{"id":58297,"date":"2025-09-09T13:48:58","date_gmt":"2025-09-09T20:48:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gingerscraps.net\/gsblog\/?p=58297"},"modified":"2025-09-09T13:48:58","modified_gmt":"2025-09-09T20:48:58","slug":"tutorial-tuesday-potpourri-36","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gingerscraps.net\/gsblog\/2025\/09\/tutorial-tuesday-potpourri-36\/","title":{"rendered":"Tutorial Tuesday (Potpourri)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>Greatest Hits: <span style=\"text-decoration: underline\">W<\/span>ork <span style=\"text-decoration: underline\">S<\/span>mart, <span style=\"text-decoration: underline\">N<\/span>ot <span style=\"text-decoration: underline\">H<\/span>ard!<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-55701\" src=\"https:\/\/gingerscraps.net\/gsblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/GS_blog_TeachYouIWill_Header-500x17.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"21\" srcset=\"https:\/\/gingerscraps.net\/gsblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/GS_blog_TeachYouIWill_Header-500x17.jpg 500w, https:\/\/gingerscraps.net\/gsblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/GS_blog_TeachYouIWill_Header-768x26.jpg 768w, https:\/\/gingerscraps.net\/gsblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/GS_blog_TeachYouIWill_Header.jpg 783w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Today&#8217;s <span style=\"color: #ff6600\"><strong>Tutorial<\/strong><\/span> first appeared in April 2017 and was the thirtieth tutorial I&#8217;d written for <span style=\"color: #ff6600\"><strong>GingerScraps<\/strong><\/span>. I&#8217;m a firm believer in working smart, not hard, so I put together a whole post filled with tricks and tips to make scrapping easier and more efficient. If I&#8217;ve missed anything that I&#8217;ve come up with since, I&#8217;ll add them in!<\/p>\n<p>Here are all my <strong>Work\u00a0Smart\u00a0Not\u00a0Hard<\/strong>\u00a0tips and tricks in one place. We all have busy lives and could use a little help to streamline our workflow. So we can scrap more layouts, right? Can I get an AMEN??<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Use a template<\/strong>\u00a0if you\u2019re short on time. They take out the drudgery without eliminating creativity. If you\u2019re like me and have a gazillion templates in your stash, it can be more time-consuming to find the one you want to use than it would be to wing it and build your layout from scratch. I\u2019ve developed a way of expediting my search by\u00a0<strong>relabeling the previews<\/strong> with some key words my File Explorer search menu can track down. It was a gargantuan job to go through all of the ones I already had but it was so worth it! What do I do, you ask? I had to decide what system I wanted to use first. To do that I had to think about how I select them in the first place. I usually choose photos first, so my labeling system needed to reflect that. And although I rarely make 2-page spreads, I thought it might be easier to find what I\u2019m looking for by putting that in the label too. My main categories then are \u201c<strong>single#<\/strong>\u201d and &#8220;<strong>double#<\/strong>\u201d. Then I thought about some other factors that relate to templates and started adding labels like \u201clarge\u201d to templates with large photo spots, \u201ccircle\u201d and \u201csquare\u201d for those predominating shapes, \u201cblend\u201d for templates with blended photos, and \u201cmask\u201d for those with masks. Your labels should reflect how YOU work, so don\u2019t feel like you need to duplicate what I do, just because it works well for me. Do what works for YOU. If you start with the new ones you download and do it as you\u2019re unpacking your zip files, then gradually work your way through your existing collection, it\u2019ll save you a lot of time in the long run.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>This is what a search for a \u201csingle3\u201d template in my <span style=\"color: #ff6600\"><strong>GingerScraps<\/strong><\/span> stash looks like:<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-18702\" src=\"https:\/\/gingerscraps.net\/gsblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/Template-selection-500x281.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"338\" srcset=\"https:\/\/gingerscraps.net\/gsblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/Template-selection-500x281.jpg 500w, https:\/\/gingerscraps.net\/gsblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/Template-selection-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/gingerscraps.net\/gsblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/Template-selection.jpg 800w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>With the extra-large view, I can scroll through the whole list in a matter of a couple of minutes and choose the one that fits my desired photo(s) and kit(s) selections.\u00a0<strong>Right-clicking<\/strong>\u00a0on the preview image and selecting\u00a0<strong>Open File Location<\/strong>\u00a0takes me to the folder where the template lives. And away we go! (P.S\u2026 <strong>keyboard shortcuts<\/strong> to follow in a single list.)<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>When working with templates, once you\u2019ve added an item onto your canvas and moved it into position over\/under the place-holder template symbol,\u00a0<strong>look for all similar items<\/strong>. <strong>Duplicate<\/strong> the one you\u2019ve just added and move it up or down the\u00a0<strong>Layers<\/strong>\u00a0panel until it\u2019s just above or just below the symbol. Then nudge it into position on the layout over\/under the place-holder symbol.\u00a0<strong><span style=\"color: #ff0000\">**<\/span><\/strong><span style=\"color: #ff0000\">If you\u2019re working with a pre-shadowed template, copy the symbol\u2019s\u00a0<strong>Layer Style<\/strong>\u00a0and apply it to your element\u00a0<strong><em>BEFORE<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0duplicating, so you don\u2019t have to do each layer individually.<\/span><strong><span style=\"color: #ff0000\">**<\/span><\/strong> Do this with each element of your template and all that will be left is to create a title and do your journaling. If you\u2019re not using a pre-shadowed template, you can select all similar layers and shadow them with your <strong>Drop Shadow Styles<\/strong> (either default ones that came with your software, or those you\u2019ve purchased) all at the same time. Trust me, this will save you a LOT of time! [Editor&#8217;s note: IF you&#8217;re doing your own thing &#8211; no template &#8211; and you&#8217;ve created a cluster or other assemblage of objects you&#8217;d like to <strong>Copy<\/strong> to position somewhere else on your layout, you can <strong>Select<\/strong> all of those objects by clicking on the first layer, holding down the <strong>Shift<\/strong> key and clicking on the last layer, then use the keyboard shortcut <strong>CTRL\/CMD&gt;J<\/strong> to <strong>Duplicate<\/strong> all of them in one set of moves!]<\/li>\n<li>Speaking of shadows\u2026 remember that whatever you\u2019ve typed should\u00a0<strong><em>never<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0look like it\u2019s floating. Journaling, sub-titles and date labels \u2013 anything you use a <span style=\"text-decoration: underline\"><strong>FONT<\/strong><\/span> for \u2013 should sit directly <strong>ON<\/strong> the paper below it. No shadows.\u00a0<strong>NO<\/strong>\u00a0shadows. The exception to this rule is if you\u2019ve turned your font into a sticker; then you can apply a very slight shadow to it to show that it\u2019s a sticker.<\/li>\n<li>And speaking of text\u2026 If you\u2019re going to use more than one font, remember to\u00a0<strong>Simplify<\/strong>\u00a0your text layers as you go along to prevent the software from changing the font on\u00a0ALL\u00a0your text layers. This is more than annoying!<\/li>\n<li>I like to\u00a0<strong>create<\/strong>\u00a0my\u00a0<strong>titles on a separate canvas<\/strong>. That lets me see what I\u2019m doing without any distractions. I have a general idea how I want it to look in terms of shape and size, so I\u2019ll select a canvas size big enough for me to move things around and see it all clearly. I like to use alphas with or without a font, and it\u2019s nice to see what I\u2019ve got going on without trying to take everything else into consideration. Once I think I have it right, I\u00a0<strong>Merge<\/strong>\u00a0the individual alphas for each word together then\u00a0<strong>Link<\/strong>\u00a0all the layers together so that when I move the title onto my layout, everything goes, but I still have some flexibility to adjust placement in order to fit it better into the layout.<\/li>\n<li>Don\u2019t be afraid to turn off the\u00a0<strong>Visibility<\/strong>\u00a0of other layers if you\u2019re trying to stitch a ribbon down, apply a staple or brad, or for any reason. Stitches and staples, just like text, should be on the layer immediately above whatever they\u2019re securing. (If you want to turn on or off\u00a0<strong>Visibility<\/strong>\u00a0for a lot of layers, hold down the left-click mouse button as you move the cursor over those creepy little eyeballs.) Once you\u2019re happy, you can turn all the other layers back on.<\/li>\n<li>Make good use of\u00a0<strong>Layer Masks<\/strong>\u00a0to add more realism to your layouts. The advantage of the\u00a0<strong>Layer Mask<\/strong>\u00a0is that it\u2019s easy to correct over-zealous erasing by simple toggling the white foreground colour to the background, the black background colour to the foreground and painting back whatever you oopsed on. With this nifty trick you can dangle a charm from a string or a ribbon, make a paper clip look like it\u2019s really holding two sheets of paper together, twine a ribbon or a vine around some flowers and twigs, tuck a flower into a pocket\u2026 really, anything your imagination can conjure.<\/li>\n<li>If your\u00a0<strong>Panel Options<\/strong>\u00a0aren\u2019t set to give you a <strong>full-sized thumbnail<\/strong> in the\u00a0<strong>Layers panel<\/strong>, you may want to rename your layers as you go along so you know what\u2019s where. Don\u2019t know how to\u00a0<strong>change the layer name<\/strong>? Double-click on the label <strong>PSE<\/strong> has given the layer in the\u00a0<strong>Layers panel<\/strong>\u00a0and type in whatever you want. Want to\u00a0<strong>change your thumbnail size<\/strong>? Click on the little icon that looks like a stack of papers at the upper right corner of the\u00a0<strong>Layers panel<\/strong>\u00a0right next to the trash can icon. Then select\u00a0<strong>Panel Options&gt;Thumbnail Size&gt;Jumbo<\/strong>. Also make sure\u00a0<strong>Thumbnail Contents&gt;Layer Bounds<\/strong>\u00a0is selected, otherwise what you\u2019ll see in the\u00a0<strong>Layers panel<\/strong>\u00a0is a tiny little image in the area where it\u2019s located on your layout inside the thumbnail box. I tried that and hated it!<\/li>\n<li>Learn some\u00a0<strong>basic keyboard shortcuts<\/strong>. There are a lot of them, but you\u2019ll probably only use about a dozen with any regularity. Once you\u2019ve incorporated them into your workflow, you\u2019ll wonder how you ever got anything done without them. I find that my fingers just do it automatically. Below is a list of the ones I use most often, roughly in order of use. <strong>Windows<\/strong> users will use the\u00a0<strong>CTRL<\/strong> and <strong>ALT<\/strong> keys, <strong>Mac<\/strong> users\u00a0<strong>CMD<\/strong> and <strong>OPT<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-18706\" src=\"https:\/\/gingerscraps.net\/gsblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/Shortcuts-375x500.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"450\" height=\"600\" srcset=\"https:\/\/gingerscraps.net\/gsblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/Shortcuts-375x500.jpg 375w, https:\/\/gingerscraps.net\/gsblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/Shortcuts-768x1024.jpg 768w, https:\/\/gingerscraps.net\/gsblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/Shortcuts-435x580.jpg 435w, https:\/\/gingerscraps.net\/gsblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/Shortcuts.jpg 1800w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 450px) 100vw, 450px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>If you want to save this to your computer just right-click on the image and\u00a0<strong>Save Image As\u2026<\/strong>\u00a0and then name it something you\u2019ll be able to find later.<\/p>\n<p>A few other keyboard shortcuts I&#8217;ve incorporated into my workflow are:<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ff0000\"><strong>CTRL\/CMD&gt;G = Create Clipping Mask (attach paper or photo to shape, mask etc) for PSE 14 and earlier<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ff0000\"><strong>CTRL\/CMD&gt;ALT\/OPT&gt;G = Create Clipping Mask (attach paper or photo to shape, mask etc) for PSE 15 and more recent<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ff0000\"><strong>CTRL\/CMD&gt;SHIFT&gt;N = New Layer<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ff0000\"><strong>CTRL\/CMD&gt;V = Move<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ff0000\"><strong>CTRL\/CMD&gt;K = Fill (Paint Bucket Tool)<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ff0000\"><strong>CTRL\/CMD&gt;F = Last Filter Used<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ff0000\"><strong>CTRL\/CMD&gt;R = Smudge Tool<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ff0000\"><strong>CTRL\/CMD&gt;ALT\/OPT&gt;Z = Haze Remover Tool<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ff0000\"><strong>CTRL\/CMD&gt;ALT\/OPT&gt;B = Convert to Black and White<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ff0000\"><strong>CTRL\/CMD&gt;ALT\/OPT&gt;S = Select Subject<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p>If you have any <strong>WSNH<\/strong> tips I&#8217;ve missed, or haven&#8217;t discovered yet, please share them in the <strong>Comments<\/strong> below!<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-55702\" src=\"https:\/\/gingerscraps.net\/gsblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/GS_footer_Jan-500x19.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"23\" srcset=\"https:\/\/gingerscraps.net\/gsblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/GS_footer_Jan-500x19.jpg 500w, https:\/\/gingerscraps.net\/gsblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/GS_footer_Jan-575x22.jpg 575w, https:\/\/gingerscraps.net\/gsblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/GS_footer_Jan.jpg 586w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Greatest Hits: Work Smart, Not Hard! Today&#8217;s Tutorial first appeared in April 2017 and was the thirtieth tutorial I&#8217;d written for GingerScraps. I&#8217;m a firm believer in working smart, not hard, so I put together a whole post filled with tricks and tips to make scrapping easier and more efficient. If I&#8217;ve missed anything that [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":42,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[229,102,284,92,293,62],"tags":[373],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-04-16 03:56:43","action":"change-status","newStatus":"private","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category"},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gingerscraps.net\/gsblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/58297"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gingerscraps.net\/gsblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gingerscraps.net\/gsblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gingerscraps.net\/gsblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/42"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gingerscraps.net\/gsblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=58297"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/gingerscraps.net\/gsblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/58297\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":58299,"href":"https:\/\/gingerscraps.net\/gsblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/58297\/revisions\/58299"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gingerscraps.net\/gsblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=58297"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gingerscraps.net\/gsblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=58297"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gingerscraps.net\/gsblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=58297"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}