Leaderboard

This was a fun project! Last year in June I and my other three sisters found out we had a fourth sister that we did not know existed until she happened to take a DNA test. I took one myself, as well as my other sister that lives in Australia, and sure enough we matched as half-sisters! In August, my Aussie sister came to visit when our new sister came to NC from TX to meet us. I hadn't seen my Aussie sister in 20 years! We also traveled to GA to visit some more family. It was the highlight of my year! The four of us went and got matching tattoos (middle picture)

Here is todays layout. I like learning all the new things, most of which I had forgotten from doing the PSP bootcamps! And once again I struggle with finding the right papers to match my project, so I waste so much time trying different ones, but as a friend said to me, it's all about learning, not perfection. This is a dear cousin of mine who sadly passed away last year 3 months after celebrating her 93rd birthday. The photos are of Estelle and my daughter who she treated like one of her own granddaughters.

I have been busier than usual with other matters lately so will upload my only project to date.

Project 4 Day 9 Many years ago, in New Zealand, we had a company, Crown Lynn, that created ceramic dinner plates, side plates, and dessert bowls, as well as cups & saucers. I think most households would have a crockery set in their kitchen cupboards, I know we did. These sets have become rather expensive items now, sold in Thrift Shops, online, etc. They also made some beautiful swan vases. I loved the photographs from the gallery and am not so fond of the vases. A couple of years ago my art class went on a tour of art galleries, art studios, and museums. At the Eastern Gallery, in Gore, was an exhibition of the Crown Lynn swan vases. There were some stunning photographs, as well as a few swan vases set around the gallery. I took a few photographs of these exhibits. I have used the kit, suggested by Carole, by Tricia from True Heart Digitals. The swans.

Project 4 completed. I have finally found out how to select multiple layers with FX then clicking CTRL and processing the same effects for all layers. I needed to click the plus sign to the right of the Outer Shadow. Once I did that the required effects showed on the right. I am very excited that I have finally found out how to do that. I still have so much to learn and after watching this last tutorial by Carole I realize how much she knows. Thank goodness for her help. The three photos on this project are very old. My eldest daughter is now almost 60, so yes, very old. It was wonderful being able to bring them back to life again.

Well I've done another layout, felt I had to do it again to reinforce the learning. I'm not used to using a lot of embellishments, and feel that this might be a bit over the top!

Project Four - almost a day late. Tried a couple of other things including using a glyph. I used five photos instead of three because I think they tell a better story. One thing I DID try but ended up failing at was bringing in a brush from an image. It looks like gonna work up to a point but then when actually apply it, it only shows part of it...a very small part. Could be because the image file was very large. Gonna have to play with that.

I created another layout for Project#3 to practice the "Layer>New Pattern Layer from Selection" that Carole showed in the video. I did it differently in the layout I've posted before. I also tried text with an outline. Fonts: Brandish and Typewriter

Project 4, I used one of the kits Carole suggested from True Heart Digitals. I also had issues with the eraser brush, but I finally got it to work. I went with a scallop edge, I thought it fit the theme better. I know it was mentioned to use masks instead. I find that one of the hardest things to do and I don't know why. I would love to learn how to do that so it works!

This was certainly a workout for me as just when I thought everything was falling into place it fell apart! Good learning curve for sure. For some reason when creating borders for the photos, the photos kept turning to black and white images and the colour kept defaulting to no colour - several hours it took to get the borders right - I have no idea what caused it as each one eventually worked and I was completing the same steps each time. This layout is a bit busy and bits of a few kits were used - stars from ashaw-nowshowing and ps_brooke-gazarek, the duck from Summertime BBQ, grass and background paper from GOF_Born to be Wild, the zig zag layer from True Hearts Digital, the stripe paper from MontiCow, photos my nephew, font Bodoni Classic.

Project 4 I went with the layout in the video because it fitted my photos so well, but I again didn't use a kit. The background paper is from Sweet Moments gl20 from Marissa Lerin as are the scatters and the other papers are from Digital Scrapbook Blog train december 2024. The mushrooms are from DB Magnolia in the juli Blog train and the leave comes from my stash The font is Fairy Tales, a freebie from Creative Fabrica. With every layout done I'm getting more comfortable and I'm surprised how quick this program works with setting shadows for all the layers, but also with saving and resizing. I understand I'm lucky the program hasn't shut down on me so far, but saving my project regularly has become a second habit after many PSP crashes. When I want to apply a shadow I still look at the spot on my screen where that option was in PSP and it still feels strange that you do not have to apply it after choosing the shadow settings. Carole I didn't found the kerning, only the leading; I'll have another look around tomorrow. When I took a peek at the Affinity website there is a section where you can buy some supplies and the last entry is a free brush pack. Those are now in my Affinity brushes!

Now, Project#4. This time, I included a Gradient Outline to the photos. The shadows and other effects were added from the Quick Fix tab. As there are no Picture Tubes or Carole's Scripts in Affinity, I included the ones I’ve created in PaintShop Pro. Fonts: BauhausCMedium and Beauty and Love Script.

Still getting caught up. Here is my project 2. (Layering is easier now with the help of your suggestions and the cheatsheet and putting my elements between the layers as like clipping masks in PS!) Thanks 🙂

My Project-3 again with a shadow under the title, thank you Carole for pointing that out, I thought I had finished this layout after a couple of hours away from the pc and just posted it without checking if everything was as ok. Can happen and can be added.😘

Day 9 - Project 4 Freebie blog train april 2014 mini kit from Elizabeth Minkus

It's been a little while now but after my grandparents passed away, a man contacted one of my aunts and it turns out they had a brother they did not know about. We STILL don't know the whole story but believe that he was reported stillborn to my grandparents (by a shady country doctor), then sold to an adoption ring. He was adopted by wonderful parents in Illinois (my Grandparents, Mom and Siblings grew up on a farm near Jackson, Minnesota). Needless to say, the DNA tests proved they were 100 percent siblings and they all met shortly after. Uncle Ron was welcomed to the family and has been a part of most events since he came on the scene. Since that time, my mom and both my aunts have passed on and he is "the last man standing" for that generation of the Hansen Family. I took an old family photo, found a photo of my uncle Ron at approximately the right age, and added him to the picture, then did my best to colorize it however for best result, I submitted it to an AI type photo enhancer for the final touchups. I am including both of those photos here AND a photo of my Uncle and his sisters before any of them passed away. It will only let me post two of the three here so the last photo will be in the next post.

My project for today once again features one of my photo composites. It's the one I use for my profile picture and was created for one of our monthly challenges at Affinity Photo Creatives. I also wrote the little poem that goes with the image.

It wouldn't let me upload the 600x600 so I changed it to 500 x 500 and it uploaded. Any reason why your requested size is too big? Need to start a new journal of what I'm doing so that I can follow along with that to keep track of the steps I've used. Go COMMANDers! I get a lot of my papers and graphics from Creative Fabrica. Great site to use.

Day 9, Project 4. I enjoyed this one. For me, it felt easier to do in Affinity than in Paintshop. The photos are from Freepik as are the two png flowers. The papers are from a kit by Meagon Johnson called January.

Here is the photo of my Uncle, Mom, and Aunts after they got together.

I will admit that I have let things slide around the house during this time. Also, with the extremely cold weather, I have no desire to go out so I have more time to look at videos and play with the software. I was supposed to have a doctor's appointment today (1 year checkup from my surgery last January) but I called yesterday to see if I could get it changed because of the cold. I don't want to take the chance of being on the highway and something happening with the car (it is a 90 minute drive). Thankfully, they had something next week when the temps will be more seasonal. So that left me with even more time. Heck, my new glasses came in today and I didn't even go get them! Not sure I want to go tomorrow either. Feels like temperatures have been below 0 degrees Fahrenheit since yesterday and will be again tomorrow. The scrapbooker I know that uses Affinity Designer posted a tutorial at The Lily Pad today on how to warp shadows. I've played with it and it is really easy since she shows how to get the shadow on another layer.

Project 4. Rudy is very bad at Hide & Seek. He forgets his tail or a paw. And when I call him, he peeks out and says, "Shhhhh! I'm hiding!"

I can definitely see the differences between Affinity Photo V1 and the newer V2. I struggled with creating the pinking edges because the tool wouldn't erase from one edge to the next like in the video. I had to carefully erase the edge while keeping the mouse in a straight line. There’s probably an easier way to do it, but I don’t think my scrapbooking style involves using too many fancy edges. Still, it’s great to explore and learn what the software can do!

Great layouts everybody!!! @Cindy Sheets I know you like to create layouts that might differ from the tutorials, but this Day 5 project does not seem to use ANY of the techniques shown in the video. I am not even sure what tutorial you followed (if you followed one). Which one were you "trying" to follow? @Jeni Simpson Did you use the snapping to align your photos? Since they are not of the same orientation and size, I can assume you still used the snapping? I see you are gradually catching up. Those swans are interesting. How large are they? @Daniel Hess I also occasionally forget to click on the effect, even though I check the box. Obviously, it does not work! Now, after doing it a few times, I realize that the available settings are different so I can catch myself. @Saara Thank you for pointing out the non-destructive abilities of Affinity. After using PSP for over 15 years, I will definitely have to change my perspective on the workflow. I guess that one advantage of the digital scrapbooking is that if one uses a paper and cuts it "wrong" or the user changes their mind, it is super easy to start over with another copy of the paper. I can see how that is different when working on a photo composition with multiple adjustments. And your photo compositions are fantastic! I hope we will have more opportunities to see more. @Jenny MacKayYou managed a great result with the pinking edge! I am surprised that the function with the Shift key was not part of V1. Hopefully, those tutorials will give you an idea if you want to upgrade to v2 at some point. Your layout is great and you were successful in making that multicolored title. @Angela Tilghman The dimensions of the image is not the limiting setting but the file size. By changing the quality, you should be able to reduce that file size. Great use of the multicolored text. @Rene Marker Glad to see you are also exploring the program further. I could not integrate all the tools and techniques in the Bootcamp. We'll have to look at more in future workshops. I might have to look at the tutorial about the warped shadow. I already have one tutorial schedule on that topic. I wonder if she does it the same way I do!? @Gerry LandrethCute layout and certainly cute photos. I can't imagine playing hide and seek with my cat! @Sharon Murray If you were already familiar with PS, I guess some tools and functionalities in Affinity do feel familiar. That will make it easier for you. Good work. And great story about your sisters. @Corrie Kinkel All those text settings are "hidden" in a different panel. Go to Window > Text > Characters and you will find a LOT of additional settings for your text. You can also access it by clicking on the lonely "a" in the middle of the Text toolbar. @Linda Rexford I guess we might need some lessons and practice with those masks to work with non-destructive effects. I agree with you that the scallops fit the theme very well. @Linda J Walker Linking layers is a bit more convoluted in Affinity than in PSP. Are you able to just select both layers at once and move/resize themtogether? If you are more comfortable, you could also group them. @Jean Naumann Great layout and I am glad you are learning/relearning things with this program. @Alice DanielGreat layout. That dog is very photogenic! As I am trying to keep track of everyone's projects from the tutorials, can you clarify which one you were trying to replicate? I track those for the random draw at the end of the Bootcamp. Keep posting. Tomorrow, you will have a day off and then, you will get the last project tutorial. Looking forward to seeing more layouts.

This was very unexpected, to say the least! Several family members ended up doing DNA tests and we found out other interesting things about our family that some will not accept, but DNA does not lie. Unfortunately, our dad died in 1988 and I wholly doubt he ever knew of our new sister. Her mother passed in 2021. I would bet your will fill your 5th g grandmother - more and more people are doing DNA tests every day and the data base is always growing. Good luck ♥

Don't feel too slighted. Many Americans couldn't tell you where the states are or name them if they saw a picture.

The power of DNA! I love to hear stories like this! I have done DNA, my mom also tested several years ago. I hope to find my 5th g.grandmother someday thru the power of DNA 😀

I made this layout the other day using PSP but waited to post until the swearing in ceremony had actually happened. And, it happened this afternoon. I used a retired template from Scrapping With Liz and a kit from a retired designer. The fonts are Baker Signet and Aristocrat (title).

I didn't follow Day 9 completely. I'm not a fan of "pinking shears" at all. Never used them in paper scrapbooking as well as digital scrapbooking. So I skipped it. I only use any paper with an edging (like scallops) if the template I'm using has them and are mostly hidden under lots of paper layers. LOL For the outline portion of the lesson, I chose the Outside option. Instead of flood filling it with a color, I used a paper, actually the same glitter as my Day 7 layout since I used the same kit. My photos were the same size so I again put them into a group to resize. After I made the outline using the paper, I moved the layer under the photo and put the 2 layers in a group. The other thing I tried was adding the drop shadow to the group. It worked for what I wanted as I only wanted the shadow on the glitter paper.

I have now figured out the color picker (sort of) and got the outlines (frames) to work. It's great being able to be able to add frames after the images are in the layout. I used to add the borders/frames before I used them in the l/o.

Carole, Project 4--added the white border to my photos....but the border is on a new layer. That is okay but I am going to need to move my photos and maybe change the size some. I can change the size of the photo, but the border doesn't change--how do I make them change together???

Project 4 - I'm sure no one will notice that I left out the "pinking shears" effect on one of the papers. 😛 The dog belongs to a friend (American Retriever, named Duke). They take lots of pix of him and often share them with me. Fonts used are: Concetta (script) and Cracked and Bold. No kit, just bits and pieces from here and there.

I mainly followed the third tutorial whereby I placed the three photos and then moved them, activated artistic text tool, and added shadows on the papers using the control key to select several layers using the FX outer shadow function. I maybe should have added a faint shadow to the leaf/flower design.

Carole, this is the paper under the photos in Project#3, but I added some noise to give a "glittered" effect. Another subject: I had some issues with the shadow appearing in the above layer (?), but I assumed at first it had to do with the different blend modes of the same paper. But learning two new programs at the same time doesn’t give me much time to look into that. I will test this after the workshop. I'll post the page and the original paper (without blend mode) for better understanding.

Now, I am going to read the previous posts. There is always a lot to learn from the comments.

Thank you. There's no way I could create those compositions using destructive editing as I would have to start over so many times and they take me long enough as it is. I do really enjoy doing them though.

Hmmmm. I've never had any issues with the colour picker. "D" is the shortcut key to revert to black and white. Doing this shouldn't affect anthing in your design, but if you click somewhere in the working area outside of the canvas first that will ensure you have nothing selected.

I tried that on one of the pix and it didn't work. Thanks for the reminder. I will try again. The trouble also is resetting the color picker. It keeps reverting to red for some reason. Can't get B & W, the default. Then when I change the colors, it affects the image!

I just find it a better way of working. Even for something as simple as trimming a paper element down to size. If you make a selection the size you want and then delete everything outside of that selection, it's fixed at that size. If you decide later that you think it would fit with your layout better if it was a bit bigger, you can't resize it without risking pixelation, so you'd have to delete the layer and start again. If you used a mask (leaving the paper layer covering the entire canvas), selecting the mask layer and then clicking on the mask icon on that layer whilst holding down CTRL will select the mask and give you the handles to move and / or resize it. If you try this using a heavily patterned paper, you'll see quite clearly that it doesn't move or resize the actual paper layer, but rather move the mask around over the top of it.

Re: the puppy's name. Our last Doberman before Tyson was named Rambo. We OFTEN called him Bo and he would "answer" to it so it was all good. Photo is of Rambo.

Day 7 Project 3 I chose to stay at a lovely cottage, in Riverton on the south coast of the South Island of New Zealand, for my 70th birthday, a few years ago. Riverton is a lovely peaceful town, settled by Scottish settlers including my great grandparents, who married there. I loved the decor of the cottage. There were lots of blues with some pop of colour here and there. The kit is Homecoming and the Sept2024 glitters.

Well I had to learn those in Elementary and I'm Dutch and have always lived in my country!

I had that happening until I realized I was forgetting to add the pixel layer and do the fill on that layer.

Saara, yes, blend modes react to the layers below, and that's why I was surprised it had affected the upper layer. But I do not have time right now to check this and test where the culprit is. I'd be happy if you could find it. 😊 Affinity has different blend modes than PSP, and contrast negate is one of them, so I was playing with it to see the effect. Thank you for the tip about recolor adjustment. You have more experience with the program, and I very much value every tip you give. Taking notes! 🙂

@Cassel I have finally found out how to select multiple layers when using FX. I needed to add the plus sign to the right of Outer Shadow, when I did this, it opened up the Layer Effects that were missing before. I now feel relieved.

The only pinwheels I recall (and still see in dollar stores) have sticks. Yours are so pretty and perfect.

Day 5: Okay, the flood background eraser is AWESOME! But, ugh, when I would copy the picture over to my project it didn't want to allow me to move it. I don't know what it kept selecting but I finally deselected enough times on the project and the picture that I was finally allowed to move it after it was pasted into the project. I am a bit partial to this, though the triangle and square are blah, but worked as my shapes for this project.

Project - 3 Because life was interfering the last couple of days I started all over with project 3. I'm getting used to the rasterize command and look at the little icon before I do something. I like the place command and how to make a pattern from a seamless tile. The dropdown list for the fonts is so much easier to read! Some things really are easier in Affinity. All the papers and the flowers are from kits in Digital Scrapbook Blog train of Februari 2023 and the hummingbird is from the September 2024 Homecoming Blog train. The glitters are by cass-BR-03 and the metal flourish is by Chantahlia Design. Title font is Broadway with an innerglow instead of a shadow it is a bit like a bevel and the font for the quote is Lucinda Handwriting. For the background I used 2 papers and played around with the blendmodes and opacity until I got the color I wanted. There are more blendmode options then in PSP, nice because I like to use blendmodes.

I was working on Project #3 last night. When I was finished, I saw that Carole had already posted her comments for the day in the forum, so I decided I would wait and take another look at my project today...usually I can see typos and things to change if I step away for a bit. Today I did see some things to adjust, and I'm sure tomorrow I will see more 😆 But posting now anyway! I don't remember who made the comment, but I will agree, Affinity has not crashed on me yet! That is a plus. PSP has made me learn to save often, sometimes every time I added or changed something. It doesn't really seem to matter which version I am working with, it will often just close down. If I have not saved the file, I am starting over. Affinity has not done that for me...I fear I am getting lazy about saving...

Project 3 features River, Lynda (RIP), and Rudy. The papers and elements are from several places. Carole: Thank you for clarifying the use of the Inner Shadow. Once I zoomed in, I could see the difference.