Replace Template Layers
Grayscale templates give us structure with creative freedom.
In this lesson you’ll learn how to replace template layers with your own artistic papers and elements so you can personalize your project. Watch me do it from start to finish with step-by-step instructions and then try it yourself!
Video 05-04: Replace Template Layers (9:46)
Grayscale templates give a structure with creative freedom. Let's see how that works.
If you want to follow along, you'll find the template I'm using, along with a photo and several papers and design elements in the Lesson 4 practice folder for QwikLearn Photoshop Elements Part 5. I've already duplicated the template and saved it with a new name, Jason Swims, so I don't overwrite the original. And I've opened the papers and elements from the practice folder. You can see them here in the Photo Bin.
This template has only one photo clipping mask. I already clipped the photo to the mask, and resized the photo as we did in the previous lesson. In this lesson, we'll work with the rest of the design and specifically I want to show you how to replace template layers. This photo would look great with a brighter color on the background, so let's do that. Since most of the files I drag onto my project will need to be resized. I'm going to select the Move tool, open Tool Options and check Show Bounding Box. Then I'll go back to the Photo Bin and click and drag the paper from the Photo Bin onto my document. I'll let go of the mouse over the background so the paper will land above the background layer in the Layers panel.
When you move an image from the Photo Bin to a document, Photoshop Elements resizes it to fit inside the document boundary, so you'll need to resize the paper to cover the entire background. Press Alt in Windows or Option on a Mac and click and drag from a corner handle to resize all four corners at the same time. Click on the checkmark to commit the change.
Now let's add a contrasting paper to the paper strips at the top and bottom of this design. I'll click and drag the pink paper letting go of my mouse over the top paper strip. As always, the paper lands in the center of my document but it's above the paper clipping mask layer in the Layers panel. Click and drag the paper up until it covers the template paper strip. Then in the Menu Bar, choose Layer, Create Clipping Mask. Let's use the same pink paper for the bottom paper strip. Let go the mouse over the bottom paper strip. This time, I'll drag down to cover the bottom strip and then clip it to the strip.
So far, I haven't changed the design. I've only clipped images to template layers. But now I'm going to alter the template design. For example, this template has another small paper strip where I could clip paper but I don't have to use it. I can either delete it or hide it. And I usually hide it by clicking on the Visibility icon. It's possible I might change my mind and decide to use it after all, so I prefer to wait until my project is finalized to delete unused layers.
Now we're left with some elements that are meant to be replaced. These are just generic shapes used as placeholders to give you an idea of where you could place some decorative elements. So don't use them. Just take note of their position and the number of elements as a guide, and then click on the Visibility icon in the Layers panel to hide them.
Let's look in our stash of elements to see what we could use to replace them. We have a piece of word art, a beach ball, and some string. If you were going to arrange these elements close together, which item would you put on the bottom? I would say the string should go on the bottom. Where should I place it in the stack of layers on the template? Should it be just above the background paper and behind the photo? Or should I place it above the photo so it overlaps one corner of the photo. These are questions you should ask yourself as you replace elements. In this case, either placement for the string would be fine, so it depends on what you want. I think I'd rather have the string overlapping the photo slightly. So when I click and drag the string onto my document, I let go the mouse above the photo. Now I can click and drag from a corner handle to resize it and move it down into the corner and I can place part of it outside the document. I'll click on the checkmark to commit the change.
Next I'm going to place the ball in the corner above the string. When I click and drag from the Photo Bin though, it's hard to let go of the mouse directly on the string because the string is so thin. The beach ball ends up above the background paper in the Layers panel and below the photo. And because files you drag from the Photo Bin always land in the middle of the page, it's covered up by the photo. Not to worry! In the Layers panel simply click and drag the beach ball layer above the string layer. And then on your document, click and drag it over the string and resize it.
The last corner element is the word art arrow. I'll drag it over the photo and resize it and use my arrow keys to put it into place.
These decorative elements are all 3-D elements, so they'll need a drop shadow. Let's start with the word art. In real life, it would have a very small drop shadow. In the Menu Bar, choose Layer, Layer Style, Style Settings. Click the Drop Shadow box and make any adjustments you want to the settings. I'll use a size of 8, a distance of 6 and an opacity of 50%. And you can just use the sliders if you aren't sure what numbers to use here, then click OK.
The other two elements also need drop shadows, I find it easiest to copy the first shadow to the other elements. To do that, press Alt in Windows or Option on a Mac, and click and drag the Effects icon from the Word Art layer to the string and from the string to the ball. Now you can double click on the Effects icon to bring up the style Settings dialog box so you can make your changes. A ball is going to cast a much larger shadow., so let's increase the size. We'll use 85 for the size and 45 for the distance, and leave the opacity at 50% and click OK.
Now let's adjust the string shadow. This time, I'll use 15 for the size and 10 for the distance and click OK. And now my cluster of elements in the corner looks very nice.
There's one more thing I want to do. I have a frame I'd like to use in place of the stroke outline on my photo. To delete the stroke outline. I'll click on the photo to select its layer in the Layers panel and then scroll down so I can click on the clipping mask layer. Now I can double click on the Effects icon and uncheck Stroke and click OK. Now click and drag the frame over the photo and resize it to cover the photo.
Want to make sure I get all the edges covered there. I can use my arrow keys to bump it into place and click OK. Since a paper frame like this will be fairly thin, which drop shadow do you think I should copy? Certainly not the beach ball drop shadow. That's a big shadow. I think the Word Art drop shadow would be appropriate for the frame. So I'll press Alt in Windows or Option on a Mac, and click and drag the Effects icon onto the frame layer. And that shadow looks good to me. I don't even need to adjust it.
Now that I'm done resizing elements, I'll open Tool Options and uncheck Show Bounding Box. This template doesn't have a title layer, but that doesn't mean you can't add some type. Get the Type tool and select your font, size, and alignment. On your document, click where you want to add the type. And I'll type Jason Age 7. Let's move this over just a little bit. And that commits the type.
Can you see how you're in control of the template design? The template gives you a framework to create a good design but you're in control of the final results. And remember, you should always replace the placeholder elements. There are not proper elements, which reminds me, we still have those placeholder elements. They're just hidden and the small paper clipping mask layer is hidden also. At this point I can delete them, and the easiest way to delete multiple hidden layers is to click on the Layers panel flyout menu and choose Delete Hidden Layers. Here's the original template. And here's how it looks now.
So that's how to replace template layers with your own images.