Make a Flower in Photoshop Elements:

This tutorial will help you make a flower (or any type of fancy shape) in Photoshop Elements. First make a new document. Start with a 5in x 5in document at 200 or 300dpi. File > New

Fill your document with a background paper or color. If you dropped a background paper into your document then do the following.

Select all , then click on image crop. This will remove the excess background from the document (the background outside the document window).

Now make 4 more copies of this layer (hit control J, 4 times). The reason I am having you make 4 copies is because we want all our petals to have a different pattern on them. If we just make a copy of one petal then it will not look realistic.

Turn off the visiblility of all the layers but layer 2

Use you cookie cutter shape tool, click on the fly our arrow to select all Element shapes. Now select the "Raindrop shape".

Drag out the raindrop shape in your document. As soon as you release the mouse the image will cut. Double click on it to accept the shape.

Now we will use this shape to cut more petals.

Transform (rotate) your petal to a new location

Press the control key and click on your rotated petal thumbnail in the layers palette. This will put marching ants around the shape.

Turn on the visiblity of layer 3 by clicking on the box where the eye should be as shown in the above image.

IMPORTANT!! Click on layer 3 to make sure you have it active (it will be blue when the layer is active)

Click on select > inverse, then click on Edit > delete. You will now have another copy of a petal (sitting on top of you other petal). To deselect your new shape you can click on Select > Deselect.

Now repeat the above steps.

Transform (rotate) either of the petals to a new location. Control/Click on the thumbnail of that image in the layers palette to select it. Turn on the visibility of the layer above (layer 4 will be next). Click on that layer to make it active (make it blue). Click on Select > inverse, then Edit > delete. Deselect this shape by clicking on Select > Deselect, and you have a new petal.

Continue until you have all the layers cut.

This is what our image will look like when all the layers are cut.

This is what the layers palette will look like.

Now you can cut a small circle for the inside of the flower or use a premade embellishment. I have added a jewel stone from my "Bling on Spring" kit.

Add drop shadows and you now have a pretty paper cut flower for your pages. Enjoy!!