Question about the Kit I purchased

[monia13]

I just downloaded My One and Only kit by Jady Day Studio and I noticed that all the alphas are grouped together on one sheet. I was expecting that each alpha will be its own png file. Am I missing a download link? Not sure what to do with all letters in one file..... TIA

[Darcy Baldwin]

Monika,

You an just cut them out as you need one (this is my preferred method - I dump the already cut alphas if they're included).

Use your marquee tool to draw a square around your letter, hit ALT-C, then go to your layout and hit ALT V- and it goes onto it's own layer! (this is assuming you are using a windows machine). Just move to the next letter and do the same.

[eranslow]

Originally Posted by Darcy Baldwin

Monika,

You an just cut them out as you need one (this is my preferred method - I dump the already cut alphas if they're included).

Use your marquee tool to draw a square around your letter, hit ALT-C, then go to your layout and hit ALT P - and it goes onto it's own layer! (this is assuming you are using a windows machine). Just move to the next letter and do the same.

Woah! I had no idea!?!? That's an awesome shortcut - definitely giving that a go next time I play with a full sheet of alphas

[misfitinmn]

I don't even do ALT-C and ALT-P, I just draw a square with the marquee and then drag the letter to my layout. (At least I think I do...I haven't done it in awhile!)

[eranslow]

I've been doing the marque and then ctrl j for a new layer. This will make the process so much faster!

[monia13]

Originally Posted by Darcy Baldwin

Monika,

You an just cut them out as you need one (this is my preferred method - I dump the already cut alphas if they're included).

Use your marquee tool to draw a square around your letter, hit ALT-C, then go to your layout and hit ALT P - and it goes onto it's own layer! (this is assuming you are using a windows machine). Just move to the next letter and do the same.

Good tip! I usually do the opposite - keep individual png files and delete the sheets. I did't know what to do with the sheets. I thought they were for printing.

[jacinda]

Yep, I do the marque then Ctrl+C and Ctrl+V in photoshop.

[mariewilcox]

I do the same but in PSE it's Ctrl+V to paste - not P. Ctrl+P will bring up printing options

[jacinda]

Oops! You're right Marie. It is Ctrl+V.

[Darcy Baldwin]

lol Marie - my fingers know that, but my brain always thinks P for Paste!

[mariewilcox]

LOL - so it's not just a PSE thing?!? LOL - I know a lot of you use CS or PSP so I just figured it was different in PSE

[NeverendingJen]

I do the marquee and Ctrl +C then Ctrl +v. I hate cutout alphas now, sheet alphas are a lot easier to use in PS for me.

[Nettio]

I prefer individual alpha files but really I don't think one is all that faster than another. Either way you're doing something individually to each letter. I just find the marquee tool so tedious especially when the letters are close together. It's easier for me to drag all the letters I need all at once into Photoshop, and then drag them onto the canvas.

I seem to remember someone (Robin maybe?) saying they dragged the entire sheet onto their layout and then selected and used Ctrl+J to duplicate each letter. That's the only way I can see a sheet alpha being faster...but it doesn't sound like any of you do it that way, haha.

[ricslady]

Since I use Craft Artist Pro I have to have the alphas individual. I just crop them into individuals before I import them.

[lorryfach]

Originally Posted by Nettio

I prefer individual alpha files but really I don't think one is all that faster than another. Either way you're doing something individually to each letter. I just find the marquee tool so tedious especially when the letters are close together. It's easier for me to drag all the letters I need all at once into Photoshop, and then drag them onto the canvas.

I seem to remember someone (Robin maybe?) saying they dragged the entire sheet onto their layout and then selected and used Ctrl+J to duplicate each letter. That's the only way I can see a sheet alpha being faster...but it doesn't sound like any of you do it that way, haha.

That is what I do with a sheet, but for me, individual files ARE absolutely faster. I can drag them directly onto my canvas from Finder. I never open individual files. Clicking on the pngs and dragging them to my canvas is way way faster than having to draw boxes around them and copy and paste them. I hate sheet alphas!

[Nettio]

Originally Posted by lorryfach

That is what I do with a sheet, but for me, individual files ARE absolutely faster. I can drag them directly onto my canvas from Finder. I never open individual files. Clicking on the pngs and dragging them to my canvas is way way faster than having to draw boxes around them and copy and paste them. I hate sheet alphas!

Ok, I didn't know you could drag them onto the canvas from Finder! That's way faster. I know I tried that way back when and it didn't work but now it looks like it adds them as Smart Objects. That's awesome.

[MommaTrish]

I use the load files to stacks for my individual letters I need then drag them all to my canvas. Takes me like 2 seconds. It is WAY faster than selecting each letter and pasting it to my canvas. lol I'm more likely to just not use an alpha if it is all on one sheet unless it's really freaking cute or really goes with my page.

[crystalbird]

If I'm using a full sheet alpha I'll always drag the entire thing onto my canvas and then cut out the letters I need (using either Ctrl+Alt+J to name the layer or Ctrl+J to not). I then use a keyboard shortcut - Alt + [ - to get back to the alpha layer to cut out the next letter. I hate having to navigate between different files and different layers with my mouse, so this makes it pretty quick.

I wrote up a short tutorial for this method on Libby's blog a while ago...

[YepBrook]

Originally Posted by jacinda

Yep, I do the marque then Ctrl+C and Ctrl+V in photoshop.

This.

But, I do prefer individual .pngs... although I know how annoying they are for designers to make.

[Robin Carlton]

I use sheets and hate opening individual files. I just marquee a letter on the sheet and drag to my project, I never c&p them. It's super quick for me and I get frustrated when I have to hunt through a folder full of individual files to find all of the letters I need. Must just be the way different brains work.

[mummytothree]

Originally Posted by crystalbird

I then use a keyboard shortcut - Alt + [ - to get back to the alpha layer to cut out the next letter. I hate having to navigate between different files and different layers with my mouse, so this makes it pretty quick.

.

This is genius!!! I use to LOVE the whole sheet dragged into my page but I hated scrolling through tons of layers with long titles so I stopped doing that and just toggles between two tabs and cut and pasted everything, but this short cut is amazing!!! I have always wondered if there was one like it and have even looked but never found one.....you totally just made my day!!!!

[lorryfach]

Originally Posted by YepBrook

This.

But, I do prefer individual .pngs... although I know how annoying they are for designers to make.

There's an action to do it, isn't there? Pretty sure my friend used an action when she designed.

I am already in Finder pulling out the papers and elements I want and dragging them onto my canvas, so with individual pngs, I can do exactly the same thing with the letters that I've been doing the whole time with the papers and elements. Easy peasy.

[Darcy Baldwin]

There are lots of actions out there, but it's still a pain

[abm234]

Originally Posted by lorryfach

That is what I do with a sheet, but for me, individual files ARE absolutely faster. I can drag them directly onto my canvas from Finder. I never open individual files. Clicking on the pngs and dragging them to my canvas is way way faster than having to draw boxes around them and copy and paste them. I hate sheet alphas!

This is what I do! I LOVE individual files. When I see them on a sheet I cringe.

[abm234]

Originally Posted by MommaTrish

I use the load files to stacks for my individual letters I need then drag them all to my canvas. Takes me like 2 seconds. It is WAY faster than selecting each letter and pasting it to my canvas. lol I'm more likely to just not use an alpha if it is all on one sheet unless it's really freaking cute or really goes with my page.

Agree.

[AmaG]

Originally Posted by Nettio

I seem to remember someone (Robin maybe?) saying they dragged the entire sheet onto their layout and then selected and used Ctrl+J to duplicate each letter. That's the only way I can see a sheet alpha being faster...but it doesn't sound like any of you do it that way, haha.

This is what i do and it (seems at least) is faster.

[abm234]

Ok, I just tried this. Cmd C and Cmd V are quicker than my older Cmd J. However, in between picking letters on my alpha sheet I have to go back to history and click on "open" each time. Is there a way to avoid having to do this step?

[adrianka]

Originally Posted by MommaTrish

I use the load files to stacks for my individual letters I need then drag them all to my canvas. Takes me like 2 seconds. It is WAY faster than selecting each letter and pasting it to my canvas. lol I'm more likely to just not use an alpha if it is all on one sheet unless it's really freaking cute or really goes with my page.

This. And yes it's much faster than dragging and dropping.

I have to say I'm not very impressed when I buy an alpha individually and find out on unzipping that I've bought a sheet. With kits I can see why it's annoying for the designer to do both sheets and individual alphas, but if alphas are sold separately it just bugs me. Not that it's the end of the world, LOL.

[Jengerbread88]

I personally prefer a sheet, so I love when a designer includes a sheet. When I was designing, I tried to include both so customers could choose, but honestly, it WAS time consuming, so I totally get NOT including those; if I was doing it, I sat there for a good two or three episodes of a show on Netflix trying to get them individually and it was a pain in the booty.

When I buy a kit, if an alpha doesn't come on a sheet, I actually put the whole alpha on a sheet, save it, and delete the individuals.

That said, I agree with Adrianka that if I'm buying an alpha and it's JUST an alpha, not with a full kit, then I think it's good to offer it both ways.

[jk703]

I prefer single letters versus the sheet... and everyone has their own choice. If I really like the alpha, I'll use it either way!

[lovely1m]

In PSP, at least the way I do it, it takes just as long to have an individual or to have on one sheet. So I don't care either way they come