19.07
Let’s create a sheet / template for Album DS using proportionally sized shape layers and later align them. Please follow this steps:
1.- Create an empty sheet of the desired size in Photoshop, you may use Album DS New sheet for this.
2.- Draw a shape layer in this sheet, to do this please select the Rectangle tool in Photoshop with the settings shown in this picture. The settings panel is available below of the Photoshop menu, if you can’t see it please select Window – Options in Photoshop. Remember that the rectangle too also allows for drawing rounded corner shapes, ellipses or even custom shapes.
3.- Now that you have a shape you need to resize it, let’s say you want a 5×7 proportional shape. Please select the move tool in Photoshop and activate “Show transform controls” in the options.
Click at any of the shown corners in the shape and the options of the Move tool will appear in Photoshop.
Input your desired proportion in the fields 3 and 4, you have to write the units like 7in or 10cm. Don’t worry if the shape is too large or too small for now, the only important thing is the proportion.
4.- Press Shift and while keeping this key pressed resize the shape layer with Photoshop’s Move tool by dragging on one of the corners. You should have a perfectly proportioned shape layer in the whished size now, but you only have one …
5.- Copy this shape layer. You may dragg it in the layers palette to the “Create new layer” icon or simply press Alt and drag it to between 2 other layers. This will create copies of your original shape layer.
6.- But all layers are one over the other now, just take the Move tool ( remember to activate “Show transform controls”) and move them. You may Auto select the layers but I recommend to select them in the layers palette for a better control.
7.- Align the layers using the Move tool options: Select 2 or more layers in the layers palette ( click at the first, then press Shift and click at the other layers), once the layers are selected you may use Photoshop’s Move tool options to align them. This option are at the right of the options panel:
- Align top edges
- Align vertical centers
- Align bottom edges
- Align left edges
- Align horizontal centers
- Align right edges
- Distribute top edges
- Distribute vertical centers
- Distribute bottom edges
- Distribute left edges
- Distribute horizontal centers
- Distribute right edges
8.- Using this tools your shape layers will be perfectly distributed and aligned.
9.- Of course you may resize your shape layers again and reposition if needed. Please select the multiple layers you want to resize / move and use the Move tool as before ( remember to press Shift while resizing to keep proportions).
10.- Creating more layers is very easy, select the ones you want to copy ( multiple layers) and copy them by dragging to the New layer icon or pressing Alt and draggin between 2 layers in the layers palette. Select Move tool and position the new layers in the sheet.
11.- Remember that Photoshop will allways help you automatically to position the layers, you will notice a slight stop in the move process when a layer is aligned with another.
12.- You may also rotate one your proportional layers in 7×5 to create a 5×7 one using the Move tool, resize it and align with the rest.
13.- Very important: Don’t rename the first part of the shape layers name, the first 5 letters should be “Shape” ( or the appropiate translation in your Photoshop’s language like “Forma” for spanish) allways or Album DS will not work correctly.
Bon’t be overhelmed with the instructions, actually it’s very easy and once you have the first sheet you will not believe how easy it is to create your templates, your style, your creativity.
1.- Create an empty sheet of the desired size in Photoshop, you may use Album DS New sheet for this.
2.- Draw a shape layer in this sheet, to do this please select the Rectangle tool in Photoshop with the settings shown in this picture. The settings panel is available below of the Photoshop menu, if you can’t see it please select Window – Options in Photoshop. Remember that the rectangle too also allows for drawing rounded corner shapes, ellipses or even custom shapes.
3.- Now that you have a shape you need to resize it, let’s say you want a 5×7 proportional shape. Please select the move tool in Photoshop and activate “Show transform controls” in the options.
Click at any of the shown corners in the shape and the options of the Move tool will appear in Photoshop.
Input your desired proportion in the fields 3 and 4, you have to write the units like 7in or 10cm. Don’t worry if the shape is too large or too small for now, the only important thing is the proportion.
4.- Press Shift and while keeping this key pressed resize the shape layer with Photoshop’s Move tool by dragging on one of the corners. You should have a perfectly proportioned shape layer in the whished size now, but you only have one …
5.- Copy this shape layer. You may dragg it in the layers palette to the “Create new layer” icon or simply press Alt and drag it to between 2 other layers. This will create copies of your original shape layer.
6.- But all layers are one over the other now, just take the Move tool ( remember to activate “Show transform controls”) and move them. You may Auto select the layers but I recommend to select them in the layers palette for a better control.
7.- Align the layers using the Move tool options: Select 2 or more layers in the layers palette ( click at the first, then press Shift and click at the other layers), once the layers are selected you may use Photoshop’s Move tool options to align them. This option are at the right of the options panel:
- Align top edges
- Align vertical centers
- Align bottom edges
- Align left edges
- Align horizontal centers
- Align right edges
- Distribute top edges
- Distribute vertical centers
- Distribute bottom edges
- Distribute left edges
- Distribute horizontal centers
- Distribute right edges
8.- Using this tools your shape layers will be perfectly distributed and aligned.
9.- Of course you may resize your shape layers again and reposition if needed. Please select the multiple layers you want to resize / move and use the Move tool as before ( remember to press Shift while resizing to keep proportions).
10.- Creating more layers is very easy, select the ones you want to copy ( multiple layers) and copy them by dragging to the New layer icon or pressing Alt and draggin between 2 layers in the layers palette. Select Move tool and position the new layers in the sheet.
11.- Remember that Photoshop will allways help you automatically to position the layers, you will notice a slight stop in the move process when a layer is aligned with another.
12.- You may also rotate one your proportional layers in 7×5 to create a 5×7 one using the Move tool, resize it and align with the rest.
13.- Very important: Don’t rename the first part of the shape layers name, the first 5 letters should be “Shape” ( or the appropiate translation in your Photoshop’s language like “Forma” for spanish) allways or Album DS will not work correctly.
Bon’t be overhelmed with the instructions, actually it’s very easy and once you have the first sheet you will not believe how easy it is to create your templates, your style, your creativity.
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