Quick Tip: Using Small Photos in Templates, plus Freebie

Happy Thanksgiving! Even though the circumstances obviously aren’t ideal, I have a lot to be thankful for. I’m hoping for some quiet, creative time this weekend, Face Timing with family. And maybe some leaf raking…

In the spirit of the season and thankfulness for this community, I’ve made a little giveaway for you. Enjoy!

Now for a quick tip. What do you do when your photo is too small for your template’s photo placeholder? I don’t want to enlarge my photo; it’s an old scan and is already pixelated enough.

Here is my workaround on this layout. I’m using Affinity Photo on iPad, but these same principles should be applicable to other software, maybe with a few tweaks.

First, I duplicated the circle shape that I had already clipped to the photo.

I moved the duplicate outside of the clipping group, one layer down.

I imported a background, sized it down, then clipped the duplicate circle to the paper.

For more explanation on how to use clipping masks in Photo, see here or here.

So, the paper’s there, but I need to get rid of that harsh edge.

I added a mask layer to the photo. In Affinity, tap the + to pull up the Add Mask command. I selected a soft brush and masked the edge of the photo.

You can add the photo mask at the beginning or the end of the sequence, but you may need to make some fine adjustments once your paper is in place.

No more awkward photo lines! No stretching, tugging, or pulling to make it fit, either. 😉

For this layout, I used a template from Connie Prince’s November Template Bundle and Berna’s Playground My Inner Voice kit.

And hey, if you make something with the download, I’d love to see it! Will you tag me in the gallery?

Again, happy Thanksgiving, and good wishes to all of you as we start the holiday season.