Projects by Tracy White.Visual Weight What do you do when your layout seems imbalanced? Maybe the culprit is your photos. For example, photos often vary in size, quality and color. As a result, you may find that some photos are "heavier" than others when they are placed side by side on a layout. Learn to arrange photos you can use to achieve balance on your layout. 1. Look at pictures of one event. Find one that seems to be different than the others. It might be a close up, where the other pictures are taken from a distance. Usually the close up will have a "heavier" feel. Or you may have one picture that is simply darker than the others. 2. Divide your layout into two sections. Designate one section with a lighter colored background, and pick a darker background for the second section. 3. Place the photo that is heavier on the light background. This gives it a more weightless feel. 4. If you are using multiple photos in your layout, try use a two-to-one ratio for balance. Usually two lighter photos will balance out one dark photo.
Focal PointLearn how to pick a focal point photo for your layout. Enlarging a photograph makes it an automatic focal point on your page. 1. Select a set of photographs. Place them on a flat surface and look at the set as a whole. Which picture catches your eye first? Consider using this as the focal photo for your layout. In the first layout, the focal point is "piggy-tails" and on the second layout, the focus is on blue eyes. 2. Enlarge your focal point photo to add extra emphasis on your page. Notice how on each layout, a different photo is enlarged for a different focus.
Z-flowYour eye naturally follows a "Z" pattern to process information. Think about how you read text in a book. You start on the top left and follow along to the right. When you reach the end of the line, you scan down to the left end of the following line, thus creating a "Z" pattern. Follow this simple pattern to create flow between your photos and journaling. 1. Start with a title in the upper left corner. 2. Add a photo in the upper right corner. 3. Following a "Z" shape, move down to the lower left corner. Add a photo that naturally follows your first photo. 4. Finish your layout with journaling in the lower right corner. You can arrange the elements on your layouts in the same fashion. For example, the journaling doesn’t have to be the final element in all cases.
GUESTS :
Tracy White
Editor
Creating Keepsakes Magazine
Website: www.creatingkeepsakes.com
| 
