Place Your Photos in a Page Template

• 1). Open the photos you want to use with the page template. Also, open the template file. Make sure your photos are the right shape for use in the photo "holes" of the template. Photos can be adjusted for size, and they can also be cropped to get rid of extra background. But if you have a photo showing a tall person whose body extends for most of the height of the photo, you'll probably want a template that has a vertically-shaped "hole" for that photo.
  
  
• 2). Make a copy of each image; that is, the template and each photo. Do this by holding down the shift key and pressing the letter "D" to make a duplicate window, or by selecting "Save As" from the File menu. Work with the duplicates and close the originals in case you need them later.
  
  
• 3). Check the sizes of the template and the photos to see if the photos are close to the right size. A small amount of resizing can be done once the images are combined, but if the photos are twice as large as the template, it's best to resize them before you copy them. Calculate the approximate size or percentage you need to make your photos to get them to fit in the template (it's best to leave the template the same size unless you know you need to change it to fit a specific size photo book). Resize the image using the Resize option in the Image menu. Choose to resize by percentage or by pixel size, and then type in one dimension. Paint Shop Pro will automatically calculate the other dimension to keep the photo proportionally the same.
  
  
• 4). Copy the photos into the template image, making sure to copy each to a separate layer. Adjust the order of the layers using the layer palette to put the photos behind the rest of the template.
  
  
• 5). Move the photos around until you have them correctly placed, using the Move tool. Resize each photo layer separately, if necessary. You can also rotate each layer slightly or even flip it so it's facing the other way. When you are happy with your page, save it first as a Paint Shop Pro file and then again as a JPEG or PNG file for sharing and printing.
  
  

Use a Customizable Page Template

• 1). Complete the steps listed in the Place Your Photos in a Page Template section, above, if you've never used that kind of template before. Many of the concepts of using a template are similar to using the type of template discussed in the steps above. If you are not familiar with templates at all, first try a simple one like that discussed above, then try a more customizable one.
  
  
• 2). Identify the number of elements in your template and choose paper and photos for each one. For instance, if the template contains two small rectangles, a larger square and several wide rectangular strips and a very large rectangle in the background, you might choose three photos for the two small rectangle and the square, and then choose coordinating paper patterns for the other shapes. Open all of the files of photos and paper you've chosen.
  
  
• 3). Make copies of the images and resize any elements that need resizing. See the instructions in the previous section if you're unsure about how to perform these tasks.
  
  
• 4). Copy each element into the template image file, placing each one on a separate layer. Adjust each layer so they are in the correct order.
  
  
• 5). Go to the layer containing one of the template elements. Select the element using the magic wand tool. Move to the layer containing the element you want to use for that layer. Select "Invert" from the Selection menu and select "Clear" from the Edit menu to erase the part of the element you don't want. Repeat this for the rest of the layers. If you get confused, temporarily make other layers invisible if you can't see what you're doing. Once you are done, check to see that each element is in the right place. Make the original template layers invisible (or delete them) and save the file, first in the native Paint Shop Pro file format, and then as a JPEG or PNG file.