This is not a brand new topic by any means, but I wanted to share with you all a little trick that I picked up to include little video clips here and there in my Project Life albums. I first saw this idea pop up on YouTube when someone wanted to show little video memories from her trip to Disney World and I all but freaked out when I saw it. It was so simple and so genius. I immediately had to follow suit!
I'm going to kind of work backwards here so you can see what the result we're going for looks like before I jump into showing you step by step how I create this with PSE. The short video below shows how the finished product looks in Thomas' baby book and how to actually execute this effect.
As you can see, it works pretty slick when it is done! If I'm flipping through my album and I want to watch the video, it literally takes a matter of seconds (with a good WiFi connection, that is) to be watching the clip.
The Process
Here's how to do it! There is a video at the bottom of these steps that will show everything in real time, but I've written everything out in case you are unable to view the video.
Step 1 - Upload your video and Copy the URL
Obviously, the first thing you should do is create your video and upload it. I use YouTube, but Vimeo or any other video hosting website should work just fine. Once your video is live, copy the URL code.
Step 2 - Create and Save the QR Code
Once the URL of your video is copied to your clipboard, open up this website : Free QR Code Generator. Paste the URL of your video into the box and click GENERATE. (You may need to sign up for a free account first) Once the QR code shows up, there is a button you can click to save it as either a .pdf or a .png file. I prefer .png because it makes it very easy to work with in PSE. Save it to your computer and then launch Photoshop Elements!
Step 3 - Assemble the Project Life Card
With PSE open, go ahead and open up whatever journal card or photo you want to put the QR code on. Also, open up the QR code file while you're at it. Copy the code image into a new layer on top of your journal card (see video for how to do this) and then you can resize it and move it around however you want. I like to add a little description of the video and maybe even use an arrow brush to draw more attention to it.
Step 4 - Print, Download, and View
Print your journal card as you normally would and slip it into your Project Life album. Next, download the app "ScanLife" for your smartphone. Open the app and scan the code and you are off to the races!
Here's the video that shows how I create one of these cards from start to finish:
A simple little trick that adds a neat touch to your Project Life album. Give it a shot!
Linking up this bonus post with The Mom Creative today!
