|
by Christine Smith These instructions should easily translate to other Photoshop products as well as to other graphics programs with some modifications based on your own knowledge of your program. After completing this tutorial, you will end up with an inked and a sanded overlay that you can drop over any background or patterned paper to create the look of a sanded piece or inked piece of paper.
Supplies Needed:
Dark colored cardstock with a white core -- this is card stock that is white in the center if sanded or torn. Some manufacturers that make this type of cardstock are Close To My Heart (direct sales) or Die Cuts with A View (available at scrapbooking stores)*
fine grit sandpaper*
Scanner*
PSE
*If you do not have these items, you can use a sample I am providing to create your own overlay but you will not be able to use this method to create additional overlays.
This method involves physically sanding a piece of paper to expose the white core and then using a scan of it to create a transparent overlay. The same effect can be achieved using brushwork, but this can be a much harder process to learn (and also involves finding and installing brushes). By physically sanding the paper, you can an exact idea of what your overlay will look like when completed.
1. Trim the paper to 8" x 8" so that it will fit on your scanner bed without going all the way to edges 2. Sand the paper gently until you have the look you want for your finished overlay. All the white you expose now will be the same amount of white in your overlay. Start with a light amount of sanding for your first try. 3. Place the sanded paper on your scanner and scan in full color at 300 dpi 4. Crop your scanned image to only included the sanded paper. 5. Verify that the image size is no larger that 2500 pixels for width and 2500 pixels for height (image --> resize --> image size). If it is, size it down (make sure to keep it square by constraining proportions in the image size dialogue box) 
6. Convert the scanned file to greyscale: Image --> Mode --> Greyscale (and hit OK at the prompt to discard color information) 7. Invert the scan so black and white are switched (CTRL + I ..or filter--> adjustments--> invert) 8. Adjust the lighting so that the sanding shows up black on a white background. Start with CTRL + L to open the levels box (or use enhance --> adjust lighting --> levels) Make sure the preview box is checked so you can see the effect of your changes right on your scanned paper. You will see three sliders below a pictogram that represents the colors in your scan. Drag the white slider (on the far right) toward the left to lighten up the background until it is white. (The grey slider will move with it) Drag the black slider to the right to darken up what is already black. (Again, the grey slider comes along for the ride). Finally, adjust the grey slider (it will move independently) to get a final adjustment on the contrast between the background and the sanding. Hit OK. 
9. Now, we will use the sanded paper to define a brush so that we can create an overlay that is transparent. This scanned file has no transparency so to have the most options, we will make a brush out of it rather than just reducing its opacity and layering it over another paper. To define the brush, use Edit --> define brush and hit OK. 10. Open a new blank file (CTRL +N) at 300 dpi in RGB color with a transparent background. 11. Set up your canvas to snap to grid. (view --> snap to grid) 12. Set your foreground color to black and select your brush tool (looks like a paint brush). When you hover your mouse over your empty canvas, you should see an outline of the sanded brush. If you don't, make sure your caps lock is OFF. Position your brush so that the sanded brush will be lined up into one of the corners of your canvas. Click the mouse to have the brush painted onto your canvas. 
Now hit CTRL + T (transform) to resize it, since it is too small for a 12"x12" piece of paper. You will get an outline of the brush plus the little square handles to stretch it out. Press and hold your SHIFT key and click on the square handle that is diagonal to the corner into which you placed the brush. Drag the handle up to the empty corner of the paper. Release the mouse and then release the shift button. The snap to grid function should get it lined up right to the edges of your canvas. Go back and pull your first corner all the way into the corner with the snap-to function also. 13. To have an inked overlay, save this file: Use file --> save as -- > and save as a .png file. Select none instead of interlaced for options. Depending on your computer, this step may take a while! 14. To have a sanded overlay, just invert (CTRL + I) and save as a png file. To use your overlays, open the file you wish to modify as well as the inking or sanding overlay. Drag the overlay onto your layout, over the paper you wish to modify. If it is too dark, reduce the transparency in your layers palette. If it is too light, drag another copy of the overlay onto the layout (or use CTRL + J to duplicate). |
