Grid+ Layouts User Guide by Bojan Zivkovic

Default user guide for designandeasy Grid+ Layouts

Contents Requirements and description

Using Grid+ Layout Actions

How files are organized

Step 1 Display Actions panel Step 2 Load Grid Layouts Actions Step 3 Expand Grid Layouts Actions set Step 4 Select and run action Step 5 Setup document Step 6 Choose file to replace image_1 Smart Object layer Step 7 Transform placed object Step 8 Choose files for other placeholders Step 9 Set stroke width Step 11 Change Stroke color Step 12 Replace Individual Images Step 13 Make adjustments or apply filter Step 14 Save composition on hard drive Using Grid Layouts Kit Step 1+ Create template Step 2+ Specify document settings Step 3+ Modify Template Step 4+ Place images Step 5+ Customize stroke segments Tip 1+ Creating layouts not included Tip 2+ Distributing images and placeholders

2 2 2 3 3 3 3 4 4 4 5 5 6 6 6 6 6 8 9 9 11

Customization tips

Troubleshooting tips

Tip 1 Transform or move image (object) Tip 2 Fix anti-aliased edges Tip 3 Nudge and customize stroke segments Tip 4 Expand canvas size

12 12 13 13

Troubleshooting 1 Layer image_1-36 is not available Troubleshooting 2 The command is not available Troubleshooting 3 I do not see handles to scale image Troubleshooting 4 After replacing image I do not see it Real World Examples

13 13 13 13 14

Requirements and description Actions are tested on Mac and Windows and works perfectly. Although we can recommend you to use actions with Photoshop CS4-6 there is no reason to not use them with any CS version of Photoshop.

Maximum flexibility This set of actions is created for maximum flexibility. You are not limited in any way since actions are extremely flexible and can be used for any purpose even to create thumbnails or to design business cards. Beside that you have choice for size, resolution, number of placeholders... every layout is easily customizable in terms of number of placeholders, their sizes and positions what is explained later in step by step tutorial.

How actions works Every action have 3 parts or steps which will run continuously without interruptions with pop-up messages between each part to explain you what is the next task to accomplish. In first part you will define document dimensions, resolution, color mode, bit depth and color profile. After that action will create template with placeholders which you need to populate with images or other documents. Second part in action will open Place dialogs for each placeholder in created template where you can choose images or documents to use. You can use any type of document that Photoshop supports including JPEG, PNG, PSD, Ai, PDF... formats. Third part is to choose stroke width. In each action stroke is included as a part of layout and you need to type number in pixels for stroke width. Later you can change you mind and re-run that part of action. You can also modify stroke using layer effects or to alter it using filters and third party plugins.

Additional flexibility and convenience Additional set of actions named Grid Layouts Kit is created for more convenience when defining and creating layouts. Base actions are divided into separate parts: 1. Template Actions to create base template which you can easily modify by changing number of placeholders and redefining their sizes. 2. Place Images Actions which will guide you through steps to populate redesigned template with images or files in any supported format. 3. Stroke Actions where you are allowed to define stroke width which will separate images. 4. Replace Individual Image Actions to replace any existing placed image or file in case you make some mistake when chosing images or you changed your mind.

How files are organized After purchasing our product, you will need to extract or unzip package. Package contains folder Grid Layouts Photoshop Actions with 2 sub-folders: •

Actions

•

Help.

Actions folder also contains 2 sub-folders: •

Grid Layouts Actions with Actions with Grid Layouts Actions.atn file with all actions included in set.

•

Grid Layouts Kit (see Additional flexibility and convenience above on this page)

Folder Help contains PDF user guide with step by step instructions. To get started I strongly recommend you to read: Grid+ Layouts User Guide.pdf.

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Using Grid+ Layout Actions In this first part of step by step instructions you can read how to use basic set of Grid Layouts Actions.atn which is located under Grid Layouts Photoshop Actions > Actions > Grid Layouts Actions folder. Purpose of this set is to help you to quickly create layout with 2x2, 2x3, 2x4, 3x2, 3x3... 10x10 placeholders, place images and ad stroke between images to separate them. Actions 2x2 to 6x6 are little bit different because thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s reasonable number of images or files to work with in this way. The only difference is that placed images in mentioned actions have additional set Replace Individual Image which is located under Grid Layouts Photoshop Actions > Actions > Grid Layouts Kit and allows you to replace any already placed image. Actions are quite easy to use but anyway you must be familiar with very basics in Photoshop in order to start using them. The very basic requirements are that you know how to create new document, place images and save them on your hard drive in appropriate format. Even if you are not familiar with Photoshop actions you can get started by following this step by step tutorial. Actions are one of most powerful features of Photoshop and it is quite easy to use them especially with guided instructions like this one. Using actions one can record specific operations (not all available in Photoshop) and play them at any time. Recorded operations will be performed in a seconds or minutes depend on number of steps and save you tons of times. Photoshop does not make mistakes and always delivers exactly what is recorded.

Step 1 Display Actions panel Start Photoshop and go to Window > Actions.

Step 2 Load Grid Layouts Actions Next task is to load actions in Photoshop. Click on Actions panel menu then click on Load Actions. Navigate to Grid Layouts Photoshop Actions > Actions > Grid Layouts Actions folder, select Grid Layouts Actions.atn file then click Load button at the bottom of Load dialog.

Click on Actions panel menu then choose Load Actions... from the list.

Navigate to folder with actions, select .atn file then click Load button.

Step 3 Expand Grid Layouts Actions set After loading actions click on triangle on the right side of Grid Layouts Actions set to expand it in order to see all actions listed.

Click triangle on the right side of Grid Layout Actions set to expand it and see all actions included.

Grid Layouts Actions set expanded.

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Step 4 Select and run action With Grid Layouts Actions folder expanded click on action name (eg 4x4 Layout) then click Play button. Pop up message will appear. Read message then click Continue.

First click on action name to highlight it then click Play When pop-up message appear, read it then click on button at the bottom of Actions panel. Continue button.

Step 5 Setup document In this step you need to setup document settings in New dialog which will appear. Since actions are extremely flexible and resolution independent you can type whatever size, resolution and bit dept you need. The only limitation in this dialog is that you can not run action successfully in Bitmap color mode. When you finish with settings in New dialog click OK button in top right corner and wait couple of second for Photoshop to do its part.

Step 6 Choose file to replace image_1 Smart Object layer After creating template with placeholders and Smart Object layers clipped to them Photoshop will display new message with explanation of next part in this process: it is time to choose images or documents to replace dummy Smart Object layers which are always filled with solid color and marked with number. Read message and click Continue. Next you will see Place dialog in which you must navigate to file on your hard drive, to select it and to click Place button at the bottom of Place dialog. When placing common formats like JPEG. PNG, TIFF and PSD it will took one moment to see it in your document while placing PDF and Ai files with PDF settings will open additional Place PDF dialog. When placing entire single PDF page just accept default settings confirming on OK button. If you have multipage PDF document select page to place then click OK. Another option is to use only one image from PDF document: first check Image checkbox in Select section of Place PDF dialog then choose image to use by clicking on it and lastly confirm on OK button at the bottom of dialog. Note that placing EPS file format wont display any dialog and Photoshop will rasterize document before placing it.

When Place dialog opens navigate to image you want to use, select it and click Place button.

Step 7 Transform placed object Now that you have object placed and clipped to placeholder 1, it is time to transform and move it around if desired. By default object will be placed at 100% of its size. What you will see on your screen depend on document and placed file resolution too (Read more). 3

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Immediately after placing file Photoshop will display new message with explanation. Read it then click Continue. Note that this pop-up message appears only once during action regardless of numbers of files to be placed. Basically you can use percentage numbers in options bar to scale image or to drag handles. If you do not see handles that’s because image is too big, try using percentages either in Width or Height fields in options bar or press Ctrl/Cmd + 0 (zero) and handles will appear on your screen. After transforming and moving object confirm on checkmark in options bar or by pressing Enter/Return.

Scale image if needed immediately after it is placed by dragging handles.

Step 8 Choose files for other placeholders Next steps are to choose files for the rest of Smart Objects. Depend on layout you will pass exact same process several times as described to replace image_1 Smart Object.

Step 9 Set stroke width After placing all files needed for layout it is time to add stroke. Again on the beginning of this process you will see pop-up message which explains what is task and what you need to do. Explanation is to type odd numbers because stroke command from Edit menu which is used to record this steps will always produce odd number for inside stroke segments. So you need to type in several Stroke dialogs odd numbers like 1, 3, 5, 15... If you need stroke in width with even number of pixels like 2, 4, 6... type that number in all Stroke dialogs then resize inside stroke components manually as will be described later in this guide. When you finish with strokes Photoshop will create group: “custom stroke” with several layers. Each layer contains different component of entire stroke effect. Layers are always named very easy to understand: frame for the outside stroke, horizontal line 1, 2, 3 for stroke components which are horizontal, and vertical line 1,2, 3 for stroke components with vertical orientation.

Type same number for stroke width in all Stroke dialogs which will appear.

Step 11 Change Stroke color After adding stroke you may want to change its color. In Photoshop CS6 you can ad layer effect directly to entire group. Right/Command + click on group and choose Blending Options. Layer Style dialog will appear. Select Color Overlay and choose color by clicking on Set color of overlay rectangle. When Color Picker (Overlay Color) dialog appear 4

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select, type numerical values or sample color from image. If you are working in previous versions of Photoshop you can set Color Overlay for each component of stroke by selecting its layer in Layers panel then visiting Layer Style dialog or to merge all components in group and to change color for all components from once. Right/Cmd + click on custom stroke group then choose Merge Group. After merging layers in group set color overlay and you are done.

To change stroke color in CS6 right click on custom stroke group and choose Blending Options.

To change stroke color in earlier versions right click on custom stroke group and choose Merge Group.

Step 12 Replace Individual Images Additional actions Grid Layouts Replace Single Image are available from Actions > Grid Layouts Kit folder. This set of actions are there in case you changed your mind and want to replace any image in composition with some other on your hard drive. First off course load Grid Layouts Replace Single Image.atn in Photoshop. Here comes in handy image_placement_map layer. Click on empty square on the left side of layer to show eye and content of that layer in order to determine which number is associated with image you want to replace. Click on eyeball to close the eye and to hide image_placement_map layer. Next is to click on Replace image_1 to 36 action name in Actions panel to select it then to click Play button at the bottom of Actions panel. When Place dialog opens navigate to image you want to use, select it and click Place button at the bottom of Place dialog. After replacing image you will be able to scale and move it. After scaling image confirm transformation on checkmark in options bar or by pressing Enter/Return key on your keyboard. Although you can use Replace Contents command to change or replace image I recommend you to always use action instead. Action have recorded step in which layer will be renamed again to the original name eg image_1 so you can reuse action in the feature to replace that image. When using Replace Contents command layer may pick the name of imported file and if you want to use Replace image action later it will fail to play. Reason for action to fail is because action will look at Layers panel for image_1 layer (for example) which wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t exist.

Click on square in front of image placement map layer Click on Replace image_number action name then to see placement map. click Play button.

Step 13 Make adjustments or apply filter After your composition is created you can further enhance images using adjustments and filters. When using non-destructive adjustments click on top most (image_1) image then click on any adjustments icon in Adjustments panel. In this way applied adjustment will affect all 5

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images beneath it. If you want to limit adjustment to only one image (image_2 for example) first select it in Layers panel then click on adjustment icon in Adjustments panel. To limit adjustment to only layer directly beneath it click on clip icon at the bottom of Properties (CS6) or Adjustments panel. Alternatively you can use Create Clipping Mask command from Layers panel and Layer menu. To use filters first select layer with image to which you want to apply filter (image_3 layer for example) then choose filter from Filter menu.

To apply adjustment to all images in composition first select top most image then click on adjustment icon.

Clip adjustment to image directly beneath it.

Step 14 Save composition on hard drive Last step in this process is to save or export image on your hard drive. If you plan to reuse same composition with small changes then always save image in PSD format from File > Save or Save As.

Using Grid Layouts Kit Grid Layouts Kit folder is located under Grid Layouts > Actions. There are 4 sets of actions which will give you most flexibility to create and modify layouts. Each set of actions will perform one of steps from base Grid Layouts Actions. For example you can run action 4x4 Template to create base template with vector placeholders and Smart Object layers clipped to them. After creating base template action will stop playing. You can quickly and easy modify template by expanding boundaries of placeholders or selectively removing some of them. After you finish modifying template run Place Images 4x4 action to replace dummy Smart Object layers with images or any other files supported by Photoshop. In the following steps I will give you few tips assuming that you are already familiar how to load required actions sets what is explained at the beginning of this user guide in steps 1, 2 and 3.

Step 1+ Create template After loading Grid Layouts Templates.atn actions from Grid Layouts Photoshop Actions > Actions > Grid Layouts Kit folder select any of actions name like 4x4 Template for example and click Play button at the bottom of Actions panel.

Step 2+ Specify document settings Next step is to define settings for template like: size, resolution, bit depth and so on. You have maximum flexibility and its on you and your needs to type just any numbers and choose from available options.

Step 3+ Modify Template After template is created action will stop playing. I will skip explain how to modify template for specific purpose and give you general advices:

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Modify vector placeholders To modify or expand any vector placeholder which are named as placeholder_1, placeholder_2 and so on read tip 2 which is in the next section: Customization Tips. Princip is the same, type numbers in W or H fields in Options bar or just drag handles. Setting guides can really help you when modifying templates.

To modify vector placeholder first select layer then enter free transform mode: Ctrl/Cmd + T.

Modifying Smart Object layers Do not modify Smart Object layers as they are created by action. Actually you do not need to modify any Smart Object (always named with image_1, image_2...) if you plan to use Place Images actions. Leave Smart Object layers as they are created although they will appear smaller or bigger then placeholder below to which they are clipped. It is OK because when running Place Images actions you will be able immediately after placing images to scale and move them around. Once again images will be placed in 100% their width and height. Anyway if you insist to modify and Smart Object layers (image_xx) then rasterize it first with right click on Smart Object layer > Rasterize Layer. After modifying layer content convert it back to Smart Object with right click on layer > Convert to Smart Object. This steps are necessary to use Place Images actions because Replace Contents command which is used to record actions is available only with Smart Object layers. Last advice in this section is to hide Smart Object layers if you plan to run Place Images action or just leave it in layout and later delete it. In this way you can succesfuly run Place Images actions without to modify them and later on to delete hidden Smart Object layers and vector placeholders if you do not need them for your layout.

Insted deleting Smart Object layer you do not plan to use simply hide it to run Replace Images action.

Run Place Images actions with modified template After template is modified you will ussualy want to run Grid Layouts Place Images.atn actions located in Actions > Grid Layouts Kit folder. When you make modifications without to change number of dummy Smart Object layers which are visible as single color layer with number on top of it, just run corresponding action to created template. For example if you have Template 4x4 created then run Place Images 4x4 action. In case you want to exclude some of Smart Object layers and perhaps permanently delete them, my suggestion is to hide them temporary. After modifying template run Place Images action 7

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and when it comes to hidden Smart Object layer (image_3 for example) place any image you have on your hard drive because you will delete that layer later anyway. So, first hide Smart Object, run Place Images action then delete hidden Smart Object you do not need in your layout. When you delete any Smart Object layer (image_xx) before placing images it is neccesary to modify Place Images actions. This tip is for more advanced users, by the way. Modification you need to make is to turn off or to delete steps in action which performs operation to place specific image for which Smart Object layer is deleted. For example if you deleted image_3 layer from created 4x4 Template then expand Place Images 4x4 action and turn off or delete following steps: Select layer â&#x20AC;&#x153;image_3â&#x20AC;&#x153; Replace Contents Transform Set current layer To turn off steps with means that recorded steps will be excluded when action plays, click in front of each step on the left side where is checkmark. Checkmark will dissapear and steps will be excluded from action. Indicator for future reference if you have in action hidden or excluded steps is red checkmark on the left side of action name. To delete steps select them then drag to trash can or simply click trash can icon with steps selected. Now some of you are scrabbing heads and asking: is this guy asking us to destroy our actions by deleting steps to sale us again same actions? No, not at all. When deleting steps from loaded sets you will not modify original actions set unless you save modified over them. Just remember to not save modified actions over original, if you want to save modified actions then save them with different name. When you want to load again original actions with all non-modified steps included simply delete folder with modified actions in Actions panel ( Grid Layouts Place Images for example) and reload original from Actions panel menu > Load actions.

To turn on/off step in action click in front of step to show/hide checkmark.

You have and third option available in Grid Layouts Replace Single Image set if you are not familiar enough with actions and how to modify them. When deleting Smart Object layers use this set and actions: Grid Layouts Photoshop Actions > Actions > Grid Layouts Kit > Grid Layouts Replace Single Image.atn to place images or files in remaining Smart Object layers.

Step 4+ Place images After modifying template you will want to place images or files. For that purpose use Grid Layouts Place Images.atn actions located under Grid Layouts Photoshop Actions > Actions > Grid Layouts Kit. After loading set in Photoshop click on actions name which matches created template and run it by clicking Play button at the bottom of Actions 8

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panel. If you have done modifications like deleting Smart Object layers then read Step 3+, section: Run Place Images actions with modified template.

Step 5+ Customize stroke segments Whenever you have customized layout, stroke actions which are part of Grid Layouts Actions and available as separate set: Grid Layouts Photoshop Actions\Actions\Grid Layouts Kit\Grid Layouts Strokes.atn will need some changes too. All stroke segments are always grouped in custom stroke folder in Layers panel. It is quite easy to determine which stroke segment need changes like nudging, moving or sometimes to delete part of line (segment). You can quickly ensure that right segment (layer which contains that segment) is selected by turning on/off visibility eyeball in front of layer. After selecting layer with segment you want to modify, select Move Tool from Toolbox and use arrow keys on your keyboard to nudge it or make selection with Marquee Toool then delete suificient part. For more details how to select and nudge stroke segments read Tip 3 Nudge and customize stroke segments in the next section: Customization Tips.

Tip 1+ Creating layouts not included Obviously there arenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t actions for every possible layout you may need. There is good reason for that. Including too many (every possible layout) would make difficult to navigate and find action user need and on the other hand there is one very easy way to create just any layout. Here is my suggestion: to create layout for which action is not provided like 10x3 for example, simply run twice 5x3 action, expand Canvas Size in one of created documents then move groups with layers from one document to another. Let me be more precise in explanation. Step 1 To create 10x3 layout first run action 5x3 Layout from Grid Layouts Photoshop Actions\ Actions\Grid Layouts Actions\Grid Layouts Actions.atn set. That will be one document. Note: modify template, place images and ad stroke before running same action again to create second layout and document which you will use to combine with one already created. Step 2 Run again same action and specify same settings at the beginning of action in New dialog as for previous one (5x3 Layout in this explanation). You will create second document. Another easier way is to duplicate created document whenever is possible from Image > Duplicate then to run Replace Images actions. Step 3 Expand canvas size for the first document from Image > Canvas Size. When Canvas Size dialog opens click on the middle left side arrow in Anchor section (Relative option unchecked). Ensure measurement units for W and H in New Size section are set to Percent. Type 200 in W (Width) field and leave H as it is or 100%. Confirm modification on OK button. Your canvas size is enlarged to the right side for 100%. Now select all groups and layers you have in Layers panel, press Ctrl/ Cmd + G and give a name to new group: Left side. Ensure Left side group is selected. Expand canvas size for the first document from Image > Canvas Size.

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Step 4 Go to second document and select both groups (ussualy you will have images and placeholders and custom stroke groups) then group them to single group using Ctrl/Cmd + G keyboard shortcut and give it a name: Right side.

Create group in second document and give it a name: Right side.

Step 5 Right click on Right side group and choose Duplicate Group. In Duplicate Group pop-up window select name of first document from Document drop-down list. Confirm on OK buttton at the top right corner.

When duplicating Right side group from second document choose name of first document from Document drop-down list in Duplicate Group dialog.

Step 6 Switch back to first document tab (or window). Right side group will be active and placed above layer or group which was selected in first document before duplicating and moving group from second one. With Right side group selected select Move Tool, press Shift key on keyboard and drag group to the right side. Last thing you should do to achieve result as on screenshot below is to adjust frame stroke (custom stroke group) for both compositions. Delete both frame strokes then create new one around entire document. Duplicate any of vertical strokes and move it where left side is touching right side document. See more in video on YouTube.

With right side group selected press Shift and drag with Final composition useful for web, print but also for Facebook covers. Move Tool to reposition and align all images imported from second document.

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Tip 2+ Distributing images and placeholders Sometimes you will want to create layout with space between images which will be transparent and show through like example below. What you see in screenshot is Layout 4x4 + one extra placeholder drawn (big one on top)

Distributed images with see-through space between.

In that case use actions to create template and place images located in Actions > Grid Layouts Kit. After creating your layout enlarge canvas from Image > Canvas Size then group image layers and placeholders. Select image_1 layer and placeholder_1 then press Ctrl/ Cmd + G. Do the same with all other image layers and placeholders. You can name your groups but anyway group 1 will contain image_1 and placeholder_1, Group 2 will contain image_2 and placeholder 2 and so on.

Group image layers with their corresponding vector placeholders.

Reason to group image layers and their corresponding vector placeholders is because you can easily distribute groups. Move side groups, for example in layout 4x2 you will move group 1 which contains image_1 and placeholder_1 to the left side and Group 4 which contains image_4 and placeholder_4 to the right side. Select groups in range 1-4, ensure Move Tool is active then click Distribute horizontal centers in Options bar.

Select Group 1 and move it to the left. Do the same with Group 4 and move it to the right.

With Group 1 and 4 positioned and groups in range 1-4 selected click Distribute horizontal centers.

Repeat proccess for groups 5-8 (in 4x2 layout). Lastly if you want stroke then add it as layer effect to the vector placeholder. Right click on placeholder_xx and choose Blending Options then set Stroke position size and color.

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Customization tips Tip 1 Transform or move image (object) You can transform and move image or object clipped to placeholder at any time without running action. First select layer with image/object in Layers panel (image_1 for example) then enter free transform mode from Edit > Transform or using Ctrl/Cmd + T keyboard shortcut.

To transform and move placed image/object first select Use options bar or click directly on image with Move layer with image in Layers palette. tool and move it to desired position.

Tip 2 Fix anti-aliased edges Sometimes edges between images may appear anti-aliased or semi transparent. When using stroke effect there is nothing to worry about, stroke will always cover soft or anti-aliased edges. Hoewer here is explanation in case you want to use layout without stroke. Reason for soft or anti-aliased edges can be number of pixels specified for document size at the beginning of action (Step 6). For example: you are using layout 3x3 which have 9 placeholders. Each placeholder in this layout occupies 33.3% percent of document width and height. Number of total document pixels divided with 33.3 will produce sometimes placeholders width with decimal number like 266.56 px. This will cause edges between images to appear anti-aliased or semi transparent. To fix this first click on placeholder which have anti-aliased edges (placeholder_1 for example) then enter free transform mode from Edit > Transform or using Ctrl/Cmd + T keyboard shortcut. Right/Cmd click inside W (Width) or H (Height) field in options bar and choose pixels. Next step is to set reference point. When you have anti-aliased edges on the right side of placeholder click and set reference point to the left edge to freeze it for transformation. Select in W or H field last number and decimals. For example: when you have in W field number 266.56 px, select only 6.56 and re-type with number 7 followed with px so your W length is 267 px . Confirm on check-mark in options bar or using Enter/Return on your keyboard. Problem is fixed, edges will be sharp. When anti-aliased edges appears caused with decimal number for Width or Height of placeholder you almost always want to expand W or H to first next whole number like 266.56 px to 267 px or 478.28 px to 479 px.

To fix soft edges select layer with placeholder, set reference point then change value to whole number.

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Tip 3 Nudge and customize stroke segments If you want to nudge or customize stroke segment using filters or plugins, it is quite easy to do since all segments are on their own layers. All stroke segments are grouped into group named “custom stroke”. Expand group to see all layers which are named logically and very easy to understand. Frame layer is always on top and refers to stroke around entire composition, next is horizontal or vertical_line_1, 2, 3 and so on. To nudge stroke first click on layer with that particular segment (horizontal_line_1 for example), select Move tool, then use arrow keys to nudge segment to the left or right. To distort stroke using filter or plugin merge group or select every individual segment or component in Layers panel then apply filter.

Tip 4 Expand canvas size Sometimes you will want to expand canvas size and add some extra space on top, bottom, left or right. Do that after you finish modifying template, placing images and adding stroke. To expand canvas size and perhaps add some type or logo etc. go to Image > Canvas Size. By expanding canvas size you won’t affect any placed image, vector placeholder or stroke segment.

Troubleshooting tips Troubleshooting 1 Layer image_1-36 is not available When you run action Replace image_1-36 you get error message: The object “layer “image_1(-5)” is not currently available. Message appears because layer image_1(-36) is renamed or missing. In order to run Replace image_1-36 action successfully you must have layer with matching name from this part in action name: image_1(-36) in Layers panel. Expand images and placeholders group and rename particular layer or use Replace Contents command available from right click (Cmd + click) on Smart Object.

Troubleshooting 2 The command is not available Sometimes can happen that some particular step in action is selected then action collapsed. When you try to run it you get error message: The command “Set” is not available. This is an example, error message can be different. Click Cancel and Photoshop will expand action with that particular step from which you tried to run action highlighted. Click on name of action (not step in action) then click Play button at the bottom of Layers panel. Example name of action: Layout 1, Layout 17, Layout 23... Example of step in action: Make layer, Make fill layer, Set selection, Set current layer...

Troubleshooting 3 I do not see handles to scale image If you do not see handles to scale image after placing it, reason is because image is too big. type percentages in options bar or press Ctrl/Cmd + 0 (zero) to see handles.

Troubleshooting 4 After replacing image I do not see it Photoshop always remembers last scaling percentage and position of Smart Object layers. All image layers are converted to Smart Objects by default. It can happen that you scaled and moved big image then you try to replace it with small one. In that case may happen that image does not appear at all on your screen. select layer which contains that particular image, enter free transform mode (Ctrl/Cmd + T) and if you do not see handles anywhere on screen press Ctrl/Cmd + 0 (zero) in order to see them. Click inside handles and drag image to desired position.

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Real World Examples

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