Creating your own templates may seem like a complicated endeavor, but it can be such a timesaver when you implement it into your digital scrapbooking. Think of it as creating your own coloring book, you're setting up the outlines now and later you'll add all the colors.
Start by creating a new project in the size you'd like your templates to be. For the one I've used for this post, I created a new 12 x 12 blank project.
Now that you have a blank canvas, you're ready to begin. If you follow a few simple rules, you can create templates to fit all your needs.
Photos boxes in templates
Rather than inserting photos onto your page (see screen shot below), you'll be using the Insert tab in SBC+ and choosing "Empty Frame" each time you want to add a photo box to your template. Once the empty frame is added to your template, size and position as desired. Then add shadows and borders you wish.
Shapes in your templates
From the insert tab, you will create the spaces that you will later fill with papers or colors. Click on the "shape" button to add rectangles, circles or other shapes. Color each new element a different shade of black (see screen shot below). You can treat each of these shapes as you would any other paper in your files. Add shadows, torn edges, etc.
Text in your templates
Again, from the insert tab, choose the type of text box you want to include in your template. Size and position as desired and click on create. No need to format any text once the box is placed. You'll do that later when you use the template to create pages. (again, see screen shot above)
If there are any embellishments that you want as part of the template, add those now. Once your template is complete, save the file and close the template.
Using your templates
Open or create a project the same size as your templates. From the home tab, click on "import page". Navigate to your template file. In the preview pane, you will see thumbnails of your templates. Choose the one you want to use and click on "get pages". (see screen shot below)
Once your template is imported
Let the fun begin. Drag and drop photos into the photo frames. Click on the shapes you've created and fill with papers or just color if you prefer. Add text to the journal boxes and other additional embellishments, papers to complete your project.
Creating even just a few templates for yourself will free you up to focus on what it is you want to create. Do you like to always get 4 photos on a page? Make a bunch of templates featuring 4 photos! Like lots of journaling? Set yourself up with a journaling template. Planning on creating a larger StoryBook and want all the pages to have the same layout? Save yourself some time and make a template first (see screen shots below).
Want the template from this post?
(note: this template was created in SBC+3 and is not compatible with earlier versions)
Simply RIGHT click here, then select "save target as". Next, navigate to a place on your hard drive where you want to save this file and select "OK". Open StoryBook Creator Plus Software and create a new project (this project should be a 12 x 12 page print type). Once your project has been created, on the "Home" tab, click on "Import Page" icon to the far right. Navigate to where you saved the page file at, then click on it, then click "Get pages". Your page will be all set for you to drag and drop photos in, change fonts, add journaling!
