PDN for Digital Scrapbooking
PDN is short for Paint Dot Net, a FREE photo editing & image creating software.
SECTION 2
A BASIC BEGINNER TUTORIAL FOR A SIMPLE FIRST LAYOUT
You are now in section 2 of the basic tutorial for your first layout. Before starting this section it is already understood that you have been shown where to find Paint Dot Net (PDN) and how to install Paint Dot Net (PDN). You were taught how to set the size of the blank canvas in Step 3 and 4 (the size of your entire layout) within Paint Dot Net. You have learned where a really nice website is to get free mini kits in Steps 5 - 7 to use in your layout. You have learned about zip files in Step 8. You have learned about zip software required to open (unzip) a zipped file and you have learned how to open and remove the contents of a zip file in Sections 9 & 10.
Now we begin doing an actual simple digital scrapbook page layout. I am going to make the layout in the size of 8” x 10”.
If you have a photograph already stored on your computer or sent to you in an email either from your cell phone or from a friend or relative download that photo to your computer, find it, and use it or use a practice photo on your computer or from the internet.
You could even scan a photo if you have a scanner built into your printer. See if the lid to the printer you are using lifts up. It might look like a flat surface on top of the printer but there is a good chance that’s a lid and under it is a scanner with a delicate glass surface. If so, you will need to do a Google (internet search) for how to use your scanner. Just type that into Google along with the exact name of the printer, which should be located somewhere ON the printer.
Step 11:
Double click on the Paint Dot Net icon on your desktop computer screen to open up the app.
After you have opened PDN on your computer, go to the top left area of the "Menu Bar" and click on the word "File" then select "New".
Once the New box opens up change the "printer size" Width to 8 and the Height to 10. Make sure the rectangle box next to it has inches selected (or centimeters if you wish to use centimeters). This is your canvas (layout) size.
PDN icon to double click on
Step 12:
Now you should have a blank white "canvas" in front of you that is 8" x 10".
Find your normal yellow file folder that your zip software opened. Mine was called "Romantic Cottage Scrap Mini Kit".
Double click on that folder to open it up and see the pretty papers, frame, and embellishments to decorate with.
For this demonstration, if it is easier, copy and paste that yellow file folder onto your desktop screen or just leave it where it is.
Step 13:
Now you are going to use PDN to open and select the various images from the mini scrap kit to use on your blank white canvas.
In PDN go to your menu bar, select "File" then "Open". A new window will open. When it does find the mini scrap kit yellow file folder. Double click on it to open it to view the pretty contents. (The square images inside the file are digital papers for your background.) Select one digital paper for this demonstration.
Step 14:
For my background paper I have selected “Cottage Swirls.jpg”. To select “Cottage Swirls” or the digital paper of your choice, click on it.
Once you have selected your digital paper, within PDN, you will notice how it opens up on your screen to view full size. If you look up at the top of PDN you will also see a much smaller “thumbnail” image of the same digital paper. (From here on out I will refer to it mostly as just “paper”.)
If you click on the thumbnail (much smaller) identical image that is showing above, near the top of PDN, a red “X” will appear in the corner of that smaller image. Click on that red “X” and the image goes away. To retrieve that same image or another one, repeat this step.
That top area with the smaller thumbnails will allow you to view the images you have selected to work with and delete the images you no longer need or want to work with. It only deletes the image from being used within PDN. It does NOT delete the image from your computer.
Step 15:
Once again, select the paper you wish to use from the mini kit for your background in PDN.
Once you have selected the digital paper and it has opened up within PDN you should see two images at the top middle area of PDN; one is your white blank 8” x 10” canvas and the other image is the digital paper you have selected.
Click on the white blank canvas thumbnail to make it the image showing full size in PDN.
The digital paper you have selected for your background is much larger than your 8” x 10” canvas. You will want to “drag” the background paper to a smaller size that will fit better into the size of your canvas.
Click on (select) the small thumbnail at the top of PDN, the one of your background paper, to now make that the image showing full size in the main, large PDN work space.
Circled in red are the "thumbnails" near the top of PDN I am referring to in Steps 14 and 15.
Step 16:
Before we go further, I‘m going to show you an image of the tool window.
On each image if you put your mouse/curser over each tool without clicking on it and wait a few seconds, USUALLY (but not always), words will appear to tell you the name of each tool your mouse is paused/hovering over.
It will be easier if I refer to a red tool number based on the chart I made for this tutorial if you have no experience with this type of software.
1. The hammer, clicking it makes the entire tool window below it go away or appear again.
2. That white "x" closes the tool bar to make it go away.
3. MAIN SELECTION TOOL, or, "Selection Tool"
4. Square Selection Tool
5."Move Selection Tool"
6. Lasso
7. Zoom
8. Circle Selection Tool
9. "Pan"
10. Magic Wand
11. Gradient Tool
12. Paint Bucket
13. Eraser
14. Paintbrush
15. Color Picker
16. Pencil
17. Recolor
18. Clone Stamp
19. Line Curve
20. Text
21. Shapes
NOTE: The more you practice the steps I have provided, and play around with PDN, the easier it will be for you to remember where various functions are located, what they are called, and what they do.
For many, learning to use PDN in bits and pieces, doing something you might enjoy—something constructive, will make learning how to use PDN more fun to tinker around with. It gives a more understood purpose for some of its basic functions rather than learning various random functions. This website and entire tutorial was made to show you how to use PDN with a purpose.
I also plan on making each page into a .pdf and document print-out at the top of each page, as well as all pages of this website in one multi-page document. This is in case you want to print one page out or the entire tutorial and keep your instructions in a notebook or stapled together for future reference, rather than having to be on the internet flipping back and forth from one page to the other.
Now we are ready to move on to Section 3.
Digital Scrapbooking With Paint Dot Net
Questions or comments may be directed to pdnscrapbooking @ gmail dot com (Due to spam everyone is sick of, I didn't write it the traditional way.)