Fun Digital Scrapbook Layout Idea - Fun with Dogs and Dots

Need some ideas for a scrapbook layout? Just getting started? Well, look no further. Try this fun and easy digital scrapbook page using Photoshop. Great scrapbook pages are just a click away!

Step 1: Getting started.

Select File on the top bar and then select New. You'll get a box with different options. This is where you set the size of your document and the amount of pixels you want to use. The more pixels, the clearer, but bigger, your file. For this project we'll use 300 pixels/inch and use the size 6x6 (the size can always be changed later) and press OK.

Step 2: Background.

You should now have a blank square in front of you. This is the canvas we will work with. If you notice on the layer menu, you now have a background. This is where we will set our background color for our page. For this layout we'll leave it white, but you can add any color you wish, if you'd like to spice it up or change it to fit your picture.

Step 3: Polka Dots!

For the next step, choose a new layer and use the brush option in the left hand toolbar. Click on it and at the top left of the screen you can change the size and sharpness. You can make instant, perfect polka dots in any color by changing the color in the color menu on the bottom left. For differing sizes and colors, just change the size of the brush and the color you wish to use. I like to overlap various sizes for effect. You may also use the circle shape tool on the left-hand tool bar. It is in the shape menu. To change the shape you wish to use, just right click on the option and it will allow you to change to a circle, square, etc. Remember that with this tool, however, it may create a new layer for every shape you add. The brush option doesn't.

Step 4: Cropping your picture

For this page, I chose to keep with the circle theme and make my picture a fit. In order to crop and edit the photo I opened a separate "New" document. You do this by going to file, open, and choosing your picture from the file it's found in. Adjust the size to the correct inches to fit your page. I did mine at 5x7. For cropping the picture, use the crop tool, right clicking on it to choose the ellipses. Drag the crop tool around the picture, centering it on your focal point. In order to create a perfect circle, hold down the shift key while you drag, this will make it even.

Step 5: Importing your Picture

Take the picture you have just cropped and drag it onto the page. This will create a new layer. In order to give the picture a colored outline, use the effects tool on the menu on your right (the little fx). Go down to stroke, which will open up a new, small window. Here you can choose how thick you want the border around your picture and what color. You can use the dropper tool to make it the same color as your polka dots on the background. One you're done, hit OK and you'll have a nice border around your cropped circle picture.

Step 6: The Words

In adding the text, I chose a font named Curlz, but you can use whichever one you want. To place your title on the page, simply choose the text tool (the capital T on the menu bar to the left), type the title, and choose the button at the top left that has a T with two arrows. This will make your text go vertically, instead of horizontally. In order to add the outline to the first letter, simply use the stroke tool from the effects menu again in a contrasting color. For the journaling portion, I simply created another circle, using the circle tool, and then typed the text. Each element I created as a different layer, so that I could adjust it as I saw fit.

Voile! You have a page that will look great in your personal collection. Use this in your own ABC book or as just a page in your own scrapbook. It'll look great and add a little dot enjoyment to your life.