I’m a big fan of Photoshop Styles.  I love to create them, use them, and try to convince everyone I know that they’re one of the best Photoshop tools there is!  Today I will show you how you can get some extra mileage out of any Styles you already own, and how to look at Styles in a different way, when you consider future purchases.

Up front, I acknowledge that Styles can be scary.  Often times, a Style will have many design options used in its creation, and each option can have multiple components.  But today, we’re not going to talk about “scary.” We’re going to talk about “easy,” and how to make Styles work for you in a way you may not have thought of before.

For the purposes of this tutorial, I am using Photoshop CS6.  However, this tip should work in all versions of Photoshop.  I also checked this tip in Photoshop Elements (PSE) 9, 11, and 12, and the option is available; so my assumption is that it will work in other versions of PSE also.

Pictured below is one of the line art graphics from Hidden in my Book, a collaboration between Dani (The Urban Fairy) and Jill (Jilbert’s Bits of Bytes). (I totally LOVE this!)

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There are multiple ways to use this, or any, line art graphic: leave it as it is, clip a paper to it, colorize it, use blending modes to achieve different results, you name it.

Since this line art graphic was included in a kit, it would certainly make sense to use kit papers as you work with it, so that everything coordinates perfectly.  But let’s say you have a style that you particularly like and want to use because of its pattern. Let’s also say that Style has a bevel on it, and that bevel just doesn’t work with the type of page you are creating. Let’s fix that!

Here is the same line art graphic with a Stratified Rock Style (Set 1) applied to it.  The Bevel of the Style doesn’t look good with this piece of line art, but I really love the color variation and think it goes great with the style and colors of Hidden in my Book.

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The color variation you see is the “Pattern” of the Style itself.  And that is what I want to use. Not the Bevel – just the Pattern.

Here are the main options of the Stratified Style:  Bevel & Emboss; Inner Shadow; Pattern Overlay.

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Inside each option, there are additional design choices made, to create this particular style; but that is not important for us to know today.  We just know we don’t want the line art to have a bevel to it, so let’s turn it off.   To do that, click on the Eyeball icon next to Bevel & Emboss.

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Without the Bevel & Emboss, we just see the Pattern and the Inner Shadow.  If we wanted, we could turn off the Inner Shadow also, but I liked it, so I left it turned on.

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 Now we have a beautiful line-art graphic with some color variations, which goes really well with the artsy style of Hidden in my Book.

Look at the Styles you own, or some you are considering.  Look past the options on the style (Bevel & Emboss, Inner Shadow, Outer Shadow, Outer Glow, Satin, etc.)  Look just at the pattern itself. Do you like it?  Use it!  Just turn off the Styles options you don’t want, and you have, in essence, created your own style, one that suits your particular needs!

Here is a sample Style to practice with.  Just click HERE or on the image below to download.

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Credits:  Hidden in my Book, a collaboration of The Urban Fairy and Jilbert’s Bits of Bytes; Stratified Rock Styles by SnickerdoodleDesigns. Enjoy Promotional Sales right now!