Now this might not seem that exciting, but stick with me and you will see some cool magic!

First let me say this trick and work on a broad range digital scrapbooking projects or photo editing activities but to show you this neat trick I am using a simple colored background and an Overlay.

The great thing about this is that when you are done you will have a wonderful new digital scrapbooking paper, and page just from a colored background, and Overlay and using a keyboard shortcut to apply blending modes to the Overlay!

Overlays are generally a transparent pattern, embellishment, or textured background layer which can be added on top of digital scrapbooking pages or supplies. When you add an Overlay on top of another layer in a graphic software program, such as Photoshop or Photoshop Elements, they can enhance and really add texture and depth to your digital scrapbooking page. Just adding an Overlay to a digital scrapbooking project can make it look completely different.

In this example below I will show you how to apply a blending mode to the overlay to get it to magically turn colors! Then a shortcut key that will save time doing this!

For example, in the image above I have taken an Overlay ( #1) and dragged it onto a colored background. Now in the Layers panel we have the drop down menu for the blend modes ( #2 ) right now it is on normal.

If you zoom in you can see that the blend modes has a drop down menu that let’s you select lots of other options.

I could click on the layer I want to be effected and select a blend mode and see what happens. Depending on the layer I pick and the layers below I might see many different surprises! Many of them could really enhance my project. Let’s test one out to to see what happens!

In the example above, when I select the Overlay Layer and go to the drop down menu and manually select the Darken Blend Mode then my Overlay turns green! Wow that make the Overlay more interesting then the boring gray color it use to be!

What if I select an different blend mode? What happens?

In this example it turns my overlay a brown color. Now as I mentioned before depending on what type of layer item you have picked and the one below, your results most likely will be different even if you picked the same blending modes as they react to your layers!

Learn the Secret Shortcut Key for Blending Modes!

So you can see I probably want to go through each of the blending modes and see how it will react to my layers and see which one I want pick. However manually going up to the menu and selecting one by one is a big chore! Wouldn’t it be nice to have a shortcut to cycle through the blending modes more quickly!

Here it is:  To cycle through all the blend modes quickly using the keyboard, use Shift-+ (plus) to change to the next mode, and Shift– (minus) to change to the previous mode.

So using the shortcut key Shift-+ (plus), I cycled through a few of the blending modes. You can see the Overlay change in the workspace and you can see which blending mode it is on in the layers panel.

In the example above I am in the Lighten Blending Mode, it has changed my Overlay to a pink and white pattern.

I kept hitting the keyboard shortcut and discovered many different colors and effects that the blending mode feature did to my Overlay pattern.  I finally decided on the Luminosity blending mode feature.

I liked the way it blended into the original colored background.

Next I take some digital scrapbooking supplies and a photo and scrap my new creation!!! I have some pretty fancy digital scrapbooking paper now!

All this with a simple overlay, a colored background and using my handy shortcut key for trying out neat blending modes! Wow! Who knew it was that simple?!

Once you start using blending modes then you will falling love with this handy shortcut key!

Bonus information about using the Shortcut Key:

• If the blending mode menu in the layers palette has an item highlighted, the keyboard shortcut may not work. If this happens, tap the ESC key and then try the shortcut again.
• If you have any painting tool active, then this shortcut changes the blend mode of the painting tool. Note in the example below the paint tool is changed using the shortcut key:

• Good news!, All of these feature works the same in Photoshop CS5! However, if this doesn’t work for your version of Photoshop then you might try these shortcut keys because in some earlier versions of  Photoshop the documentation says that the shortcut for this action is listed as Shift-Alt + (plus) or – (minus) for Windows and Shift-Option + (plus) or – (minus) for Macintosh.

See the example above the shortcut keys work the same in Photoshop CS5!

Now I hope your curiosity is sparked and you will try this shortcut keys for using the blend mode feature!

Also I hope you are now interested in finding out more about Overlays too!

Read this article to find out more about Overlays and how to use them: Digital Scrapbooking Overlays A wonderful Scrapbooking Supply that is under Used!

Enjoy!

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Get More Overlay Training and Overlays:

Overlays are much easier to use than you might think, especially if you get some help from Digital Scrapbooks and More’s Intermediate Overlay Basic Training for Photoshop or Photoshop Elements!

This training can introduce you to some of the important tricks and tips when using Overlays. Plus, you can learn about combining Overlays, colorizing them, editing them, and you can get additional helpful information about some of the secrets of using Overlays!

The Overlays Basics in Photoshop Elements Training or for training for Photoshop.

Either of these training sets contains 3 downloadable video tutorials, 3 Cheat Sheets for a quick re-cap of the lesson’s steps, and also includes 4 FREE Overlays as an added BONUS!

So what is stopping you? Start using Overlays in your digital scrapbooking projects and find out how fun and easy they are to use! Get training, use Overlays, and create Digital Scrapbooking Projects that have people asking you, “How did you do that?!!”

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Get the Overlay kit used in this article:

The Pattern Overlay.These Overlays are patterned transparencies that are perfect for adding design to make completely different-looking digital scrapbooking pages, or to enhance parts of a page.

They can be used just as they are, they can be colorized, or they can be combined with other Overlays to create an even more impactful digital scrapbooking page.

This Flower Power Overlay Kit is an example of a Pattern Overlay and can be used on top of a colored digital scrapbooking page. Below is an example of the colorized flower Overlay from this kit after it was added to a digital scrapbooking page!

You can see what magic can take place with a wonderful overlay! It is really hard to believe that the gray-looking transparency in this Overlay Kit can make the page look so incredible after it is colorized and added!

I don’t know why people over look this great digital scrapbooking supply – but maybe it is because they don’t know how to use it?

Or it doesn’t look as interesting as other digital scrapbooking supplies?

At any rate Overlays can be one of the most exciting digi-supplies if you know how to use them!

For example see the image above, the digital paper has an interesting pattern of Words and Stars.  But this digital paper just started out with only a red background and then we applied an Overlay to it turned into a spectacular scrapbook page! The image above shows how we took just a red background and applied one overlay to change it into a much more interesting digital paper! See how exciting overlays can be?! Want to learn more? Yes, there is even more tricks you can do with overlays to create special scrapbooking projects1

See the article below to understand the power behind the OVERLAY!

An AMAZING Digital Scrapbooking Supply Secret that the Pros Won’t Tell You About! But We WILL!  
                     (Originally posted 7/1/2009 by Cheri Barlow)

Have you ever seen an incredible Digital Scrapbooking Page filled with gorgeous design and texture and just stare at it, absolutely baffled by how someone could create such a spectacular digital project? When I was a Digital Scrapbooking Beginner, I remember being so awe-struck by projects with swirls and twirls of design with depth.

I found myself wondering, “Man! How did they create that?

It looks real and as though their page is popping off the page! It must have taken hours to create.”

Now I know that that is simply not the case. Many projects with texture and design only take minutes using a common, but often overlooked, digital scrapbooking supply. When designing a new digital scrapbooking page our focus tends to be on using digital embellishments, WordArt, alphas, and even custom brushes. But the Digital Scrapbooking Pros give much more attention to an easy-to-use digital supply and their pages always end up getting a lot more attention. And can you blame them? They just do what works… and this digital supply works!

So what is this secret digital supply? What do the Digital Scrapbooking Pros use that makes their Digital Scrapbooking Projects look so amazing? It’s a little thing called Overlays, my friends, and it’s something that every Digital Scrapbookers should know how to use.

You might be surprised by this. Maybe you have even heard of Overlays before, or (gasp) even used them in your projects! Actually, it’s not that Overlays are uncommon, but it’s more in the fact that not everyone knows how to use these super-supplies to their full potential. Knowing the simple secrets of an Overlay and how to really use them to your advantage is the difference between a good Digital Scrapbooker and a great one.

So why are Overlays so quickly dismissed? Perhaps the reason that Overlays don’t get the attention that they deserve because they are not the best looking in the crowd. It’s easy to just forget all about an Overlay supply when you have so many eye-catching, pretty embellishments and supplies with bright colors, interesting effects, that scream, “Pick Me! Pick Me!” Overlays kind of just sit in the corner, hanging out, standing back, whispering, “”If you don’t pick me, I understand.”

But ordinary Overlays can be extraordinary! Overlays are so similar to the ugly duckling story, where the one that wasn’t so beautiful to begin with becomes a swan. If you choose an Overlay for your project, you can make it become a swan and can turn boring scrapbooking pages into magically textured or patterned works of art!  Who would guess that these rather uninteresting-looking digital scrapbooking supplies had such incredible powers (No wonder the Pros were hesitant to spill their secrets…)!

There are obviously many perks about using Overlays, so once you have moved past the basics within Digital Scrapbooking (complete The Getting Started Series for Photoshop or the Getting Started Series for Photoshop Elements and you will be ready to begin using Overlays!), it’s fun to begin learning what you can do with Overlays to make your projects really unique!

Learn All About Overlays and How to Use them in Your Digital Scrapbooking Projects!

Again, so many of the Digital Scrapbooking Pros keep Overlay information all to themselves (how greedy!). Search the web and you’ll find that there’s little written or said about these wonderfully powerful supplies! But we refuse to keep our fellow Digital Scrapbooking friends in the dark! Here are some commonly asked questions about Overlays:

Question 1: What are Digital Scrapbooking Overlays?

Digital Scrapbooking Overlays are generally digital supplies that are in the PNG file format acting like a transparency. Overlays are generally a transparent pattern, embellishment, or textured background layer which can be added on top of digital scrapbooking pages or supplies. When you add an Overlay on top of another layer in a graphic software program, such as Photoshop or Photoshop Elements, they can enhance and really add texture and depth to your digital scrapbooking page. Just adding an Overlay to a digital scrapbooking project can make it look completely different! For example, if you add a patterned Overlay to a colored Digital Paper, you could create a brand new paper that looked real and 3-D!

The fun doesn’t stop there! You can colorize add effects to the Overlays to really make your pages look interesting! It’s incredible how much you can do with Overlays and how easy they really are to use with just a little bit of training!

Question 2: What types of Overlays are there?

There are several types of Overlays that Digital Scrapbookers like to use, but here are three important Overlays to know about:

Type One: The Pattern Overlay.These Overlays are patterned transparencies that are perfect for adding design to make completely different-looking digital scrapbooking pages, or to enhance parts of a page.

They can be used just as they are, they can be colorized, or they can be combined with other Overlays to create an even more impactful digital scrapbooking page.

This Flower Power Overlay Kit is an example

of a Pattern Overlay and can be used on top of a colored digital scrapbooking page. Below is an example of the colorized flower Overlay from this kit after it was added to a digital scrapbooking page!

You can see what magic can take place with a wonderful overlay! It is really hard to believe that the gray-looking transparency in this Overlay Kit can make the page look so incredible after it is colorized and added!

Type Two: The Background or Paper Texture Overlay.These types of Overlays are used to create interesting Digital Scrapbooking textures. Textured Overlays are the biggest secret of all. At first glance, they really don’t look like much, but with a few scrapbooking tricks up your sleeve, you can create wonders!

For example, using an Overlay Kit, like this Paper Texture Overlay Kit, you can add a real, 3-D look with varying textures to what used to be a dull, one-dimensional colored background. Texture Overlays can also be applied to purchased digital scrapbooking papers with patterns or designs… you don’t have to stick to solid backgrounds only! Adding these types of textured Overlays can give the digital paper a new, interesting look and can change old supplies to make them look new… all without buying new papers!

Type Three: The Embellishment Overlay. These types of Overlays can be added to an existing Digital Scrapbooking Page and act like an digital embellishment. Place them on borders, tags, or other areas, just as you would with a regular digital embellishment. Sometimes they are already colorized so then you just add them to a page, size them, and you’re done!
The Embellishment Overlays can add to parts of a digital scrapbooking page or project. They are easy and fun to use too!

Another type of Embellishment Overlay that is a border,  all you have to do is add the overlay to one of your digital scrapbooking pages, add some photos and you’re finished! This is one reason why digital scrapbookers love this type of Overlay!

Question 3: Are Overlays Easy to Use?

Yes! Overlays are much easier to use than you might think, especially if you get some help from Digital Scrapbooks and More’s Intermediate Overlay Basic Training for Photoshop or Photoshop Elements!

This training can introduce you to some of the important tricks and tips when using Overlays. Plus, you can learn about combining Overlays, colorizing them, editing them, and you can get additional helpful information about some of the secrets of using Overlays!

The Overlays Basics in Photoshop Elements Training or for training for Photoshop.

Either of these training sets contains 3 downloadable video tutorials, 3 Cheat Sheets for a quick re-cap of the lesson’s steps, and also includes 4 FREE Overlays as an added BONUS!

So what is stopping you? Start using Overlays in your digital scrapbooking projects and find out how fun and easy they are to use! Get training, use Overlays, and create Digital Scrapbooking Projects that have people asking you, “How did you do that?!!”

Remember for a limited time you can even get one Overlay for FREE when you sign up for the FREE Digital Scrapbooking Newsletter!

Enjoy this digital secret! Happy Scrapping!

Cheri

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If you want to see other great overlays – like the 4th of July ones we have in our Scrap Shop please check into the Overlay Section!

For example buy the July 4th Digital Overlay Kit , which is a festive collection of 4th of July-inspired Overlays! This is the perfect kit for adding additional holiday design and personalization to Digital Scrapbooking Pages! Overlays are perfect for customizing Digital Papers! Add adorable detail to your 4th of July Digital Scrapbooking Pages and Projects. Use the July 4th Overlays as digital embellishments, or to create interesting digital paper borders.

Get Overlays and a Digital Scrap Kit!

The Freedom Digital Scrapbooking Kit is a full-featured kit to celebrate the 4th of July! Filled with patriotic red, white, and blue papers, you can scrap all of your 4th of July fun! Whether you see a fireworks show, or enjoy some yummy BBQ at a cookout, enjoy your freedom and scrap all the wonderful holiday’s festivities. This kit comes with a Bonus Overlay Kit, 12×12″ digital papers, and digital embellishments!

Besides using the Freedom Digital Scrapbooking Kit for the 4th of July, it is also a great kit to use for scrapping Memorial Day, war heroes, patriotic themes, or even for just for red, white, and blue-colored projects!

BONUS: When you buy the Freedom Digital Scrapbooking Kit, you get an ENTIRE Overlay Kit for FREE! Use these FREE coordinating border Overlays to add some extra holiday personalization!

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We love giving our digital scrapbooking friends a free digital scrapbooking gift each week!

The FREE Digital Supply today is a FREE Snowflake Overlay Embellishment for your Winter 2010 Scrapbooking projects. So if you are a member of our Newsletter then look for information about downloading this free Overlay Embellishment today!

If you haven’t signed up yet and want to become a member of our newsletter so you can get announcements about our freebies, then please sign-up right now! The direct sign-up Link is at: http://www.digitalscrapbooksandmore.com/basic/signup.html

This  Digital Scrapbooking Overlay Embellishment is completely FREE! All you have to do to get this freebie (and many more freebies week by week) is sign up for the FREE Digital Scrapbooking Newsletter!

Hurry and get this FREEBIE! Don’t miss out, as this offer expires 02/02/2009 (FREEBIES are for personal use only!)

Once you signed up for the FREE Digital Scrapbooking Newsletter, check your email  and make sure you click on the link inside the pending-confirmation email that says “Yes! I want to join.” Only until you click on this link within the pending-confirmation email will you confirm your Newsletter subscription and be able to start getting freebies!

Within 24 hours after confirming your Newsletter subscription, you’ll get information on how you can download this FREE digital scrapbooking supply!

Digital Scrapbooking With FREEBIES!

Take the FREEBIE Digital Scrapbooking Overlay Embellishment and use it with your Digital Photos, Digital Scrapbooking Embellishments, Paper and other Digital Scrapbooking Supplies to make great Digital Scrapbooking Projects!

Overlays can really take your digital scrapbooking to the next level! The freebie is Overlay Embellishment that can be used in many ways, look at the image above for how you can add this type of digital scrap supply to your digital scrapbooking projects.  If you want more information on Overlays see this article: An AMAZING Digital Scrapbooking Supply Secret that the Pros Won’t Tell You About! But We WILL!

You can also change the look of the Snowflake Overlay just by adding a drop shadow!

  See the image above – the same Snowflake Overlay Embellishment can look like it is just “stamped” on your page when used without a drop shadow and if you use a drop shadow it can look more like a digital sticker!  Try both ways and see how you would like to use this FREE Digital Scrapbooking Overlay!

Overlays Easy to Use with the Right Training!

Yes! Overlays are much easier to use then you might think, especially if you get some help from Digital Scrapbooks and More’s Intermediate Overlay Basic Training for Photoshop or Photoshop Elements!

This training can introduce you to some of the important tricks and tips when using Overlays. Plus, you can learn about combining Overlays, colorizing them, editing them, and get additional helpful information about some of the secrets of using Overlays!

Get training in using Overlays by taking the Overlays Basics in Photoshop Elements Training or for training for Photoshop.

Both of these training sets contain 3 downloadable video tutorials, 3 Cheat Sheets for a quick re-cap of the lesson’s steps, and they also include 4 FREE Overlays as an added BONUS!

So what is stopping you? Start using Overlays in your digital scrapbooking projects and find out how fun and easy they are to use! Get training, use Overlays, and create Digital Scrapbooking Projects that have people asking you, “How did you do that?!!”

Get Other Overlays that Match the FREEBIE!

Overlay Kits can make your digital scrapbooking pages look so incredible!

See this Pattern Overlay kit  ~ the Snowflake Overlay Kit.

This kit has pattern Overlays and also it has some Embellishment Overlays too!

The Embellishment Overlay. These types of Overlays can be added to an existing Digital Scrapbooking Page and act like an digital embellishment.

Place them on borders, tags, or other areas, just as you would with a regular digital embellishment. Sometimes they are already colorized so then you just add them to a page, size them, and you’re done!

In the example above, first, we have added a Pattern Overlay to enhance the background of some digital scrapbooking paper, then we added two Embellishment Overlays – one on the white border and the other on the tag. These Embellishment Overlays are colored and are made to look like we have rubber stamped these onto our digital scrapbooking page!

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If you want to see other great overlays – see Digital Scrapbooks and More’s Scrap Shop please check into the Overlay Section too!

Overlays Make Stunning Digital Scrapbooking Pages!

Overlays are so similar to the ugly duckling story, where the one that wasn’t so beautiful to begin with becomes a swan.

If you choose an Overlay for your project, you can make it become a swan and can turn boring scrapbooking pages into magically textured or patterned works of art!

Who would guess that these rather uninteresting-looking digital scrapbooking supplies had such incredible powers!

So why are Overlays so quickly dismissed? Perhaps the reason that Overlays don’t get the attention that they deserve is because they are not the best looking in the crowd.

It’s easy to just forget all about an Overlay supply when you have so many eye-catching, pretty embellishments and supplies with bright colors, interesting effects, that scream, “Pick Me! Pick Me!”

Overlays often can be missed, when hiding underneath is a wonderful surprise! See the example of the gray colored snowflake overlay above? It really doesn’t look like much? But guess what?

Overlays can be extraordinary!

Overlays can really take your digital scrapbooking to the next level! So let us explain a few things to get you started with Overlays!

So, What are Digital Scrapbooking Overlays any way?

Digital Scrapbooking Overlays are generally a transparent pattern, embellishment, or textured background layer which can be added on top of digital scrapbooking pages or supplies. When you add an Overlay on top of another layer in a graphic software program, such as Photoshop or Photoshop Elements, they can enhance and really add texture and depth to your digital scrapbooking page.

In the image above we took an Overlay, then added to a colored background and made a new digital scrapbooking paper in Photoshop! Then we took other digital scrapbooking supplies, and digital photos, making a great digital scrapbooking page!

Use your Overlay on Digital Scrapbooking  Paper!

Just adding an Overlay to a digital scrapbooking project can make it look completely different!

For example, if you add a patterned Overlay to a colored Digital Paper, you could create a brand new paper that looked real and 3-D!

So in this image we took a Overlay and added it to some digital scrapbooking paper we already had and now it went from being a neutral blue textured paper to a Winter Wonderland of Snowflakes Paper!

For More Fun Color Your Overlays!

The fun doesn’t stop there! You can colorize add effects to the Overlays to really make your pages look interesting!

It’s incredible how much you can do with Overlays and how easy they really are to use with just a little bit of training!

(See Photoshop or Elements Overlay Training)

What types of Overlays are there?

There are several types of Overlays that Digital Scrapbookers like to use, but here are three important Overlays to know about:

Type One: The Pattern Overlay.These Overlays are patterned transparencies that are perfect for adding design to make completely different-looking digital scrapbooking pages, or to enhance parts of a page.

They can be used just as they are, they can be colorized, or they can be combined with other Overlays to create an even more impactful digital scrapbooking page.

This Flower Power Overlay Kit is an example of a Pattern Overlay and can be used on top of a colored digital scrapbooking page. Below is an example of the colorized flower Overlay from this kit after it was added to a digital scrapbooking page!

You can see what magic can take place with a wonderful overlay! It is really hard to believe that the gray-looking transparency in this Overlay Kit can make the page look so incredible after it is colorized and added!

Another example of a Pattern Overlay is the Snowflake Overlay Kit.

This kit also has some Embellishment Overlays that we will be talking about next in this article!

Type Two: The Embellishment Overlay.These types of Overlays can be added an existing Digital Scrapbooking Page and act like an digital embellishment.

Place them on borders, tags, or other areas, just as you would with a regular digital embellishment. Sometimes they are already colorized so then you just add them to a page, size them, and you’re done!

In the example above, first, we have added a Pattern Overlay to enhance the background of some digital scrapbooking paper, then we added two Embellishment Overlays – one on the white border and the other on the tag. These Embellishment Overlays are colored and are made to look like we have rubber stamped these onto our digital scrapbooking page!

Type Three: The Background or Paper Texture Overlay.These types of Overlays are used to create interesting Digital Scrapbooking textures. Textured Overlays are the biggest secret of all. At first glance, they really don’t look like much, but with a few scrapbooking tricks up your sleeve, you can create wonders!

For example, using an Overlay Kit, like this Paper Texture Overlay Kit, you can add a real, 3-D look with varying textures to what used to be a dull, one-dimensional colored background. Texture Overlays can also be applied to purchased digital scrapbooking papers with patterns or designs… you don’t have to stick to solid backgrounds only! Adding these types of textured Overlays can give the digital paper a new, interesting look and can change old supplies to make them look new… all without buying new papers!

Are Overlays Easy to Use?

Yes! Overlays are much easier to use then you might think, especially if you get some help from Digital Scrapbooks and More’s Intermediate Overlay Basic Training for Photoshop or Photoshop Elements!

This training can introduce you to some of the important tricks and tips when using Overlays. Plus, you can learn about combining Overlays, colorizing them, editing them, and get additional helpful information about some of the secrets of using Overlays!

The Overlays Basics in Photoshop Elements Training or for training for Photoshop.

Either of these training sets contains 3 downloadable video tutorials, 3 Cheat Sheets for a quick re-cap of the lesson’s steps, and also includes 4 FREE Overlays as an added BONUS!

So what is stopping you? Start using Overlays in your digital scrapbooking projects and find out how fun and easy they are to use! Get training, use Overlays, and create Digital Scrapbooking Projects that have people asking you, “How did you do that?!!”

First, they can be put on to a colored background and magically you have a digital scrapbooking page!

Happy Scrapping!

Cheri

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If you want to see other great overlays – see Digital Scrapbooks and More’s Scrap Shop please check into the Overlay Section too!