What are you working on (in February 2025)?

[Sue Thomas]

  On 2/5/2025 at 10:29 AM, Harmony Birch said:

I am working on a design for a community Mural for the community garden where I live, the outlines of the design will be traced onto paper and transferred to a square made of either multiple mini canvases or multiple tiles and different community members will colour in their portion of their design however floats their boat, then the design will be reassembled, possibly framed and hung on the garden wall. In consultation with the other craft group members this is the design we have put together from a painting of a garden plaque. I used several 3d effects to emphasise the edges and then added a vector circle and added text on a path with a quote we all liked. 

When we eventually finish the project I will take a photo and update.

Expand  

Very nice. I am not being critical, but may I make a sugestion.  Use a vector to create the  black trim around the image. That way you will avoid the jagged edges. 

[Julie Magerka]

  On 2/4/2025 at 5:15 PM, Cristina said:

The original from Melissa Shanhun

 

Expand  

I've looked her up too. Thanks for suggesting her name.

 

[Corrie Kinkel]

  On 2/4/2025 at 5:15 PM, Cristina said:

The original from Melissa Shanhun

 

Expand  

Very nice and I was wondering if you could stuck to your intention not to scrap and just study 🤔

[Corrie Kinkel]

  On 2/5/2025 at 7:12 AM, Anja Pelzer said:

Hi all, now I found the time to download Affinity 7days trial version, and worked with the videos

here are my layouts

   kit Innerstorm by Neia

 

 kit Summer Sizzle by Jumpstart Designs

 

 kit Delicate Daydreams by Jumpstart Designs

 

 kit Cooking passion by Maria

 

 kit Miscelanous by Lynne Anselc

 

Expand  

Anja great that you found time enough to give Affinity a try and a pity that you didn't got the 90 days trial version. This are lovely layouts! Have you already decided if you will buy Affinity and take it further?

[Corrie Kinkel]

  On 2/5/2025 at 7:07 PM, Sue Thomas said:

Back on the Prairies, it's an almost white out, and snowing, which isn't anything new for this time of year.   What better way to spend the afternoon indoors, in the warm being creative. 

I downloaded Carole's  freebie mask from Creation Cassel blog.  I like to creatve my own elements, which may be time consuming on times, but well with it.  It is always a sence of achievment, especially when I can remember how to do them without having to refer to tutorials. 

Expand  

Nice to see you back "in action" after your trip. I find it always take some time to adjust being home again and start my daily life after a trip. Lovely photo of that sparrow which is more colorful than the ones we have here.

[Sue Thomas]

  On 2/5/2025 at 10:48 PM, Corrie Kinkel said:

Nice to see you back "in action" after your trip. I find it always take some time to adjust being home again and start my daily life after a trip. Lovely photo of that sparrow which is more colorful than the ones we have here.

Expand  

It does take some time to get back into the swing of things, especially  when I've been away  for almost 8 weeks. From adjusting to the time difference to the frigid  temperatures.   At least I  gain 6hrs coming back. Lol

[Anja Pelzer]

  On 2/5/2025 at 12:40 PM, Cristina said:

You've been busy, Anja!   Lovely layouts.

It's a pity you didn't get the Affinity 90-day trial version.  You could use it in the Magazine Workshop starting in about two weeks, on February 17.

 

 

Expand  

thank you I wait for a sale 80€ for one is a bit expensive .

[Mary Solaas]

PSP - Lab 13 Mod 9 - requirements: Chicken Wire Pattern (put it on the background layer); Chevron ribbon (on the left side). I used the chevron stripes for a plaid paper and for a stripe paper - which I used as a pattern for the small paper and for the fill on the main title. The grill cluster is from PS - Jessica Dunn (one of my favorite designers); the title of grill master is also from PS - Elif Sahin. The title font is Comic Sans MS. The main title was inner bevelled and shadowed.

[Harmony Birch]

  On 2/5/2025 at 7:13 PM, Sue Thomas said:

Very nice. I am not being critical, but may I make a sugestion.  Use a vector to create the  black trim around the image. That way you will avoid the jagged edges. 

Expand  

Yes I am really not sure why the edge has gone jagged because I did use a vector shape to create the cirlcle. Any suggestions as to what I may have done wrong are gratefully received.

[Cristina]

  On 2/5/2025 at 10:38 PM, Corrie Kinkel said:

Very nice and I was wondering if you could stuck to your intention not to scrap and just study 🤔

Expand  

It was a short-lived decision. 😅

But I want to learn the programs the same way I learned PSP many, many years before I met Carole.  Back then, I knew nothing about scrapbooking.

It was a high-quality, free course that started by demonstrating the most important tools and how to use them.  The course also included written material and homework every two or three days.  I still want to do that with the PSE and Affinity programs. 

In addition to studying, I was creating other things to practice what I had learned, and that was when I stumbled upon Mellissa Shanhun's video on YouTube. 

It was a basic layout, as I wanted, so I would spend less time making the page and more time learning how things are done.  This way, there is no pressure to create something fancy, just the ABC of scrapbooking.  And I had fun! 🙂 

 

 

 

 

[Cristina]

  On 2/5/2025 at 11:18 PM, Anja Pelzer said:

thank you I wait for a sale 80€ for one is a bit expensive .

Expand  

I'm also unwilling to pay 80€ for the app, as I got the PSE for much less. 

[Michele]

  On 2/6/2025 at 2:10 AM, Harmony Birch said:

Yes I am really not sure why the edge has gone jagged because I did use a vector shape to create the cirlcle. Any suggestions as to what I may have done wrong are gratefully received.

Expand  

It might simply be that when you downsized it to post here that the image was distorted. Does it look jagged on your original?

[Sue Thomas]

  On 2/6/2025 at 2:10 AM, Harmony Birch said:

Yes I am really not sure why the edge has gone jagged because I did use a vector shape to create the cirlcle. Any suggestions as to what I may have done wrong are gratefully received.

Expand  

I can not  hesitate even  a guess as to what you did. My suggestion would be to use the pen tool to create the  circle, then using ' from vector shape' tool in selections to edit it to your liking. That way  you will retain  a prefect shape. I hope this helps you.

[Sue Thomas]

I haven't done one of these layouts for a while.  The photo fitted the bill for this particular layout. One photo duplicted twice, with  the blackbird promoted to a new layer. The words Semper Gratus is Latin for   Always grateful

Edited February 6 by Sue Thomas

[Susan Ewart]

  On 2/5/2025 at 7:12 AM, Anja Pelzer said:

Hi all, now I found the time to download Affinity 7days trial version, and worked with the videos

here are my layouts

   kit Innerstorm by Neia

 

 kit Summer Sizzle by Jumpstart Designs

 

 kit Delicate Daydreams by Jumpstart Designs

 

 kit Cooking passion by Maria

 

 kit Miscelanous by Lynne Anselc

 

Expand  

These are all very beautiful Anja.  I really love the Owl and the Dark Days one.

[Susan Ewart]

  On 2/5/2025 at 9:47 PM, Julie Magerka said:

I've looked her up too. Thanks for suggesting her name.

 

Expand  

Me too, turns out I found her when I was looking for PSE scrapbooking.  

Edited February 7 by Susan Ewart

[Cristina]

Yesterday I was working with Affinity. 

There are so many things I like in Affinity, and one of them is how we can centralize an image using the Green and Red Lines.

I learned two techniques with Text (Text Warp and Text on a Circle) from two different channels that popped up on YouTube.   I watch many videos that have nothing to do with Scrapbooking, PSP, PSE, or Affinity, and I never searched for anything of the kind on YouTube. Still, the algorithm knows and keeps suggesting those videos, and that it's good. 🙂

Text Warp:

• I like very much the effect.  It was not on the video, but I added some bevel and shadow.
• I would have liked to have the Bevel and Shadow shown more in the P and R characters, but I don’t know (yet) how to do it.

So, first the original pepper image and then the warped text.

 

[Cristina]

Now the Text on a Circle technique.

I find it very easy to do this in Affinity. I didn't learn yet in PSE.
Interestingly, the Shape (circle) disappears as soon as we start to write the Text.   It shows here because I duplicated the  Circle Layer. 
Other things I liked:

• How to centralize the Text using the little Green and Red Triangles.
• Moving the baseline slider to change the text offset.
• Using the Reverse Text Path button.   After using this, and while writing a Text on another image,  I noticed that the Reverse Text Path Mode was still On. I had to click the icon again. I’m not sure if this is by default.

Here are the examples of this technique:  Text around a Circle, Reverse Path, and Text on an Image.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I once read it, but I don't remember where someone praised Affinity as the opposite of PSP because the app doesn't crash.   Of course, each PC and each laptop have different configurations, which influence how a program behaves, but Affinity has crashed about 4 times for me, doing various things. No program is perfect, although PSE hasn't crashed yet.

 

 

Edited February 8 by Cristina

[Rene Marker]

@Cristina, may I make a suggestion? Could you post your text information in the Affinity forum? That way the information doesn't get lost in these threads in the future. Maybe make a thread for "examples" using Affinity. 

I haven't played with it lately, actually have been working in PSP on a project I'm way behind on. I haven't even gotten around to playing with text so I'm glad you posted what can be done. I do need to try the text on a path and reverse text. I could never get it to work right in PSP. User error I'm sure. 

[Corrie Kinkel]

  On 2/7/2025 at 2:48 PM, Rene Marker said:

@Cristina, may I make a suggestion? Could you post your text information in the Affinity forum? That way the information doesn't get lost in these threads in the future. Maybe make a thread for "examples" using Affinity. 

I haven't played with it lately, actually have been working in PSP on a project I'm way behind on. I haven't even gotten around to playing with text so I'm glad you posted what can be done. I do need to try the text on a path and reverse text. I could never get it to work right in PSP. User error I'm sure. 

Expand  

Rene the LilyPad site you have referred to has it in their list of tutorials as well! So if you have time to explore I find those tutorials very helpful and easy to follow and it is all written out too. A good idea to post everything directly related to Affinity on a different part where al the tips and tricks are assembled, everybody can benefit from them.

[Susan Ewart]

  On 2/7/2025 at 11:42 AM, Cristina said:

Now the Text on a Circle technique.

I find it very easy to do this in Affinity. I didn't learn yet in PSE.
Interestingly, the Shape (circle) disappears as soon as we start to write the Text.   It shows here because I duplicated the  Circle Layer. 
Other things I liked:

• How to centralize the Text using the little Green and Red Triangles.
• Moving the baseline slider to change the text offset.
• Using the Reverse Text Path button.   After using this, and while writing a Text on another image,  I noticed that the Reverse Text Path Mode was still On. I had to click the icon again. I’m not sure if this is by default.

Here are the examples of this technique:  Text around a Circle, Reverse Path, and Text on an Image.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I once read it, but I don't remember where someone praised Affinity as the opposite of PSP because the app doesn't crash.   Of course, PCs and laptops have different configurations, which influences how a program behaves, but Affinity has crashed about 4 times for me, doing various things. No program is perfect, although PSE hasn't crashed yet.

 

 

Expand  

Wow Cristina you are on a roll (or would that be a circle? 😄).  These are fabulous and I absolutely love the pepper, so creative.  Neat to see what other programs strengths are.  I have been lucky with reverse text in PSP, in that it works for me, still need the instructions sometimes though.  Have you had a chance to do some layouts in one program and then took it into another program to use an effect (assuming you'd have to convert to psd first) because it's easier or it's an effect the one program doesn't have?  I wonder how hard or easy it is, or is it a hassle?  You are trilingual in 3 (or more?) programs, that's so impressive.  

[Rene Marker]

  On 2/7/2025 at 4:02 PM, Corrie Kinkel said:

Rene the LilyPad site you have referred to has it in their list of tutorials as well! So if you have time to explore I find those tutorials very helpful and easy to follow and it is all written out too. A good idea to post everything directly related to Affinity on a different part where al the tips and tricks are assembled, everybody can benefit from them.

Expand  

Oh, I've checked out all the tutorials on LilyPad. Even before Affinity, I would look at them for tips and try to figure out how to do things in PSP since most of the tutorials are PS/PSE.

[Donna Sillia]

I am working on seamless patterns using tips from our last Masterclass. I made the hearts using preset shapes, then manipulated them into various sizes and angles and applied various blend modes with a pink gradient background.

[Julie Magerka]

  On 2/7/2025 at 2:48 PM, Rene Marker said:

@Cristina, may I make a suggestion? Could you post your text information in the Affinity forum? That way the information doesn't get lost in these threads in the future. Maybe make a thread for "examples" using Affinity. 

I haven't played with it lately, actually have been working in PSP on a project I'm way behind on. I haven't even gotten around to playing with text so I'm glad you posted what can be done. I do need to try the text on a path and reverse text. I could never get it to work right in PSP. User error I'm sure. 

Expand  

I don't use text on a circle with reverse text on the bottom half very much, but when I do, I end up feeling thick-as-a-brick and have to watch Carole's video again to make it work.

[Julie Magerka]

  On 2/7/2025 at 5:12 PM, Susan Ewart said:

Wow Cristina you are on a roll (or would that be a circle? 😄).  These are fabulous and I absolutely love the pepper, so creative.  Neat to see what other programs strengths are.  I have been lucky with reverse text in PSP, in that it works for me, still need the instructions sometimes though.  Have you had a chance to do some layouts in one program and then took it into another program to use an effect (assuming you'd have to convert to psd first) because it's easier or it's an effect the one program doesn't have?  I wonder how hard or easy it is, or is it a hassle?  You are trilingual in 3 (or more?) programs, that's so impressive.  

Expand  

Cristina is now tri-app'd! I'm trying to get that way too! But haven't had much time to "play" or learn lately.

 

  On 2/7/2025 at 5:12 PM, Susan Ewart said:

Wow Cristina you are on a roll (or would that be a circle? 😄).  These are fabulous and I absolutely love the pepper, so creative.  Neat to see what other programs strengths are.  I have been lucky with reverse text in PSP, in that it works for me, still need the instructions sometimes though.  Have you had a chance to do some layouts in one program and then took it into another program to use an effect (assuming you'd have to convert to psd first) because it's easier or it's an effect the one program doesn't have?  I wonder how hard or easy it is, or is it a hassle?  You are trilingual in 3 (or more?) programs, that's so impressive.  

Expand