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Hope this helps newer members to understand how to make a simple montage,
Kev.

Tutorial - Creating a Simple Montage.

Some of our newer members seem to have trouble making montages.
I thought that I might be able to help them.

Let’s start at the beginning –

Open your version of Elements then Control –N, this opens a dialogue box which allows you to pick your paper size, colour and resolution.
Paper size is a personal choice, resolution – if you are going to have your creations printed by an outside agency, needs to be 300ppi. If however you are printing them your self, 200ppi is ample. I always make my colour white to start with.

Now, select the images you wish to use. The gurus say that an odd number of images make a more pleasing layout. The number to me is again a personal choice. Also they say your images should be at the same resolution. I don’t worry about that. Why? Because if you drag an image at 72ppi onto a background of 300ppi, it becomes 300ppi. Now make any adjustments to colour etc.

Drag your first image onto the background layer, in your layers palette you will see that you now have two layers showing. Now using Control-T you can adjust the size. In some versions you will have to hold the shift key to maintain proportions. Do this with the remaining images and position them to your taste on the background.
Once you are happy with the placement it’s time to make them look better.
First change the background to whatever you wish, a plain colour, a gradient or it’s sometimes effective to take one of the images and resize it to the paper size and do Control + Shift + U, to remove the colour.

Now on one of the image layers, hold your cursor on the thumbnail and press Control, this will put marching ants around your image. Now we can put a stroke around your image. What I do is with the layer selected I open a new layer. This means that the stroke is on its own layer and can be altered easily if need be. To put a stroke around the image go Edit – Stroke (Outline) Selection. In the dialogue box pick your colour and width but make sure Inside is selected, this gives square corners.
Now apply a drop shadow. If you make the image layer active and apply the drop shadow you will have the shadow as normal but if you select the outline layer and apply a drop shadow, it creates a different effect. Try it, you may like it.
You can add a title and your montage is done.
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Dogs have masters. Cats have servants

Windows 7, PSE 9, PSP12
Thank you so much, Kev, for posting this!! very helpful
Suzi,
thank you, pleased you found it helpful.
Kev.
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Dogs have masters. Cats have servants

Windows 7, PSE 9, PSP12
Oh thank you so much!!...I tend to get background color kind of framing it but not really square...if you catch my drift...I'll be anxious to try this!! :thanks:
Kev,
Thanks for the tut on making a collage. Here's my first try. I didn't outline the photos though. I used a sandstone texture for the background.
Chas
Yellowstone-Views.jpg
Yellowstone-Views.jpg (126.47 KiB) Viewed 2501 times
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f/16 on a sunny day.....:)
Kev thanks for the tutorial, here is another one on my list to try. Really appreciate your sharing with us.
Chas,
very nice but try it with a thin stoke around your photos and a drop shadow. I think that you will see a difference.
Kev.
Kev's Gallery

Dogs have masters. Cats have servants

Windows 7, PSE 9, PSP12
Judy,
you're welcome.
Please post your work when you've finished it.
Kev.
Kev's Gallery

Dogs have masters. Cats have servants

Windows 7, PSE 9, PSP12
Kev,

Thanks for the tut. I figured out about half on my own, but used frames and added my pictures within. But I have to try this when I get home, this just looks like the best way to go, plus I can size the Stroke around the picture the size I want.

Thanks again for the tut. :thanks:

:wave:
Dane
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Knight Reflections

My Flickr, not the horse
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Ever stop to think, and forget to start again?
Dane,
pleased you've got the hang of it.
I've tried using the frames but found them to restrictive for my taste but some people do great layouts using them.
Kev.
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Dogs have masters. Cats have servants

Windows 7, PSE 9, PSP12
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