[sanot]

I'm trying to crop a rectangle behind my photo to make it a mat, and as I try to size it behind the photo,if I move a little one direction, I have too much matting, but when I move the mouse the other direction it takes off too much. Is there a way to move the cursor an even smaller distance than the mouse will let me, or adjust a setting on PSE 7 so it doesn't snap to the next point? Not sure if I'm explaining myself well enough. If you need more clarification please ask.

[Cabalistic]

One thing you could do, is Ctrl+click on the layer of the Photo so you have your base measurement.
Then in a new layer (or whichever layer you are making your mat on), Select > Modify > Expand > then put the number of pixels you want it to expand around your previous selection.
Once that is done you can fill with any color and/or Ctrl+g (layer mask) the rectangle with whatever paper, etc you are using for the mat.

I hope this helps and that way if you want to adjust the rectangle you are using for the mat, you won't worry about cropping it too small.

[SodScrap]

I know exactly what you mean....but, I don't know the answer... Sorry!! I have had that issue before!

[mimes1]

In PS if you hold down the shift key and move with the arrows you move 10 pixels at a time. If you hold control and move with the arrows you move 1 pixel at a time. See if that helps. You can also turn on your grid and then when you draw your mouse it tends to snap to the grid.

[Smiles]

would putting a stroke around the picture do the trick?

[anna]

To move an object just a little at a time, try zooming in first. If you are zoomed way out (so you can see the whole layout), nudging an object will actually move it quite a bit. If you are zoomed in, PSE lets you have more control, moving it a little at a time. Also, try using your arrow keys to nudge it, rather than your mouse.

To make a mat, personally I would make a stroke, rather than a rectangle. It's a lot easier to be exact and it's pretty easy too.

• Hold the control key down while clicking on the thumbnail (the little picture) of the photo layer in the Layers Palette. This is called a direct selection, and will put "Marching Ants" all around your photo.
  
• Without deselecting the "Marching Ants", create a new layer. Place the new layer directly above the photo layer in the Layers Palette.
  
• With the new layer active (highlighted) and the "Marching Ants" still visible, go Edit > Stroke Selection.
  
• When the window opens, you can first choose the color of the frame by clicking on the little color box, then set the width between 10 and 75 px (depending on how thick you want your mat), and location: Inside (that will give you nice, crisp corners). Leave the other options on their default settings. Click OK and you will have a frame on it's own layer. If you didn't choose a color for your frame, you can clip a paper to it, apply a style, or recolor it using the paint bucket.

Post again and let us know how it goes!

[Rose Ann]

Anna gave great advice.
You can move any object by one pixel at a time if you use your arrows instead of your mouse and you're zoomed in enough. Another thing you might consider is going to your View menu and choosing Snap To and turning it off.

Hope that helps.

[sanot]

Thank you THANK YOU ladies! You all gave some great suggestions! I didn't know about the stroke option, so that is quite exciting for me, and now I can use my arrow keys to make very minor pixel by pixel adjustments too, which I remember hearing about but had forgotten how to do.

I did have an additional question for Anna's suggestion of "If you didn't choose a color for your frame, you can clip a paper to it, apply a style, or recolor it using the paint bucket." How would I do that...what would a step by step look like to clip a paper to it? Am I correct that my stroke is directly on my photo layer (my layer above it looks blank and when I drag it to the trash the stroke still stays)

I forgot to do this step: "Place the new layer directly above the photo layer in the Layers Palette.
With the new layer active (highlighted) and the "Marching Ants" still visible, go Edit > Stroke Selection." I just went to Edit-stroke selection right after ctrl+thumbnail and was still able to create my stroke/frame as long as I was on that photo layer with the marching ants....is this okay or am I missing something?

This Scrap Girls Forum rocks! So many ladies in my region use Creative Memories digital software, and I've felt somewhat "alone" trying to learn PSE...you ladies are such a valuable and knowledgeable resource (and so patient with us newbies at the beginning of the learning curve) THANKS!

[teecee]

sanot, on 11 June 2011 - 09:45 PM, said:

I did have an additional question for Anna's suggestion of "If you didn't choose a color for your frame, you can clip a paper to it, apply a style, or recolor it using the paint bucket." How would I do that...what would a step by step look like to clip a paper to it?



I forgot to do this step: "Place the new layer directly above the photo layer in the Layers Palette.
With the new layer active (highlighted) and the "Marching Ants" still visible, go Edit > Stroke Selection." I just went to Edit-stroke selection right after ctrl+thumbnail and was still able to create my stroke/frame as long as I was on that photo layer with the marching ants....is this okay or am I missing something?

After you create your stroke (frame), open a paper and drag it onto your layout. Be sure the paper is on the layer above the frame layer, then press Ctrl+G. This will "clip" the paper to the frame.

For the step you forgot - the difference is if you create a new layer directly above the photo layer, then add the stroke, you will be putting the stroke on it's own layer. This way, you can manipulate the stroke (move it, resize it, clip a paper to it, etc) If you create the stroke on the photo layer, then the stroke becomes attached to the photo and if you try to move it or resize it, etc, then you would not be able to. You would be moving, resizing, etc. the stroke and the photo together. Hope I'm making sense and not confusing you. You might want to give it a try then let us know if you have more questions. HTH

[lorac]

I learned a lot from this. I always have the same problem with moving things in small increments. This sure helped me a lot. Thanks for asking the question I never thought to ask.
And thanks to everyone for answering the question I never thought to ask.

[tiza126]

I'm glad you are getting lots of answers!!

[anna]

There are different ways you can make a stroke. You can just make sure your photo layer is active in the layers palette, then go Edit > Stroke, without making a selection (marching ants) or a new layer. This will put the stroke directly on your photo layer. It works well if you just want to put a boarder around the edge of your photo, and if you are pretty sure you won't change your mind afterward. You can't easily apply a style or clip a paper to a stroke that is applied directly to a photo layer.

I am notorious for changing my mind, lol, so I always put the stroke on it's own layer. If it's on it's own layer, you can easily delete it or alter it. Basically, by making the direct selection (CTRL + clicking on the thumbnail), you are using the photo layer to create a selection (marching ants) that fits it exactly. Then, by creating a new layer (and making sure it is active in the layers palette), the stroke ends up on that layer. It isn't actually attached to the photo, it's just sitting on top. Since it isn't attached to the photo, you can add a style or clip a paper just to the stroke, without effecting the photo layer.

Once your stroke is on it's own layer, it's pretty easy to clip a paper to it. Move a paper onto your layout and place it directly above the stroke layer in the Layers Palette. Use the shortcut CTRL + G to clip the paper to the stroke. After clipping, you can merge the two layers together (CTRL + E) if you like.