Tube Over Frame Stationary Tutorial

by Michelle ©

2004

This is what we'll be making

You will need Paintshop Pro (I used PSP 9)

A Tube

Brushes (Optional)

Simple/4 Way Average.

f you would like to download this tutorial in .imf version for Incredimail just click on the orange Envelope below

Open the tube that you will be using.

With your eye dropper choose a complementary colour for your foreground.

Open a new transparent image 400 x 300 and flood fill with your chosen colour.

Selections/Select all and Selections/Modify/Contract and contract by 25.

Selections/Invert and Effects/Texture Effects/Blinds with the following settings

Effects/3D Effects/Inner Bevel.

Use the preset Pillow, but change the Ambience setting to 50.

Selections/Invert and Selections/Promote Selections To Layer. Keep selected.

Next we are going to add the tube over our promoted layer.

You can do this one of two ways.

1. You can either use your Tube Tool and find the tube you selected.

Reduce the scale to around 40%.

Cover the promoted selection with your tube.

Or:

2. Select none.

Add a new layer. Go to your open tube and resize it down to about 40%.

Copy your open tube and paste repeatedly as a selection onto your the layer,

of the frame graphic you're working on.

Keep pasting randomly until you have completely covered the area.

Once you have finished pasting your tube, select none.

Highlight your promoted layer, Select All/Float/Defloat and Invert.

Go back to the new layer and hit delete once on your keyboard.

Select none.

Turn off visibility of your background (Bottom layer) and merge the two visible layers.

You can turn the background visibility back on.

Highlight your new merged layer, Effects/Plugins/Simple/4 Way Average

Repeat the same inner bevel as before.

Edit/Copy and Edit/Paste as a New Image.

Put the new image aside for now and go back to the image you were working on.

** This next part is optional.

If you would like to add some brushes to your image

Keep the promoted layer selected

(This keeps any brushes you add within the selected area)

Add add a new layer. Add brushes as you wish.

** (Note with each brush I add, I always use a new layer.

This way I can change opacity and mode or delete things I don't like)

Select none. Resize your canvas Image/Canvas Size to 500 x 400

Make sure you click the middle for placement as shown below.

Bring up the tube you chose.

Undo any resizing you may have done.

Edit/Copy and Edit/Paste as a new layer on the image you're working on.

Resize it if needed and place it where you want it.

Effects/3D Effects/Drop Shadow with the following settings

Add any text you would like on a new layer.

I used the same foreground colour that I flood filled the image with.

I used white for the background with a stroke width of 2.

Rotate the text left by 15 degrees.

Add the same inner bevel as before but change the ambience to 20.

Select none and add the following drop shadow twice.

Vertical & Horizontal = 1

Opacity = 100

Blur = 1

Merge visible and Copy and Paste as a new Image.

Image/Resize this new image so that it's no longer than 300 in height.

The width will take care of itself.

Make sure you have resize all layers checked and Resample using Bicubic.

Now we need to resize the canvas.

Image/Canvas Size as below, making sure you click the middle left placement

Create a new layer and send it to the bottom.

Now we need to make the fill for the bottom layer.

Find the new image you created with the promoted layer.

Effects/Art Media/Brush Strokes

Effects/Image Effects/Seamless Tiling

Add a new layer and flood fill it with white.

Reduce the opacity to 50% and merge visible.

In your material palette, find the Brush Strokes image you just made. Click on it.

Scale = 100, Angle = 0 and go back to the image you resized

Flood fill the bottom layer with the new pattern.

You'll need to make this seamless again with the same settings as before.

Merge your image and save to Assemble in Letter Creator.

Thank you for trying my tutorial. I hope you enjoyed it.