It is fun and easy to make a Puzzle of your favorite photo and then scrap it!
Just use Photoshop Elements or Photoshop to help you make a puzzle right away!
With Photoshop Elements it is very easy to make a Puzzle out of your favorite photo in only 8 simple steps! Same goes for Photoshop CS3!
But if you have Photoshop CS4 or CS5 you will have to take a few additional steps first before you can follow along with the 8 simple steps - (so for those using Photoshop CS4/5 after reading this article, then see the bottom for Bonus information that will help you!)
Start Making Your Photo Puzzle Now!
Ok, if you have have Photoshop Elements or Photoshop CS3 then this what you do to turn your photo into a cute puzzle!
(Note: we are going to show how to do this in Photoshop Elements, but it works the same for Photoshop CS3 (and these steps will also work for Photoshop CS4, and CS5, but only when you have the Texture folder installed –see additional info below to help with this)
8 Easy Steps to Turn Your Photo into a Puzzle and Scrap It:
Step 1: Open up a photo that you want to turn into a puzzle in Photoshop Elements or Photoshop.
Step 2: Duplicate the Photo layer and make another photo layer to work with(see #1) and hide the original layer (see #2), it will be there in case something goes wrong or you want to change something.
Step 3: On the duplicate photo layer, apply Filter->Texture->Texturizer.
Next, click the small button and then on the fly-out Load texture
Step 4: Find your Texture Folder on your Computer in the Photoshop Elements (or Photoshop) Directory
After clicking on the Load Texture button, it will bring up a window, and you will need to navigate to where your software program is installed (note: different computers may have it in different places), and then you need to find where the Textures folder is located on your computer. For example, for my Photoshop Elements 8 the texture folder is at this location (see #1 and the path below), and this might be a good place for you to start looking for yours too.
Paths to Texture Folder below:
C:\Program Files (x86)\Adobe\Photoshop Elements 8.0\Presets\Textures
If you can’t see it in the Photoshop Elements Directory above then it might be in: C:\Program Files\Adobe\Photoshop Elements 8.0\Presets\Textures
Note: Photoshop CS3 directory might be in these locations:
C:\Program Files (x86)\Adobe\Photoshop CS3\Presets\Textures
C:\Program Files\Adobe\Photoshop CS3\Presets\Textures
(Note: Photoshop CS4 and CS5 don’t come with a preloaded texture folder, so you must install it before you go look for it and before you can use it! See at the bottom of this article for some tips on how to get a Texture Folder for Photoshop CS4 and CS5 programs)
Step 5: Get the Puzzle Texture loaded.
Once you have found where your directory is located and where the Texture Folder is for your specific program, then you can select the Puzzle.psd texture (see #1 below).
Select and click the Open Button.
Step 6: Set the settings for your Puzzle Photo.
Now you can test out the different settings on the right and preview the results on the left: by increasing Scaling you can make each piece of puzzle bigger and by rising Relief you add more emboss to your puzzle.
Once you have the photo puzzle the way you like then click the Ok button or to start over click the Cancel button.
Step 7: Cut some of the puzzle pieces out and arrange.
To make your puzzle look more natural, cut out pieces of the puzzle and then arrange them a little bit away from the main puzzle (see below). Select one piece with one of the selection tools like the Quick Selection Tool and after it is completely selected, press Ctrl+X to cut it out, make new Layer and press Ctrl+V to paste it. Apply a Drop Shadow effect to main puzzle and also to the puzzle pieces.
Step 8: Put your puzzle and puzzle pieces into a digital scrapbooking project. Move the pieces away from the main puzzle to look more realistic.
This project is very fun to do – try it and see how easy it is to do in either Photoshop Elements or Photoshop!
Enjoy!
Cheri
Bonus Information for Photoshop CS4 and Photoshop CS5 users. Your program doesn’t come with preloaded Texture Folder. So if you want to do the steps above to make a puzzle then you will need to get the texture folder for your specific program and install it in your programs directory.
Follow these links to Adobe.com for more information on how to do this and to get the download extras – which include the Texture Folder.
Adobe Photoshop CS4 Optional plug-ins (Including the Texture Folder)
Adobe Photoshop CS5 optional plug-ins (Including the Texture Folder)
Adobe’s “Read-Me document” included in the download folder will tell you how to install the Texture folder into your program directory on your computer. Once you have the Texture Folder in your specific Photoshop CS4 or CS5, then you can follow the directions above and make a puzzle too!
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Then check out the The Tea Party Digital Paper Kit 2 (11×8.5″ or 
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These papers can be used in a variety of ways in your digital scrapbooking projects, and can be rotated to work in a vertical or horizontal layout! Being able to rotate and use as 11×8.5″ or 8.5 x11″ makes these papers useful for many digital scrapbooking projects like calendars, recipe albums, photo books, and more! Also, because this paper kit is formatted in US paper size, it makes it easier to print out on home printers! This kit comes with a bonus embellishments too: a tag, a flower, a bow and tea time note paper embellishment!
