Thursday, August 23, 2012

So you want to create a 2-pager...

...but you don't know how you would save it to be able to print.  This is something I struggled with too when I started using PSE, so you are not alone.  There are many, many ways to go about creating and saving a double-wide layout, but here is the one that I use.

Start by creating a 2 page layout.  I do this as a single file that is 12"x24" and 300 dpi.  If you need to know how to do this, see my post on how to create a new layout.  I save this file as a full 12"x24" 2-page layout so that I don't have to worry about finding the separate sides if I make a mistake. 

Now I begin my process of saving the individual pages.  First select the Rectangular Marquee tool (M) and select Fixed size from the drop-down menu on the tool bar.

Enter 12in into each of the boxes in the toolbar.
Now click into your layout and slide the marching ants to the left hand side of your layout until it doesn't move anymore.  
 Go to Image>Crop.  This will crop your image to just the left hand side.
Now save your image as a jpg and make sure to label it as the left hand side. This is a good time to also save for the web in your usual way.
 
Now press Ctrl+Z to undo the crop and move the marquee to the right hand side.  You shouldn't have to press anything to be able to move the marquee, but if you are having trouble, press Esc to deselect and then reselect as above.  Crop and save the same as before. 

I hope this helps you create more 2-page layouts.  They are quite fun to do!

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