Graphical Technique for Photos

I have been playing with some of the senior photos of Kayla Jo today. She was such a great model! I have just been adding some effects that I have found on the Internet and changed up the techniques a bit. First I have to give credit where credit is due. Thank you Cory Barker for the inspiration to try this technique. Please watch his video on Layers TV Episode 137, as I did. These are the parts that I changed...

Steps:

(Watch the video!! They do a great job explaining the technique.)

I opened Illustrator. I use CS4.

I started a simple RGB document and sized it to 800 x 600 with a white background.

I put a photograph that I wanted to work in on the background. (I chose one of Kayla Jo that my husband took! He is a great photographer!)

Using the shape tool, I covered the photo with a square. Use a black fill with NO outline.

Open the transparency window. From the fly-out menu choose the “Make Opacity Mask” Make sure that you click on the mask in the transparency window. It will be the black box beside the picture.

Using the “Symbol Spray Tool” I sprayed the Polaroid symbol that I have made. 

I then used the “Symbol Spinner Tool” and the “Symbol Sizer Tool” to get the look that I wanted.

I had fun playing with this technique and I hope you also enjoy changing some of your photos.

Edited:

To add the symbol into your library. Save the file and then follow instructions below here.

Import a symbol library from another document

1. Choose Window > Symbol Libraries > Other Library or choose Open Symbol Library > Other Library from the Symbols panel menu.

Select the file from which you want to import symbols, and click Open.
The symbols appear in a symbol library panel (not the Symbols panel).