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:

Paint Shop Pro V9

Graphic of your choice.

The graphic used for this tutorial is used with permission from the very talented Stephanie Pui-Mun.

Simple Filters

FRAME

1. Open your graphic and resize so that it’s height is set to no larger than 380 pixels.

2. Shift + D to duplicate twice. Close the original, and minimize one copy for later use.

3. In your layer palette, duplicate your background layer.

4. Click on your selection tool set to rectangle, replace mode, 0 feather and anti-alias checked.

5. View, Rulers and draw a rectangle out starting at co-ordinates 50,50 and finishing at roughly 200,300.

6. Selections, invert and hit the delete key on your keyboard.

7. Selections, invert.

8. Effects, 3D Effects, Drop Shadow and use the following settings:-
   • Vertical & Horizontal:      2
     
   • Opacity:      45
     
   • Blur:      5
     
   • Color:      Black

9. Repeat your drop shadow changing your vertical & horizontal to –2.

10. In your layer palette, duplicate this layer.

11. Image, resize and resize by 85%, all layers Unchecked.

12. If you want to add text to the smaller box, do so now.

13. In your layer palette, make the background layer the active layer. Right click and promote background layer. Lower the opacity of this layer to around 75% depending on the darkness of your graphic.

14. Merge all, flatten.

15. Selections, select all.

16. Selections, modify, contract and contract by 15.

17. Selections invert.

18. Effects, Art Media Effects, Brush strokes and use the following settings:-
    • Softness:      20
      
    • Bristles:      160
      
    • Width:      5
      
    • Opacity:      50
      
    • Length:      10
      
    • Density:      25
      
    • Angle:      102
      
    • Color:      #505050

19. Effects, 3D Effects, Drop Shadow and use the same settings as before, but change your blur to 15.

20. Deselect.

21. Using your eye dropper chose a light and dark colour from your graphic for your foreground and background colour.

22. Image, add border and add a 1 pixel border using your dark colour.

23. Image, add border and add a 1 pixel border using your light colour.

24. Image, add border and add a 1 pixel border using your dark colour.

25. Image, add border and add a 20 pixel border using your light colour.

26. Select the border with your magic wand.

27. Effects, Plugins, Simple, Diamonds.

28. Effects, Plugins, Simple, Blintz.

29. Adjust, Blur, Gaussian Blur and use a setting of 5.

30. Deselect.

31. Image, add border and add a 1 pixel border using your dark colour.

32. Image, add border and add a 1 pixel border using your light colour.

33. Image, add border and add a 1 pixel border using your dark colour.

34. Add a new raster layer for your watermark.

35. Save as your header.

    BACKGROUND

    
    

36. Open the minimized graphic.

37. In your layer palette, promote background layer.

38. Effects, Plugins, Simple, Diamonds

39. Effects, Plugins, Simple, Blintz

40. Effects, Plugins, Simple, Quick Tile.

41. Lower the opacity of this layer to a level that will make it easy to see your text.

42. Merge all, flatten.

43. Save as your background.

44. You can now take this into letter creator. A product from IncrediMail

    
    
    © An Aushorty Creation – December 2005