photos inside a photo

[qldaussie]

Hi all
(My first post) :)
I have a picture of the shape of my country Australia..nothing inside, just like a blank CD/DVD cover but a different shape. I would like to fill it with small family photos, perhaps 6 or seven and send it to overseas to family. The photos should not go outside the line of the shape but it would be fine if they are only partially seen. (Like on a CD cover)
I am lost to where to start. I have tried in Word 07 but no good
Can you help?

[rkb7184]

You might have some luck in the classifieds section, if you wanna hire someone. I highly doubt you can accomplish what you want in MS word, that is for business documents not creative stuff.

[qldaussie]

thanks rkb7184 for your reply.
But, because I had no success in "Word" I came to this Forum.
I only want to use this one off. I am a pensioner (68) and cannot afford to hire someone
I know it is possible because I have seen it on websites.
I have "Adobe Photoshop Elements" given to me as a B/D present and thought this is a good way to learn

[CkretAjint]

Research "Layer Mask".

I would arrange all of the photos on different layers within Photoshop. Group them within 1 folder and apply a Layer Mask to the group.

[qldaussie]

thanks CketAjint...as I mentioned I have "Adobe Photoshop Elements" and learning
I have no clue what you are talking about, layer?..mask?
can you help please. Tell me what to click please
Keep in mind I am 68 years old but have no problem with PC instructions

[morea]

Photoshop Elements should work much better than MS Word.

You can also find some free open source graphics software here (http://www.graphicdesignforum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=33457).

[Kool]

Photoshop Elements doesn't have layer masks like regular PS. It looks like there are way to fake it though.

[qldaussie]

Here is a summary
One of you suggested I go somewhere else or hire someone
The other tells me about Mask and Layers and suggests to research
The other wants me to get other free software when I already got a program that must have cost a fortune
I mentioned that I am a novice and expected to get help like (click here or there and paste this) or similar
You seem to be talking among and that's no damn use to me.
So keep talking amongst yourself. I’m out of here and will find a forum that will actually help and give clear instructions to a beginner
No need to answer as I won’t be reading it
Thanks for nothing

[budafist]

Wow. Good luck with that.

My advice would be to hire someone too. I get older people that don't know much about computers that come in with old photos for me to restore and design into something cohesive. If it's for family, it's often going to be a keepsake so worth spending a little money on. Get a quote or two. Quotes are free. You might be surprised of the price. If you are not in a hurry, a designer could price it to be a filler job - for when they are not busy.

I wouldn't recommend someone with no design knowledge or software to buy or and teach themselves for just 1 thing. It doesn't sound like you have any passion or patience to do it anyway.

[Kool]

Yeah good luck with that alright, I'm sure your wonderful people skills will get you far in that other forum. I'm sorry we all didn't drop everything to teach you how to use your software, one that probably none of us have since we use real Photoshop not the amateur version. Also thanks for all your patience, I mean you gave us a whole 22 and a half hours during which most of us were sleeping through the first eight and working through the second eight.

I told you there were ways to fake it and I planned on looking up some tutorials for you but I didn't know I was on a deadline. Guess you figure I should have just told the kids to fend for themselves for dinner and homework and bathtime so I could help you.

[frankster]

Type "Photoshop elements forum" into google and while you're at it, google "pensioners tantrum forum".

[eugenetyson]

I think the first step would be to google all the things you were asked to google.

Then if you got stuck on a particular part of a tutorial people could help out then.

I'd imagine any design agency that you could walk into would do this quite cheaply for you and give you 100 times better results than what you could achieve yourself.

Imagine going to a restaurants forum and asking them the recipe for your favourite dish. They'd tell you to stop by and they'd make it for you, for a price.

I'm kinda sick of people expecting freebies from designers and amateurs requesting how to tutorials.

I don't mind helping people through certain tutorials etc. A few presses of keys on your google machine will yield results.

I don't mind pointing out where people have gone wrong in the designs. Or give pointers to make it better.

But I do mind when someone comes on demanding that we teach them how to do something when they could easily look it themselves.


I guess it's Friday and I'm worn out from this weeks exhausting posts here and everywhere else along with all the work I've had to sift through.

It's pretty down heartening to read that someone wanted help, wouldn't research what was asked then got pissed off at everyone because they couldn't be bothered to help themselves.

[eugenetyson]

In saying all that

Photoshop elements or whatever the op has isn't suited this type of work.

It's like asking a microwave to wash clothes. "Eh dear customer service, I spent €2000 on this Microwave and it won't wash my jeans or anything else I put in it?"


If you get the free gimp http://www.gimp.org/

And do these tuts http://www.linuxfocus.org/English/November2001/article121.shtml

You'll be done in no time.

It took me 20 seconds to look that up and post this.

[Drazan]

In response to the OP.

1) place all your photos the way you want them to show.

2) merge layers

3) Put the outline of Australia on a new layer above the photos. make it 50% transparent.

4) select the photo layer and use the erasure tool to erase around the edges of the Austrailian outline.

5) delete the austrailian outline layer.

6) if you want the outline to show, then if photoshop elements has the filter panel, just double click the photo layer and look for "Stroke" to outline it. The smoothness depends on how well you erased around the image.

Tips. if you hold down the shift key, the erasure tool makes straight lines from point to point.

If even these instructions seem hard, you'll need to run through a few basic tutorials for the program. These can usually be found under the help menu, or on adobe's photoshop elements website documentation.

And yes, most people here don't even know what photoshop elements looks like or what features it does or doesn't have. Even me. So hopefully those instructions will at least get you pointed in the right direction.

Jade

[CkretAjint]

When it comes to the Graphic Design field, there is more than 1 way to skin a cat. We were just trying to show you all of the different possibilities that you could pursue to meet you end goal.

Sorry about that. :rolleyes:

On a different note; I knew Photoshop Elements was a dumbed down version of Photoshop, but no layer masks? Really?? That is a bit on the re-re side...

[morea]

I take exception to the reference to skinning a cat, despite my avatar.

click (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ppK6sxz6epk).

[CkretAjint]

Sorry Morea.

How about...

- There's a thousand way to get through the forest, some hike, some swing, some run!

or

- Everyone wants to run through the corn field, but only a few choose not to go through it backwards!

[morea]

very gnomic, Ckret. :D

[mojoprime]

Type "Photoshop elements forum" into google and while you're at it, google "pensioners tantrum forum".

hee hee. you guys are really cheering me up today. :D

[Yossarian]

Wow, they melted down even faster than any young, cocky, supposedly less mature poster wanting to be spoonfed easy answers.

[morea]

Yarr, no one be clickin' me link. :D

[mojoprime]

Yarr, no one be clickin' me link. :D

alas, milady, yon youtube tis blocked by the foul scoundrel, FireWalken.

[morea]

Blimey, ain't that always th' way.

(Do ye suppose he be related to Christopher?)

[mojoprime]

verily, i reckon. Walken. (trying to think of more -en...)