Friday, June 18, 2010

Cool Tip: The Daddy of All Photo Frames

Kate in RocketLife Support shared this clever collage she made for Father's Day. (Click the image to zoom in.) Notice there are just six components:
  • The background photo
  • The text, "Happy First Father's Day 2010"
  • Three small baby photos
  • The large "dad" placeable graphic from the Father's Day theme


Notice how the "dad" graphic neatly frames the baby pictures. (Click to enlarge.)

There are two ways to convert a photo to a background image in RocketLife. To start, select the photo and then click the Tools menu. (That's the button at the top left corner of the photo.) Next, choose either Copy to Background or Make Photo Full Page. The Copy command blends the photo into the texture of the theme. The Full Page command enlarges the photo to fill the page. In this case, we want to use Full Page:


Instantly enlarge a photo to fill the page by clicking the Make Photo Full Page command in the Tools menu. (Click to enlarge.)

Tip Notice how Kate's background photo is faded slightly to emphasize the text and foreground images. To get a similar effect, choose the Plain White theme (in the Basics category), select the Touch-Up tab, and then set Transparency to about 30. That will let part of the white background show through, fading the image.


The Transparency effect makes images fade into the background, helping to emphasize other elements on the page.

As you can see, the Touch-Up tools aren't just for fixing problem photos. You can also use them creatively. We'll explore that idea further in future tutorials. To read more tips for using placeable graphics, see Adding Your Own Graphics and Logos in RocketLife.

What clever techniques have you discovered, Daddy-O? Please leave a comment!

Wednesday, June 2, 2010

Cool Tip: Adding Your Own Graphics and Logos in RocketLife

RocketLife photo software comes with more than 800 placeable graphics — images you can add to your layout to add depth and interest. We create these images with transparent backgrounds to help them blend into the composition. Notice the sunflower below, inserted from the collection of placeable graphics at the bottom of the screen. Thanks to the transparent background, you can see between the petals. (Click image to enlarge.)


Adding a placeable graphic in RocketLife. Notice how the flower also includes a drop shadow to add depth.

TipEach theme in RocketLife has its own set of placeable graphics. Here's how to browse them quickly:
  1. Click the Design tab.
  2. Click the Placeable Graphics tab (below the Design tab).
  3. Click a theme button. The grid of graphics at the bottom of the screen will update:

Browse placeable graphics by clicking the Design tab (1), and then the Placeable Graphics tab (2), followed by a theme button (3). Click a graphic in the grid to add it to your layout. (Click photo to enlarge.)

Read on to learn how to add your own graphics to a RocketLife project.