Adding Texture To Your Pages Using Paper Overlays

Your digital papers can be much more than just backgrounds.  You can recolor them, use them as borders, use them as titles, or even use them to add texture or dimension to your photos.  It is a technique that is fun to use when you have a photo you want to stand out, want to try something artsy, or even hide some photo flaws.

Let’t take a look at just three ways you can use background to add texture to your photos.

 Alternative 1 : Use the Paper ‘As Is’ as an Overlay

In this example the red dots paper was used as an overlay to the photo of my son looking towards Downtown Disney.  Use an eraser to remove or fade part of the overlay lets the focal point of the picture shine through.  Also, use the same paper for the background allowed continuity across the page.

 Alternative 2 : Use the Paper ‘Altered’ as an Overlay

In this example the red dots paper was changed to black and white and used as an overlay to the photo.  You can then adjust the fill or opacity to get the desired effect (here is it 82%).  Use an eraser to remove or fade part of the overlay lets the focal point of the picture shine through.

Alternative 3: Use the Paper ‘Altered’ as a Texture

In this example the yellow paper was changed to black and white and used as linear light over the photo to get the textured effect.  You can then adjust the fill or opacity to get the desired effect (here is it 43%).

The entire effect is a page full of textured photos.  This is an extreme example of using texture on photos but having one photo or making a photo the background using this technique really makes the photo pop off the page.

I hope you enjoyed this tutorial and it inspires you to complete a page.  What other ways can you use paper on top of your photos?  I would love to hear your ideas.

---

Fan Freebie:  If you want to try this technique using the paper shown CLICK HERE.  The papers also coordinate with the Back to Basics Kit and Back to Basics Fan Freebie.

Subscribers Exclusive:  If you are a subscriber check the Magical Tutorials page for step by step instructions to complete this page using this technique.