Page background designed from the photo using camera crop and kaleidoscope features

Have you noticed that repeating an image in a pattern creates visual interest well beyond that of the single image alone? (Surely I am not the only person whose brain and eyes are wired this way.) A simple square transforms into a visual masterpiece as the repeating motif of a quilt. A simple symbol into a formal necktie pattern or a themed scrapbook background. A few irregular flecks of colored glass into a kaleidoscope’s mesmerizing facets.

I’ve used the pleasing look of symmetry and balance in a way that scrapbookers, traditional and digital alike, will find easy, fun, artistic and complementary to a wide range of page design styles. The images were digital photos I’ve taken, and the awesome kaleidoscope patterns are made before the photos ever left the camera. No photo editing application was required to do it. The results were one-of-a-kind, effortlessly color-matched elements that were used in digital scrapbook pages, or, that were printed, layered, journaled and embellished using traditional scrapbooking techniques.

Various scrapbooking elements made from photos

Create on the Fly:

• Try choosing different parts of a photo and put them in the Kaleidoscope.
• Apply the kaleidoscope effect multiple times.
• Delete the images you don’t like. Save the ones you like best.