A scrapbook layout idea using curved borders
Do you love the look of the popular curved edge scrapbook borders you've been seeing lately? Here is an easy way to make one in Adobe Photoshop or Photoshop Elements. This technique will work with Photoshop versions 7 through CS4.
This Photoshop tutorial assumes that the reader has a basic familiarity with Photoshop (or Elements) and knows how to create a new document, open an existing document, and knows where the menu bar and layers palette are located.
Wherever you see, "cmd/ctrl," this means to hold the command button on a Mac, or the Ctrl button on a PC.
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Move the layer you want to curve to one side.
Step 1
Open an existing graphic in Photoshop, or create a simple colored or print layer. Be sure to make your document the size and resolution that you want for your finished scrapbook page. The graphic in the example here was created by using Filter>Render>Clouds.
Step 2
Select the layer you want to curve by clicking on it in the layers palette, and move it to the left with the move tool (the small, dark arrow with crossed arrows next to it in your toolbox). Now go to your menu bar at the top of your window, select Filter>Distort>Shear. This will open Photoshop's Shear filter.
Step 3
Begin clicking on the vertical line that appears. Each time you click on a section of line that does not have a dot, a new dot appears, creating a new adjustment point that can be moved.
Adjusting the Shear filter creates a wavy edge.
Move each dot to the right or left to form curves or waves. You may have to adjust these several times until you are satisfied with the result. Select "repeat edge pixels" in the filter options.
Tip: If you have a print that becomes too distorted using this method, go ahead and make a curved border using either a copy of your print or a plain colored layer. When you curve is complete, select it by holding the cmd/ctrl key while you click the layer icon in the layers palette.
Tip: If your curved layer seems to have a ragged or pixelated edge, select Filter>Blur>Gaussian Blur, and slide the selector to about 2 (or type the number 2 into the box) to blur the edge a bit.
Your wavy border will look similar to this.
With the outline of the curve now displayed as as blinking line, click the print layer you want to curve in the layers palette. Hold cmd/ctrl and click the letter, "J" to duplicate just the curved portion in a new layer, and you're finished!
For more info:
Make a printable mitred frame in Photoshop
Make easy striped 12x12 scrapbook paper in Photoshop
Print your digital scrapbook paper
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