Cropping Carefully
Seldom are photos in the perfect state to be used for your scrapbooking layouts without having to do some editing or cropping.
There are a few rules to bear in mind when cropping your photos:
- Never crop out anything that identifies the period in history. Those items appearing in the background will help to identify the era and will add to your historical records, along with your journal entries. This detail will make your photos much more interesting to those who view your albums in the future.
-Don’t crop old or important photos that cannot be replaced. Instead have copies made and re-size them instead. Cropping cannot be undone.
-Watch out for Polaroids. Cropping or cutting can release chemicals that could harm you or your layouts. Once again, make a copy of the Polaroid – then proceed to size it the way you want.
-There are instances when you want to emphasize a change in the focus of a photo, and this is a time when you would crop out the parts you don’t want. If you want to be safe rather than sorry, use a copy of your photo to experiment with the result. Getting rid of a busy background can be very effective in showcasing one person or object for a special layout. Just be sure you don’t get rid of anything that might be important to you later. If uncertain…MAKE COPIES.
-Don’t overuse the methods of cutting out shapes or using fancy scissors to crop your photos. Used sparingly this can be effective, but overuse can spoil the overall impact of your layouts by distracting from your subjects. You might get more impact by using ornate frames or background mats behind your photos.
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