Hello everyone! I like to add my layouts here and browse the gallery often, but you probably haven't seen me around the forum very much. However, I'm here lurking and soaking things in!
Recently, I came up with a page design that I really want to make and it includes a very specific element- a shaped button. I couldn't find the exact button shape I envisioned, but I DID find it at a craft store. How do I take this button and make it where I can use it on my digital layout? I am assuming I need to photograph or scan it or something similar to when I would digitize a drawing or writing. But... if anyone has any tips to do this the best way, I would appreciate it. I have access to Illustrator, PSCC, and PSE (though I don't really love PSCC, but use it when I need to).
Thanks in advance!
Hello there, fellow lurker! (Well, I'm a part-time lurker.)
You'll need to scan or photograph your button, and then use a graphics program to extract it and save it with a transparent background.
For a photo, you'll need a camera that takes decent quality photos. Phone cameras are perfectly fine. Pop your button on a smooth white background - cardboard, piece of paper, sheet, etc. - and photograph it in a well lit area. Natural light is great. Take your photo looking straight down at your button. The closer, the better. Much easier to extract a large button than a smaller one.
Open your photo in your editing program of choice (PSCC or PSE are better for this), and remove the background. You can do this in several ways - magic wand, pen tool, eraser tool - it depends on what you know and feel comfortable using. There are heaps of tutorials on extracting images for both PSCC and PSE. Once you've got your button extracted, save it as a .png and use it forever!
This is a pretty brief overview but I'm happy to help with what I can if you have any questions
I can't help you with the scanning, because I photograph my stuff, but the basic principle is the same. Scan your button at the highest quality you can, and then extract it in a graphics program.
And your layouts in the gallery are AMAZING.
Thank you SO MUCH! I thought that was the idea of it. I'll give it a try here in the next few days (as soon as we finish painting my daughter's room and all her displaced stuff is back where it belongs so that I can actually get into my craft room and retrieve the button!).
And thanks so much for your kind words about my layouts! That truly made my heart smile.
Desiree, the process you are thinking is called extraction. There is a good topic on it here: https://www.digitalscrapbook.com/forums/digital-scrapbooking/digital-scrapbooking-discussion/how-to-scan-and-extract-items
I extract on Photoshop, usually with lasso tool. Try to avoid magic wand if you can, though you shouldn´t have that much of an issue, since as far as I understood you´ll use this ellie only once.