Today, I'll present some ideas for creating different layouts by resizing and rotating elements of the sketch/template. Most sketches/templates can have their design structure altered by resizing or rotating some or all of the design elements, whether they have one photo or many. By changing the size or angle of one or more objects on the page while staying true to the remaining design elements, you can easily create different layouts from the same sketch/template.
Resizing and Rotating Elements
From the original sketch, you can make the following changes simply by resizing or rotating elements of the design.
- Shrink all of the page elements. In Photoshop Elements in the Layers Palette, select all of the layers except the background layer by clicking on the layer just above the background layer, holding down the shift key and clicking on the top layer. This allows you to select all of the layers in between without having to click on them individually. With all of the layers selected, click on the chain icon to link the layers to keep them in their relative positions as you resize them. Then, click and drag the corner handle of the selected layers to shrink them to your liking.
- Enlarge all of the page elements. Follow the same steps as above, but increase the size of all of the elements instead of shrinking them. Some may even extend off of the page.
- Shrink (or enlarge) some of the page elements. Select the page elements you wish to shrink by clicking on each of the elements on the layout while holding the shift key. You could also select them by holding down the CTRL key while clicking on the layers in the Layers Palette. Once you've selected your desired layers, decrease the size by clicking on the corner handle and dragging it inward until you are happy with the size. In my example, I chose the shrink the photos, the arrows near the photo and the triangle in the upper left corner. I kept the paper strips the same size.
- Change the photo size or proportion. Sometimes, the shape of the photo spot does not work well with your desired photo; it may be too square or not square enough. In this case, changing up the template is as simple as changing the photo size. For this technique, you are changing the aspect ratio of the photo spot. Select the photo layer and resize by clicking and dragging the appropriate corner or side handles. Tip: this works best with photo spots that are not tilted. If the photo spot is tilted, dragging the corner handles will result in a skewed rectangle that is not squared-off in the corners.
- Change the photo orientation. Select the photo layer, click on one of the side handles and drag outward to make the photo landscape rather than portrait (or vice versa). You may also need to drag the top handle down to get the right aspect ratio. Frames and elements surrounding the photo will need to be moved or resized too. Free rotate the photo (along with any photo mat or frame) by clicking on one of the corner handles and free rotate either clockwise or counterclockwise. You can achieve several different looks depending on which direction you rotate the layer and how much you rotate it. If there is more than one photo, you can rotate one or all of them, and in varying directions.
- Free rotate the page elements. Select all of the page elements except the background, click on one of the corner handles and free rotate either clockwise or counterclockwise. You can achieve several different looks depending on which direction you rotate the layers and how much you rotate them.
- Combine resizing or rotating the page elements with the ideas from previous days, such as flipping or rotating the template, using paper in one or more photo spots filling one or more of the photo spots with journaling or changing the weight or balance of the page. See the post here, here and here for additional ideas.
Here are a few examples using the above sketch/template.
Diane shrunk down the arrow element on the left side and also only used one photo. I love her soft color pallette, flair and enamel dots - simple yet impactful!
In her layout, Lisa changed the size of her photo, spreading one landscrape photo across the spots for two portrait photos.
Marnie put her spin on the design by changing the orientation of both photos, stacking them on top of each other.
By resizing or rotating the page elements of the design while preserving their relative positions, you can achieve several different looks and still maintain the basic design structure of the original sketch/template. Customizing the page elements allows them to better fit your photos or the mood of the page. Whether you resize or rotate some or all of the page elements, the basic design will still shine through and help you create a fabulous layout. Consider the potential to modify a template and reuse it!