Tutorial 1: Your Work Area And An Intro To Filetypes

This might be your first time in "Digital Scrapbooking" so we will start with the very basic, which is the work area. 

"Digital Scrapbooking" is time-consuming at first and when I say time-consuming, I mean it! And even more time-consuming for people with (metaphorical) OCD, like me. 

• Start with a well-organized area, like a chair and a laptop computer! (haha--I know!) But kidding aside, since we're foreseeing long work hours, you need to be comfortable. Occassional standing and stretching should be done at least twice an hour so that you won't strain your back or develop carpal tunnel.

• As soon as all the hardware is set, it's time the ball rolls! You must have the Photoshop software, enough memory space in your computer and, ofcourse, a good internet connection.

Scrapbooking 101: 

• To give you an idea, this is how my screen looks like:

You might feel puzzled but don't fuss, your screen will definitely look like this in the next tutorials! :)

• What you can see on my screenshot is Photoshop and a bunch of graphics. You can customize your graphics, as I do (...and I will teach you how) but since you're just on Tutorial #1, you can always use ready-made graphics. This means that Google will be your "numero uno" bestfriend, if it's not your bestfriend yet. :)

www.google.com

• But it is not as simple as clicking google images and typing what you want to look for, you have to know "FILETYPES". My screenshot shows graphics that are all transparent, meaning, when you copy and paste them on top of the other, you don't get that icky white background. Look at the Smiley below. The one to your left definitely has that white background but the one to your right doesn't and it's definitely the way to go!

• FILETYPES: There are different filetypes; there's PNG, jpeg, psd, tiff and so many more, which you don't have to mind because we won't use them. Now, the filetype which we will use 90% of the time, due to it's transparent background, is "PNG"

• When you type your query on Google there is no telling what kind of file types will come out, so you need to make sure Google comes up with purely PNG files.

• So now the question is: How do you make sure Google shows you purely PNG graphics? SIMPLE. When you go to Google Images, type your query and then click on Advance search.

Follow the red arrow. :)

• Look for the one that says Filetype and click on the dropdown menu. And then choose PNG.

And then that's how you find your graphics!

You may test the graphics by opening it in Photoshop and they would look a lot like the very first screenshot. Now just a piece of advice, most PNG file types are transparent but --not all. Don't get frustrated if your first attempt wasn't right. Google will definitely find the perfect one for you!

EXERCISE: Right now you can explore Google and what it offers. If you find good PNG graphics, experiment on them using Photoshop. Open a graphic in Photoshop and then click Ctrl+A. Then try to drag the graphics where you want them to be. 

I hope I made it easy for you, but this tutorial wasn't easy to make, I tell ya! 

Hopefully you find this very useful. 

Please rate this tutorial if you find it interesting, fun, useful or difficult! (see buttons below)

Thanks guys!

Please note that all layouts are custom-made by Meg Jocson and Kick-Ass Ads.

A LOOK INTO WHAT'S NEXT: Most PNG file types are transparent but again--not all. But there's a way to turn other filetypes into PNG! That's what's next!