Terri M Posted January 19, 2014 Share Posted January 19, 2014 I'm using PSE 12. Maybe I'm being dense.... but I'd like to use a Scrap Simple paper template as a layer mask. I tried creating the layer mask, then dragging the paper onto it, or copying the paper and pasting. But it won't go there. Surely I'm just missing something? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terri M Posted January 19, 2014 Author Share Posted January 19, 2014 Oh never mind --- I got it! You have to alt-click on the layer mask part and then paste the paper. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elisha Posted January 19, 2014 Share Posted January 19, 2014 You got that quick! I remember a time a few years ago when I was tearing out my hair trying to do this. And I was following instructions in an issue of Digital Scrapbooking (I still miss that magazine), and I still couldn't get it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teecee Posted January 19, 2014 Share Posted January 19, 2014 Hmmm, maybe I'm missing something, but I'm not sure I understand what you are trying to do, Terri. Could you give me some more detailed information? Whatever it is, it sounds interesting lol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terri M Posted January 19, 2014 Author Share Posted January 19, 2014 Ah.... I wanted to blend two papers, a light one over a dark one, to make a lighter place in the middle where my photos are placed. I sometimes do this by creating a circular gradiant on the layer mask of the top paper (white reveals, black conceals). But I bought the Lighting Effects paper template and thought that the gray blending on one was better - more subtle and shaped better. So I wanted to use that for my layer mask, figuring that since it was gray, it would work for a black & white mask. I added the template as a layer in my document, but then I was going nuts trying to figure out how to copy that layer to the layer mask of the light colored paper.I tried dragging it on, copy and paste, & anything else I could think of. Then I discovered the solution (isn't google great?) I selected the layer with the template and copied. Then (here's the trick) alt-click on the layer mask of the light colored paper. The regular layout disappears and you have a blank page that you can edit with black & white. I just pasted the gray scale template there and, voila! a layer mask created from the paper template. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teecee Posted January 19, 2014 Share Posted January 19, 2014 Ah.... I wanted to blend two papers, a light one over a dark one, to make a lighter place in the middle where my photos are placed. I sometimes do this by creating a circular gradiant on the layer mask of the top paper (white reveals, black conceals). But I bought the Lighting Effects paper template and thought that the gray blending on one was better - more subtle and shaped better. So I wanted to use that for my layer mask, figuring that since it was gray, it would work for a black & white mask. I added the template as a layer in my document, but then I was going nuts trying to figure out how to copy that layer to the layer mask of the light colored paper.I tried dragging it on, copy and paste, & anything else I could think of. Then I discovered the solution (isn't google great?) I selected the layer with the template and copied. Then (here's the trick) alt-click on the layer mask of the light colored paper. The regular layout disappears and you have a blank page that you can edit with black & white. I just pasted the gray scale template there and, voila! a layer mask created from the paper template. Okay - now I understand. Thanks for sharing this info, Terri! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lorac Posted January 19, 2014 Share Posted January 19, 2014 I tried following the directions, but I'm confused. I have three layers: 1)light paper, 2)dark paper, 3)lighting effects template. You then say to select the layer with the template and copy. Are you making a duplicate layer of the lighting effects template? Alt-click doesn't do anything. Nothing disappears and I have no blank page. Can you explain this a little better. I'm obviously missing something here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrannieEv Posted January 19, 2014 Share Posted January 19, 2014 LOL - I must need more coffee! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jhbren Posted January 19, 2014 Share Posted January 19, 2014 Terri, I'm glad you found a solution! But I don't really understand the original problem. When I want to blend a SSPaper and another paper, I just blend them - no layer mask involved. I may then erase part of one, or both, layers - or not. Is what you were trying to accomplish different from this? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CRS Posted January 19, 2014 Share Posted January 19, 2014 I can't wait to see the final layout! I hope you post it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terri M Posted January 20, 2014 Author Share Posted January 20, 2014 Terri, I'm glad you found a solution! But I don't really understand the original problem. When I want to blend a SSPaper and another paper, I just blend them - no layer mask involved. I may then erase part of one, or both, layers - or not. Is what you were trying to accomplish different from this? I used the layer mask to essentially erase part of the paper. By using the template to choose the parts to erase I make use of the designer's skill with a only a couple clicks. I figured it would quicker and more subtle than working with the eraser myself. I know there's always a lot of ways to do the same or similar things. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terri M Posted January 20, 2014 Author Share Posted January 20, 2014 I tried following the directions, but I'm confused. I have three layers: 1)light paper, 2)dark paper, 3)lighting effects template. You then say to select the layer with the template and copy. Are you making a duplicate layer of the lighting effects template? Alt-click doesn't do anything. Nothing disappears and I have no blank page. Can you explain this a little better. I'm obviously missing something here. OK, let's see. I have three layers. Dark paper on the bottom. Light paper in the middle. Lighting effects template at the top. Through all of the following, I have the list of Layers visible and that's what I'm working on. - I click on the Lighting effects template layer to make it active, then ctrl-click on the little picture of the paper in the layers list to select the entire layer, then ctrl-C to copy it. - Then I click on the Light paper layer to make it active, and I add a layer mask by clicking on the layer mask icon (little blue square with gray circle inside.) - I alt-click on the new layer mask (the white square that has appeared to the right of the picture of the Light paper in the list of Layers.) That's when the screen with the paper turns white. - I use Ctrl-V to copy the template. It appears on the main screen and in the layer mask picture in the list of Layers. - Finally I hide or delete the Lighting effects layer. (I suspect I could have simply copied this layer from the original paper and not add it to my document, just to delete it later, but I didn't try that.) What I end up with is the dark paper lightened up by the light paper in the areas that are white/light on the template, but the original dark color where the template is black/dark. I hope this is clear enough! I probably don't have the right vocabulary to call all the menus, palettes and icons by the right names. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terri M Posted January 20, 2014 Author Share Posted January 20, 2014 I can't wait to see the final layout! I hope you post it! I used it for the background of this page. I thought the main background paper was too "busy" to let the photos stand out, so I used this method to lighten up the center where the pictures are placed. It's a pretty subtle effect but I kind of like it that way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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