So up until this point, I have written blog posts about taking daily/weekly photos, jotting memories using various apps, and uploading and organizing your photos with keywords. Today I’d like to talk about using Smart Collections in Lightroom to organize your photos for weekly pages and putting it all together.

 

At the beginning of the year, in preparation for my weekly documentation of our lives, I set up Smart Collections in Lightroom, which are photo collections based on a set of rules that you define. Photos that meet those criteria you establish are automatically added to that collection. Let’s get started.

 

Setting Up A Collection Set

The first thing I did was set up a Collection Set called Project Life 2015. A Collection Set is container that houses Collections. Fittingly, it’s icon looks like a photo filing box.

 

 

Click on the + symbol on the Collections panel and choose Create Collection Set. Name your collection set and click Create.

 

 

 

Setting Up a Smart Collection

Next, I set up my first Smart Collection. Click on the name of your Collection Set so that it is highlighted and then click on the same + symbol you clicked on before. This time scroll down to Create Smart Collection. The following dialog box will pop up:

 

 

The first thing you need to do is create a name for your Smart Collection. I called mine Week 1.

 

Next, make sure you check off to have it located inside the Collection Set you just created. In my case, I located this Smart Collection inside the Collection Set called Project Life 2015.

 

Next, you need to establish the rules it will follow when deciding which photos to include in your Smart Collection. I told it to match ALL of the rules (of which there is only one in my case). That rule was that the Capture Date  be during the first week of January. To do this, click where it says Rating. It will bring up a drop down menu. Scroll down to Date and then select Capture Date from the fly out menu. Then click where it says, “is” and change it to, “is in the range.” Next, input your dates.

 

 

Mac User Tip: In Calendar, under preferences, you can set your calendar up to start the week on any day of your choosing. I set mine up to start on a Monday.

 

 

In addition, under the Advanced tab, you can check off to show week numbers. Perfect for weekly documenting!

 

 

The last Smart Collection I set up is called, “Weekly Picks.” My rules are to filter out Flagged Photos. You will see why in the next section.

 

Simple Steps for Pocket Scrapping: Flagging Photos

When I am ready to sit down and scrap a weekly spread, I open up Lightroom and click on the weekly folder of photos that I am up to. I scroll through the photos and flag the photos that I would like to use by pressing  “P” on the keyboard to “Pick” the photos I like. A small white flag will appear above your flagged photos.

 

 

Once I flag all the photos I like, I go to my “Weekly Picks” folder and look through the photos I picked. I take a look at the number of photos I have chosen and decide whether I have too many, too little, or just right. If I think I have too many, I whittle them down a little bit more by pressing “U” on the keyboard to “Unpick” some photos. If I don’t have enough, I do a search for “Filler” photos. These are photos that can be used in any given week.

 

During my uploading process, I try to identify photos that are not time specific — meaning they really could be used in any weekly spread because the specific week they were taken in is not relevant. For example, this past week, my photos to choose from were pretty light, so I searched for some filler photos and found a photo of my daughter drinking milk. She drinks several cups of milk every day, so it really didn’t matter what week the photo ended up in. What mattered was that somewhere I told the story of her continued love for milk during this stage in her life.

 

Exporting Photos

The next step I take is to export the photos to Photoshop. In Lightroom, select all the photos you have flagged and right click on one of the photos. Scroll down to Edit In>Open as Layers in Photoshop.

 

 

This will open a new document in Photoshop with all of the photos in that one document on separate layers. All of the layers will be highlighted. Using the move tool, I click and drag all the layers over onto the template I am using. I then move the layers around on my template to  the photo spots where I would like them on my template. Then I do the same in my layers palette so I can clip them to the photo spots.

 

Adding Journal Cards and Embellishments

The next step is to add my Weekly Calendar Card and Journal Cards. Then I add any other embellishments. (Though, honestly, I keep my layouts pretty simple. It’s all about the documenting for me.)

 

Saving

The final step is to save my layout. I save a .PSD version and a full resolution .JPG version. The .PSD version is in case I need to make any changes and the .JPG version is for printing. I also have to save web versions for uploading to galleries, but once they are uploaded, I delete these versions.

 

And that’s all there is to it. By following these steps week in and week out, it has really sped up my process and that’s what I need to do in order to keep up with such an ambitious project. Hopefully these tips will help you in your process or inspire you to give it a shot next year. I can say with certainty, my kids LOVE seeing their lives documented with such detail.

 

Happy scrapping!

 

About the Author: Jen is a member of the Pocket Team at The Digital Press. Having scrapped digitally for many years, she has come to embrace the simplicity of Pocket Scrapping since it fits more easily into her busy lifestyle of shuttling her three children from field to field. When she is not on the computer, you will find her working out or really doing anything else she can besides cooking, cleaning and doing laundry.

 

I really enjoy creating layouts that are simple… but look as realistic as possible. Today I am going to share with you a very easy technique (just a few simple steps!) to add a dose of realism to your layouts.

 

1. I want to accent the text on the post-it note with a paint element, but I also want it to look like it really was painted on top of the elements.

 

2. As you see, I had originally placed this paint layer right under the text layer… but it is about to get a makeover!

 

 

3. You’ll take your paint layer and place it directly above the top element that it is being painted onto. In this case, that is the post-it note. Then you will duplicate your paint layer and place it BELOW the post-it, as well.

 

 

4. This next part may sound tricky… but it isn’t. You will take the top paint layer and “clip” it to the object underneath it (which, in this case, is the post-it note). For this layer, you are now done! NEXT!

 

 

5. Next, you will select the object you’ve painted onto (again, for me, it’s the post-it)… and do one of those snazzy “selection” thingies. I do Control+A, and then I double-click the layer (thereby selecting the layer and creating the “marching ants” around it). Then you will Modify > Expand > 2px (or whatever you want… when you see the effect you can decide if you want yours larger or smaller).

 

 

6. With your “marching ants” still active… select your 2nd/duplicate paint layer (the one that is under your object), and get out your eraser. You will erase inside the selection area.

 

 

7. You can stop there… but personally, I like to move the paint layer around a bit (in this case, slightly down and to the right). Depending on your lighting angle, you may want to move your paint element a different direction. Totally up to you!

 

 

8. TADA!  As you can see, the effect may be minimal… but it is one that adds just a tiny dose of realism to a digital layout.

 

 

Another little tip: if you have multiple layers that your paint will need to be “clipped” to after you duplicate your layers… you can “link” them together. This ensures that if you’d like to move the paint around, each layer moves as one, also.

 

I hope you enjoyed this tutorial!  Don’t be afraid to give this technique a try!

 

 About the Author: Leah is the designer behind Mommyish and owner of The Digital Press. She lives in the beautiful lower Hudson Valley of NY with her husband, her two girls, and her in-laws! She has a love for all things geeky and quirky. In addition to being a graphic designer, she is an avid pianist.