This tutorial is my own creation. Any resemblance to another is purely co-incidental. Please do not pull it apart and claim it as your own. Do not copy, translate or place on another site without my written permission. You are more than welcome to use this tutorial in a group setting, but please link to this page only.

Tools needed to complete this tutorial

PSP V9
(although it can be done in earlier versions)

A graphic of your choice.
The graphic used in this tutorial was used with permission from the very talented artist, Jonathon Earl Bowser.

No outside filters were used.

If you have everything you need, let's begin.

1. Open your graphic of choice. Shift + D twice, close the original and minimize one for now.

   FRAME

2. Set your foreground to white and your background to null.

3. Layers, new raster layer.

4. Click on your preset shape tool, and chose rounded rectangle. Set your line width to 10. Draw a rectangle shape across your graphic starting in the top left hand of the graphic draw out the first of your three frames. Positioning is a personal thing so however big you want the first one to be.

5. Select the frame with your magic wand and flood fill with a gradient that matches your graphic.

6. Effects, 3D Effects, inner bevel and use the following settings:-
   • Pie Bevel
     
   • Width:     14
     
   • Smoothness:     2
     
   • Depth:     5
     
   • Ambience:     -50 (minus)
     
   • Shininess:     16
     
   • Color:     White
     
   • Intensity:     57
     
   • Elevation:     54

7. Deselect.

8. Add a new raster layer and make another frame again position where you like. Because we have them on different layers you can rearrange them once we are finished.

9. Flood fill again with your gradient and add the same inner bevel.

10. Repeat again for your third frame.

11. Once you have all three frames where you like them close the bottom layer, your main graphic, and making sure one of the top layers is the active layer, merge visible.

12. Effects, 3D Effects, drop shadow and apply the following:-
    • Vertical:     2
      
    • Horizontal:     12
      
    • Opacity:     35
      
    • Blur:     15
      
    • Color:     Black
      
    • Shadow on new layer:     Unchecked

13. Make sure that all layers are open, merge all, flatten.

14. Image, add border and add a 10 pixel white border. Select the border with your magic wand and flood fill with the gradient.

15. Apply the same inner bevel as before.

16. Deselect.

17. Add a new layer for your watermark. Merge all flatten.

    BACKGROUND

18. Open a new 350 x 350 transparent image. Flood fill with the gradient.

19. Effects, Image Effects, Seamless Tiling and use the following settings:-
    • Corner checked
      
    • Horizontal checked

20. Effects, Image Effects, Seamless Tiling but this time have vertical check.

21. Lower the opacity to around 50%.

22. Merge all flatten.

    I hope you have enjoyed the tutorial. You can now put it all together in Letter Creator. A wonderful little program that comes with IncrediMail.

    
    © An Aushorty Creation – October 2004