tips for picasa collages

I like to manipulate photos before I print them and to print in smaller sizes for some projects and I use picasa to do it all.  As I’ve been using the program I’ve discovered some tips that make things easier.

tip 1 – choosing the right size to crop the individual photos means you have more control over the final collage.  The right size depends upon ration of height to width rather than the actual size of the finished photo. The following assume a normal photo print (4 x 6 inches or 10 x 15 cm)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If I want 2 small prints then I crop each to  small print (9 x 13 cm)

 

 

 

 

 

If I want 4 small prints then I crop each to the large print (10 x 15 cm  which is 4 x 6 inches)

 

 

 

 

 

If I want squares – be it 6 (2 rows of 3) or 12 (3 rows of 4) then choose the square which is described as CD cover.

 

 

 

tip 2 – use the grid spacing tool to provide colour between photos either to differentiate them in a collage or to provide clear cutting lines if you are wanting small prints.  To choose the colour click in the box below where it says background option.  You can use the dropper to choose from the colour spectrum or to choose a colour from one of the photos.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

do you have any picasa tips or questions or stumbling blocks?

love the contrasts

Sculpture exhibition in Auckland Botanic Gardens til February

online fun

I love the widget on etsy that lets you browse by colour.  I like the ability to hunt for lovely things in a particular colour but I also just love to play with the screen that lets you choose the colour because of all the yummy colour bubbles it creates – instant smile for me.

For a longer fun distraction how about quilt based puzzles? My mum introduced me to an online puzzle game where the pictures that you make are patchwork patterns or pictures using lots of colour and pattern.  Good mix of fun, frustration and design.

step two

My first step in designing a blog that I like to look at and that reflects who I am was choosing the colours.

This last week I’ve been coveting tiles that are used for a regular event or to thank people for comments.  I saw several downloads but decided I should make my own.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I realised this was a good use for the danceman font that I found recently when browsing dingbat fonts.  Some others that I liked and you might want to search for were carr balloons, dr seuss, MW Ding-A-Lings.

I like the energy of danceman and the quirkiness of the different positions.  The capital letter is the mirror image of the lowercase so often they look as if they are dancing together and I used this in my comment tile.  I made the tiles using picassa because it will access any font that you have loaded onto your computer.

I also love graphs and surveys and I’m curious about people so I added a survey too (on the left).  Please cast your vote before you go.