Rene Marker

Love your layout! Amazingly, that is one set of SWL templates that I don't have (and I have a lot... over 42MB of her templates). I do have the cutout version of the globe though. Liz has had some wonderful shape templates over the years including the now retired cutout sets for all 50 states, DC and USA. She also had previously done over 10 years ago some state templates that had photo spots inside the shape of the state. She never completed the series and retired them before she moved to The Lily Pad in 2016. I have been using some of her cutouts as titles on pages and experimenting with different ways to highlight them. These were my latest (basketball done in March and the other in April).

Cutter tool is also available in the Preset Shapes tool. I found a video on Corel's site about it: How to Cut Out Shapes and Text - Corel Discovery Center

Text Tool!

I haven't had the problem again and it was only after using the one script (Open A Copy) and it changed it to compatibility with PSP8. It wouldn't bother me if it saved as X8 because I do use X8 a lot and I don't use the features that are not X8 compatible at this time. I just cannot use 2023. I have too many issues with the main one being the issue of it not always going to the layer I'm selecting and especially the bottom layer. So I actually have reverted to using 2021 for all my scrapping. But it doesn't always run scripts right especially the Credit List Compile script that I use on every layout. So I always save my layouts then open them in X8 to run that script, add any text and save. I then go back to 2021 to do any final touches and save the jpg copies. I do text in X8 because I have had issues with the text tool at times in 2021, especially if I have a lot of it. Text wrapping is wonky as well and will actually shut down the program on me. So I do hit save quite often when scrapping because I lost a lot during the Story Teller Workshop on one of the layouts. So I'm a multiple version user of the program!

Back to the topic of favorite purchase... Awhile back I had bought the Multi-Tool Script then promptly forgot I had it. When I made a page in OneNote for all of the scripts and their descriptions, I took time last week to add the graphic so at a glance I could see what the script does. Because Bow #2 and Bow #10 doesn't tell me a whole lot! LOL I saw I had the Multi-Tool script. So this weekend when scrapping with a template with lots of layers, I decided to try it. When I scrap I usually turn any of the template layers off (hide them) after I've added my stuff then go through and delete them one by one at the end. So with over 20 hidden layers I figured I'd give the script a go.... Loved it! Best of all even though it has four tools (delete empty layers, delete hidden layers, re-number the layers in order, unlink all the layers), I was able to say no to the 3 tools I didn't want to use. I can't see me using the renumbering or unlinking tools at all. Delete empty layers is a maybe but I usually end up deleting empty layers as soon as I notice them. For me, the tool scripts have been the most useful but I can see using some of the Element scripts for the next build-a-kit workshop ? I have played with a few of those. I did like the Custom Kit Buttons script once I got it to work. Wouldn't work in PSP2021 but worked just fine in X8. I did have an odd result using raster-to-mask on the template I was using. It was not masking the circle template element but making the mask layer solid black. So I looked at the template again and specifically the circle. It appeared to be very close to the edge of the canvas. Turns out it was actually off the caanvas by a small amount. I moved the circle away from the edge and ran the script again and it worked perfectly! So now I know that if something is on the edge of the canvas, move it a little if I want to use raster-to-mask. For my layout, after doing the merge-group-rename on that mask layer, I was able to move the photo into the original spot on the template.

I just looked it up on my computer. I have that font. Have had it forever. Never use it but somehow it is one that I remember the name. LOL

Looks like Jokerman.

Love the use of the plaid. I need to do more of the layering of background papers. One of the designers at The Lily Pad does live sessions monthly where she scraps a layout and she does this quite often.

No ladies, you are not alone. In the 15 years I've been digi scrapping I have downloaded a lot of free stuff and purchased a lot of kits from various stores. Quite a few with good intentions that have not happened. Many I had even forgotten I had. Several years ago I made a vow to myself that I was going to use kits I already had instead of always buying new stuff. But I had to figure out what I had! After trying a couple of things I finally landed on a system that is working quite well for me. Since I have mainly kits that were purchased that have the previews, I put a copy of every preview into a folder of its own. Then I set up Adobe Bridge (it is free), to read that folder. I also set up keywords for each preview. My keywords are mainly by theme. Bridge also has a way to label an image with colors so I chose to use a red label for kits I have used and a yellow label for templates I have used. I have so many templates and some I really love and like to use a lot! So now when I scrap I go to Bridge and filter it so I can look through the unused templates and kits to see if I can find something that will work. I am happy to say that I have added a lot of labels to both kits and templates! I don't feel like I wasted my money on that stuff anymore. And, I have found some real gems in those kits. That's actually how I found the kit that I decided to use for my Build A Kit workshop. (But, yeah, I still buy new kits... especially when there are big sales like this coming weekend. LOL!)

I also used NoteTab when learning to code webpages but I did get the paid version. I did several websites 25 years ago and did the coding from scratch. I haven't had those websites for years but I am thankful for the classes I took on learning HTML coding and CSS coding. I can actually look at the coding of a page and see where/why they are issues. Sadly I no longer have the program since I've had multiple computers since then. I never thought to move it to the next computer since I wasn't using it... But coding of webpages is so far advanced of what it was in the 90's.

I am a visual person and like having the icons where I can see them either on the taskbar or on my desktop. I also use the stuff when it is readily available. I also dislike the search function in windows and prefer not to use it if I don't have to. But that is just me!

Scatters can be many things including paper or metal. They can be translucent or not. If I use a scatter there are times I don't even use a shadow. But for the most part I use a very small offset (maybe 1, 2 at the most). The opacity is usually 50 or lower with a blur of no more than 10. But there are times the the scatter item is thicker so the settings would need to be adjusted just like adjusting for different types of flowers or frames.

I still resize before using the JPG optimizer. I've been using it so long that I prefer it over using the save as even though it basically does the same thing. I just know what settings that work best for what I'm doing whether it is a 3600x3600 page or the 600x600 pixel size. And, it is one click to get to the settings in the optimizer. If I want to see the same thing in the save as, I have to click on options (so a 2nd click) then click OK then save (I don't like the slider).

Yep. Like you I would forget to use it since I had to go through the start menu to find it.

I'm curious as to what highway this is since I live in Ohio (although the other side of the state).

At first I was copying the text documents from each script into a WordPerfect document but that was a pain when I wanted to look up the info when I ran the script. I also have them on a spreadsheet I keep with info about Scrapbook Campus, again putting the info from the text document on it. But it was also a pain to look up stuff when running a script. So I took the time the other day to set up a tab in my OneNote Scrapping notebook for the scripts. I have a page listing all that I have purchased and another page for my "to be purchased" scripts. I then organized them by type - Tool, Element, Photo with the main page listing all scripts bought from that category. Each category then has a page for each script where I copied the text document. I have thought about putting the preview on this page as well for each script, just haven't done it. When I was playing with some of the scripts the other day, I had OneNote open to my scripts section and would have the info on the script I was using on my 2nd screen. Really helped since with some scripts you need a blank canvas and I can never remember which ones!

I have only ever used it on PSD templates and have had no problems. I'm guessing it was something with the specific template that caused the glitch. I scrapped 4 of my week in review templates yesterday and used the Raster To Mask and Merge Group Rename on all of them. Worked so well, I did bind them to my custom toolbar!

Thanks! No hurry though if you are doing it for me. I don't use the script very much. In fact, today was the first time!

Well, that explains the problem I had earlier with saving the files. I was playing with some of the scripts earlier and like I said when I went to save the template, the compatibility had changed to PSP8. I know I didn't change it. But I just thought I'd go through some of the scripts that I had tried out and check the compatibility after running the script. First script I tried: Open A Copy. Just used it on a photo. Checked the compatibility.... PSP8! My compatibility before running the script was X8-2021. Changed the settings back to X8-2021 and double checked by trying to save a blank image. Correct settings. Did a second test. Ran the Open A Copy script then checked compatibility... PSP8. So is there something in that script that is changing the compatibility in the save as option?

I was saving a template that I have been using all of 2023 that has one vector text layer. Simple text... 2023 in Calibri font size 22 and bold. I was using PSP 2021. I have never had a problem with saving this template since my compatibility is set to X8-2021 Compatibility. But I kept getting the vector error message. I finally thought to look at the compatibility and it was set to PSP8... and I didn't change it!!! So my question is what changed between PSP8 and PSP2021 in how text is handled in the program that would cause the vector issue. I don't think I ever used PSP8 either.

Well, haven't had a chance to play with all of them but the one script I did use I'm kicking myself for not getting it sooner... Merge Group Rename. I always drag and drop my photos into the layer palette of the template I'm using so it keeps the image name but I always lost that when merging the group so would have to rename the merged layer. Now I don't have to ?

It is not online for the most part. The notebooks are saved on your hard drive. I do not use any of the online features of any Microsoft programs aka OneDrive. I have copied notebooks from old computers to new computers on my own. If you choose to sync your notebooks between computers or other devices (iPad, tablet, phone), then yes online is needed. I don't do that. I even have 2 computers (desktop and laptop) and I do not have them sync. I don't need everything on my laptop that I have on my desktop. When I do need something on the laptop I use a thumb drive to transfer the info.

One Note is a free Windows app. Don't have to have any version of Office to have/use it. I've started using it again and have set up a notebook for Scrapbooking. I am working on getting all my notes from various places into it. So far my PSP tab in that notebook has the most information in it.

I have learned over the years to embrace clusters but I really am a clean and simple scrapper. However, a small cluster can help add a pop to the page and sometimes helps to hide an imperfection of a photo. A well done simple cluster can actually be used as a border for a photo, like the sketch in this challenge. I still cannot cluster heavily like some scrappers do but then their reason for scrapping (which they admit to) is for an artistic outlet. Some of them use the same photos over and over. I am a storyteller and my photos tell a story so I do want them to be front and center on a layout. But I have found that small clusters can really add a little extra to the layout but not take away from the story. Here is the layout that my cluster was used on. The template had the paper strip under the 3 photos as a journaling strip. I had a large amount of journaling so instead of making it super small and unreadable, I chose to use it for the cluster. The template used was a freebie at one time by Scrapping With Liz.

I was working on a layout for my cousin with pictures from Hurricane Ian so thought I would use this cluster sketch to add to it. There was a space on the template where it would work since the template had a paper strip. I just used elements from the kit I was using (Stormy Weather available at Sweet Digi Scraps). Background paper is not the paper from the layout though.