Note About Tutorials...

Sorry folks, i can't quite figure out how to post screenshots within the text. I will do some looking around and see if i can find out how before i write a new tut.

Beautiful Serenity (another oldie)

OBJECTIVE
Learn how to make a custom brush
No Outside filters/learning to use those provided in PSP
Make a border

Supplies Needed:
Tube of Choice
Font of Choice
I have supplied a few papers and a bow from Raspberry Road's "Away In A Manger" Scrapkit HERE. You can find her site HERE. Awesome kits there!
For my tube I am using the wonderful artwork of Steve Baier. His tubes can be purchased at Up Your Art.
I have also included word art in psp format. I will explain how to make it into a brush later on into the tutorial.
Ready? Let's Get started!
The colors that I chose on the papers make them easily colorized, if need be to suit your tube.
Remember to save often!
1. Open a new image 600x450
2. Copy & paste "away in a manger 05.jpg" onto your new image.
3. Go to Textures at the top of your psp screen.

4. Click on Texture effects.

5. Select rough leather.

MY SETTINGS:

Angle 45

Luminance 135

Contrast 5

Sharpness 14

Blur 10

4. Next, copy & paste your tube to your image.
5. Add a drop shadow of 1, 1, 20, 5, color black.
6. Go to your layer palette and change the blend mode of your tube to hard light.

*Make sure that you place the tube to where you will have room for brush stamp (or word art) and a name. This is why I also chose an oblong dimension as opposed to equal dimension image.

Are you saving as we go? Just checking....

7. Copy & paste the "away in a manger 02.jpg" on top of the tube. With this paper, we are making a frame.
8. Using your selection tool, draw out a rectangle of equal dimensions. You can refer to my example above to see what size.
_______________________

*These next few steps are optional*

I like a raised look to my frame. This next few steps explain how to do it. I chose on this tag to make the "raised look" subtle. To make it darker, simply change the opacity number to a higher number.

Go to "selections" at the top of your psp screen and click on "invert".

We are going to add drop shadow to the frame. I use this setting: 1,1,20,5 with the color black....apply that and then go back to drop shadow and change the horizontal and vertical to negative numbers:

-1,-1, 20, 5

_______________________

MAKE SURE YOU HAVE SAVED YOUR IMAGE UP TO THIS POINT.
_______________________

Next, we are going to make a brush for our text on our tag....
or you can use the word art I provided.

1. Open a new image of approximately 350x350.

2. There are many ways to type up your text. You may chose to type up what i've used and that's cool.

3. After you have typed it up and cropped off the excess, go to...
FILEEXPORTCUSTOM BRUSH & then OK

4. You may now close out the word image you just created.

5. Use your dropper tool and chose a color from your image.

6. Add a new raster layer.

7. Click on your paint brush.

8. Go to your tool options and select the option that is next to the presets. There will be a drop down menu, you should be able to find your brush that you just made in this area.

9. Then Click "Ok"
You will need to adjust the size of your brush, most likely.

10. Once you have the size right on your brush, stamp it on your new raster layer. *the reason I do a "new raster layer" is it frees you to make effects on the brush like drop shadow, lowering opacity and changing the blend mode.

11. Add any effects you wish to the brush layer at this point.

12. Add any embellishments you wish to use. As a general rule, I use the same drop shadow throughout the tag. It makes for a good balance in the tag. If you use the bow I provided, c/p to your top layer, which should be your frame. Rotate it to the left 20%, making sure to add the drop shadow you've been using. Place it to the bottom right as i have. Once it's in place, duplicate this layer and mirror it. It should be perfectly in place on the lower left of the image. If not, make the adjustmnets needed.

13. Afterwards, you should add your copyright information, making sure its labeled and license number is added if you are using a pay tube.

14. Layers....Merge...All Flatten.

There you have it!
I hope you have enjoyed the tut!

Color My World (an old tut of mine)

Color My World

The beautiful images I used are from Steve Baier and you can purchase them at Up Your Art. The tag template is from Simone. You can visit her tutorial site HERE. The tag template is HERE.You can use any scrap kit you wish, but the one i used came from Calimero. You can visit her blog HERE. I have included in THIS ZIP the supplies from Calimero's kit that I used, along with some extras. The kit iteslf is massive, but has a ton of nice stuff. Just to clear up any confusion, you will have 2 downloads for this tutorial: the zip and the tag template.

OBJECTIVES:
How to use a tag template
How to use a scrapkit

Make a new image of 600x600.
Floodfill it white.
Copy and Paste your 1st paper.
Resize it 65%.
Rotate it to left 12%.
Add a drop shadow with these settings: 3,3,45,10 black.
Copy and paste the next paper.
Resize it to 65%.
Rotate it to the right 8%.
Add the drop shadow 3,3,45,10 black.
Copy and paste the next paper.
Resize it 65%.
Do NOT rotate it
Add the drop shadow 3,3,45,10 black
Merge visible

Save what you have done so far. Please remember to save after every few steps, that way you do not lose your work.
Place the polaroids however you wish, resizing accordingly. You can look at my tag above to see how i placed mine.

To put the tube inside the polaroid:
Using your selection tool, set to rectangle, and draw a rectangle on the polaroid in such a way that you are between the inside and outside of the frame of the polaroid. Stop at the top of the knot in the ribbon. If you go much further, your tube my be covered too much.

Add a new raster layer
Flood fill the selection whatever color you wish. The color i used is: #3D1400
Copy your tube and paste it INTO selection.
Then selections--none.

Go to your layer pallette and move the image to beneath the polaroid. By pasting into selection, you only have to move one layer. You may find that you will have to resize your tube before you can paste into selection. othewise, it may be distorted.

Do these steps for all the polaroids you use.
After you get your polaroids prepared, you will need to merge each set. You do this by x'ing off each layer that is NOT your polaroid in your layer pallette

Do a drop shadow the same as we used on the papers on each of the polaroids.

Prepare the tag template:
The last step is to take the tag template use your magic wand with the feather set at 0 and click on the inside of the tag.
Copy and paste a paper of your choice to the tag template.
Go to selections and chose invert.
Then hit the delete button on your keyboard.
Then go to selections and chose select none.
Layers--Merge Visable

You'll need to resize the tag template for it to fit appropriately on your tag. What i did was rotate it 90 degrees to the right. Then I copied and pasted it to the tag. I resized mine 45%.

I then chose a button to cover the lil hole in the tag. I did the same drop shadow on the button, the tag and the name.

You can chose to use whatever embellishments that you wish, but i chose to just use a flower. I have placed mine in the upper center of the blank space at the top. I then put "Color My World" over it.

Don't forget to add your artist's copyright information.
Make your tag a jpg or png and you are finished!
I hope you enjoyed the tutorial!

Welcome!

Hello! Welcome to my blog! Who's ready for round 2? LOL! Well i started up a blog, lost my sign in information. So here I am starting over. The basic purpose of this blog is for my tutorials. I will be writing tutorials for my friend, Monica's scrapkits, but i will also do some tutorials without pay kits. So be patient and as they come to me, I will get them posted. My mojo has been slow lately so its going to take some time. I AM LOOKING FORWARD TO WRITING TUTS AGAIN!! :D