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 V 9

A graphic of your choice.
The graphic I have used is by the very talented Johanna Pieterman who has kindly allowed me to use her artwork in my tutorials.

Simple Filters

VM Toolbox

For the French translation of this tutorial, please click on the banner below.

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

1. Open your graphic and resize so that is is no longer than 350 pixels.

2. Shift + D twice to duplicate the image. Close the original and minimize one of your copies for now.

   BACKGROUND

3. Layers, duplicate, and then duplicate again, so you have three layers in your layer palette.

4. Highlight the middle layer, Effects, Texture Effects, Emboss.

   (You won’t see any change at this point)

5. Lower the opacity of this layer down to around the 60% mark.

6. In your layer palette, highlight the top layer, Effects, Texture Effects, Weave and use the following settings:-
   • Gap Size:      25
     
   • Width:       75
     
   • Opacity:       100
     
   • Weave color:      Black
     
   • Gap Color:      Black
     
   • Fill Gaps:      Checked

7. Lower the opacity of this layer to around the 10% mark.

8. Merge visible.

9. Layers, duplicate.

10. Effects, Texture Effects, Emboss and lower the opacity of this layer to around 32%.

11. Merge visible.

12. Effects, Plugins, VM Toolbox, Motion Trail and use the following settings:-
    • Start:      112
      
    • Transition:      128
      
    • Frequency:      18
      
    • Phase:      99
      
    • Amplitude:      15
      
    • Red, Green and Blue:      255

13. Effects, Plugins, Simple, Quick Tile.

14. Layers, duplicate.

15. Image, flip and lower the opacity of this layer to 50%.

16. Merge all, flatten.

17. Save as your background and minimize for now.

    FRAME

18. Maximize our 2nd copy of our graphic.

19. Using your eye dropper, select two complimenting colours for your foreground and background.

20. Selections, select all.

21. Selections, modify, contract by 10.

22. Selections, invert.

23. Effects, 3D effects, Drop Shadow and use the following settings:-
    • Vertical:       0
      
    • Horizontal:      8
      
    • Opacity:       35
      
    • Blur:      5
      
    • Color:      Black

24. Deselect.

25. Image, add border, and add a 10 pixel border using the darkest of your two colours selected.

26. Click on the border with your magic wand to select it.

27. Repeat the drop shadow.

28. 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

29. Deselect.

30. Image, add border and add a 2 pixel border using the lighter of your two colours.

31. Image, add border and add a 5 pixel border using the darker of your two colours.

32. Image, add border and add a 2 pixel border using the lighter of your two colours.

33. In your colour palette, change your foreground to pattern, and using your drop down list find the framed image that we are working on.

34. Change the settings to:
    • Angle:      45
      
    • Scale:      75

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

36. Select the border with your magic wand and flood fill with the pattern.

37. Selections, promote selection to layer.

38. Layers, duplicate.

39. Effects, Texture Effects, Emboss.

40. Lower the opacity of this layer to 49.

41. Deselect.

42. Merge all, flatten.

43. Image, add border, and add a 10 pixel border using the darkest of your two colours selected.

44. Click on the border with your magic wand to select it.

45. Repeat the drop shadow.

46. Repeat the Inner bevel.

47. Deselect.

48. Image, add border and add a 2 pixel border using the lighter of your two colours.

49. Image, add border and add a 5 pixel border using the darker of your two colours.

50. Image, add border and add a 2 pixel border using the lighter of your two colours.

51. Image, resize if necessary.

52. Shift + D to duplicate the image.

53. Image, resize by 50%

54. In your layer palette, right click and promote background layer.

55. Click on your Warp Brush and use the following settings:-
    • Warp Mode:      Contract
      
    • Size:      50
      
    • Hardness:      0
      
    • Strength:      100
      
    • Step:      25

56. Got to View, rulers.

57. With your mouse, move your pointer to the middle as close to the top as you can.

58. Holding down your left key button, drag the warp bush down. Do this 2 or 3 times until you like the amount of warp.

59. Repeat for the bottom and sides trying to get as close to the middle as you can.

60. Once you are happy with the amount of warp in the four spots (left, right, top and bottom), edit, copy and you can close the graphic down.

61. Back to our original framed image.

62. Right click in the layer palette and promote background layer.

63. Image, canvas size and use the following settings:-
    • Width:       Total width + 100
      
    • Height:      Total height of your graphic
      
    • Placement:      Left middle arrow.

64. Edit, paste as new layer.

65. Image, rotate, free rotate and use a setting of 25 to the left.

66. Resize by 85%, all layers unchecked and using your mover tool, move the frame over towards the right of your image.

67. Merge visible.

68. Add a new layer for your watermark.

69. Merge visible.

70. File, Export, GIF optimizer, making sure you have Existing image or layer transparency checked.

71. You can now take this into letter creator.

    
    
    © An Aushorty Creation – February 2005