ANIMATED DIVIDER




This tutorial is my own creation. Any resemblance to another is purely co-incidental. Please do not copy, translate or place on another site. 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:-

Paint Shop Pro V9

A graphic of your choice.
The graphic I have used is used with permission from Ursula Vernon/Metal Magic who has very kindly allowed me to use her wonderful artwork in my tutorials and stationery.

My Sparkle Tube.

20/20

A texturizing plugin.

For the German Translation of this tutorial, please click on the banner below.



FRAME

  1. Open your graphic and resize so that it is no longer than 350 pixels.
    Graphics that are much wider than length are best for this tutorial.

  2. Shift + D to duplicate and close the original graphic down.

  3. Image, add border and add a 2 pixel black border.

  4. Image, add border and add a 5 pixel white border.

  5. Select the border with your magic wand.

  6. Set your foreground to gradient and then click on the gradient to open your gradient window. Click on Edit.

  7. Click on New….

  8. A new window will open where you put the name of your new gradient. Give it a name and click ok.

  9. Click on the first ink bottle as shown here.

  10. Move your mouse over your graphic and chose a colour from your graphic.

  11. Use your mouse and click at the 50% mark and again move your mouse over your graphic until you find another colour that you like.

  12. Now click on the last ink bottle and again move your mouse across your graphic until you find a colour you like.

  13. Once you have three colours that you like together, click on close. A window will open with the Gradient (whatever you named it) has changed. Do you want to save the change………. click on yes.

  14. Now your gradient will be selected. If you have a dark colour at the top, select invert so that it’s at the bottom, angle and repeat set to 0.

  15. Flood fill your white border.

  16. Effects, 3D Effects, Inner Bevel and use the following settings:-

    • Pie Bevel
    • Width:      8
    • Smoothness:      5
    • Depth:      2
    • Ambience:      0
    • Shininess:      5
    • Color:      White
    • Angle:      225
    • Intensity:      40
    • Elevation:      35

  17. Deselect.

  18. Image, add border and add a 2 pixel black border.

  19. Image, add border and add a 10 pixel white border.

  20. Select the border with your magic wand and flood fill with your gradient.

  21. Effects, Plugins, Texturize and use the following settings:-

    • Texture:      Sandstone
    • Scaling:      50%
    • Relief:      2
    • Light Direction:      Bot. Left
    • Invert:      Checked

  22. Deselect.

  23. Image, add border and add a 2 pixel black border.

  24. Image, add border and add a 20 pixel white border.

  25. Select the border with your magic wand.

  26. Change your gradient so the dark colour is now on top, by deselecting the invert button.

  27. Flood fill your border with the gradient.

  28. Deselect.

  29. Image, add border and add a 2 pixel black border.

  30. Image, add border and add a 5 pixel white border.

  31. Select the border with your magic wand.

  32. Change your gradient back to the darkest colour being at the bottom.

  33. Flood fill your white border.

  34. Effects, 3D Effects, Inner Bevel and use the same settings as before.

  35. Deselect.

  36. Image, add border and add a 2 pixel black border.

  37. Image, add border and add a 5 pixel white border.

  38. Flood fill with your gradient.

  39. Deselect.

  40. Image, resize and sharpen if necessary.

  41. Shift + D to duplicate your framed image. Save the duplicate as a jpeg and name it background.

  42. You can close the background image down now, but make sure you’ve saved it to a place where you can easily find it later on.

    ANIMATED DIVIDER

  43. Using your selection tool set to rectangle, draw a rectangle out along the first black border of our graphic to the 3rd black border as shown here.

  44. Edit copy. Edit, paste as a new image.

  45. Back to our framed image and hit the back button once. You can now save this to a safe spot and close it down.

  46. Image, Canvas size and use the following settings:-

    • Width:      Exact width of your graphic.
    • Height:      Double the exact height of your graphic.
    • Placement:      Top middle arrow.

  47. In your layer palette, right click on Raster 1 and duplicate.

  48. Image, Flip.

  49. Merge visible.

  50. Image, Resize and resize by 65%, all layers checked.

  51. Name this layer background.

  52. Add a new layer.

  53. Click on your tube tool and using your drop down list, look for the hw-sparkles1 tube with the following setting:-

    • Size:      35
    • Step:      200
    • Placement Mode:      Random
    • Selection Mode:      Random

  54. Click on the left hand side of the divider bar.

  55. Adjust, Sharpness, Sharpen.

  56. Right click on the layer palette and duplicate.

  57. Close the background layer.

  58. Making sure that one of the top two layers is the active layer, merge visible.

  59. You can now open all your layers.

  60. In your layer palette, right click on your top layer and duplicate.

  61. Image, mirror. Close down the background layer, and making sure that one of the top layers is the active layer, merge visible. Name this layer Tube 1.

  62. Add a new layer.

  63. Using your tube again, this time resized to 20, place another sparkle tube about 100 pixels away from the one on the left side.

  64. Right click on this layer and duplicate. Close all layers except the top two and merge visible layers.

  65. Adjust, Sharpness, Sharpen.

  66. Right click on this layer and duplicate.

  67. Image, mirror.

  68. Close all layers except the top two. Making sure that one of the top layers is the active layer, merge visible and name this layer tube 2.

  69. Your layer palette will now read from top to bottom:

    • Tube 2
    • Tube 1
    • Background


    ANIMATION SHOP

  70. Close all your layers except for the background. Make sure that the background layer is the active layer.

  71. Edit, copy.

  72. Open Animation shop, edit, paste as new animation.

  73. Back to PSP.

  74. Keep your background layer open, and open the tube 1 layer. You should now have the two larger sparkles shown. Making sure the bottom layer is the active layer, merge visible.

  75. Edit, Copy.

  76. Back to Animation Shop.

  77. Edit, paste after current frame.

  78. Back to PSP.

  79. Click on the back button once.

  80. Close the tube 1 layer only. You should have the two smaller sparkles shown. Making sure that the bottom layer is the active layer, merge visible.

  81. Edit, Copy.

  82. Back to Animation Shop.

  83. Edit, paste after current frame.

  84. Back to PSP.

  85. Open all layers and merge visible.

  86. Edit, Copy.

  87. Back to Animation Shop.

  88. Edit, paste after current frame.

  89. Edit, select all.

  90. Animation, Frame Properties, and change the setting to 25.

  91. Pull the animation out so you can see all the frames.

  92. Right click on the 2nd frame and edit copy.

  93. Right click on the 3rd frame and edit, paste after current frame.

  94. File, Save as, and save this to a place where you will easily be able to find it again.

  95. You can now close your Animation Shop and Paint Shop Pro off.

    BACKGROUND

  96. Open your background image in 20/20.

  97. Image, muted background and lower the opacity to around 35%.

  98. File, Save.

    PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER IN LETTER CREATOR

  99. Open Letter Creator.

  100. In the Body tag, click on image and find the background image.

  101. Click on tile.

  102. Select the font and colour that you would like for your stat.

  103. Click on the Header tab.

  104. Under Header Content and Layout, click on Image and find the framed image that we made.

  105. Click on the center button.

  106. Hit the enter button on your keyboard twice.

  107. Now click on the Image button again and find the animated divider that you made.

  108. Click on footer and put any details that you want.

  109. Click on 3D Effects and chose an effect that you like.

  110. Finally, click on Finish


          


    © An Aushorty Creation – March 2005