TUTORIAL | REALISTIC DIGITAL TAPE

Hi there scrappers! This is Jenn, aka jk703, here to bring you a tutorial about tape! Yes, tape! lol! Tape can be a tricky element, depending on your likes and dislikes as well as how realistic you want to get. I like the tape on my layouts to have a shadow, and at the same time, be almost see through!

Today, I'm using Mirjam's Scrap Fever, and her lovely Bring On the Weekend Elements!

Here is my page, with a photo and frame. I am going to add a slice of tape to tack them down.

See how that taps sits. It looks good the way it is, but no tape sits perfectly. So, I like the mess them up a little. Here is the prerfect little happy tape, all happy and stuck. :P (I think I'm channeling my inner Bob Ross, lol!)

The tape is set on top of the frame and image, which I have combined into one layer. In the Layers Palette, you will click on the thumbnail of the frame and image, to get the marching ants. Then, choose the tape in the Layers Palette.

Next, you would like to choose the Burn Tool from the Tool Bar. (It is the one that looks like the fingers are making a circle shape.)

Then, you can make your setting similar for the settings of the Burn Tool. I have my burn tool at a large soft brush, set for the midtowns, and a flow of 45%. Not too dark, so I can always add another stroke of "burn" if it's too light.

Now, make sure you still have the tape selected, and the marching ants are marching away around the shape of the frame. After checking, you will use the Burn Tool, and brush over the area on the inside of the frame (inside the marching ants.) You will see a slight change to the tape, a darkening, but also appearing see through at the same time. You will notice you can see the edge of the frame, from under the tape.

A very simple technique to change up how the tape lays over other papers.

Here is another method of changing how the tape appears! I've placed another piece of tape over the original tape, and gave it a slight shadow.

Then I separated my shadows from the element. To do this right click on the Fx symbol in the Layers Palette, and choose Create Layers. This will put any effects on their own layer. Here is my Layers Palette. Now, click on the tape thumbnail to get the marching ants around the tape shape. Here are my marching ants:

 

Now, you have the marching ants around the tape shape and you will then choose the shadow layer in the Layers Palette. Then press delete. The shadow right under the tape will disappear and leave only the edges shadowed. Then duplicate this layer of just the edge of the shadow. Here is what my tape looks like:

The tape has a slight shadow, but retains the almost see through appearance without the heavy dark shadow underneath. You can also select the frame again, and burn the tape if you'd like.

Here is my Layers Palette to show my tape Layers. 

Here is my image. I left the tapes as they were in the steps above. I might add a little more burn to them, but otherwise I like how they look!

Hope you enjoyed today's tips with tape!
Thanks for visiting!
Jenn (jk703)