Oversized Cutout Template
by Jen White & Lydia Tarbox

Make a big statement on a layout with only a little bit of effort. In this tutorial you’ll create an overlay template with oversized cutouts. This template can be used over and over to add that big statement to any layout.

For this tutorial you will need:

• Adobe Photoshop or Photoshop Elements

NOTE: This tutorial was originally published in July 2014 by Lydia Tarbox. It has been updated using current software.

TIP: I’m going to use an arrow shape to create a chevron pattern. But, you could use any shape(s) you want and create all sorts of different designs.

Step One: Prepare the Workspace

• Click on the Background Color Chip to open the Color Picker.
• In the Color Picker, choose a gray color and click OK. (I used Hex Code #8d8b8b.)
• Create a new 12 x 12 inch document (File > New > Blank File) at 300 dpi with the Background Contents set to Background Color. (Photoshop: Choose File > New.)
• In the Menu Bar, choose View and place a checkmark next to Rulers to turn them on.
• Choose View and place a checkmark next to Grid to turn it on. (Photoshop: Choose View > Show and check Grid.)
• Choose View > Snap To and place a checkmark next to Grid.
• In the Layers panel, hold down the Alt key (Mac: Opt key) and double click on the Background layer to make it an editable layer.
• Press the letter D to reset the Color Chips to the default of black and white.

Step Two: Create a Square

• Get the Rectangle tool. It’s nested with the other shape tools.

In Photoshop Elements: In the Tool Options, set the Style to None. Open the Geometry Options and choose Unconstrained. Uncheck From Center and Snap. Click on the New Shape Layer icon.

In Adobe Photoshop: In the Tool Options, set the Tool Mode to Shape, the Fill to Solid Color, and the Stroke to none. Open the Path Operations and choose New Layer. Open the Settings. Choose Unconstrained and uncheck From Center.

• On the document, position your cursor at the 0.5 inch horizontal mark and the 0.5 inch vertical mark. Holding down the Shift key, click and drag to create a square, leaving a half inch border around the entire document. The square should end up being 11×11 inches.

• In the Tool Options, click Simplify. (Photoshop: In the Menu Bar, choose Layer > Rasterize > Shape.)
• In the Layers panel, click on the Visibility icon of the square shape layer to hide it.

Step Three: Create an Arrow

• Get the Custom Shape tool.

In Photoshop Elements: In the Tool Options, open the Custom Shape Picker, open the dropdown menu, and choose Arrows. Click on the Arrow 2 shape. If you don’t see the names of the shapes, open the flyout menu and choose Large List. Set the Style to None. Open the Geometry Options and choose Unconstrained. Click on the New Shape Layer icon.

In Adobe Photoshop (PS): In the Tool Options, set the Tool Mode to Shape, the Fill to Solid Color, and the Stroke to none. Open the Path Operations and choose New Layer. Open the Settings. Choose Unconstrained and uncheck From Center. Open the Shape Picker, open the flyout menu, and choose Arrows. Click OK to replace the shapes. Choose the Arrow 2 shape. If you don’t see the names of the shapes, open the flyout menu and choose Large List.

• On the document, click and drag to draw an arrow shape that extends from the top of the document to the bottom and is about two inches wide.

• In the Tool Options, click Simplify. (PS: In the Menu Bar, choose Layer > Rasterize > Shape.)
• Get the Move tool.
• Press Ctrl T (Mac: Cmd T) to get the Transform options.
• In the Tool Options, set the Angle to 90º. (PS: Set the Rotate to 90º.)
• On the document, click inside the bounding box and drag the arrow shape to the top center of the document. See the image below.
• Click the checkmark to commit.

Step Four: Create the Chevron Pattern

• Press Ctrl J (Mac: Cmd J) five times. You should now have six arrow shapes in the Layers panel.
• Get the Move tool.
• In the Tool Options, uncheck Auto Select Layer.
• On the document, hold down the Shift key and drag the arrow to the bottom edge of the document as shown in the image below.

• In the Layers panel, hold down the Shift key and click on the bottom arrow shape layer. Now all six arrow shape layers should be active.
• In the Tool Options, click on the Distribute Vertical Centers icon.
• Press Ctrl E (Mac: Cmd E) to merge the layers together into a chevron pattern.
• In the Menu Bar, choose Layer > Simplify Layer. (PS: Choose Layer > Rasterize > Shape.)
• In the Menu Bar, choose View and uncheck Grid to hide it. (PS: Choose View > Show and uncheck Grid.)

Step Five: Create the Cutouts

• In the Layers panel, the chevron pattern layer should be active.
• Ctrl click (Mac: Cmd click) on the thumbnail of the hidden square shape layer to get a selection outline.

• In the Menu Bar, choose Select > Inverse.
• Press the Backspace key (Mac: Delete key) to create a border around the chevron layer.
• Press Ctrl D (Mac: Cmd D) to deselect.
• In the Layers panel, click and drag the square shape layer to the Trash icon.

• Hold down the Ctrl key (Mac: Cmd key) and click on the thumbnail of the chevron layer to get a selection outline.
• Activate the bottom layer.
• Press the Backspace key (Mac: Delete key) to cut the chevron pattern out of the background.
• Press Ctrl D (Mac: Cmd D) to deselect.
• In the Layers panel, click and drag the top chevron layer to the Trash icon.

Step Six: Save the Template

• Save the template (File > Save) as a PNG document.
• In the dialog box, click Smallest File Size and click OK.
• Close the working document without saving.

Step Seven: Use the Template as a Clipping Mask

• Open a background paper (File > Open).
• Open the chevron template you just created.
• Get the Move tool.
• On the document, hold down the Shift key and click and drag the template onto the background paper.
• Open a coordinating background paper.
• On the document, hold down the Shift key and click and drag the paper onto the paper/template document.
• In the Menu Bar, choose Layer > Create Clipping Mask.
• In the Layers panel, click on the template layer to activate it.
• Add a basic drop shadow.

Page: So Incredibly Cute by Jen White
Photo: Kelsey White
Kit: Soar & Roar by KimB Designs & Digital Scrapbook Ingredients
Font: DJB Annalise

This tutorial was originally created by Lydia Tarbox in July 2014. Here’s the layout she created using the template created with this tutorial:

Page & Photos: Lydia Tarbox
Kit: Liberty for All by Mommyish
Font: DJB Lydia Print