Hi all, here is Silke.

Today I will show you how to enhance your layouts with a very simple cut out effect!

We will use a brush to create a fun border cut-out accent!

Open a new document in Photoshop. Then add 2 papers. See it here below. I used 2 papers from my wonderful Vanilla Sweetness Collection. The lighter paper I put above the darker paper. You can also try it with a patterned paper and a solid paper.

Now I added a special shadow to the top paper, in order to get the cut-out effect. See my settings here below:

Click on the ADD LAYER MASK icon, located on the bottom of the Layers to create a white layer mask.

Select a hard round brush – sized to 1200px more or less. Click on “D” on your keyboard to reset the colors: Black as Foreground and White as background color!

Use black color with this brush and put a black round brush stroke on the white mask (you have to activate/ select the white layer mask!).

Now the funny part: Inverse the colors (hit “X” on your keyboard) and make the size of the brush a little bit smaller. Hit again in the same place with white foreground color selected. You will see the magic: this will put back part of the front paper.

And again, invert the black x white color, hit “X”, or select black color. Set your brush smaller and stroke again inside your round accent.

Remember: White color put the top paper parts back. Black color erase parts of this paper.

Continue alternating between black and white and change the brush size to create the border accent.

To finalize this exercise, we want to erase more parts of the top paper.

Create a new layer. In this layer, select the black hard round brush, size it to 1300 and brush above your accent layer, following the curves that you created before.
Since this is an arty creation, don’t worry about being exact!

Select this new brushed element (Ctrl + click on the layer icon of this black element) and then invert selection (Edit>Selection> Inverse). We have to turn off the visibility of this new layer. Go to top paper layer.

Fill this selection with black color – using the Paint Bucket Tool – and with the layer mask from the top paper selected. Attention: activate the layer and then click on the layer mask to be sure to fill black color into this layer mask!!

Here below I did the same technique using a different brush from my stash:

My layout using the Border Accents that I just created. Everything from my Vanilla Sweetness kit and Collection.

Freebie for you:

Download

Let me know if you have questions.

Happy creations!

Silke