Elite Critique - get advice from the Alumni!

**GailS** · 02-25-2009, 07:31 PM

Even if you're an advanced scrapper, do you find that occasionally a layout you've created just doesn't seem right, or needs that extra nudge to take it over the top?

Get some expert advice from the DET Alumni team! If you're already familiar with your software and basic digital scrapbooking techniques, feel free to post your layout here in this thread - and the Alumni will answer questions or critique your layout, and offer help with advanced techniques or ideas to achieve the look you're after and to make your layout special for YOU!

If you know how, post your layout full size in this forum so we can see it and post our suggestions here - then others can benefit from it. If you prefer, let us know when you post if you would rather we just do it right on your layout. Your preference. Or, we can post the photo for you.

To post your layout full size in a thread: Go to your layout. Right click and copy image location, or copy the string in the URL bar on your browser. When you come here to post, choose Insert Image from the toolbar at the top of the posting window, paste in your link and tada! One nice big image! (you can see this in Post #13).

Important note: Layouts posted in or for any current or in-progress contest are not eligible for critique until the close of the contest, and any questions regarding the rules and/or judging process of any contest, will not be a part of the critique or discussion offered here.

Feedback on any current contest layout, including DET, and even if you are no longer in the running, will not be given until the contest is officially over. This is out of fairness to all contestants.

If you have any non-contest layouts you'd like to post, however, please do so! Please remember that we're here to suggest ways of making the best of your layout so it's pleasing to you, without regard to any rules or contests of any kind.

Any post which addresses or discusses contest rules or judging, will be removed out of fairness to all contestants participating.

swatkins56 · 02-25-2009, 07:34 PM

Yes! I've been wishing for something like this. I'll be back.

*Lynnie* · 02-27-2009, 12:21 PM

Great move, Gail. Even the DET and Alumni have those issues from time to time, so we might be posting our own layouts

**GailS** · 02-28-2009, 01:23 AM

Hey, that would be fun. Sometimes even I have layouts that just won't work for me!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lynnie

Great move, Gail. Even the DET and Alumni have those issues from time to time, so we might be posting our own layouts

**GailS** · 03-02-2009, 02:13 PM

Bumping the thread so everyone can rush right in here and keep us busy!

**Mars** · 02-27-2009, 02:36 PM

Great idea!

*sandygb* · 03-02-2009, 02:58 PM

LOL Gail. Well at least I got the notification email.....

debilou · 03-02-2009, 03:01 PM

Ok, I'll go first...

I'm working on my heritage album.. and of course I want it to be special..

I just don't think this LO is "right"... so go ahead... rip it apart... And, offer any valuable tips you can think of - I'd love to see me make a version 2 or 3..

My Grandmother Marion, and Gwendoline 1929

*sandygb* · 03-02-2009, 04:48 PM

LOL Debi - You were brave. Thanks for playing....I hope it was okay to put my suggestions right into my comments in your page....

debilou · 03-02-2009, 04:59 PM

From Sandy - Hey Debi - You asked for some critique on your page in the Alumni forum, so here is a bit from me.....

I love the flowers clustered around the frame, and I think the frame is perfect for a heritage photo. Here are a couple things you can try:

1. Mpre focus on the photo.

Perhaps you could try to enlarge the photo quite a bit so that much of the extraneous background is removed (cropped out), and their heads are closer to the top of the frame. This will probably make the photo interfere with the rectangular portion of the frame. A couple solutions for that would be to alter the frame just a bit to delete the rectangular portion or to play around with resizing the photo to see how far you can enlarge it without mushing it into the sides of the inner frame.

2. Add some "movement" to the page.

How about angling the journaling paper and text so the the upper left corner leans out to the left and the lower right corner lean in toward the photo. You might just play around a bit and try angling the frame, flowers and photo and tilting it slightly the opposite way from the journaling - or even placing the journaling a bit under the photo and frame.

Remember - This is your page, so please don't feel that you must take any of these suggestions to heart. You won't hurt my feelings. Designing is such an iterative process. I tend to try different things on my pages. Some work and some don't. LOL.

________________________________

I LOVE your suggestions...

I will try playing with angling the journaling pieces...

But, I CAN"T make the photo any bigger... I'd love to...

But, remember this is a 1929 photo scanned and fixed to the best of my ability....

I enlarged as much as a could without degrading the photo and making it look pixaled...

Some of my grandmothers photos were just archived better than others...

my scanner has digital ice... and does a pretty good job... but.. there is just so much you can do with 100 year old photos... so I did my best with the size.. and this was a good as I could do with the SIZE portion.

But thanks for your suggestion on the angling... I'll give that a try. I really like your style

*sandygb* · 03-02-2009, 05:08 PM

I know what you mean Debilou! You definitely don't want to enlarge it if it pixelates the photo. The only other thing I can think of there (depending on your scanner) is to see if you have any control over the resolution of the scanned photo. I try to scan my old photos at 600 ppi, which creates a HUGE file (and photo). When I reduce it to fit on my 200 or 300 ppi page, I am actually scaling it way down, rather then enlarging it.

debilou · 03-02-2009, 05:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sandygb

I know what you mean Debilou! You definitely don't want to enlarge it if it pixelates the photo. The only other thing I can think of there (depending on your scanner) is to see if you have any control over the resolution of the scanned photo. I try to scan my old photos at 600 ppi, which creates a HUGE file (and photo). When I reduce it to fit on my 200 or 300 ppi page, I am actually scaling it way down, rather then enlarging it.

That's a GREAT idea...

I'll try that on future scans... I already have some scanned for my grandmothers collections - but no where near done...

thanks for the suggestion

**GailS** · 03-02-2009, 06:36 PM

Debi, I hope you don't mind that I'm using your layout to show how to paste it big in here - then we can all see the suggestions, and make ours right here in the forum. If you do, just let me know and I'll take it back out! Thanks!

Here's the layout Debi posted for our first critique:

**GailS** · 03-02-2009, 06:46 PM

My turn! I agree with Sandy on the scanning - I scan my photos as big as I can. Scaling down beats trying to scale up anytime.

Also, this fits in with what Sandy said about tilting the journaling piece - I usually (but not always) make it a rule of thumb not to have a lot of space between photos and elements. Try to make everything "touch" - keeps the flow or movement of the layout going, doesn't allow for the eye to break or wander when viewing. You want to lead the eye, focus on your main photo, keep it from wandering off the page.

I think that angled and tucked slightly under the edge of the frame, will have that effect.

Titles are tricky, sometimes a flower or element to accent the title and tie it into other parts of the page works. They usually look good alone if the style ties in, as yours does with the frame.

I'd add a couple extra sprigs of flowers here and there - rule of three here - maybe in the corners to "frame" your layout.

You can always try these suggestions and of course like Sandy said, it's your layout, play around a bit until you're happy with it - please let us see it if you make any changes!

debilou · 03-02-2009, 06:41 PM

No problem...whack away at it...I already got a great suggestion or two from Sandy...

but, keep going.