If you're trying to add new dimension to your digital scrapbooks, one of the fastest and easiest ways to create complex effects is to take advantage of the hundreds of Photoshop Actions that are available for download on the web.

I used The Big Picture Action from PanosFX to create this photo collage effect for a quick 15 minute layout.

How to Do It:

1. Visit http://www.panosfx.com/, and click Free Downloads.

2. Download The Big Picture Action, and save it to your computer.

3. Extract the ZIP file, and make a note of where the Action file is on your computer.

4. Open Photoshop. Click Window, and open your Actions Window.

5. Click the small right arrow on the far upper right corner of the Actions Window, and click Load Actions.

6. Browse your computer and install The Big Picture Action you just downloaded.

7. Open the photo you want to apply the action to in Photoshop. From the Actions window, run the action by clicking The Big Picture action directly underneath the PanosFX copyright information.

8. Once you have clicked The Big Picture action, click the RUN button to execute the action. The run button looks like the play button on your DVD player or remote control. It is circled in orange in this example.

The Big Picture action will automatically take your picture and create a 25 photo collage, and create individual layers that you can manipulate to futher customize the effect. The layout I created used the action straight out of the box with no alteration.

Once you have run the action, you can drag the Layer Group onto your digital scrapbook layout. I added a black layer underneath to make the photos pop. I then added some inked edges to my paper, a nice fat Circus Ornate type treated title, and a simple pair of angel wings (another Photoshop brush I downloaded from the Internet somewhere along the way!), and the year 2005.

I think this would make a nice title page to a scrapbook full of Beckett's 2005 memories.

I hope you found this digital scrapbook technique to be helpful and informative. If you use The Big Picture action in your layouts, send a link! I'd love to see your work!

Tags: digital scrapbook techniques, digital scrapbook idea, digital scrapbook layouts, digital scrapbooks, Photoshop Actions