1. Open a digital page that would work well as a background. (I scanned an old, yellowed piece of folded paper to use as my background).
2. Open the photos you want to use (File > Open).
3. Select the Move tool, and click and drag the first one onto your page.
4. Make sure you have "Show Bounding Box" selected in the Options Bar so you have a bounding box around your photo. Click on a corner handle and resize it as necessary. (Don't use the side handles or you will distort your image.)
5. When you're satisfied with the size, click on the check mark located below the Bounding Box outline to accept it.
6. Do the same with all your other photos. Position them on your page in a pleasing manner. It's okay to overlap the edges some.
7. Make sure you have "Auto Select Layer" checked in the Options Bar.
8. Click on a photo on your page to select its layer in the Layers palette.
9. Open the Blend Mode menu at the top of the Layers palette and change the mode from "Normal" to "Soft Light.." You can also experiment with other blend modes to achieve a different look.

Here's how to toggle through the blend modes to try them all out quickly:

In Windows only:
Once the blend mode name at the top of the Layers palette is highlighted in blue, you can toggle forward and backward in the list by using the down and up arrow keys. (Shift key not required.)

Remember, the effect you get using this technique really depends on the photos you use AND on the paper you have underneath them.

Linda Sattgast