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Table of Contents

  1. Introduction
  2. The Background
  3. Adding Texture
  4. The Image Layer
  5. A Header

Creating a Collage with Fireworks

Adding Texture

Now add some texture to the edges with the Alien Skin "Splat" plug-in that shipped with Fireworks.

  1. Shift-click to select all four rectangles.
  2. Select Modify > Group.

  3. Click the Add Effects button [+] on the Property inspector and choose Alien Skin Splat LE. The settings are 10.00 for Edge Width, 5.00 for Margin, 52 for Feature size, Torn Paper for Edge mode, and check the Transparent box. Click OK to close the dialog window.

    The background with the Effect applied.

    Figure 10. The background with the Effect applied.

  4. Reopen the Effects menu and select Shadow and Glow > Drop shadow. The shadow settings are distance: 7, opacity: 40%, softness: 8, angle: 330, color: #333333.
  5. Open the Layers panel and double-click the title bar of Layer one.
  6. Type the name background into the layer name dialog box and press Enter.

How about a faux stain? You can customize one of Fireworksbuilt-in strokes to emulate the foxing finish you see on old books and documents. Foxing is the name given to the brownish or grayish discoloration you see on the paper of old books. It's usually in circular or whorl patterns, and is the result of mold. It's what gives an old book that characteristic, musty-old-book smell.

  1. Select on the menu expander icon of the Layers panel and choose New Layer from the menu. Name the layer texture.
  2. Click the Menu expander icon again and choose Single Layer editing.

  3. Drag out an 85px by 85 px ellipse. Use no fill but add an Unnatural > Fluid Spatter stroke. The stroke settings are 56 for Tip size, 100 for Edge, and #666633 for color.

    Applying a faux stain

    Figure 11. Applying a faux stain

  4. Once you've finished styling the stroke, apply the Tint blend mode to it.

Next you'll use text to create some background noise.

  1. Select the text tool, and then drag a text box over the top left rectangle of the background.

    Creating text for background noise

    Figure 12. Creating text for background noise

  2. Type out a paragraph or two of nonsense text, like "Lorem Ipsum," in a sans serif font. I've used Arial at 10 points, and colored pale gray.
  3. Clone the text, change the color, and arrange the clone artistically over the right half of the base image.

  4. Clone the text again, change its color to white, and arrange it over the bottom, left rectangle of the background image.

    Cloning the background noise text

    Figure 13. Cloning the background noise text

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