take a photo of the sign, then take a photo of the cactus. No pen or paper needed and it's permanently documented.

I do that with cruising. We go on tour and the first thing I photograph is the welcome sign - then I know all the photos that appear after that sign photo are from that stop.

As for PSE - I switched after using a dozen different greeting card, scrapbooking, and photo editing programs but after I discovered PSE, I found what I was missing out on. I've also tried full-blown Photoshop, and I have to say, PSE has all I need or want - it seemed with the full version, there were just too many options to consider each time I did something.

Well, here is another try. I did use only three flowers instead of four. I think there is a way to make selections all the same size.
Never though of using a brush like that.

cjt - I like your second try. As for using three flowers instead of four - scrapbooking 'experts' like uneven numbers - I guess it's more pleasing to the eye. However, it's not a hard and fast 'rule' - although I try to keep it in mind when I create.


As for making things the same size - there is a method I use - clipping (grouping)

I create same-sized squares and position them. Then I clip a photo to each square. After the square and photo are clipped, you can resize the photo using the move tool while on the photo layer - manipulating the photo to get just what you want showing in the square

Here's a copy of a post I did previously:

Take the marquee tool and draw out a square - fill it with black using the paint bucket tool
(actually color of square is irrelevant, but having a solid color is important in this case)

Incorporating Sepiana's comment into this post - hold down the option or alt key with the move tool and grab the square - to make as many duplicates of your square as you wish.

clip photo to the black square - In the layers panel, position the photo layer above the solid square layer 
You will also need to have your photo in proximity of the square on the project itself - 

To Clip/Group two layers -- While on the photo layer, choose:
Layer> Create Clipping Mask

There are also keystroke shortcuts, but they vary depending on operating system version Mac/Windows
With Mac, use Option Command G

When you clip, the only part of the photo that will show is what is clipped to your original shape - in this case, the black square


The advantage to this method is that, while on the photo layer, you can move the photo or resize it so just what I want appears as the finished product.

You can also select the black square layer and manipulate that - i.e., you can make it larger so more of the photo will show


When you make your original black square, pay attention to size/resolution of your square.

For Digital Scrapbooking - the accepted resolution is 300 pixels per inch. That resolution is chosen because scrapbook kits are created in that resolution, so if you use a kit, it's easier if you've started with a like resolution.


The bottom photo is the photo I started with. The smaller photo is the result of clipping to the black square.
Beneath that - what your layer panel should look like -- the little white square with the arrow pointing down, which you see near the left edge of your layer, indicates that layer is clipped to the layer below

Like your second edition. Lovely crisp photos too! Nice. 
I prefer how you show more of each cactus. And BTW, that yellow blossom is definitely not a Plains Prickly Pear (Opuntia polyacantha)