CUSTOM SHAPES

Let’s create now a pictures composite framing the pictures in a custome shape. You may create shapes of any form and then reuse them for your picture composite creations.

Please follow this steps:

1.- In Photoshop create a new document with the appropiate size for your composite, or open one of the Auto Class Composite templates and resize it

2.- As told you may use any form for the shape, you only need to have a selection; but sometimes hand drawing in Photoshop is not so easy and therefore we are going to convert a clipart into a selection. Please open the clipart in Photoshop

3.- Select the clipart silhouette, this can be done with the magic wand tool in Photoshop and clicking at the whit part of the document, then press CTRL – Shift – I to invert the selection. Now you will have the clipart border selected

4.- At Photoshop’s layers palette select the Paths tab and click at bottom at the icon “Make work path from selection”

you will get a work path with the same form as the clipart / selection.

5.- Select this path layer and at Photoshop’s menu select Layer – New fill layer, name it “Shape”

6.- Select a color for filling this layer and you will get a new shape layer with the form of your clipart.

7.- Now you may delete the clipart layer, you will not use it. Select the shape layer in Photoshop.

8.- It’s time to duplicate the shape layer for all your pictures, start Auto Class Composite and select “Adjust template”

9.- Input the number of rows and pictures per row you need and click at create shapes

10.- If needed reposition the shape layers to have enough space for the names bellow. In Auto Class Composite select the folder with your pictures and click at “Fill composite”

Your composite will be automatically filled with the pictures, the pictures will have the shape of the initial clipart / selection. Of course you may add an style to the layer like a bevel, shadow, etc.