Photo Tip: Holiday Card Recipe

Here is a quick and easy way to use some of your photos to make personalized Holiday cards.  Using your own images as templates will make your card unique and set it apart from the standard card designs offered my many online outlets.

 

In the tutorial below we show you how we made our holiday card in PhotoShop by using a Christmas tree image and a family photo.

 

Step 1:  Take a background photo

 

For the holiday cards you could shoot something festive and colorful.  It could be as simple as a Christmas tree image below.   We picked an image where the background was a bit out of focus as it helped bring the eye to the ornament in the foreground. 

 

 

Step 2:  Resize photo

 

Size your photo to match your output.  We sized ours at 6" x 4" with a 300dpi.

 

Step 3: Duplicate background layer

 

As we have mentioned in earlier tutorials, it's always best to work in a duplicate layer.  Create a duplicate layer by using Control "J" on a PC, or Apple "J" on a Mac. 

 

 

Step 4.  Elliptical Marquee

 

Next use the elliptical marquee tool, with the feather radius set to 10 and make a selection on the ornament.   Here is where you can find the elliptical marquee tool:

 

 

Make sure you are working on the duplicate layer.   Drag the selection to a size smaller than the ornament and if needed move and center the selection.   Note: this might take a few tries.  This is the area we chose to select with the elliptical marquee (seen here in close up):

 

 

Step 5:  Deleting the selection

 

Once you have your elliptical marquee in position, hit delete.  To make sure that the selection has been deleted you will have to turn off the background layer. You will now see the checkered pattern on the duplicate layer:

 

 

Deselect and rename the duplicate layer ‘ornament.'  (double click on the type in the layer drop down bar to rename)

 

Make sure you save you work.

 

Step 6:  Take a family photo

 

This could be close up of your child, a group shot of your children, an image of your pet or it could be your portrait - anything that strikes your fancy.

 

Step 7:  Resize family photo

 

Resize the family photo so the head size of the subject fits nicely in the ornament in the background photo.

 

Note - Make sure the dpi on the background image and the family photo are the same.

 

Step 8:  Move family photo

 

Using the move tool, move the family photo on top of the background photo.  You will now see the new layer in the layer palette:

 

 

Step 9:  Sandwich the family photo

 

In the layer palette, move the family photo so it is in between the background layer and the ornament layer.  Click andhold on the family picture layer, a hand shows up, move the layer down.  Label the layer ‘family.’ 

 

 

Using the move tool, adjust the family photo till the face appears in the ornament.

 

 

Step 10:  Playing with the opacity

 

If you want change the opacity, to let more of the ornament come through, while you are still on the family layer, move the opacity down to around 90%.   As you can see above we kept ours at 95%.

 

Step 11:  Write a message

 

Using the type tool write your message on the left side.  We chose a darker pink from the Christmas ornaments and used the Bookman Old Style font. 

 

 

Step 12: Printing

 

Your card is now ready to serve to family and friends.  Print it out yourself or send it to AOL Pictures to have prints made.

 

Give it a try and show us what you created with your photos.

 

Happy Holidays!

 

- Kathy