TILED GLASS BACKGROUND

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 a nother site without my written permission. You are more than welcome to use my tutorials in a group setting, but please link to this page only.

Tools needed to complete this tutorial:-

Corel XI

FM Tile Tools

Video Rave
Video Rave is a part of the Harry’s Filters. There are 3 separate Harry’s Filters, and I can’t remember which one this came in, so snag all three.

20/20

A side border mask of your choice.

A graphic of your choice.
The graphic I have used for this tutorial is used as per the TOU of Suzanne Gyseman

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

1. Open your graphic of choice. Resize so that it is no wider than 350 pixels.

2. Windows, duplicate and minimize the duplicated image for now.
   Graphics that are much longer than they are wider will work best with this side border.

3. Minimize one copy for now.

4. With the copy still active, right click in your layer palette and promote to background.

5. Layers, Load/Save Mask, load mask from disc and use a side mask that you like.

6. Layers, merge, merge group.

7. Image, canvas size and use the following settings:-
   • Width:     1250
     
   • Height:     Height of your graphic
     
   • Placement:     Left middle arrow.

8. Effects, 3D Effects, drop shadow and use the following settings:-
   • Vertical:     0
     
   • Horizontal:     15
     
   • Opacity:     65
     
   • Blur:     20
     
   • Shadow on new layer:     Unchecked.

9. Add a new layer and drag it to the bottom of your layer palette.

10. Maximize the 2nd copy of our graphic.

11. Effects, Plugins, Video Rave, Tiled Glass and use the following settings:-
    • Tile Width:     21
      
    • Tile Height:     21
      
    • Transparency:     180

12. Save as background in jpeg format and open in 20/20

13. Image, muted background and move your slider down to around the 50% mark depending on the darkness of the original graphic.

14. File, save and reopen in PSP.

15. In your colour palette, change your foreground to pattern and using your drop down menu, pick the background pattern that we’ve just made.

16. Making sure that the bottom layer is the active layer on your main graphic, flood fill with the pattern.

17. Adjust, sharpness, sharpen more.

18. Add a new raster layer. Layers, arrange, bring to top.

19. Add your watermark.

20. In your layer palette, make sure the Group-Raster 1 is the active layer.

21. Effects, plugins, FM Tile tools, seamless tile and use the following settings:-
    • Border Width and Stretch Control set to 0.250.
      
    • Vertical:     Checked.

22. Merge all, flatten.

    You can now take it along to Letter Creator. A program that comes with IncrediMail

    
    
    © An Aushorty Creation - September 2004 - Rewritten February 2008