To Save You Time When Saving
A lot of the questions at DST I have noticed are about how to save your layouts in different situations. Let me take a couple minutes to explain a few options.
First, while you are still working on a layout or think you might want to come back to change something, it is important to save the layers. I use Photoshop Elements, and the default file type when you go to save there is PSD. This is the photoshop file type that will save exactly what is there without flattening any of the layers. The plus with this file type is that you can always go back and change things. The con is that they are large files and take up a lot of memory space. Since I have tons of space on my computer I still keep the PSD of all of my layouts. It has been especially helpful when I have found a mistake in a layout after I've printed it. Some people use an external hard drive to back up these files, while others will eventually delete them when they are sure they will not make any more changes.
A second option to keep the layers is a layered TIF. I come across these files most in layered templates. They keep the layers and can be opened in programs other than photoshop.
The third type of file type I will talk about is a JPEG. JPEGs keep the colors well and don't take up as much space as a PSD file, but it flattens all of the layers into one. This means that you can't easily separate out any one element on a page if it is saved as a JPEG. I use JPEGs most often in three situations. First, most papers that I use from kits or that I make myself are saved as a full size JPEG. Second, I save things as a JPEG if I want to send the file out to be printed or shared with someone else. Third, I will save my files as a JPEG to post them online. Let me talk about this third way in more detail.
When I am finished with a layout and am ready to save it so that I can post it, here is what I do: First I save it as a PSD file for my own records (full size). Then, I can't immediately save it as a JPEG or the file size will be too big to post online. I go to image -> resize. I make sure that it is in the bicubic mode and change my longest width/height to 5 inches and the psi to 100. This makes an image that is no bigger that 500 pixels across. (This of course can be done in other ways. I know that some people like to make it 7 inches and 72 psi, for example.) Then I save the image as a JPEG and set the quality to 5. I have found this to be an appropriate size to post without the quality getting too bad. Many other people use File -> Save for Web. This is another way to make the file size smaller so that it can be posted.
Finally, I wanted to mention one other file type - a PNG file. You will not often need to use this to save a file as a new digiscrapper, but if you look closely, you will notice that most of the elements or quick pages you use have been saved as a PNG file. These file types keep the transparency. For example, if you have a paperclip on a transparent (see through) background and you save it as a JPEG it will flatten the image and make the background white. A PNG file will keep the paperclip usable with the transparent background.
I hope that this information helped you. I tried to keep things simple, but also give you enough information to work with. If you have further questions, please leave me a comment.
A lot of the questions at DST I have noticed are about how to save your layouts in different situations. Let me take a couple minutes to explain a few options.
First, while you are still working on a layout or think you might want to come back to change something, it is important to save the layers. I use Photoshop Elements, and the default file type when you go to save there is PSD. This is the photoshop file type that will save exactly what is there without flattening any of the layers. The plus with this file type is that you can always go back and change things. The con is that they are large files and take up a lot of memory space. Since I have tons of space on my computer I still keep the PSD of all of my layouts. It has been especially helpful when I have found a mistake in a layout after I've printed it. Some people use an external hard drive to back up these files, while others will eventually delete them when they are sure they will not make any more changes.
A second option to keep the layers is a layered TIF. I come across these files most in layered templates. They keep the layers and can be opened in programs other than photoshop.
The third type of file type I will talk about is a JPEG. JPEGs keep the colors well and don't take up as much space as a PSD file, but it flattens all of the layers into one. This means that you can't easily separate out any one element on a page if it is saved as a JPEG. I use JPEGs most often in three situations. First, most papers that I use from kits or that I make myself are saved as a full size JPEG. Second, I save things as a JPEG if I want to send the file out to be printed or shared with someone else. Third, I will save my files as a JPEG to post them online. Let me talk about this third way in more detail.
When I am finished with a layout and am ready to save it so that I can post it, here is what I do: First I save it as a PSD file for my own records (full size). Then, I can't immediately save it as a JPEG or the file size will be too big to post online. I go to image -> resize. I make sure that it is in the bicubic mode and change my longest width/height to 5 inches and the psi to 100. This makes an image that is no bigger that 500 pixels across. (This of course can be done in other ways. I know that some people like to make it 7 inches and 72 psi, for example.) Then I save the image as a JPEG and set the quality to 5. I have found this to be an appropriate size to post without the quality getting too bad. Many other people use File -> Save for Web. This is another way to make the file size smaller so that it can be posted.
Finally, I wanted to mention one other file type - a PNG file. You will not often need to use this to save a file as a new digiscrapper, but if you look closely, you will notice that most of the elements or quick pages you use have been saved as a PNG file. These file types keep the transparency. For example, if you have a paperclip on a transparent (see through) background and you save it as a JPEG it will flatten the image and make the background white. A PNG file will keep the paperclip usable with the transparent background.
I hope that this information helped you. I tried to keep things simple, but also give you enough information to work with. If you have further questions, please leave me a comment.
posted by Christy at 12:51 PM
3 Comments:
Thanks for the good explanation on the differences between JPEGs and PNG files. That was helpful!
Thanks for sharing your knowledge Christy. :) I will keep coming back to see what other tips and tut's you have.
Thank you, thank you, thank you! Looking forward to learning a little bit every day. It can all be a little bit overwhelming at first. And hurray for being PSE tailored!
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