There are a number of ways to play with images. I think many folks here know how to use Photoshop, and that probably allows the most sophisticated results.

I don't know Photoshop, so I use olioboard.com. It's a free site that lets you upload your own images, as well as adding other images you find on the internet, to assemble them in design boards.

I learned how to use it while having fun with the Design Around This threads. In the thread linked below, several people wrote posts explaining different ways to manipulate images and arrive at design boards.

I have a post about halfway down, explaining a bit more about some of my experiences using olioboard:
About the Design Around This Threads

...Edited because, re-reading your post, I see you may have meant to type "friend's plans", and I jumped to the idea of design boards instead, sorry! Some of the info in the above thread may be helpful, still.

Hopefully others will chime in with their tips on editing plans.

This post was edited by mudhouse on Thu, Dec 18, 14 at 21:39

Thank you for your response! I really should read my posts, before posting! I meant to say, edit peoples blueprints.lol!

For quick rearranging, I use Paint. It's free, and comes with almost every computer. It has it's limitations, but it can usually get the idea across.

Like LWO, I use Paint. As stated, it has limitations - you have to do the math, not rely on a program to do it for you - but it's free and it has a very small learning curve (at least it did for me). I keep threatening to polish up my Chief Architect skills but so far I haven't taken the time to do so. If you really want to play with lay-outs and see how a plan will look in 3D, then consider purchasing Chief Architect and learn how to use it.

There's also Google Sketchup, which is free but not as sophisticated as Chief Architect (finish selections are slim). But it will give you 3D images of a plan, which many find very helpful.

I have Paint, Adobe Photoshop Elements, Chief Architect and Sketchup, but since I started using Sketchup, stopped using Chief Architect.

There's a learning curve on all, but Sketchup delivers amazing results, once you grasp the basics. Draw a rectangle (any size), type in your measurements, there's your footprint. Change to the push pull tool, pull it up, type 8 feet, there's your room.

You'll probably use a combination of tools. For our family room built-ins, I designed them with Sketchup and even made a how-to of how I thought DH could put them together using Sketchup (we didn't do the shelves this way), then took screen shots and copied into Paint. The wonderful thing about Sketchup is that it's 3-D, you can rotate around the image to get the view you want.

Download Sketchup and take some of the tutorials. I find it helpful to practice on the PC and watch the tutorial on a second device. Good luck!

{{gwi:2139806}}

eire6678, you helped me by posting this question (although I muffed up your original intent!) I have been looking at trying Sketchup, and oldbat2be's post above is the motivation I needed.

Thanks to both of you!

Glad to hear mudhouse! Please let us know how you like it. As you can tell, I am a huge fan:)

I watched some Sketchup tutorials last night. As soon as I saw the push-pull tool making boxes, I was hooked.

Your idea about practicing on the PC while watching tutorials on a second device makes total sense. I looked at the "Sketchup for Dummies" books last night, thinking about the same learning approach. (I am a bit of a techno-dinosaur.)

Probably, Santa should bring me a second device instead of a book. I think I'll leave a letter with the cookies this year.

Too funny mudhouse! Hope Santa is good to you:)

Glad you learned something mud house!

I use Microsoft PowerPoint for the most part. I did purchase Chief Architect's Home Designer Architectural, but I haven't had/taken the time to master it yet.

So, for now, Microsoft PowerPoint is the easiest way for me to work on other people's kitchen designs.

1. I downloaded free graph paper from the internet and pasted a copy into a PPT presentation

I then sized the graph paper image so the boxes on the graph paper each represent 6"x6" with the scale of 0.8" = 24" in real life.
I created different sized ranges, cooktops, refrigerators, sinks, etc. to match the scale
I saved a template and now just load the template and start designing!

If anyone would like a copy of the PowerPoint template I've created, just email me via "My Page".

I've linked an old thread below.

Here is a link that might be useful: Modifying A Poster's Layout

Note: I don't always receive messages that are emailed to me, so if you email me, post a message to that effect on this thread.

Eire6678 - I hope you don't mind if I have people post on this thread...if you do, I'll remove the above statement about posting on this thread. Let me know please! Thanks!