This post may contain links through which we may earn a commission. #ad

Optimising the file sizes of your digital scrapbooking layouts is a great way to keep your overall file storage space somewhat under control. It also enables you to easily see the image contents of Photoshop® .PSDs when you are viewing the thumbnails in Windows Explorer®. For ALL Photoshop users, one of the best ways to do that is to save your files as .TIFs instead of in the native Photoshop .PSD file format. In this quick and easy tutorial we run through the steps to convert your digital scrapbook layouts into .TIF format.

Jump to Podcast

Taking a step backwards for one moment … if you are confused about what file format and file types means, there is a previous blog post in this series that explains them in more detail: What are File Types? Why are they Important?

Further clarification: we are also talking about the layered .PSD layout design files here, NOT the flattened .JPG file (nor .PNG files). Once a layout has been flattened and saved out in that form there is limited ability to make any further changes to the elements that were combined to create the layout.

So what does to “optimise file size” mean?

Essentially to optimise the file size means to reduce the size of files whilst retaining the essential capabilities and properties of the file. That can include functions like editable photo layers, editable layers containing special image information like brushes, adjustment layers which are special types of layers within the file, layer style layers like drop shadows.

Then there are things like layer masks and fully editable text layers and there could also be a whole bunch of other things on layers in your file that you want to keep.

I gotta say, from digiscrapping in the trenches over the years, that in my experience there has been nothing worse than saving a layout as a flattened .JPG and then discovering later that you have a typo AND you’ve ended up spelling your son’s name wrong! AND you accidentally saved the .PSD as a flattened layout too!

True story! I did that! 

The following method is my preferred way of saving my work; I have saved all my layouts, and my design files too for that matter, in .TIF format since at least 2007. I was prompted to make the conversion from .PSD to .TIF because I had totally run out of hard+drive space. I reduced my files overall by half.

Many seasoned digiscrappers using Photoshop® swear by this method for the simple reason that it works with great effect.

The following tutorial was written whilst using Adobe Photoshop CS4. However, the basic interface commands are pretty much the same across all versions of Photoshop® Creative Cloud® as well as very similar in Photoshop® Elements from version 2 upwards. The workspace that you see on screen looks a little different to the Adobe® out-of-the-box workspace because I tweaked and customised it to help my "visual thinking" ~ you can customise and save yours too to suit your own unique and individual needs.

Saving in .TIF is easy peasy so the following tutorial is super short and super sweet.

Step 1: Click on File > Save As

This will open the Save As options dialogue box so that you can specify the file format that you want to use to save your file in a .TIF version.

Step 2: Choose Format > TIFF

Click on the Format drop down list and select TIFF (*.TIF; *.TIFF) from the list, then type in the name you want to call your file in the File name field.

Click Save.

This lets Photoshop know which particular file format dialogue box to bring up in the next step so that you can specify exactly how you want Photoshop to save the file.

Step 3: Choose the TIFF File Options

Select the following parameters on the TIFF Options dialogue box: LZW, Interleaved, either IMB PC or Macintosh and ZIP.

These specific setting parameters will ensure that your file is saved in a way that is as small as possible whilst still retaining all the layers and the complex lossless image information in your file.

Lossless image information means that every time you save and re-save the file in .TIF format the clarity and integrity of the image will be retained. In fact, resaving a .TIF in another one of the lossless file formats, for example in .PNG format, will also retain the image’s clarity and integrity.

Voila!

You have just saved your first size optimised file in .TIF format.

To demonstrate how effective this method is in reducing file sizes take a look at this side by side before and after comparison image:

Do you like the decorative swirls featured in the layout used in this tutorial?

Awesome! … here ’tis!

Enjoy!

Freebie Download ~ Coming Soon

Do you think you will use this method to trim away transparent and empty pixels from your .PNG files? How did you go with it or why not? It would be great to know your thoughts on this so please feel free to post in the comments to get a discussion going.

This post is part of our Learn Digital Scrapbooking FAQ Series, the complete index for which can be found on the Learn Digital Scrapbooking: Start Here with the FAQs page.

Enjoy!

____

• What Should I Name my Layout Files? File Naming Conventions for Digital Scrapbooking
• [Ctrl+S] is Your Saviour! How to Work Smarter Not Harder
• What are File Types? Why are they Important?
• I Can’t Find Things! What’s the Best Way to Organise My Files?
• Help!!! I’m Running Out of Hard-Drive Space!
• Backing Up: Why Should I Do It? What is the Best Method?

This post may contain links through which we may earn a commission. #ad

Empty space in the transparent backgrounds of the .PNG files of embellishments for Digital Scrapbooking can chew up a LOT of hard drive space. Literally for nothing! It can also make placement of embellishments difficult in some programs. Excessive empty transparent space can also be a hiding ground for stray pixels, causing issues on layouts, particularly by playing havoc with Drop Shadows and other Layer Styles. In today’s blog, we delve into what to look for, and how to fix it, when checking the embellishments in your digi-stash.

Jump to Podcast

One of the very first things I like to do when I download a new kit to my hard drive is check if the embellishment .PNG files have been safely trimmed to remove excess empty pixels.

Many designers routinely trim excess empty space from their designs with transparent backgrounds. However, some designers don’t for whatever reason.

At first glance it seems simple to just go ahead and hit the Trim command in Photoshop, but doing that always results in rounded embellishments ending up with flat spots from the trimming process. I didn’t know this for a very long time and was just hitting trim on everything … big mistake!

There is an easy solution that is a breeze to follow to get the job done safely that leaves the beautiful rounding on your rounded embellishments nicely round.

The following tutorial was written whilst using Adobe Photoshop CS4. However, the basic interface commands are pretty much the same across all versions of Photoshop® Creative Cloud® as well as very similar in Photoshop® Elements from version 2 upwards. The workspace that you see on screen looks a little different to the Adobe® out-of-the-box workspace because I tweaked and customised it to help my "visual thinking" ~ you can customise and save yours too to suit your own unique and individual needs.

If you use Photoshop® Elements despair not! The commands in Elements are very similar. PLUS … There is a little surprise at the end of this tutorial for you too.

Step 1: Open Your File

The first step is obvious … open the file of the embellishment that you would like to trim.

Step 2: Select the Layer in the Layers Palette

Make sure that the layer the embellishment is located on is selected as active in the Layers palette.

This will change the colour of the background of the active layer within the Layers Palette if it was not already selected as the active layer.

Step 3: Apply a Stroke Layer Style

On the Photoshop Menu Bar, click on Layer > Layer Style > Stroke.

This will bring up the Layer Styles dialogue box so that you can apply a simple Stroke Layer Style to the embellishment.

Step 4: Set the Style Options

Set the Stroke options to 3 pixels wide and choose any colour so that you are able to see that it has been applied to the embellishments.

This will create a 3px stroke outlining all the opaque areas of the embellishment. Essentially the embellie has now been made 6px wider and taller than it was before we applied the layer style.

Now is also a good time to zoom in on the image to see if you can spot any stray pixels and, if you find any, delete them from the file.

Step 5: Open the Trim Command

On the Photoshop Menu Bar, click on Image > Trim.

This will open up the Trim command’s dialogue box.

After trimming is another good opportunity to check for any stray pixels.

Step 6: Trim the Background

Set the Trim > Based On command options to Transparent Pixels and ensure that ALL the Trim Away check boxes are ticked as selected.

This will ensure that all sides and all the areas with empty pixels will be trimmed away within a four-sided / rectangular perimeter.

Step 7: Clear Layer Style

Right click on the active embellishment layer in the Layers palette and click on Clear Layer Style.

This will remove the stroke from the embellishment, leaving a gap around the embellie of approximately 3px on each side. The gap is not precisely 3px because Photoshop always trims a little more than it should …. which is why we are safely trimming our rounded embellishment in the first place!

Step 8: Check Point

Pause to admire your beautifully trimmed embellishment.

Step 8A: RE-Check Point

If your image is trimmed in a skewed way, ie there is still an excess transparent area remaining after running the Trim Command then there may still be a stray pixel hiding in the image that was missed earlier.

Simply re-apply the stroke layer style and go hunting until you find the little blighter (or plural) and then delete it.

Step 9: Resave the File

On the Photoshop Menu Bar, click on File > Save to over-right the file or alternatively click on File > Save As to re-save your newly trimmed .PNG file with a different name or in a different folder. DONE!

Pretty easy really!

To make things even easier I have created a quick and simple action to do the grunt work of trimming .PNGs for you.

There are two versions in this download: one with an automatic Save/Close command and one without so that you can retain full control over where and how the trimmed files save.

Also included in the download are instructions for both Photoshop® Creative Cloud as well as for Photoshop® Elements. Elements users can also refer to the current help documents at Adobe and to review legacy information for older versions of Elements that you may be using.

Freebie download: coming soon.

So there we have it: a brief explanation of the why and how-to process of trimming the transparent and empty pixels from .PNG files to optimise files sizes. Please let us know how you are going with it. Did it work as expected? Need help? Did this action work in Photoshop® Elements too? I would love to know: please post in the comments to get a discussion going.

This post is part of our Learn Digital Scrapbooking FAQ Series, the complete index for which can be found on the Learn Digital Scrapbooking: Start Here with the FAQs page.

Enjoy!

____

• The DigiScrap Stash: What Types of Graphics are Available for Digital Scrapbooking?
• What are File Types? Why are they Important?
• Help!!! I’m Running Out of Hard-Drive Space!
• Backing Up: Why Should I Do It? What is the Best Method?
• Tutorial Coming Soon

This post may contain links through which we may earn a commission. #ad

Unless you’ve had to deal with using different types of files in the past, either in your work or studies or hobby, then when you first start digital scrapbooking it may be a little confusing trying to understand what is meant when you hear the term “file type”, let alone understand why file types are important. File types are important because they tell various software programs and applications how to handle the information within them. Today’s post is aimed at demystifying one of the most basic functions in computer software.

Jump to Podcast

A file type is the term for the last part of the name given to a specific kind of file, sometimes associated exclusively with specific software and apps.

For example, a Microsoft Word® document is one type of file with either .DOC or .DOCX on the end of the file name and an Adobe® Photoshop® document is another file type with a .PSD ending … these are just two different file types and there are many others, spanning all sorts of uses in information technology.

Due to the file type ending, aka the file extension, a Word document file can be opened across a wide variety of other software applications within which it is not “native” because that software application recognises the .DOC or .DOCX extension and, therefore, is able to process the data accordingly.

The assumption in that is that the data contained within the file is in fact programmed correctly and is in fact what it is supposed to be … but that is a web safety discussion we will touch on in another blog post.

On the Flip Side:
Generally speaking, you can’t open a file that is in a format that is not meant to be used in a software app that it is not designed for and vice versa, if that makes any sense!

Photoshop® image files are the same, and they are limited to a smaller number of software applications that are able to open a Photoshop® .PSD for use.

For our purposes, the most common file types that you can expect to come across in digital scrapbooking are imaging and font file formats.

For example, in the layout featured below:

• the layered composition was saved out as a layered template in both the native Photoshop® .PSD file formats as well as in .TIF format;
• the page embellishments (enamel party hat, staples, satin cord, scalloped border) are from .PNG Files;
• the Kraft paper background and cardstock behind the photos are from .JPG files; and
• the ornament in the bottom right corner is stamped on the page from an .ABR Adobe® brush file.

Additionally, the photographs were originally taken in .RAW format on the [dslr-camera] used to take them.

Birthday Boys

Birthdays are always big deals for me and every year I tried to ensure that my sons had great birthdays with good friends and family to celebrate with them.

This year things had been a little hectic around the time of my younger son’s birthday as we were shifting house, so we decided to throw a double birthday party near my older son’s birthday.

Loads of fun!

There are literally dozens upon dozens of different image types and image file extensions that can be used when creating and saving images on the computer. However, below is a list of only a few of the most commonly used file types, and their associated image file extensions that we see in digiscrapping:

• .ABR Adobe BRush file
• .BMP – BitMaP image
• .GIF – Graphics Interchange Format image
• .JPEG or .JPG – Joint Photographic Experts Group image
• .PNG – Portable Network Graphics image
• .PSD – PhotoShop Design image
• .PSP – PaintShop Pro image
• .SVG – Scalable Vector Graphics file
• .TIF or .TIFF – Tagged Image File Format image
• .XCF – GIMP image

Font files are also pretty important to digital scrapbookers because we just love being able to decorate our pages with elaborate title work. We also love to use decorative fonts for our journaling … some fonts contain only ornaments so these are pretty cool to have in our digiscrapping resource collections also.

For the digital scrapbooker, the two most common font file format type extensions are:

• .OTF – Open Type Font file
• .TTF – TrueType Font file

Between these two different font file types the ace in the deck as they say is the .OTF or Open Type font file.

The .OTF format is better because it usually contains all the extra characters and decorative swirls, swashes and special serifs on letters and numbers that make some fonts elaborately decorative.

There is nothing wrong with the .TTF or True Type fonts, however; they are simply far more utilitarian in nature. Although if you need a good solid font for simple journaling then most plain typeface .TTFs will fit the bill.

If you have the choice between installing an .OTF or a .TTF … always go with the .OTF as the first choice.

Another group of file types that is very important to and frequently used by digital scrapbookers are the archive file types used for downloads … we need those download files to build our stash, eg.:

• .ZIP – most widely used on Windows and Mac.
• .RAR – Roshal ARchive
• .7Z – 7–Zip
• .TAR – Tape ARchive

Anyway, that’s enough with the technobabble for today!

If you want, you can read up more on file formats and file types from these sources:

• Wikipedia File Formats
• Wikipedia Archive Files
• Wikipedia List of Archive Formats
• File-Extensions.org

Lastly … did you like the layout featured in this blog post?

Yes?!? …

Awesome.
Please be my guest and download a copy with my compliments!

Freebie Download ~ Coming Soon

Wrapping things up: all said and done, understanding file types, file formats and file extensions together with the ones most commonly encountered by Digital Scrapbookers and what they do is pretty straight forward really. However, I’m curious to keep track of any new trends and would love to hear from you, especially if you are regularly using different file types? Let us know in the comments below.

This post is part of our Learn Digital Scrapbooking FAQ Series, the complete index for which can be found on the Learn Digital Scrapbooking: Start Here with the FAQs page.

Enjoy!

____

• What Should I Name my Layout Files? File Naming Conventions for Digital Scrapbooking
• The DigiScrap Stash: What Types of Graphics are Available for Digital Scrapbooking?
• I Can’t Find Things! What’s the Best Way to Organise My Files?
• Help!!! I’m Running Out of Hard-Drive Space!
• Backing Up: Why Should I Do It? What is the Best Method?