Design Crafters

Now that you have taken your photo and selected clips for your Photo Christmas Card, it is time to put everything together and actually produce your card.

Adobe Photoshop and Photoshop Elements have some helpful tutorials on how to do just this. I’ve modified one of these tutorials to suit the project we’ll be doing here.

Steps follow:

1. Create a new document. Choose File > New. In the New dialog box, create a new document that is an appropriate size for a card. Enter a name and click OK

2. Create the background. Use the painting tools to create your background. In the Swatches palette, select a color for the foreground and white for the background. Drag down in your document with the gradient tool.

3. Add your chosen images from clip-art files to the bottom of the card by choosing File > Import.

4. Add a custom shape. Select the custom shape tool in the toolbox. In the options bar, open the custom shape tool pop-up palette and then choose a character. Draw the shape in your document. Select Shape 1 in the Layers palette and adjust the opacity for the effect you want.

5. Add your greeting text. Select a new foreground color, then select the vertical type tool, and type your text. In the options bar, set the weight and size of your text.

6. Add a photo. Open the Photo you want to use, and then drag it from the Layers palette to your card. Choose Image > Transform > Free Transform, and then resize or rotate the image as necessary. Use the move tool to move the photo to the right location in your card.

7. Soften the edges of the photo. Select the eraser tool, and choose a soft-edged brush. Drag the brush around the image to soften the edges and help the image blend in with the background.

8. Save your Photo Christmas Card. You can save your card to print it, to e-mail it, or to post it to your Web site. To save for print Choose File > Save, and print according to your printer instructions. To send as an e-mail attachment Choose File > Attach to E-Mail. In the Attach to E-Mail dialog box, click Auto Convert. Photoshop Elements converts your card to a JPEG and launches your default email program, with your card already attached. To save for the Web Choose File > Save for Web. In the Save for Web dialog box, make the adjustments you want, and click OK.