Open a new canvas: File/New

Change to size to suit the kit you are using

Open the pieces of the kit you need: File/Open. Browse to the location you saved your kit.

Hold down the Ctrl key and select each file required. Click Open.

Open your photo (as above)

You will see your open files on the right hand side in the Files Palette

From the Files Palette, click on the blank canvas you first opened to make it the active layer.

Left click and hold the mouse button on the background in the Files Palette and drag it onto the blank canvas.

Centre your background on the canvas: Format/Centre Object on canvas

Left click on the photo mat (as you did with the background) and drag it onto the background.

Rotate your mat if necessary: Left click on the rotating handle and move the mat around into position.

Centre the mat (as above)

Drag your photo onto the canvas and centre.

Each object you add to the canvas becomes a "layer" and is visible on the top right in the Stack.

Holding down the Ctrl key, click on the mat and the photo.

You will see an open puzzle piece at the bottom right of the mat.

Click on it to "group" your mat and photo together.

Left click and move your photo/mat into position.

Continue dragging each part of your kit from the Files Palette onto the background and position.

If you want to have multiple copies of the one element: Click on the element to make it the active layer then

press the Ctrl key and the d key at the same time. (Ctrl + d). Your duplicate will be precisely over the top of the

original. Simply left click on it and move it into position.

Add journaling: Text/Insert text

A text box will appear.

Left click on the outer edge of the textbox and drag it over the journaling box.

Type your text

Using the left mouse button, highlight the text.

Click on the Font Dropdown box to select a suitable font.

Click on the Size dropdown box to select font size.

Select font colour by clicking on the "A" symbol on the toolbar.

Position the text by moving the cursor to the outer edge until you see the 4-way arrow. Now left click and drag it into place.

To adjust the lines of text: Hold down the Ctrl key, move your cursor over the resizing handle

at the right hand side and gently drag it to the right until your text fits onto the journaling box.

Add a title: This time you will use an alternative way to add text.

Go to: Text/Insert shaped text. Select a shape.

Type your title

To move to a new line you need to hold down the Crtl key and press Enter.

Select font, size and colour as above and move into position. You don’t need to highlight the text as you did previously. Just make sure your text is still the active layer and change the font and colour from the dropdown

boxes on the toolbar. Use the resizing handles to reduce or enlarge to suit

.

Add shadows:

Click on the photo/mat to make it the active layer.

"Ungroup" by clicking on the locked puzzle piece.

Click anywhere in the grey area off the layout to deselect

Now click on the Photo to make it the active layer.

Go to Effects/Shadow

Select Drop right

Select Customise the shadow.

Adjust the transparency and edge softness to suit.

Click on the shadow and either drag it or use the arrow keys on your keyboard to move it into position.

You can also use the resizing handles on the outside of the shadow.

Items that sit close to the object behind them require a smaller, darker shadow than items that look like they

are bulkier or sit higher from the background eg. flowers. For the photo you will need a small, dark shadow.

Add shadows (as above) to each piece of the layout that requires one.

To add a coloured shadow to the title:

Click on the title to make it the active layer

Add a shadow as above but change the colour to suit. I chose white. Adjust the transparency and position.

At this point you will save your layout as a PNG+ file. PNG+ is DIP’s native format and retains the layers so

they can be rearranged later if necessary.

Go to File/Save as……..and name your file eg. selfportrait. Make sure PNG+ is selected as your file type.

Now you will save your layout as a jpg file for printing purposes. The jpg filesize will be a lot smaller than

the PNG+ filesize.

Go to: Edit/Flatten all objects

Go to File/Save as………. Make sure you have jpg selected as the file type. eg. selfportrait.jpg

To save an even smaller sized copy for email or web:

Go to File/Save a copy for/Email or web

Select from the preset sizes or custom size.

At the bottom left of your screen select Save as…..

This file will automatically save in My Pictures/Email or Web. You can change the location if you prefer.

Congratulations! You’ve completed your first basic layout.