Mobile Memory Keeping Part 4│Adding Artwork & PNGs

Mobile Memory Keeping Part 4│Adding Artwork & PNGs

How to add embellishments to you photos and journal cards.

I find that I don't use the ABM and Rhonna apps very often right now since I like to use a lot of my own artwork PNGs from Dropbox.  But those are great options for anyone looking to add some pretty stuff to their photos or journal cards. It is also an easy way for an Android user to add artwork since the Rhonna app is available in the Google Play store.  

A Note About My Mobile Devices.

I also wanted to tell you all that I don't have a smart phone.  I have a kindle fire and an iPod touch.  As a stay at home mom with a plain old phone that I barely use that only costs me $5 a month to have on my hubby's plan, a smart phone just for scrapbooking would be such a waste of money!  I bought my iPod touch just for the camera, Project Life apps and scrapbooking.  You don't have to have internet access to use most of the apps (unless you want to add things from Dropbox to Letterglow, or the Creative Cloud into Photoshop Touch.)  I take pictures while we are out and about, and add text and things, and I usually work "online" at night while I am watching TV with my family.  An iPod isn't cheap, but, it costs less than an old version of Photoshop and several months of a smart phone bill!  I just wanted you all to know there is a less expensive option to have an Apple product to use without having the iPhone or iPad.  

I don't recommend the kindle for scrapbooking, as you don't have access to the Google play store or many of the Android apps used.  (You can't even get Dropbox, only a third party version of that app.)  Any other tablet device such as an iPad or a Samsung Galaxy Tab, would work for many scrapbooking tasks. 

I do use the Instaweather app each Monday with the Forecast overlay to show a glimpse of the week's weather.  In these apps, you add your artwork and then save to your camera roll.

Adding the Weather Forecast to Your Photo

InstaWeather is my favorite app for this.  

When you open the app, you can take a photo by tapping the camera icon or select from your camera roll by tapping the icon that says Gallery under it.  

I select a photo and from here you can just tap the check mark and be done, or tap the bottom right three little dots that say More underneath for alternate overlays.

There are many options in this app for overlays!

Once you tap the check mark, you can save to your camera roll or upload to social media sites. 

Adding Art (PNGs) in Phonto
While it is great that Phonto gives Android users an option to add art to their photos, it is more work than Letterglow.  For Phonto, you need to load all the photos, cards and art PNGs you want to use, onto your mobile.  Letterglow allows you to pull your images directly from Dropbox.  

When you open Phonto, you want to tap the camera at the bottom to access your camera roll or take a photo.

I pulled a photo from my roll that I have already added a border to in PicStitch.

Them I tap the bottom left icon to access the menu.

I tap Add Image and it takes me to my camera roll where I have this Ali Edwards PNG from her AM/PM story kit.  I like it the way it is so I tap done.

It places the PNG in the center and I like it right there, so I can now either add another PNG buy again tapping the little lines in the bottom left and accessing the menu, then tapping add image again to pull another PNG from my camera roll. 

I like this just how it is so I will save it to my camera roll.

Adding Art (PNGs) in Letterglow
Letterglow is my go to app for adding art to my photos and cards.  It is just so easy.  You don't have to go into Dropbox and save anything to your camera roll because you can access Dropbox from the app.

I tapped the Polaroid (green) circle to select a photo from my camera roll and then tapped use.

I don't want to add any text right now, so I will tap the little X at the top right of the text box.  Then I tap the little dotted square at the bottom and then the plus sign.

 Tap Import and you will see the options for camera roll or Dropbox.  I am pulling a PNG from Dropbox.  

In my Dropbox account I have separate folders for my favorite designers like Ali Edwards, Paislee Press, One Little Bird, and Studio Calico.   For this photo I am using one of my own PNGs.  So you just find the PNG you would like to use, and tap it to add it to your photo.

I want to mention here that Letterglow defaults your PNGs to white if they are saved as a true black PNG.  You will need to tap on the color wheel to select the color you wish your PNG to be.  If your PNG is already colored, you won't have the option to change it.  

And here I have tapped the fading checkerboard to change the opacity of my image and make it a bit translucent. (I haven't found a way to do this in Phonto or Photoshop Touch, so if anyone knows how, please comment below!)  Just tap the check mark when you are done.

 I decided to add the word Cleaning to my photo as well, so I tapped the Aa at the bottom left to add text as I showed you in the last segement.  And here again, Letterglow defaulted to white for the text so I had to tap the color wheel to change the color.

 Now that I have my image the way I like, I tap the tiny triangle at the very bottom middle and the options for New and Done appear.

 When I tap Done, I can save my image or upload it to several social media sites.

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Adding Art (PNGs) in Photoshop Touch

Now, if you have all your photos, cards and PNGs in the Creative Cloud, Photoshop Touch may be the fastest option for Android users to add artwork to your photos.

I am still trying to load my Creative Cloud with the items I need so I will be using my camera roll just as you would if you are not an Adobe subscriber and do not have access to the cloud.  When you open Photoshop Touch (And make certain you have Touch and not Express.) It will give you the option to open from your photo library, cloud, take a photo, or open a blank document.  I am opening a photo from my photo library.

Once your photo is shown, tap the bottom right with the little paper stack and plus sign.  This will show you your layers and give you the option to add another image.  Tap the plus sign under the mini image of your photo.

Here you will get the options Photo Layer, Empty Layer, and Duplicate Layer.  The Layer from Selection is greyed out because I have nothing selected.  I am going to add a Photo Layer and that will again bring me to my camera roll where I can select a PNG.  I am using the same Ali Edwards PNG for this section.

Now you can adjust the size of your PNG by just using your thumb and pointer finger to stretch it out or squeeze it smaller.  You can also rotate with the little spinning arrow to the right of the PNG, or stretch one side or the other by pulling on any of the middle white dots around the PNG.  Pulling from the corners will keep your image's aspect ratio correct. Once you have it placed where you want it and sized the way you want it, tap the check mark at the bottom right.

You will get the option to save or not save and when you select save, you will have the option to save to your camera roll or cloud.

On Thursday in Part 5, I will be showing you how to make 12x12 layouts on your phone and tablets! 

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