Rhonda's Digital Designs

One Year Anniversary Blowout

2011-07-29T13:58:00.001-07:00

It has been one year since I started this blog dedicated to Paint Shop Pro as it is used for Candy Wrapping, Digital Scrapping and learning how to use the program for designing. As such, I am having a

One Year Anniversary Blowout Sale!

Included in the sale are:

Candy Wrapping:

1 Paint Can Set, 2 Sets SOE Sized Overlays, 7 Sets of SOE Sized Papers, and 4 SOE Sets

Designer Tools:

2 PSP Brush Sets, 2 Color Pallet Packages, 3 PSP Shapes Sets

Digital Scrapping:

1 Full Size Kit, 3 Micro Kits, 18 Papers, 1 Quick Page

PSP Scripts:

71 Scripts! Some never made it to the blog!

LOTS of goodies in this bag! A total resale value of $200.00.

Am I crazy? Quite possibly! So take advantage of my temporary insanity and grab this package for only $25.oo!! That’s a savings of $175.00!

Click on the BUY NOW below. Once you have paid for your purchase you will be sent the link to download the instructions for download location and password access.

Thank you for helping me celebrate this blogging milestone!

Creative Boxes Using Brackets

2011-05-27T16:45:00.001-07:00

I found that Lynn had asked “How do you make these?” on the Wrapcandy forum. So, I just had to take the challenge. Thank you Lynn for the inspiration!

I wanted to make this as easy as possible so I went ahead and made a bracket brush for this tutorial.

This tutorial was written using Corel Paint Shop Pro X but will work easily in earlier as well as newer versions.

Materials:

My Bracket Brush (get it HERE) Download the brush and the accompanying brush script and place them in your Brushes folder within PSP or within My Documents/My PSP Files/Brushes.

Step 1 – Create a new image using the following settings:

Step 2 – Set your foreground color to the color you want for your brackets and the background color to the color or pattern you want for your background. For this tutorial I am using a polka dot pattern for my background and a couple shades of purple darker for my foreground color.

Step 3 – Go to the layer titled Raster 1 in your Layers Pallet. Right click and duplicate twice. Your Layers Pallet should look like the following:

Step 4 – Make Copy (2) of Raster 1 the ACTIVE layer and then select your Paint Brush tool.

Find the brush titled BracketsBrush2. Be sure the Load Variance button is checked.

And then place the brush in the center of the image and “Paint” your bracket onto the workspace.

Step 5 - Go to your scripts toolbar and using the drop down box select the Scripts Restricted folder and run the Center Layer script. This will make sure your brackets are centered.

Step 6 – Using your Magic Wand tool

select the area OUTSIDE the brackets. Your “marching ants” will appear as follows:

Step 7 – Go to Selections/Modify/Expand

and use the following settings:

Step 8 – Make the layer titled Copy of Raster 1 the ACTIVE layer and then select your Flood Fill tool.

Right click and flood fill the area OUTSIDE the bracket with your background pattern or color. Then go to Selections/Select None. My image appears as below:

Step 9 – Make the layer titled Raster 1 the ACTIVE layer and flood fill using the color of your choice. For this tutorial I am using white. My image appears as below:

Step 10 – Make the layer with your bracket the ACTIVE layer (Should be Copy (2) of Raster 1). And go to Selections/Select All then Selections/Float and then Selections/Defloat. My brackets are selected and the workspace appears as below:

Step 11 – Go to Layers/New Raster layer and add a new layer. Then go to Effects/3D Effects/Cutout and use the following settings:

Go to Selections/Select None.

Step 12 – Make the layer with your brackets the ACTIVE layer and go to Effect/3D Effects/Drop Shadow and use the following settings:

Our image now appears as below:

Now you can leave these as layers and save the file as a PSP file and just change the colors/backgrounds as you would like for future designs. Here are a couple more examples using different backgrounds and adding some text and elements.

I hope you enjoyed this tutorial and I look forward to seeing all of your creations!

Creating Textboxes/Frames in PSP – Part 5

2011-05-27T11:46:00.001-07:00

This is the last tutorial in the Textboxes/Frames series. In the previous tutorial I showed you how to create unique textboxes/frames using the Vector Paint script. In this tutorial we will be using the script Vector Tube which works along the same lines as the Vector Paint script but it uses your existing PSP Tubes instead of a paint brush. What a handy little tool to have to make extra special textboxes/frames! I am sure you will love this script just as much as the Vector Paint script!

This tutorial was written in Corel Paint Shop Pro X but will work in earlier and newer versions.

Materials:

Vector Tube script. You can find it HERE! Read and follow the instructions for installation of the script.

Got the script? Opened your PSP? Ready? And we are off!

Step 1 – Create a new file using the following settings:

Step 2 – Set your background color to white and your foreground color to any color (not real important since we will be using Tubes and not using the foreground color). For this tutorial I set my foreground color to black.

Step 3 – Click on your preset shapes tool and select the rectangle shape.

On the top of your toolbar, for the shapes tool, use the following settings:

Mode: Draw Rectangle

Create On Vector : Checked

Horizontal Radius: 45.00

Vertical Radius: 45.00

Line Style: Solid

Width: 0

Anti-alias: Checked

Starting at the top left (give yourself space at the top, bottom and sides for the effect we will be adding) and click your left mouse button then drag to the bottom right hand corner. Release your mouse button when you have reached the location where you want your shape to stop. Your image will appear as below.

Step 4 – Using your Pick Tool (For PSP 9 and earlier this would be the Raster Deform Tool)

select the rectangle we just created and right click. Select Convert to Path.

Step 5 – Make sure your Script Tool is on the toolbar. If it is not, go to View, Toolbars and select Script:

Now click on the dropdown box button on your script selection tool:

And then find the script you downloaded titled VectorTube:

Step 6 – Click on your Picture Tube Tool:

and select the picture tube you would like to use. Adjust your settings according to the size and the tube that you will be using. For this tutorial I am using a fruit tube I have and using the following settings:

Scale: 100

Step: 150

Placement Mode: Random

Selection Mode: Random

You will need to play with these settings to achieve the look you want depending on your tube being used.

Step 7 – Once you have your settings to your liking, press the Play button on your script toolbar.

The script will run and my image now appears as below (Yours will vary depending on the tube you have chosen):

Step 8 – Your Layers Pallet will appear as below:

Be sure the Stroked Objects is your active layer and go to Edit/Copy. Then Edit/Paste as a New Image. And our fruit textbox now appears as below:

You can continue using the same shape you made earlier and select the Edit/Undo Script option and change your picture tube as often as you would like to make different Picture Tube Textbox Effects. Here are some more samples using different Tubes with varying settings:

This is one of the most fun scripts to play with. The possibilities are endless with this script. There are many tubes out on the internet for free, or you can create your own to use. You can create unique textboxes/frames to meet any of your design needs. It is great to use to create journal tags, candy wrapper textboxes, picture frames, and so much more! Do I really have to say it again?? Go! Get out of here and go play! Be creative! And most importantly….have fun learning your Paint Shop Pro! I hope you enjoyed this tutorial and the Textboxes/Frames series!

Creating Textboxes/Frames in PSP – Part 4

2011-05-27T08:55:00.001-07:00

It has been awhile since I have had a chance to post anything to my blog. Oh how I have missed you blog and all my faithful followers! Most of you know I am a graduate student and have been extremely busy this semester with school, teaching, research and raising a teenaged son all on my own. Phew! I get tired just thinking about it. Where does the time go? Where does my energy come from? At any rate, we are off for the summer and I am excited that this fall will be my last semester. I have one more class to go and to finish my research and thesis. Wish me luck!

So, since I now have time to visit with all of you I am posting the 4th part to the textbox/frames series. There are 5 parts. With all luck I will be posting number 5 today as well! So, here we go!

This tutorial was written using Corel Paint Shop Pro X but will work in newer versions and possibly older versions down to 8 I believe. It uses a fabulous script I found while playing in Google one day. I just know you will LOVE this script!

Materials:

Vector Paint script. You can find it HERE! Read and follow the instructions for installation of the script.

Got the script? Opened your PSP? Ready? And we are off!

Step 1 – Create a new file using the following settings:

Step 2 – Set your background color to white and your foreground color to the color of your choice for the effect we will be creating on our textbox/frame. For this tutorial I will be using black as my effect color to make viewing this tutorial easier.

Step 3 – Click on your preset shapes tool and select the rectangle shape.

On the top of your toolbar, for the shapes tool, use the following settings:

Mode: Draw Rectangle

Create On Vector : Checked

Horizontal Radius: 45.00

Vertical Radius: 45.00

Line Style: Solid

Width: 0

Anti-alias: Checked

Step 4 – Using your Pick Tool (For PSP 9 and earlier this would be the Raster Deform Tool)

select the rectangle we just created and right click. Select Convert to Path.

Step 5 – Make sure your Script Tool is on the toolbar. If it is not, go to View, Toolbars and select Script:

Now click on the dropdown box button on your script selection tool:

And then find the script you downloaded titled VectorPaint:

Step 6 – Go to your Paint Brush Tool:

And select the paint brush you would like to use. For this tutorial I am using a leaf brush I had previously converted from an Adobe Photoshop brush. You can find the tutorial on converting Photoshop brushes for use in PSP HERE.

Here is the brush I selected:

You will need to play around with your settings depending on the paint brush you are using. For this tutorial I am using the following settings (Yours may vary depending on the brush):

Size: 50

Step: 125

Density: 100

Rotation: 33

Opacity: 100

Blend Mode: Normal

Step 7 – Once you have your settings to your liking, press the Play button on your script toolbar.

The script will run and my image now appears as below (Yours will vary depending on the brush you have chosen):

Step 8 – Your Layers Pallet will appear as below:

Be sure the Stroked Objects is your active layer and go to Edit/Copy. Then Edit/Paste as a New Image. And our leaf textbox now appears as below:

You can continue using the same shape you made earlier and select the Edit/Undo Script option and change your paint brush as often as you would like to make different Painted Textbox Effects. Here are some more samples using different paint brushes with varying settings:

This one below is probably one of my favorites….I have flood filled the background so you can see it better:

This is one of the most fun scripts to play with. The possibilities are endless with this script. There are many brushes out on the internet for free, or you can create your own to use. You can create unique textboxes/frames to meet any of your design needs. It is great to use to create journal tags, candy wrapper textboxes, picture frames, and so much more! Now go! Get out of here and go play! Be creative! And most importantly….have fun learning your Paint Shop Pro! I hope you enjoyed this tutorial….and it looks like I WILL have time to finish the textbox series today….look for #5 coming soon!

Creating Textboxes/Frames in PSP – Part 3

2011-03-14T02:17:00.001-07:00

OK, thus far in this textbox series I have shown you how to create a basic textbox using the shapes tool, how to create a textbox using your line styles as well as how to create your own line style. This section will focus on creating textboxes with actual text! For this tutorial we will talk about the following:

1. Creating a word art textbox using the text to path option.

2. Creating a word art textbox using the reverse text to path option.

This tutorial was written using Corel Paint Shop Pro X but will work in earlier versions as well as newer versions.

And here we go!

TEXT TO PATH

Step 1 – Create a new image using the same settings as the previous two textbox tutorials.

Step 2 – We will be creating a textbox with an outer edge only and no interior fill. Set your Foreground color to the color of your choice for the outside border and set your Background color to Null. For this tutorial I am going to keep the black outline. See below:

Step 3 – Select the Shape Tool and use the Rectangle setting.

At the top you will see the shape options on the toolbar. Use the following settings:

Mode: Draw Rectangle

Create On Vector : Checked

Horizontal Radius: 45.00

Vertical Radius: 45.00

Line Style: Solid

Width: 10

Anti-alias: Checked

Starting at the top left corner, click your left mouse button then drag to the bottom right hand corner. Release your mouse button when you have reached the location where you want your shape to stop. Your image will appear as below.

Step 4 – We will resize our canvas so that our text can fit around the outer edge of the textbox. Go to Image/Canvas Size and change the settings to add 200 pixels to the top and the bottom. Be sure to select the Center button in the Placement area to place your original textbox in the center of the newly sized canvas. See below.

Step 5 – Make the Raster 1 layer the active layer by clicking on it. Then return to your Material Pallet and click OFF the transparency option for your background color. Change this color to whatever color you want for your text. For this tutorial I am keeping it at black to make it easier to see.

Step 6 – Select your Text tool.

And place your cursor at the center of the top line of your rectangle. You will see a Text Tool with a semi-circle under it. Then click to select the line area as your placement and then start typing what you want to use as your word art. For this tutorial I am just going to use the words Happy Birthday.

Your word art will start to conform to the shape of the rectangle we created earlier. Once you have all the text entered, click Apply and this is what your word art should now appear as: (will vary depending on the text size, color, and font that you selected)

Step 7 – Click on the eye next to the Vector 1 layer and your image now appears as below:

Viola! You just created a word art frame that will fit nicely as a textbox. Now we are going to move on to Reverse Text to Path. Make sure the Vector 2 layer is selected as the active layer and go to Objects/Properties and give this word art a name. Then go to File/Export/Custom Shape. Name it the same as you did under the properties and the word art will now be available to you as a preset shape anytime you need it.

REVERSE TEXT TO PATH

Now, using the same rectangle we made earlier, we are going to reverse our text path.

Step 1 – We will first click on the eye next to the Vector 2 layer to make it invisible. Then click on the Vector 1 layer to make it the active layer and click the eye to make it visible. Then select your Pick Tool (Raster Deform for PSP 9 and below) Click on the center of the canvas and then right click and select Convert To Path.

Step 2 – Click on the Pen Tool and then go to Object/Edit/Reverse Path.

Step 3 – Repeat steps 5 and six above. Your text will reverse the path and appear as below. (will vary depending on the text you are adding)

Now if we click on the eye next to Vector 1 again, we lose the line and have only the word art left.

Now you have learned two different ways to add text to a path. The reverse path may look funny for this rectangle, but it comes in extremely handy when you are using it for circles. Below is an example of using this combination of the top lettering being the Text to Path and the bottom lettering being the Reverse Text to Path on a circle shape.

To accomplish this, I create a circle shape using the Shape Tool. I complete the text to path at the top by completing steps 5 – 6 used in the first part of this tutorial. Then I make the Vector 1 layer the active layer and go to Edit/Copy. Then go to Layers/New Vector Layer. Then go to Edit/Paste as a New Vector Selection and place the new circle on top of the first circle. Then I repeat the necessary steps above to reverse the path for the newly created vector selection. Then I click the eye of Vector 1 layer to make it invisible. And click the Vector 1 layer to make it the Active Layer. Then I go to Layers/New Raster Layer. And then select the Text Tool to start my text at the bottom of the shape. Once I have the text the way I want it, I select the layer with the newly created circle shape selection and using the Pick Tool (Raster Deform tool for PSP9 and earlier) I move the circle shape up until the text looks the way I want it to.

So there ya’ have it. Two Text to Path options for you to use to create custom textboxes as word art, or word art on any shape. We have two more tutorials coming for the custom textboxes series. Be keeping your eye out for them. I hope you enjoyed this tutorial and look forward to seeing all of your creations!

Creating Texboxes/Frames in PSP – Part 2

2011-03-02T20:32:00.001-08:00

In the previous tutorial I showed you how to make a basic text box using the rectangle shape tool with a solid line. In this tutorial I will show you how to make textboxes using different line styles. And we will cover making your own line design to create unique, one of a kind, textboxes.

Tools we will use: Shapes Tool, Material Pallet, Styled Line Editor

Step 1 – We are going to create a new image using the same settings as Part 1.

Step 3 – Select the Shape Tool and use the Rectangle setting.

We will use the same settings for the rounded rectangle as we used in the previous tutorial except this time we will use a different line setting instead of solid and we will change our width to 8 instead of 10.

Mode: Draw Rectangle

Create On Vector : Checked

Horizontal Radius: 45.00

Vertical Radius: 45.00

Line Style: Dash Dot (use the drop down menu next to the line style to select a new line style option)

Width: 8

Anti-alias: Checked

Below are some samples using different line styles and sizes.

Arrowhead – Ball: Size 3

Barbed Wire: Size 4

Diamond: Size 18

Practice this with the different line settings and widths to achieve a different look. Playing with this will get you more comfortable with the using the rectangle shape tool and the options available.

Now we are going to walk through how to create your own unique line style.

Step 1 - Repeat steps 1 – 3 above but do not use a preset line style. Instead we will set all of our settings as before but then click on the drop down arrow next to the line style and at the bottom click on Custom.

The Styled Line Editor will appear

For this tutorial we are going to create a line that has a fleur and a ball. To make a continuous line without differences in the beginning and end we will need to set our First Cap and our Last Cap to Flat. Since they are already set to Flat by default, we do not need to change either of these settings. Instead we will change our different segment caps to create our new line. If it is not already set to flat for some reason, click on the drop down arrow next to the First Cap style and select the Flat cap option.

Repeat this for the Last Cap.

Step 4 – Place a Check mark in the box titled Different segment Caps. Then select the drop down box next to Segment Start. We are going to select the Fleur De Lis Cap as our starting segment.

Then click on the Size button to change the size to what we want our cap size to be. For this tutorial we are going to set the size to 4. Be sure to place a check mark in the box Link Axes. This will make the height the same as the width.

Step 5 – Repeat step 4 as above but using the drop down box next to Segment End to change the end segment. For this tutorial we are going to change the end segment to Ball.

Repeat the same steps as above to change the size of the end cap by clicking on the size button next to Segment End design and make sure it is also set to 4 width with the Link Axes checked.

This is what our new line style looks like so far:

To change the appearance we will change the Length of the style by clicking on the the up arrows next to the length settings. For this tutorial we will change this setting to 15.00 Our new line style will appear in the preview window below. You can play with the length settings to change the appearance of any line that you are creating. But for this tutorial we will leave it set to 15.00.

Step 6 – Once you have the line the way you want it, click on the Save as New Button and give your new line style a name. Then click OK.

Your new line will now appear in the drop down menu for line styles. I named my line as RDD-FleurBall. You can see it is now available in the drop down menu:

Now you can click on the vector layer to make it active, then click on the Shape Tool to use the drop down menu for the line style and change the style of your previously made textbox to your newly created line style.

I used my new RDD-FleurBall line at a setting of width 5 to achieve the textbox style as shown below:

Play with creating new line styles to add your own flair to your text boxes. The new line style you created can also be used for any vector that you create as it will now be available in the drop down menu for you to select at any time.

I would love to see the various line styles/textboxes all of you make using the Custom tool in the line style. You can use anything you like that is available as a cap option and change the size settings to create different effects. Play with this for awhile. We will be using more line options in our next textbox tutorial where we will add a unique break in our line to achieve a different effect.

I hope you enjoyed this tutorial and I look forward to seeing all of your new custom line textboxes!

Creating Textboxes/Frames in PSP – Part 1

2011-03-01T18:51:00.001-08:00

Barb had asked if I could put together a tut on making textbox/frame combinations with lines and text. Which got me to thinking that I would like to show my readers many different ways to design creative text boxes to use on your candy wrappers or to use as frames for pictures. So this tutorial will cover the basic text box. Having an understanding of the basic text box will help you when we begin to work on other methods of making creative text boxes.

This tutorial was written using Corel Paint Shop Pro X but will work in older versions as well as newer versions.

PSP tools we will be using: Preset Shape, Materials Pallet

Let’s get started!

THIN LINE BASIC TEXT BOX FILLED INTERIOR

This section will show you how to create a thin edged textbox with a filled interior.

Step 1 – Create a New Image using the following settings:

Step 2 – Using your Materials Pallet, select the Foreground color and Background color you want to use. For this tutorial I am creating a basic black and white. Foreground color will be the color of your edging. Background color will be the color of your interior.

Step 3 – Select your Shapes Tool and use the Rectangle.

At the top you will see the shape options on the toolbar. Use the following settings:

Mode: Draw Rectangle

Create On Vector : Checked

Horizontal Radius: 45.00

Vertical Radius: 45.00

Line Style: Solid

Width: 10

Anti-alias: Checked

Now you have a basic rounded corner text box with a black outline and a white interior. Practice this using different colors, patterns or gradients. To create basic rectangle without rounded edges simply change the horizontal and vertical radius settings to 0 and you will have straight corners. See below:

You can achieve different looks by making your line size larger or smaller in the preset shape options on the toolbar. If you make one, let us say using 10, and then you decide you want the line larger, simply click on the vector layer that is your box and click on the Shape Tool and the options on the toolbar will appear. You can change your line width without having to create another box.

THIN LINE BASIC TEXTBOX NO FILL

This section will show you how to create a basic textbox with the line only and no interior fill.

Step 1 – Repeat Step 1 above.

Step 2 – Set your Foreground color to the color of your choice for the outside border and set your Background color to Null. For this tutorial I am going to keep the black outline. See below:

Step 3 – Repeat Step 3 from above. Your image should appear as below:

Again, you can practice using different colors, patterns or gradients. Practice with straight edges or rounded edges. Change the width of your line as you would like. These are the very basics of creating a text box. It is good to practice often before you try any of the other textboxes that we will be making.

Be sure to try this using different sizes as well such as a 800 x 800 using the square preset shape. Go to Shape Tool – Rectangle – and use the Draw Square Mode instead of Draw Rectangle mode. Square frames are great for scrapbooks or making a specific frame area on a wrapper to put a photo inside. You can even create a special shape within the textbox itself to add pictures or a verse but we will get into that later in another tutorial. I want you to get the basics down first.

We will cover framing pictures after we have covered the basics and a few creative ideas for textboxes.

Ok. So this was very basic. But I thought it would be important to cover the basic textbox from the beginning so that newer users of PSP can gain a grasp on the tools and settings that we will use in the other textbox tutorials. I hope you enjoyed this basic tutorial and will practice, practice, practice in preparation for the remaining textbox tutorials to come!

Custom Text on a Line

2011-03-01T13:12:00.001-08:00

Karen has asked for a tutorial on creating custom text that can be fit above an element. Text can be curved using shapes. It can also be created on Bezier curves or straight lines. For custom elements we will need to draw our own line. This tutorial will show you how to use the Pen Tool to create a custom line and then how to add the text and finally hiding your custom line from view.

Tools we will use: Pen Tool, Text Tool

I am using the ribbon Karen was needing the text to which Karen was needing the customization. You can use any element you want to practice this tutorial. I would love to see what you guys and gals come up with!

Step 1 – Open your element that you are wanting to create text around. Go to Window/ Duplicate and then close the original file so that no permanent changes will be made to the element.

Step 2 – Set your background color to Null and your foreground color to the color of the line you will create. Black always makes a great outline option. We will be hiding this line later so any color will work. Whatever is easier for you to see is what I suggest. For this tutorial I am using Black.

Step 3 – Select your Pen Tool.

Change your line settings to the following:

Starting at the left side of the element we will draw an outline along the top edge of the ribbon using short strokes. You will left click for each node section. See Below.

Continue following along the top edge of the element until you reach the end. Then you will right Click and select Apply.

Step 4 – Click on the layer that has your element on it to make it the active layer. Then click on the eye to the left to make that layer invisible. Your layers pallet will look similar to below depending on the element you are using.

Your image will appear similar to below depending on the element you are using.

Step 5 – Select your Text Tool

and place your curser in the center of your element until you see the Text Tool with a semi-circle under it.

Return to your materials pallet and change the background color to active (click OFF the transparency button). Then set the font size, color, font that you want and begin typing. Continue typing until you have the text you want to appear as you would like it.

For this tutorial I wanted Happy Birthday to repeat so this is what my text box entry will look like:

Once I have clicked Apply this is what my image looks like:

Step 6 – Return to your layers pallet and click on the eye next to the Vector 1 layer to make it invisible. This is what your layers pallet will look like:

And your image will appear as below:

Step 7 – Return to the layers pallet and click on the eye next to the layer containing your element to make it visible again. This is what your layers pallet will look like:

and your image will appear as below:

To make the text appear above my ribbon I will select the layer that has my element on it to make it the active layer. Then using my Pick Tool (Raster Deform for PSP9 and earlier) I will move the element down. My image will now appear as below:

Now we have made a custom line with custom text to fit above our element. You could even opt to move the ribbon above the text for a different look. Right click on your text layer and select Convert to Raster to add a drop shadow to your text if you would like. You can use this technique to create the text and save just the text as a transparent PNG for use in other projects or to put them together to create a custom element to use in your design projects. Later I will be posting a tutorial on using Bezier curves and Text on Shapes as we progress into the more intermediate tutorials. Look for those in the coming months.

I hope you enjoyed this tutorial and I look forward to seeing your creations!

PSP-Beginner’s-Lecture 1

2011-02-19T02:14:00.001-08:00

This is the first video lecture in a series to come throughout the year on using Corel’s Paint Shop Pro. I was asked to start from the beginning. So I will be adding to the series as I compile lectures that are appropriate for the beginner level.

When necessary I will also include the step-by step instructions (like the tutorials currently available) for printing so you will have them for future reference. Also, if at any time there are specific files and/or tools you will need to complete a tutorial, I will include the files and/or links to the tools. I look forward to working on this series throughout the year and hope that you will find the tutorials useful!

In this lecture we will cover the components used when creating a new image.

Coloring Grayscale Templates

2011-02-17T01:49:00.001-08:00

Michelle (Chellebr8) asked me by a personal message if I would put together a quick tut on coloring a grayscale template. But, I ask, why stop at just coloring? I decided I would put together a tutorial on coloring grayscale templates like no other tut I have seen on the subject. So, this will be new and different! But, it will be quick and easy and give you much faster results down the road. How does that sound?

There are many ways to adding depth to your image using shading by: paint or airbrushing, lighten/darken tool, adjusting colors, contour shading among many others. For this tutorial I am going to show you three things:

1. How to create a contour shaded template from a flat grayscale template.

2. Then I will show you how to color the template quickly and easily using the Manual Color Correction.

3. Then I will show you how to use a pattern fill combined with contour shading for your template for a different look and feel.

Can you tell I really enjoy the ease of contour shading over any other shading method? Sure, I use other methods, but contour shading is so quick and easy. I admit though that each shading option has its advantages depending on what you are trying to achieve.

Well, first you need to download the two templates I have included for this tutorial. You can pick them up HERE! These are layered templates and are saved in PSP9 version and will work with PSP 9 – X3. So everyone can join in on the fun!

Unzip the files to a location of your choice on your computer. Keeping tuts in one location is always advised. I would suggest creating a folder titled Tutorials and then a sub folder by the tut writer’s name. For instance: PSP Tutorials/Rhonda.

Got the file? Unzipped it? Ready? Let’s create!

Step 1 – Open your PSP. Pretty basic right? LOL

Ste 2 – Open the file titled RDD_FlowerTemplate.pspimage

Step 3 – Go to Window/Duplicate and then close out the original file. ((I have said it before and I will say it again, I believe this is a necessary step to assure that you do not overwrite the existing file and accidentally make permanent changes to the original))

Now we are ready to make a contour shaded template from the grayscale template.

Step 4 – Select the layer titled Bottom Layer to make it the active layer. (Simply click on the layer to make it active.

Step 5 – Go to Selections/Select All. Then Selections/Float. Then Selections/Defloat. Then Selections/Invert. I know…lots of selections right? LOL

Your image will appear with the marching ants as shown below:

Notice the “marching ants” appear both on the outer edge as well as along the darker gray petals? Also, notice the flat color appearance of the petals?

Step 6 – Go to Effects/3D Effects/Drop Shadow and use the following settings:

Step 7 – Click OK then go to Selections/Select None.

Your image will now appear with a contour shading for the bottom petals and should look like below:

Step 8 – Click on the layer titled Middle Layer and repeat steps 5 – 7 above.

Step 9 – Click on the layer titled Top Layer and repeat steps 5 – 7 above.

Now your contour shaded template appears as below:

Congratulations! You just created contour shading for your flower. I know it does not look like much because of the gray, but we will be coloring next. But before we get to coloring….let’s save this as a psp file for future use. By saving as a PSP image file you can open the image, duplicate the window, and recolor anytime without having to re-create the shading. Simplicity is the key to speedy designing I say! So, got it saved as a PSP image on your computer? Awesome! Now, go to Window/Duplicate and close out your newly created contour shaded template so we do not make any permanent changes. Woo hoo….now we get to color! Here we go!

Step 10 – Select the layer titled Bottom Layer to make it the active layer.

Before we can proceed any further with coloring, let us first make sure you have the Manual Color Correction tool active. Go to Adjust……do you see Manual Color Correction? If not, you will need to restore it. When Corel bought JASC Paint Shop Pro and the versions switched from 9 to X this was omitted from the Adjust menu. BUT…do not worry….we can restore it easily and you will be ever so grateful that you did the restore! For versions X and up…..if you do NOT see Manual Color Correction under the Adjust Tab…..let’s restore.

Right click on the menu or toolbar, and choose Customize and then the Commands tab. In the left Categories pane choose the Unused Commands. The right pane will change and fill up with all the resources in PaintShop Pro that were hidden in versions X and up. Scroll down to the Manual Color Correction command and simply drag and drop the icon into the Adjust menu. (Drag it until you see the Adjust tab become active then let go to drop).

Now….make sure you have it restored by clicking on the Adjust Tab and looking for Manual Color Correction. Got it??? If so, great! Now we can color!

Step 11 – With the bottom layer as our active layer go to Adjust/Manual Color Correction. The following pop up will appear.

I added the arrows and numbers to explain the important aspects of this tool. 1 – You can select any of the gray area in here to make it the source of the color you want to change. It will appear in number 2. Click on the box marked Target in 3 and your color pallet will appear and you can select the color you want to use. OR…if you know the Hue/Saturation/Lightness numbers you want to use….simply enter them into the appropriate boxes.

For mine…I selected the lighter gray in the center part of the image on the top left box. It appears in the source box. Then I clicked on my target box and then just clicked on a shade of red I wanted to use. You can move the pop up box to the side to see a full view preview of the color as it will appear. Once you are satisfied with your color choice….click OK.

My image appears as below….your will appear different depending on the color you chose.

Step 12 – Click on the layer titled Middle Layer and repeat step 11 selecting a different color.

Step 13 – Click on the layer titled Top Layer and repeat step 11 selecting a different color.

Here is what my final output looks like:

I was feeling a bit “red hat” I suppose. LOL Now…let’s rid ourselves of some wasted space (which can create a larger file than we need). Go to Layer/Merge/Merge Visible. Then go to Selections/Select All. Selections/Float. Selections/Defloat. Finally to Image/Crop To Selection. Now export as a transparent PNG to your computer. VIOLA! You just finished coloring the contour shaded flower template!

OK…..get a cup of coffee, tea or your favorite beverage and take a break for a moment….we are learning a lot today ladies and gents!

Had your break? Got your drink at hand? We are now moving on to using a pattern fill combined with contour shading.

Let us return to our original flat grayscale template. Open the template titled RDD_FlowerTemplate.pspimage.

Open a couple patterns you would like to use. I have included three canvas patterns in the folder. If you would like to use those to practice with, feel free. But, if you want to use a pattern you already have either in your patterns folder or as an open image…that will work fine too.

I will be using the patterns in the folder and my workspace looks like this:

Step 14 – Select the layer titled Bottom Layer to make it the active layer.

Step 15 – Go to Selections/Select All. Selections/Float then Selections/Defloat. Click on your foreground material pallet:

Click on the Patterns Tab and then select the Drop Down menu next to the pattern preview area. Click on the Category button and select Open Images. Then Select the pattern you want to use. Then select the percentage scale you wish to use the pattern.

Using your flood fill tool….

Flood fill the selected area.

Step 16 – Go to Selections/Invert then Effects/3D Effects/Drop Shadow and apply the drop shadow we previously used. Then go to Selections/Select None. Your image will appear similar to below depending on the pattern that you used. NOTE--- you can adjust your drop shadow to more or less blur to your liking.

Step 17 – Select the layer titled Middle Layer to make it the active layer and then go to Selections/Modify/Expand and expand by 2 pixels. Flood fill with your pattern of choice. Then repeat step 16 above.

Step 18 – Select the layer titled Top Layer to make it the active layer and then repeat steps 15 and 16 above. For added depth…..while the top layer is still active and with nothing selected go to Effect/3D Effects/Drop Shadow and apply a drop shadow to the center of the flower. This gives it a look of depth. I used Opacity and Blur of 60 set for each with my horizontal and vertical offsets set to 0.

Your image should appear similar to below depending on the pattern you used.

Now….go to Layers/Merge/Merge Visible and then repeat the steps to rid of the wasted space and then export the image as a transparent PNG.

Ta da! We are done with the tut. I hope you enjoyed it!

NOTE------The Pesky TOU Section ---The flowers I made using this tut are also included in the file for your use. You may use them for personal or commercial use so long as you are using them in a flattened version on a design such as a candy wrapper or a scrapbook quick page. You may not recolor the template and then sell the graphics made from the template and you may not resell the template. Please do not share the template. If someone wants the template, please refer them to this blog or to the Walker World sub forum in Wrap Candy.

END NOTE ------

Now go play! Have fun! Create!

Creating a Seamless Pattern in Adobe Elements

2011-01-20T22:08:00.001-08:00

This has been a bit of a learning experience for me. After I had posted the tutorial on making a seamless pattern using tubes for PSP, I was asked if Elements would be the same. Although I have had Elements on my computer for years, I have never used it for any of my designing. So, tonight I set out to figure it out and write this tutorial. So, here we go!

Step 1 – Open the image you want to use for your seamless tiling. For this tutorial I am using a pumpkin image I had in my archives.

Step 2 – Resize the image so that it is approximately 200 pixels in width. To do that you will go to Image/Resize/Image Size

and I changed my width from 708 pixels to 200: (all other settings will change automatically so long as you have your check marks the same as I do in my settings below)

Step 3 – Go to File/ New/Blank File and create a new workspace using the following settings:

Step 4 – Return to your image you want to use for your pattern and go to Select/All and then Edit/Copy. Return to your blank workspace and go to Edit/Paste. Your graphic will appear in the center of your canvas.

Step 5 – In your layers pallet on the right hand side, right click on your Layer 1 and select Duplicate Layer. Now, click the eye next to the duplicate layer to make it invisible for the time being and then click on Layer 1 to make it your active layer. Your layers pallet will appear as below.

Step 6 – Go to Filter/Other/Offset

and use the following settings:

Your image will now appear similar to below depending on the image you are using.

Step 7 – Now make the top duplicate layer active and click the eye next to it to make it visible. Your image will appear similar as below depending on the image you are using.

Now, here is where we can get a little more creative. We can rotate our middle pumpkin to make it appear at a different angle. Or we can add another image in the center to create a two image pattern. Or we can just leave it as it is. For this tutorial we are just going to rotate the middle pumpkin. To rotate it go to Image/Rotate/Free Rotate Layer

And then grab the circle at the bottom of the image (a small arc will appear so you know you can start rotating it)

and we will pull to the right to rotate it slightly. Click the green check when you are satisfied with your rotation. Our image now appears as below.

Step 8 – Make the Layer 1 layer the active layer and then go to Layer/New/Layer and a blank layer will appear above the Layer 1 layer. Click on the Layer 1 layer and drag it above the new blank layer. Your layer pallet will appear as below.

Click on your Set Foreground Color tool and select the foreground color you want to use as a flood fill for your background.

Now using your Paint Bucket Tool

flood fill the background with the color of your choice. For this tutorial I am flood filling with black for a Halloween themed pattern. Our image will appear as below.

Now go to Layer/Merge Visible. Our pattern is now complete. We are now ready to save the pattern for future use. To save your pattern go to Edit/Define Pattern

Name your pattern and click OK. Your newly created pattern is now available to use as a flood fill pattern for any of your designing projects. I hope you enjoyed this tutorial!

Creating a Pattern with Tubes

2011-01-20T10:44:00.001-08:00

So it has been awhile since I have posted any tuts. I do apologize for that. I have been extremely busy getting ready to open a new online store. This tutorial was written by request of Latitude. It was written using Paint Shop Pro X but will work in earlier and newer versions as well. No external plugins are required for this tutorial.

Let’s create!

Step 1 – Create a new image using the following settings:

Step 2 – Click on your picture tube tool.

Select the tube you want to use from your choices and then adjust the settings as needed to fit the tube onto your work area. For this tutorial I am using a PSP tube I created from a poinsettia I have created. It is a large image so I am adjusting my tube settings to a size of 32 (see below)

Left click with your mouse and place the tube in the center of your image.

To ensure the image is centered, use your Center Layer Script that comes pre-installed with PSP. See Below:

Step 3 – Right click on the Raster 1 layer and select Duplicate.

Your layers pallet will appear as below:

Step 4 – Click on the eye next to Copy of Raster 1 layer to make it invisible. Then Click on the Raster 1 layer to make it the active layer.

Go to Effects/Image Effects/Seamless Tiling

Use the following Settings:

Your workspace should appear as below:

You will notice there are transitional fading around the edges of the center flower.

Step 5 – Click on the eye of the Copy of Raster 1 layer to make it visible again. Your image will now appear as below.

Step 6 – Make Raster 1 layer your active layer and go to Layers/New Raster Layer. Then drag the layer BELOW your seamless tile layer. Your layers pallet will appear as below.

Step 7 – Using your flood fill tool:

fill the Raster 2 layer with the color of your choice. For this tutorial I am flood filling my background with black.

Your image will appear as below:

Step 8 – Now go to Layers/Merge/Merge Visible. Then save the file to your patterns folder for future use. Use it to flood fill areas of candy wrappers, make digital scrap papers from it or whatever you need it for without having to create it all over again.

You can play with the settings of your tubes. Make them larger to fill more area or make them smaller to allow more space between and add other tubes to it to fill the area. Below is a sample of using more than 1 tube to fill an area.

I hope you enjoyed this tutorial. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to ask.

Happy PSP-ing!

Contour Shading & A Pillow Box

2010-12-27T16:11:00.001-08:00

So, I have been promising this tutorial to Nancy for the past couple of days now. After having finished designing a website for someone and making two logos for other clients, I finally have time to sit down and show you one method of shading using Paint Shop Pro. This tutorial was written using Corel Paint Shop Pro X but will work in earlier versions as well as newer versions.

There are various methods to shading in PSP to obtain different effects you will use different techniques. Below is a listing of just a few techniques that can be used.

1. Contour Shading

2. Airbrush or Paintbrush

3. Brightness and Contrast

4. Burn Tool

5. Lighten/Darken Tool

6. Cutout Effect

That is just to name a few. Today, we are going to be using the Contour Shading to make this display below of a pillow box. This makes a great display piece for your website. In addition, you will be learning how to use the pillow box template to design a pillow box. Two tuts in one!

I have bundled the materials into one zip file. The material bundle includes: 1 Pillow Box Template, 1 Paper and a PSP Picture Tube as well as a finished sample display. You can pick up the materials HERE.

Before we get started, be sure to unzip the files and copy and paste the Picture Tube into your Picture Tubes folder within your version of Paint Shop Pro or the location you keep your PSP files. For me, my picture tube files are kept at My Documents/My PSP Files/Picture Tubes. For some, you may have them saved in the program folder itself.

Tools we will be using today:

Mask Tool, Selections Tools, Text Tool, Picture Tube Tool

OK….here we go!

Step 1 – Open your PSP and then open the RDD-PillowBoxTemplate.png file.

Step 2 – Go to Window/Duplicate.

Then close out the original file. *** I suggest always following this step to keep from making permanent changes to your original files! ***

Step 3 – Open the RDD-TeaStainedPaper.jpg file. Then return to your Template workspace file.

Step 4 – Right click on the Raster 1 layer and select Duplicate.

Step 5 – Click on the Raster 1 Eye to make it invisible. Your layers pallet should look like below:

Notice the blue coloring of Copy of Raster 1? This is our ACTIVE layer. So, when I say, make a layer active, simply click on it to designate that layer as what we will be working on.

Step 6 – Right click on Copy of Raster 1 layer and select New Mask Layer/From Image.

Use the following settings:

Your layers pallet will appear as below:

Notice the Mask – Copy of Raster 1 is the Active Layer?

Step 7 – Left click and drag the Mask layer ABOVE the Group-Copy of Raster 1.

Your layer pallet will now look like this:

Step 8 – Make Group-Copy of Raster 1 the Active Layer. Then click on the RDD-TeaStainedPaper and go to Edit/Copy. Return to the Template workspace and go to Edit/Paste As New Layer. Your layer pallet will now appear as below:

Step 9 – Make the Mask-Copy of Raster 1 the active layer and go to Layers/Merge/Merge Visible. Your layers pallet will now look like below:

Now double click on the active layer (merged) and name it Background.

Your image should now appear as below:

Step 10 – Click on the Eye of Raster 1 and make it visible again, Double Click this layer and name it Template. Make the Background layer the active layer and click on the Eye of Background layer and make it invisible for now. We will now be using the template for our placement of our text and images. Your layers pallet will appear as below:

And your image will appear as below:

Step 11 – Click on your Picture Tube Tool

Find the RDD-ChristmasBell picture tube and select it.

Use the following settings:

Step 12 – Go to Layers/New Raster Layer and then with your left mouse, click where you want the picture tube to be placed on the new raster layer.

Use your Pick Tool (Raster Deform if using PSP 9 or below) to move the picture tube where you need it to be.

Our image now appears as below:

Make the layer containing your tube as the active layer. Double click it and name it Tube.

Step 13 – Right click on the Tube layer and select Duplicate. Then go to Image/Mirror and then Image/Flip. Use your Pick tool or Raster Deform depending on your version of PSP and move the bell where it needs to be.

Your image should appear as below:

Make the Copy of Tube Layer the active layer and go to Layers/Merge/Merge Down. Your layers pallet should now appear as below:

Step 14 – Click on your background material in your materials pallet and change the color to the color of the text that you want. For this tutorial I am using red.

Now select your Text Tool

Click where you want the text to appear on your workspace and then set the size and the font that you would like. Be sure you have your stroke set to 0 (unless you want an outline of your text). I am using a font called St. Nicholas at a size of 60 for this tutorial. Use your Pick Tool (Raster Deform) to move the text where you need it. Your image should now appear similar to below.

Step 15 – Right click on your text layer (Vector 1) and select Convert to Raster Layer. Then double click the layer and name it Text. Right click again and select Duplicate. Follow the same as previous……go to Image/Mirror and then Image/Flip and use your Pick Tool (Raster Deform) to move the text where it needs to be. Your image should appear as below:

Step 16 – Make the Copy of Text layer the active layer and then go to Layers/Merge/Merge Down. Click on the eye next to the Background layer and make it visible again. Your image will now appear as below:

You are done designing the pillow box. You can save this as a workspace for later use as a psp image. I would suggest naming it something like MyPillowBoxWorkspace. Then you can go to File/Export/PNG Optimizer to use in your WrapCandy software for printing or to create a printable PDF out of the image. If you are wanting to use the Silhouette Digital Cutter to cut this, make sure you save it as a Jpg file.

Now that we have the pillow box created, and the workspace is saved so we can easily modify it later, let’s create our display piece. We can now close out the RDD-TeaStainedPaper file and then with our template workspace active go to Window/Duplicate and close out the psp file we just created. We don’t want to make any permanent changes to the workspace with the template we just created.

Ready? OK! Here we go! Onward!

Step 17 – Our new image should have 4 layers: Text, Tube, Background and Template. Click on the eye next to the Template layer to make it invisible. Then make your Text layer the active layer and go to Layers/Merge/Merge Visible. Your layers pallet will now only have 2 layers: Template and Merged. We don’t need to rename this layer as we will not be saving this as a psp file…only as a finished image for display purposes. (If you want to save it as psp file you can…..and if you want to name it….you can….up to you).

Step 18 – We are now ready to eliminate unnecessary space and create the final display. Click on your Selections Tool.

Click on the custom selection Icon

And use the following settings:

Your image should appear with the following “marching ants” around the selection we want to keep.

Step 19 – Go to Selections/Invert

Now make the Template layer the active layer and press your DEL key to eliminate the area we do not need. Repeat this using the merged layer. Then go to Selections/Select None. Your image will appear as below:

Step 20 – Now, click on the eye next to the merged layer to make it invisible and then make the template layer the active layer and click the eye next to the template layer to make it visible. Then using your magic wand tool

Select the inside of the ovals on the left and right of the template. Your image will appear as below:

The “marching ants” appear inside the ovals. Now go to Selections/Modify/Expand

and use the following settings:

Then go to Selections/Modify/Shape Based anti-Alias

and use the following settings:

Then go to Selections/Invert

Step 21 – Now click on the Merged Layer (the layer with our image of our pillow box) to make it active and click on the eye next to the layer to make it visible. Then go to Effects/3D Effects/Drop Shadow

Use the following settings:

You can play with these settings to achieve the look you are wanting. You may want to use a lower opacity and/or blur for lighter backgrounds.

Now go to Selections/Select None. Your image should appear as below:

Now go to Layers/Merge/Merge Visible. You should now have one layer. Go to Selections/Select All. Then go to Selections/Float followed by Selections/Defloat. Then go to Image/Crop To Selection.

Your image will appear as below:

You can now resize as needed and export it as a png file to use as a display.

Another neat idea for a pillow box display is to create the display as below:

To do that…….once you have the ovals selected……you will go to Selections/Modify/ Expand and expand by 3 Pixels and then make the image layer the active layer and press your delete key. This will eliminate the ovals on the image all together. Go to Selections/Select None. Then go to your template layer and select the middle area with the magic wand, go to Selections/Invert and then apply the drop shadow as above.

I know this was lengthy…..but I wanted to cover two tuts in one. So, you learned how to use the template to create a pillowbox and you learned how to do contour shading at the same time. I do hope you enjoyed this tut and I look forward to seeing some of your creations!

Glass Effect Using Eye Candy

2010-12-23T13:46:00.001-08:00

Today, we are going to return to the template we made using the Glass Effect and Paint Shop Pro tut shared yesterday. Yesterday I told you there are a minimum of 4 different ways to make the glass effect in Paint Shop Pro. I will have tuts for all 4 of the mentioned methods but today’s tut will focus on using Alien Skin’s Eye Candy 5 Impact: Glass effect.

Materials Needed:

RDD-Eye Candy Presets – You can download my eye candy presets HERE.

Unzip the presets and remember where you placed them. We will be importing them in this tut.

OK…..here we go!

Step 1 – Open your PSP and open the template made in the previous tutorial.

Step 2 – Click on the layer titled Glass Effect making it the active layer and then click on the eye next to the layer to make it invisible.

Step 3 – Click on the layer titled Metallic Ring making it the active layer and using your magic wand in the selection tool, select the area INSIDE the metallic ring.

Step 4 – Go to Layers/New Raster Layer and give it a name of Eye Candy Glass then press OK.

Step 5 – Go to Effects/Plugins/Alien Skin Eye Candy5: Impact/Glass

Go to the bottom and click on Manage

In the next popup window select the Import button.

Find the location where you unzipped the presets and then select each and click the OK button.

Your main area should now show the following under user settings:

Now click on RDD-GlassEffect1 and then click on OK

Step 6 – Repeat the Glass Effect except this time select the RDD-GlassEffect2. Then press OK. Then go to Selections/Select None.

Your image will now appear as below.

And that is it! You now have 2 different ways to create a glass effect. Be sure to save the file as it now contains 2 different glass effects that you can use later when you need it.

If you would like to create your own glass settings:

Under Settings Select Clear No Drop Shadow

Under Basic use the following settings (Although you can play with these settings to meet your own needs….these are the settings used for one of the presets included in this tut)

Under lighting you can move the light to the position you want and change the direction, inclination, brightness,size and highlight color to meet your needs. Make sure that your reflection map is set to None.

Once you are happy with the settings you have, and so that you can use the same settings later, make sure you save them as a preset!

To save as a preset:

Once you have everything set, return to the Settings Tab in Eye Candy. At the bottom select Save. Give it a name. Now you have your own preset to use as often as you would like!

I hope you enjoyed this tut!

Glass Effect and Paint Shop Pro

2010-12-23T00:40:00.001-08:00

This tutorial is by request from a member of the WrapCandy forum. This tutorial is written in Paint Shop Pro X but will work in earlier versions as well as newer versions. Some techniques will also work in Adobe Photoshop CS and Adobe Photoshop Elements. This tutorial will focus on Paint Shop Pro.

There are several ways to create a glass or “domed” effect in Paint Shop Pro. Some require a plugin. Some examples of methods to create a glass “domed” effect are:

1. Cutout & Starburst Effect Combination

2. Balls and Bubbles Effect

3. Eye Candy 5 Impact Glass Effect

4. Shapes & Feathering

Today, we are going to focus on using our shapes and feathering options in Paint Shop Pro. This will not require any plugins. So, let’s get started.

Step 1 – Open a new image using the following settings:

Step 2 – Select Ellipse from your preset shapes tool:

Using the following settings (located on your toolbar at the top), draw out a circle on your canvas:

Mode: Draw Circle

Line Style: Solid

Width: 20

Anti-alias Checked

Your image should appear similar to below (depending on your color choice). For this tutorial I am going to be using a solid gold color (we will make this into metallic as we go along in this tutorial).

Now we are going to make this metallic.

Step 3 – Right click on the Layer titled Vector and select Convert to Raster Layer

Step 4 – Go to Effects/Artistic Effect/Hot Wax Coating

Step 5 – Repeat Hot Wax Coating then go to Effects/Artistic Effects/Chrome and use the following settings:

Step 6 – Go to Effects/3D Effects/Inner Bevel and use the following settings:

Your circle frame should now appear as below (May appear differently in color depending on the color you selected as your circle initially)

Step 7 – Using your magic wand, select the area OUTSIDE of the circle and then go to Selections/Invert and then Selections/Modify/Contract and use the following settings:

Step 8 – Go to Layers/New Raster Layer and then using the flood fill tool, fill this selected area with the color, gradient or pattern of your choice. For this tutorial I am using a pattern. Then go to Selections/Select None.

******** NOTE ********

If you already have a design image in a circle shape, you can place it in the new raster layer without having to make the above selections. Simply pull up the image you already have, go to Edit/Copy and then return to the workspace that contains our metallic ring and go to Edit/Paste As New Layer. Using your Pick Tool (Raster Deform if using PSP 9 or earlier) and then position it where you need it to be making sure the layer is moved (click on it and drag it below the metallic rings in the layer pallet) and sits BEHIND the metallic ring we just created.

******** END NOTE ********

OK…so I flood filled with a pattern and then moved (as stated above) the layer BELOW the metallic ring layer.

Our image now should appear similar as below:

Step 9 – Now, we want to select the layer that has our metallic ring on it (making it the active layer) and then using the magic wand tool select the area INSIDE the metallic ring.

Now…we have a couple options here before we move along. This tut was written for someone who wanted to make displays of glass domed (flat backed) Christmas ornaments. So, if that is the type of display you are needing you may skip this next step and move on to step 11. IF…however, you are wanting to make the pattern appear rounded then you will need to follow the next step.

**** NOTE ****

This next step is a great effect to use when making pearls or Christmas baubles.

**** END NOTE ****

Step 10 – With the inside of the ring selected, make the pattern filled layer the active layer (this should be called Raster 3) then go to Effects/Geometric Effects/Spherize

Adjust the size of your sphere you want to use. For this tutorial we will be using the following settings:

Go to Selections/Select None.

Step 11 – Now, click on the metallic ring layer to make it the active layer and then using your Ellipse Tool in your Preset Shapes Tool make a circle similar to the one below (The color of your circle does not matter) But you must set the following settings:

Mode: Draw Circle

Line width should be set to 0

Anti-alias Checked

Place your solid circle as below:

Step 12 – Repeat the step above, except change the color of your circle and place it as below:

Both of these vector circles should be on the same layer which is named Vector 1.

Step 13 – Select the outer vector circle so that only that color is selected. For example: In my image, I will click on the white area and my “marching ants” will appear as below.

Step 14 – Go to Layers/New Raster Layer and create a new layer. Then go to Selections/Modify/Feather and use the following settings:

Now close the eye next to the vector layer so that the layer is now invisible. Then return to the new raster layer you just created (Raster 4) and make it the active layer by clicking on the layer. At this point your workspace should appear as below:

Step 15 – Flood fill this feathered selection using WHITE. Then go to Selections/Select None. Your image will appear similar to below (depending on your pattern, gradient, color choice)

Step 16 – Now right click on the Raster 4 layer and select Duplicate then go to Image/Mirror and then Image/Flip. Your image should appear similar to below.

Now make sure your top layer is the active layer (should read as Copy of Raster 4) and then go to Layers/Merge/Merge Down. Double click the Raster 4 layer and name it “Glass Effect”. Double Click the Raster 2 layer and name it “Metallic Ring”. Double click on the Raster 3 layer and name it “Pattern”.

Save your file as a psp image that you can go into later and just change the pattern and spherize or just a pattern without spherize if desired. This eliminates having to create the glass effect again when you need it at a later date.

That is it! This is the way to create the glass domed effect without plugins! Now, bear in mind, you can change the width and length of your glass effect by placing your vector circles differently if you wish.

I hope you enjoyed this tutorial!

Bubble Gum Parlor Website Template

2010-12-22T00:13:00.001-08:00

This is a custom website with cascading style sheet for faster loading and dynamic HTML for image roll-overs. This is a basic website template that is not configured for zencart but could be modified to work with zencart.

This is a one of a kind (OOAK) template that has already been purchased and no other copies of this template will be sold. Images contain digital watermarks and copyright has been filed with the U.S. Library of Congress. To preview how this site looks in real time, please visit Sweet Sue's.

If you would like a quote for a custom website, please feel free to leave a comment with your e-mail address and I will be more than happy to see how we can work together to create your personalized website.

Rolled Paper Preview

2010-12-03T11:01:00.001-08:00

This tutorial is by request of LindaJP and was written using Corel Paint Shop Pro X. It will work in earlier versions as well as newer versions. I have included some freebie papers for you to use to work on this tutorial along with the custom gradient that we will be using. The papers are SOE (standard open end) candy wrapper sized. You can pick up the materials HERE.

Tools we will be using:

Custom Selection, Materials Pallet and Gaussian Blur

Step 1 – Copy the gradient from the zip folder into your gradients folder. For some this will be My Documents/My PSP Files/Gradients. For others, you may select to place them within the program file itself. That depends on you.

Step 2 – Open your PSP and then Open the 5 papers provided for this tutorial….or you can choose 5 papers of your own. If using your own, please be sure your papers are set to 5.25 inches wide x 5.50 inches high.

Step 3 – Minimize each paper so that it appears on the workspace below and out of your working area.

Step 4 – Create a new image using the following settings:

Step 5 – Click on your selection tool

at the top, on your toolbar, select the custom selection icon

and use the following settings:

Step 6 – Click on your foreground selector in the material’s pallet:

Select the pattern tab then select the drop down arrow next to the pattern

Set your category to open images

Select one of the papers that you currently have open and use the following settings

Then Click OK

Step 7 – Click on your flood fill tool

Then click with your left mouse button in the selected area to fill the selected area with the paper.

Your image will appear as below:

Step 8 – Click on your selection tool, custom selection, and use the following settings:

Select your second choice paper from the materials pallet and flood fill this area with the second paper. ((NOTE – Stripes appear better if you change your angle to 90 degrees when selecting the paper)) Just be sure to change your rotation back to 0 for the other papers. Your image will appear as below:

Step 9 – Go to selections tool, custom selection and use the following settings:

Flood fill with your third paper choice. Your image will appear as below:

Step 10 – Go to your selections tool, custom selection and use the following settings:

Flood fill with your fourth paper of choice.

Step 11 – Go to selections tool, custom selection and use the following settings:

Flood fill with the fifth paper of your choice. Go to Selections/Select None. Once all five papers have been added your image will appear as below:

Step 12 – Go to Layers/New Raster Layer and then click OK

Using your foreground selection tool in the materials pallet, click on the Gradient Tab. Using the drop down arrow next to the gradient, set your category to all, then select the RDD-RolledPaperGradient downloaded from this tutorial.

Set your gradient using the following settings:

Flood fill the new raster layer with the gradient selected. Your image will appear as below:

Step 13 – Go to Adjust/Blur/Gaussian Blur

and use the following settings:

Go to Layers/Merge/Merge Visible. Resize by 50% for faster loading to your website.

Your end product should appear as below:

Your rolled paper preview is now ready to be exported as a JPG file and used on your website, blog or for sharing on a forum.

SPECIAL NOTE: I already have this saved as a script and it is for sale at one of the online stores I sell in. Please DO NOT Script this tutorial for sale. You may script the tutorial for your own personal use, however.

I hope you have enjoyed this tutorial!

Door Hangers and the Silhouette SD

2010-11-28T13:40:00.001-08:00

OK, so this is my first tutorial on using the Silhouette SD for cutting. By the way, I must mention that I LOVE this machine. It has made production so much faster! It is especially hard to cut by hand something with rounded shapes and make them perfect. So, I thought the Door Hangers would make a perfect example for using the digital cutter.

First, you will need a door hanger. I have a tutorial on making bordered door hangers in PSP using a template provided from the wrapcandy forum. You can find the tutorial HERE.

Now….on to the tut!

Step 1 – Open your Robo Master program. (Pretty basic right? LOL)

Step 2 – Go to File/New and use the following settings:

Step 3 – Go to Insert/File and select the door hanger jpg file you just created from the tut (or one you already had). Click in the middle of the workspace. Your workspace will appear as below.

Step 4 – Right click on the image and select Position Settings.

Change your size using the settings below:

Step 5 – Move your door hanger so that it is positioned to the center of the workspace. Then click on Get Outline.

Go To View/Fit

Set your Threshold to 128 and click the check box next to Outer Frame Only. Then click Convert to Outline.

Your door hanger shape will change on the left hand side to appear as below. If you are satisfied with your new shape, click Paste then Exit.

Your workspace will now have a rectangle around it identifying that a shape has been added to the image.

Step 6 – Add 8.5 x 11 sheet of card stock to your printer and then go to File/Print. Be sure your printer is selected. Adjust the number of copies you want of the door hanger. Then click OK.

Your door hanger will be printed on the card stock with the registration marks for cutting identification by the Silhouette SD.

Step 7 – Place the print out on the carrier using the guidelines provided on the carrier sheet.

Step 8 – Load the carrier sheet into the Silhouette SD cutter.

Step 9 – Return to the Robo Master software and click on the Craft Robo Icon in the toolbar.

Select the number of copies you will be cutting and select the page range of All. Then click OK.

Change your Media Type to Card without Craft Paper Backing.

Adjust settings should not be checked. And notice the cap color changes from the blue shown above to yellow in the image below. This means we need to change our blade cap to the yellow cap. If you do not have the yellow cap on, change it now. (Be sure to close the cover after you have changed the blade cap)

Click on the Next button on the bottom right of the toolbox. It will prompt you to change your cap. Then click the Next button again. Make sure your Design Orientation is set to Portrait.

Click on the Next button. You will be prompted to load the media. If you did not already load the carrier sheet, do so now then click OK. Click on the Next button and make sure your Search Registration Mark is checked.

Click the Next button again.You will be prompted to begin cutting. Click on the Cut button.

The Silhouette SD will begin searching for the registration marks and then prompt you when the machine is ready to cut.

Click OK and the door hanger will be cut from the cardstock.

I hope you enjoyed this tutorial and have learned how to create custom shapes with your Silhouette SD! Happy Crafting!

Bordered Door Hangers Using PSP

2010-11-28T11:51:00.001-08:00

Nicole (Stringbean) had asked if I would put together a tutorial on how to use the Ink Saver Door Hanger Template from the WrapCandy forum. So, I was happy to create this tutorial! This tutorial was written using PSP X but will work in earlier versions as well as newer versions.

Materials Needed: – Ink Saver Door Hanger Template from the forum

Step 1 – Open the door hanger template in PSP.

Step 2 – Go to Window/Duplicate and then close out the original template. This will keep from damaging the original template.

Step 3 – Using your magic wand, select the inside of the template. See images below.

The “marching ants” will appear on the inside of the template.

Step 4 – Go to Selections/Modify/Shape Based Anti-alias

Click the radio button next to Outside and then click OK.

Step 5 – Go to Selections/Modify/Expand and set it to expand 5 pixels and click OK. (This will eliminate the black outline that appears on the template.)

Step 6 – Click on the Flood Fill tool to make it active.

Click on your Foreground Selection in the Material Pallet and select the color/gradient or pattern of your choice. For this tutorial I am using a solid color.

Now Flood Fill the Selection area with your Foreground Choice. Your Image will appear as below. (DO NOT DESELECT THE AREA YET).

Step 7 – Go to Selections/Modify/Contract and set contraction to 40 Pixels then Click OK.

Your image will now appear as below:

Now simply press your delete (DEL) key on your keyboard. Then go to Selections/Select None.

You now have a border around your ink saver door hanger.

If you just want a border, you can stop here. The remainder of this tutorial will show you how to add some flair using Frames/Mask and Text. So, if you want to venture on, please do so!

ADDING SOME FLAIR:

Step 8 - Let’s start by creating a rectangle box within our door hanger. Go to your Shapes tool and select the Rectangle Shape Tool.

Now place the rectangle inside the lower part of the Door Hanger. (Leave some room at the bottom to add a name to our door hanger) Your image should appear as below.

Step 9 – Click on the eye next to the border layer to make it invisible.

Your rectangle layer should still be active (See above that it is a different color –BLUE-) If it is not the active layer, click on it to make it active. Then go to Image/Picture Frame and select a frame to use. For this tutorial I am using the flower border frame (Edge Fun 03).

Make sure you have Frame Current Layer selected and Frame Outside Of The Image then press OK.

Your image will now appear as below.

Step 10 – Using your magic wand, select the area around the outside of our picture frame and then flood fill with white. Your image should appear as below.

Now, make your Vector 1 layer as the active layer by clicking on it. Then right click and select Delete. We no longer need the rectangle. Afterwards your layer pallet should appear as below.

Step 11 – Click on the Vector 1 Picture Frame Layer to make it active and then right click and select New Mask Layer/ From Image.

Use the following settings for your mask.

Your layers pallet will look a bit confusing, but I will do my best to walk you through the remainder without losing you! See below as to what your layer pallet will look like.

Notice that your Mask is the active layer? Click on it and drag it ABOVE the Group-Vector 1 Picture Frame. Your Layer Pallet will appear as below.

Now, Click on the Group-Vector 1 Picture Frame layer to make it active and then go to Layers/New Raster Layer. Your Layer Pallet will now appear as below.

Using your flood fill tool and your foreground material selector, flood fill the Raster 2 layer with the color, pattern, or gradient of your choice. For this tutorial I am flood filling with a pattern. Your image will now appear similar to below (with your color, pattern or gradient choice).

Step 12 – Let’s return to our Layers Pallet and make the Mask layer the active layer.

Now go to Layers/Merge/Merge Visible.

Your Layers Pallet will now appear as below.

Step 13 – Make the Raster 1 Layer the active layer and drag it above the Merged layer. Then click on the eye next to the layer to make it visible again. Your Layers Pallet will appear as below.

And your image will now appear as below.

Step 14 – OK….now let’s add a picture in the newly created frame. Open the photo of your choice and then go to Edit/Copy.

Then return to your door hanger workspace and make the Merged Layer the active layer. Then go to Edit/Paste As New Layer. Your Layers Pallet will now appear as below.

Return to your workspace and select the Pick Tool. In PSP 9 this is the Raster Deform Tool.

Click on the photo and drag it out (using the corner markers) to resize it to cover the frame area.

Your image will appear as above but without the text and arrow.

Step 15 – Make the photo layer the active layer and drag it BELOW the merged frame layer. Your Layer Pallet will appear as below.

And your image will appear as below.

If we zoom in, we can see the flowers bordering the photo. (for this particular frame, it might have been best to use a less obtrusive pattern…but it works for this tut none the less).

Step 16 – Now we will add some text to our door hanger. Make the Raster 1 layer as the active layer and then click on your Background color in the Material’s Pallet to select the color of text you want to use.

Now using the Text Tool

Add the text you want to add just below the photo. For this tutorial I am just putting the name. Your image will appear similar as below.

Notice the name is hard to read against the background? To fix this, we will need to add a drop shadow. To do that we need to make sure the Vector layer which has our text on it is the active layer. Right click on the layer and select Convert To Raster Layer. Then go to Effect/3D Effect/Drop Shadow.

Apply the drop shadow of your choice to make the text appear better. If necessary you may want to repeat the drop shadow several times depending on if you are using a solid color or a pattern as your frame layer. Once the drop shadow has been applied, the image should appear similar to below.

If you want to keep this particular frame and border for future use, save your file as a PSP file. Then go to File/Export and JPG Optimizer to save it as an image. I save as a JPG if I plan to print and cut from the Silhouette SD. Which, I will have another tut on how to print and cut from the Silhouette SD later.

Here is a sample using the same frame with a solid fill instead of a pattern.

I hope you enjoyed this tutorial. I would love to see some of the door hangers you create from it. Either with just borders, or with different frames, etc. It would be great to see all of your creations!

Happy PSP-ing!

Using Textured Overlays

2010-11-22T17:41:00.001-08:00

This tutorial was written using Corel Paint Shop Pro X but will work in earlier versions as well as newer versions. For this tutorial you will need an overlay. I am including one for FREE with this tutorial. The overlay is SOE (Standard Open Ended) candy wrapper sized. You can use this technique for digital scrap sized overlays as well. This tutorial is meant to teach you how to use overlays to create textures for your candy wrappers or scrapping if using a digital scrapbook overlay. Change up your ordinary plain wrapper into something unique with textures!

Materials Needed: Download the free Overlay HERE.

And now on to the tut!

Step 1 – Create a new image using the SOE size settings below:

Step 2 – Click on the Flood Fill Tool to activate it. Then, click on your foreground material to open the material pallet. Select the color, pattern or gradient of your choice, press OK. Then fill the workspace. For this tutorial I am using a pattern I made from a photograph.

Your image will appear similar to below (but with your selected color, gradient or pattern).

Step 3 – Open the Grunge Overlay image. Select Edit/Copy. Then return to your patterned workspace and select Edit/Paste As New Layer.

Your image will now appear as below:

Step 4 – Make the overlay layer the active layer. In PSP X you will know your overlay is the active layer because there will be a color difference in the layer pallet for the layer which is active. See the image below.

Click on the Blend Mode Button in the Layers Pallet.

Change the blend mode to Overlay.

Now your image will appear similar as below (with your own color, pattern or gradient used).

Step 5 – Go to Layers/Merge/Merge Visible. Export as a JPG and use it for your candy wrappers! I hope you enjoyed this tutorial! I would love to see some of the grunge patterns, colors, or gradients that you come up with!

Wrap Candy Blog Train – November 2010

2010-11-02T18:34:00.001-07:00

This is the first ever blog train started by the WrapCandy forum community. We have many talented people in the forum and it is the best place to go for all your candy wrapping and/or scrapping needs.

My contributions are plenty and will work for resizing for taggers or for scrapbooking as well as candy wrapping. I made WAY too much for this blog train but I just was so excited to be a part of the first ever train!

I have broken mine down by color sections and you just need to click on the color selection title to be taken to the color selection folder to download the pieces you want! Other members of the blog train will be listed below the last image.

And without further adieu…….here are my blog train contributions!

COLOR SELECTION: AUTUMN JUBILEE

There are 8 files in this color selection. Below are images of the items you can download.

COLOR SELECTION: Fall Frolic

There are 8 files in this color selection. Below are images of the items you can download.

COLOR SELECTION: Winter Wishes

There are 10 files in this color selection. Below are images of the items you can download.

Other stops on this train:

Grayscale Images as Overlays

2010-10-17T21:10:00.001-07:00

Previously, I had posted a tutorial on colorizing grayscale images using the Colorize tool in Paint Shop Pro. The difficulty with colorizing a grayscale image is to get the color to match your color scheme the best. Often, this means using the colorize in combination with adjusting the brightness and/or contrast and even then you may not get it exact. So this tutorial will show you how to use the grayscale image as an overlay using your current color scheme.

This tutorial was written using Corel Paint Shop Pro X but will work in earlier as well as newer versions. For this tutorial I am using a grayscale frame that I created specifically for this tutorial. I have two different small textured frames I created for you to practice with. You can download them for free HERE.

Step 1 – Open a grayscale image. Go to Window/Duplicate and then close out the original. This will allow you to make changes without making permanent changes to the original image.

Step 2 – Using your magic wand, select the area inside and outside the frame and then go to Selections/Invert

Your image will appear as below:

Notice the “marching ants” on the inside and outside of the frame creating a selection around the frame?

Step 3 – Go to Layers/New Raster Layer and create a new layer.

Step 4 – Click on your foreground materials pallet and use the dropper tool to select the color you want from the swatch or using the RGB values you want to use. Flood fill the selection on the new layer using the color you selected. For this tutorial I am using a color from a color swatch.

Your image will appear as below:

Step 5 – Go to Selections/Select None. Then arrange the layers as to move the new raster layer with the color BELOW the original layer. Below you will see the color layer as Raster 2 being positioned above Raster 1. Using your mouse, click on the layer and drag it below Raster 1.

From this:

To this:

Your image will now appear as below:

Step 6 – Make the grayscale layer as the active layer:

Select the Blend Mode Tool above the active layer:

Change the mode to Overlay:

Your image will now appear as below:

Now, you have a couple options. You can either go to Layers/Merge/Merge Visible and then save the image in the format you would like. Or you can export as a PNG file and then save the product with layers in tact for future use as a template.

Relax, play, be creative, and most importantly, have fun with your PSP! I hope you enjoyed this tutorial and look forward to seeing some of your creations!

Converting Photoshop Brushes to PSP Brushes

2010-10-06T22:25:00.001-07:00

Ever find that absolutely “must have” brush only to discover it is in Adobe Photoshop format? Well, for years, since I have had both Corel Paint Shop Pro as well as Adobe Photoshop, I would create a transparent PNG file in Photoshop and then pull the PNG file up in my Paint Shop Pro and then save it as a custom brush. But….I realize there are many PSP users out there who do not have this luxury. I scoured the net on many occasions looking for a reliable, quality converter. I found that AbrViewer is the best there is and the easiest to use.

So, I put this tutorial together to show you how to use AbrViewer to convert Photoshop Brushes to Paint Shop Pro Brushes. This tutorial was written using PSP X, but should work in all versions of PSP which support PNG files.

Tools you will need:

AbrViewer – get it here: http://abrviewer.sourceforge.net/

A Photoshop Brush set

Paint Shop Pro.

TIP! When you download AbrViewer, save it in a file named AbrViewer so you will always know were it is! This does not install on your computer so you will need to access the file location to use it.

Step 1 – Download and install into a folder the AbrViewer files

Step 2 – Open Abr Viewer

Step 3 – Go to File/ Open Brush Sets and select the location of the brush set you want to convert and then select the brush file. Click Open

Thumbnails of the brushes in the set will appear at the top of the screen:

Step 4 – Go to Export/Thumbnails and select the folder to export the thumbnails to. Click OK. I suggest you export them to the same location as the brush set so that they are all kept together.

Now all the brushes are saved in your folder as a PNG file:

Step 5 – Open your PSP and go to File/Open and select the folder which contains the new PNG forms of the brushes. Select one of the brushes to open and click Open.

Step 6 – With the PNG file open go to Image/Resize and make sure neither the width or the height is larger than 500 pixels. In our case, the width is larger so we want to set the resize to make it only 500 pixels wide. Be sure lock aspect ratio is selected and then press OK.

Step 7 – Go to File/Export/Custom Brush

Give the brush a name, make sure Save Variance is checked, credit the author and then click OK:

You are now ready to use the Photoshop Brush as a Paint Shop Pro Brush! Once you have converted all the PNG files for that brush set, you are free to delete the PNG files (but make sure NOT to delete the original ABR file). This will free space on your computer as you no longer need the PNG file.

To use the brush: Set your foreground color to the color you want to “paint” with and then select your Brush Tool:

Select the drop down box next to the paint brush selector and select the brush you just converted (Make sure Load Variance is clicked):

Go to Layers/New Raster Layer and then place the brush where you want it (an outline of the paint brush with variances will appear)

and then left click to “paint” your workspace. Below is a sample of how the new brush was used:

And now you too can make use of all of those wonderful Adobe Photoshop brushes! I hope you enjoyed this tutorial!

Color Swatches and Wrap Candy Program

2010-10-02T23:27:00.001-07:00

I have written a tutorial on using color swatches and PSP, so I thought this would be good to make as others using Wrap Candy might have the swatches and want to know how to use them effectively.

Step 1 – Open your Wrap Candy program and create a new template. For this tutorial I am using the Mini Bars Template.

Step 2 – Go to Insert Image

Find the Color Swatch you want to use and it will be put into your Wrap Candy file. For this tutorial I am using the Fall Harvest Swatch shared on the forum. You may have to shrink it down a bit to fit where all 5 colors are visible.

Step 3 – Move the swatch off your workspace to the right.

Step 4 – Select the Catch Color Tool

Step 5 – Using the dropper click on each of the 5 colors one at a time. They will appear in the toolbar above as Custom Label Colors

Step 6 – Create the rectangle for the wrapper

Step 7 – Once you have your rectangle in place click on the Fill Color button in the toolbar.

Your color pallet will pop up and your custom colors from the swatch will be in the custom color section of the color pallet.

You can now use the custom label colors for any shapes, contours, text, or fills that you want to use on your candy wrapper. Save the cwr file and the custom label colors will stay in tact with that template.

I hope this was helpful!

Color Swatches and PSP

2010-09-27T12:57:00.001-07:00

This tutorial was written in PSPX but will work in all versions. First, if you are planning on a collaboration and want to make items matching the same color scheme for all designers, then as a team you will decide on the colors to use.

But I also like to use swatches to help me keep things consistent with designs. For example, any color swatch on my site has 5 coordinating colors. You would use it the same way you would a collaboration swatch.

Once the color swatch has been created you need to save the swatch to your computer and pull it up with PSP.

Step 1 – Open your PSP and then go to File/Open and select the color swatch. For this tutorial I am opening the color swatch for the Candy Wrapper Blog Train (coming soon).

Step 2 – Select the foreground color swatch on your materials pallet

Step 3 – When the options box pops up, click on the color tab.

Step 4 – Place your mouse on the color in your swatch that you want to use. As you hover over the color you will notice that the RGB values will be displayed.

Step 5 – When you get to the color you want, left click it and the color will be loaded as your current color. Notice how the red is set as the current color in the materials pallet above but it has now changed to blue in the image below.

Now you can use the color you selected from the color swatch to make your elements, papers, patterns, wrappers or whatever. So, if, say for example, you want your paper (background) to be blue, you would select the blue color as shown above. Then when you get ready to add your textbox but want it to be say the maroon color in the swatch, you would select the maroon the same way.

I hope this has been helpful!

Creating a Scrapbook Quick Page

2010-09-26T23:34:00.001-07:00

I have received an e-mail asking how to make a quick page. Thank you Shawnda for the inquiry! It seems more often than not most scrapbooking tutorials are written for Adobe Photoshop. This tutorial, however, was written using Corel Paint Shop Pro X. It will work in earlier versions and newer versions as well. I used the Winter Wishes Color Swatch shared by Sharon Kegley on the Wrapcandy Forum.

Materials that you will need: two papers and a frame. You can download the Winter Wishes Materials for free HERE.

Got the download? Unzipped it? Ready to go? Awesome! Let’s proceed!

Step 1 – Open RDD-WinterWishesPaper2. (Or any other paper that you want to use).

Once it is open go to Window/Duplicate. Close out the original as to not damage the original. Repeat for RDD-WinterWishesPaper1. Then click on Paper 2 and the rest will be created on this image.

Step 3 – Make a Custom Selection (See below)

Use the following settings:

Your image should appear as below:

Go to: Layers/New Raster Layer and flood fill the selected area with the RDD-WinterWishesPaper1 (use your material’s pallet to select the Paper1 as your fill pattern). *** See Below ***

Then go to Selections/Select None.

Step 4 – Create another custom selection using the following settings:

Go to Layers/New Raster Layer and flood fill using a solid color (this will become a stitching). For this tutorial I am using the light pink that was given in the Winter Wishes Color Scheme. Then go to Selections/Select None.

Go to Effects/Distortion Effects/Wave and use the following settings:

Your image will now appear as below:

Step 5 – Close out the striped paper pattern and open the frames file.

Still on the frames file go to Edit Copy. Then go to your quick page and go to Edit/Paste as New Layer.

Your image will now appear as below:

Step 6 – Using your Pick Tool (Raster Deform for PSP 9 and below), change the Position Y to 200. (See Below)

Step 7 – Make the Frames Layer (Raster 3) Invisible. Then select the Raster 2 Layer and go to: Layers/Merge/Merge Visible. Then make the Frames Layer (Raster 3) visible again. Then select (click on) the frames layer to make it the active layer.

Step 8 – Using your Magic Wand, select the areas within the frame. Your image should appear as below:

Select your Merged Layer

And press your Delete Key and then go to Selections/Select None and then go to Layers/Merge/Merge Visible. Your image should now appear as below:

Step 9 – Add your text as you wish. For this tutorial I am adding Winter Wishes using Font: Black Chancery with the W’s as 400 pixels and the remaining as 200 pixels. Resized using the Pick Tool (Raster Deform for PSP 9 and below) as needed. Then go to Scripts Restricted and use the Center Layer Script that comes with PSP. Right click on your text layer and select Convert to Raster Layer. Then using your Pick Tool (Raster Deform for PSP 9 and below) change the Position Y to 3000.

Your image should now appear as below.

Step 10 – Optional Step – select your text by selecting any area, using your magic wand, outside the text and then go to Selections/Invert. Then go to Effects/3D Effects/Inner Bevel and create the inner bevel of your choice. Then go to Selections/Select None. For my inner bevel I am using the following settings:

Your image will now appear as below:

Step 11 – Go to Layers/Merge/Merge Visible and then save your Quick Page as a PNG file. It is now ready to be zipped and ready to be uploaded to your store, blog or file sharing site.

I do so hope you enjoyed this tutorial and I look forward to seeing what other papers you might use to create the same layout and what other titles you may come up with. It would be great to see a variety of quick pages made using this tut!

Polka Dot Pattern

2010-09-18T15:54:00.001-07:00

This tutorial was written in PSP X but will work in earlier and newer versions as well. Shawnda had asked how to create the polka dot pattern. So I created this tutorial, but you will also learn how to use other shapes for patterns as well as adding tubes to your patterns.

Step 1 – Create a new image using the following settings:

Step 2 – Set your foreground color and background color to the color of the dot that you want to use. For this tutorial I am using Green.

Step 3 – Using your Ellipse Preset Shape tool. Create a circle using the following settings:

Mode: Draw Circle, Create on Vector, Line width 0, Anti-Alias Checked.

Your circle should look as below:

Step 4 – Place your circle in the center of the layer. Go to Objects/Align/Center In Canvas

Step 5 – Right click on the vector layer and select Convert to Raster Layer.

Step 6 – Go to: Effects/Image Effects/Seamless Tiling

Step 7 – Set your Tiling using the following settings.

Press OK. Your pattern should now appear as below:

Step 8 – Select your Raster 1 Layer

Using your Flood Fill Tool

Fill with your preferred Foreground color. For this tutorial I am using blue. Your pattern should now look as below:

Step 9 – Go to Layers/Merge/Merge Visible. Your polka dot pattern is now complete. Save as a jpg in My Document/My PSP Files/Patterns for future use.

ALTERNATIVES:

Let’s say you want to create a third color dot in this pattern. BEFORE you merge your layers…go to your dots layer and use your rectangular selection tool select the center dot. See below:

Press your DEL key and then go to Selections/Select None. Create a new ellipse using the ellipse preset shape tool using a different color. For this tutorial I am using yellow. Make sure you center it using your Objects/Align/Center In Canvas. Your new pattern would look like below:

You can play with this pattern by adding smaller circles scattered around the larger dots or leave it as it is. You can even add a different shape in the center to create a unique pattern. See an example below:

Other options are to create your dots and remove the center dot and add a picture tube in the center:

I hope you enjoyed this tutorial and look forward to your creations!

MuRa’s Meister Copies and PSP

2010-09-01T19:08:00.001-07:00

This tutorial was inspired by Leanne and her circle of dots dilemma. This tutorial was written using PSP X but will work in 9 and above. To complete this tutorial you will need the MuRa Meister Copies Plugin. You can download it HERE.

Step 1 Create a New Image using the following information:

Step 2 – Set your foreground color and background color to the same color. For this tutorial I am using Red.

Step 3 – Using your ellipse preset shape tool create a circle using the following settings:

Mode: Draw Circle, Create on Vector, Line width set to 0 and Anti-Alias checked.

Draw a circle on your canvas

Step 4 – Place the vector circle in the center of the canvas. Go to Objects/Align/Center in Canvas.

Your image should now appear as below:

Step 5 – Right click on the Vector Layer and select Convert to Raster Layer.

Step 6 – Go to Effects/Plugins/MuRa’s Meister/Copies

Step 7 – Using the drop down box on the bottom left, change the copies type to Encircle:

Step 8 – Zoom in 50% using the zoom buttons to view the circles closer to make sure they are not touching each other. And make sure all settings are as shown below. Change the number of dots in the circle by pressing on the arrow as shown at the top right. Right now it is set at 12, change it to 20.

Press OK. Your image should now appear as below. And your circle is complete. You can resize using your pick tool (for PSP 9 use the Raster Deform tool). Play with the settings, change your copies style to make quick borders using line and even wallpapers. The most important thing is to play with the tools and become familiar with their functions and have fun learning!

I hope you enjoyed this tutorial! I look forward to seeing all of your creations! This is awesome to use for creative paint can lids. Let’s see what you all make!

Draw Circle Mode

2010-08-13T04:20:00.001-07:00

Nancy….here is a quick video tutorial that will show you where to find the Draw Circle Mode you had asked about. I will look at your e-mails again and see what other questions you had and will get some videos put together for you on those questions as well. Please bare in mind I had just been up about 10 minutes when I made this video so my voice is raspy and tired sounding! LOL

I hope this video will help clear it up for you! Good luck and if you have any other questions, please do not hesitate to ask!

Quick Vignette Using PSP

2010-08-12T10:42:00.001-07:00

This tutorial was written using Paint Shop Pro X but will work in other versions.

There are a couple different ways to create the vignette effect using PSP. Today, however, I am going to go over two simple ways to create the effect.

Step 1 – Of course this is the obvious step, open your PSP and open the image on which you wish to have the vignette effect. Go to Window/Duplicate. Then, close your original file. (This will prevent any permanent changes to the original image)

I will be using a picture of my sweet Great-niece. (Isn’t she adorable?)

Step 2 – Go to Image/Picture Frame/Antique Vignette and use the following settings:

Press OK

Step 3 – Go to Layers/Merge/Merge Down.

VIOLA! You have an instant vignette effect on your picture!

That wasn’t so hard now was it? Ok…so that was the quick an easy way to make the vignette. Now, let’s say you have a picture with some background in it (or other people) that you do not necessarily want in the vignette effect. For this part, I will be opening a new image to use.

Step 1 – Same as above. Open your PSP. Open your image. Got to Window/Duplicate. Close your original image.

Step 2 – Right click on your Background layer and select Promote Background Layer.

Step 3 – Using your Selection Tool, create a Circle selection around the area you want to KEEP. In this part of the tutorial I will be using a picture that has two of my Great-nieces in it. I will isolate just one, and maybe just her head area. (See below – notice the selection around the girl on the left?)

Step 4 – Go to Image/Crop To Selection. (You should have something similar to what is below)

Step 5 – Repeat the vignette picture frame as we did in the first part of the tutorial using the same settings. Then go to Layers/Merge/Merge Down. (You will have something similar to the image below)

VIOLA! You just created your second vignette!

That is all I will cover on vignettes for today. The other methods will require the use of masks and/or paint brushes. So, that is another tut for another day as I would like to cover how to create masks and use masks in addition to special paint brushes. So, it might be a little more detailed than this.

For now, this should give you some practice with the Picture Frame Tool and the Selections Tools in PSP. I hope you enjoyed this tutorial and will find the time to try some of the other frames readily available in PSP!

Modifying a Script

2010-08-10T21:40:00.001-07:00

In this tutorial I will show you how to change the Text settings for a script. The script I am using is one shared on a forum by me that is not available on this blog. But, it will show you how to modify a script.

Do not get scared….if you downloaded the script…you always have the original to go back to if this gets messed up. That is the primary reason for you to copy the script and paste it into scripts trusted instead of just moving the original there.

So…here we go!

Step 1 – Select the script to be modified. In this tutorial we will modify RDD-SOE-DisplayScript-2010 (this is the version X and up script as the 9 and down script has not had any text problems reported).

Then select Edit Selected Script. See image below (looks like a note paper)

The following screen will pop up:

Yours should show RDD-SOE-DisplayScript. Since mine was already modified on my end it would not pop up this box. Press the Text Editor Button. (See Above)

The text file will pop up like you would have in Notepad.

Step 2 – Go to Edit/Find

Put # Text in the search box and click Find Next.

This will take us automatically to the first text SAMPLE used in the script.

In this part of the script….change the PointSize from 400.8 to 100.8. Then return to your search box that should still be on your screen and press the Find Next button again. This will take you to the second Text part. Repeat the above changing the font size. Then go to File/Save and close the document. Now, run the script again and the text should appear smaller.

If this is too small text to work for you, repeat the modification until you get the size you want.

I hope this helps! Please let me know if you still have questions.

Christmas Ornaments

2010-08-09T17:53:00.001-07:00

This tutorial was written in PSPX but will work in earlier versions and newer versions as well. Some tools will be different for earlier versions and will be indicated where needed. In this tutorial you will learn three things: (1) how to create a custom ornament shape, (2) how to create your ornament, and (3) creating a Tube from your ornament. Let’s get started!

Step 1 – Open a new image using the settings below:

Step 2 – Set your foreground color and background color to BLACK and using your Ellipse Shape Tool

under the Draw Circle Mode

Make sure your line width is set to 0 and create a circle as shown below:

Step 3 – Add a new vector layer: Layers/New Vector. Change your foreground and background color to a dark gray color. Using your Rectangle shape tool

with the following settings:

and your line width set to 0, create a rectangular shape similar to the one below:

Step 4 – Add a new vector layer: Layers/New Vector and change your foreground color to light gray and background color to null.

Using your Ellipse Shape tool and the following settings Mode: Draw Ellipse (With a solid line width of 15) create an ellipse similar to the ellipse below:

Step 5 – Move the new ellipse shape to the bottom of the layers pallet so that the order is the Ellipse shape, the circle then the rectangle:

Now line everything so that your rectangle is not lopsided on the “ball” and your ellipse does NOT go on the outside of the rectangle. Using your Pick Tool (Raster Deform for versions 9 and below) Select the ellipse, then holding your shift key select the rectangle and then the circle until a square appears around all the vectors: Should look as below:

Now go to Objects/Group (All the vector layers will be merged into one vector layer). Then go to Objects/Properties. The Vector Property Name will appear as Group1. Change the name to whatever you like. For this tutorial we will call it MyOrnamentShape.

Now go to File/Export/Shape

Name your shape MyOrnamentShape and Press OK":

Now if we go to our Preset Shapes Library:

our shape will now appear in our library for future use (without having to create the vector all over again)!

OK! The hardest part is over! Now let’s get into how to use this shape to make some beautiful ornaments shall we??

From here….if you want to make a new ornament each time you just open a new image using the settings above and then use your newly created preset shape to make your ornament shape. Then you will follow the steps below.

USING YOUR ORNAMENT SHAPE

Step 1 - (After having put your ornament shape on your workspace), click on the BLACK are of your ornament using your magic wand to select the black area and then add a new Raster Layer: Layers/New Raster Layer. Then go to Effects/Artistic Effects/Balls and Bubbles.

Use the following settings: (4 images to follow to show you each tab)

SHAPE TAB

SURFACE TAB:

MAPS TAB

ILLUMINATION TAB

Press the OK Button. Your image should appear as below:

I know this looks a little funny, but trust me, when we are done it will look fabulous! Go to Selections/Select None.

Step 2 – Return to your vector layer and select the dark gray area using your magic wand. Add a New Raster layer and move the layer ABOVE the ball layer. Then go to Selections/Modify/Expand and expand the selection by 3 pixels. Flood Fill with a medium gray for a silver clasp or with dark yellow for a gold clasp. Your image should appear similar to below: (For this tutorial I am using a medium gray color)

Now go to Effects/3D Effects/Inner Bevel and use the following settings:

Now go to Effects/Artistic Effects/Halftone:

Use the following settings:

This next part is OPTIONAL: I like using it, but it is not necessary to use: Go to Adjust/Add Remove Noise/Add Noise and use the following settings:

Then go to Selections/Select None.

We are almost there ladies and gents! Your image should appear as below:

Step 3 – Now, return to your vector layer and, using your magic wand, select the light gray ellipse and, of course, add a new raster layer: Layers/New Raster Layer and move the layer to BELOW the rectangle but ABOVE the circle:

Go to Selections/Modify/Expand and and expand 2 pixels. Flood fill with the same color you used before for the rectangle. Go to Effects/3D Effects/Inner Bevel and use the following settings:

Now it is optional for you to repeat the halftone and the add noise. Use your own creativity here. Now….on to some final touches!

Step 4 – Make your vector layer invisible: Then return to the layer which has your “hook” ellipse on it. Your layers pallet should look like this (the layer selected will be a different color or a darker shade of gray depending on the version you are using).

Using your Pick Tool, scale the ellipse shape using the following settings:

Your ellipse shape will move slightly to the left. Move it back until it is centered in the rectangle and then down a little so it is behind the rectangle more. Your image should appear as below:

Step 5 – Final touches! Return to your ball layer, use your magic wand to select the area outside the ball. Then go to Selections/Invert and then add a new raster layer BELOW this layer Layers/New Raster Layer. (this will be behind the ball) Flood fill this with (Here is where your creativity comes out) using a pattern, a tube, a background image….whatever you like! For this tutorial I am using a tube I had made previously and placing it “inside” the ornament.

Then go to Selections/Select None. Then Layers/Merge/Merge Visible. I now have a completed glass ornament! Add a drop shadow to your liking to bring out the glass appearance if necessary. And like I said, fill with whatever your heart desires!

NOW…..remove the wasted space by using your magic wand to select the area outside the ornament then go to Selections/Invert. Then go to Images/Crop To Selection. Here is what we will have:

The FINAL steps to take! Save the file as a transparent PNG file to include in your kit or as a graphic in your graphics collection. THEN…..Copy and Paste as a new Image and save it as a tube for future use in future projects! Go to File/Export/Picture Tube and use the following settings: (Use whatever name you want)

Finally, save your workspace as a pspimage so later, you can return to your vector shape and create more ornaments while maintaining your size you used for this ornament.

Check it out! You just made a custom ornament shape, created a beautiful christmas ornament graphic, and made a picture tube for future use! Good job! Play, be creative….but most importantly…..have fun!

Here are a few more ornaments made using patterns and backgrounds (papers) I have already created and coloring with text:

This one was made using a different setting for balls and bubbles along side a gradient fill.

Primary Colors SOE Papers

2010-08-08T00:02:00.001-07:00

PRICE: $2.40

This set includes 12 papers (backgrounds) for SOE wrappers in primary colors. These can easily be resized for scrapbooking papers. These backgrounds are in JPG format and can be used in any graphics program that supports JPG format.

Papers are created at 300 ppi for optimal printing.

Also great as a background for textboxes, paint cans, journal tags, hanging tags and any other digital scrapping and candy wrapping project.

USES: CU/PU/S4H/S4O/Candy Wrapping

See TOU for complete details.

Payment via Paypal using: PayPal account, Visa, MasterCard.

Once payment is received you will automatically be sent an e-mail for downloading. Please note: you will have 24 hours from purchase date to download your product.

Click HERE to purchase.

Christmas Wrappers Complete Kit

2010-08-07T16:42:00.001-07:00

PRICE: $8.00

SAVE $4.00! Get all 6 wrapper sets! It’s like buying 4 of the Christmas Wrapper Kits and getting 2 for FREE!

This set includes:

6 – Pre-made SOEs

6 – Front Wrapper Displays

6 – Back Wrapper Displays

Includes all of the kit pieces for Christmas Wrapper Sets 1 – 6

Total of 18 pieces.

Sample Front Display:

Sample Back Display:

For the displays, just add your text and save as a jpg to upload to your website or use for sending personalization proofs to your customers! Pull the Pre-made SOE up in your graphics program or other program such as WrapCandy and add your personalization for printing and wrapping!

USES: Candy Wrapping

See TOU for complete details.

Payment via Paypal using: PayPal account, Visa, MasterCard.

Once payment is received you will be automatically be sent an e-mail for downloading. Please note: you will have 24 hours from purchase date to download your product.

Click HERE to purchase.

Christmas Wrapper Set 6

2010-08-07T16:32:00.001-07:00

PRICE: $2.00

This set includes:

1 – Pre-made SOE

1 – Front Wrapper Display

1 – Back Wrapper Display

USES: Candy Wrapping

See TOU for complete details.

Payment via Paypal using: PayPal account, Visa, MasterCard.

Once payment is received you will be automatically be sent an e-mail for downloading. Please note: you will have 24 hours from purchase date to download your product.

Click HERE to purchase.

Christmas Wrapper Set 5

2010-08-07T16:28:00.001-07:00

PRICE: $2.00

This set includes:

1 – Pre-made SOE

1 – Front Wrapper Display

1 – Back Wrapper Display

USES: Candy Wrapping

See TOU for complete details.

Payment via Paypal using: PayPal account, Visa, MasterCard.

Once payment is received you will be automatically be sent an e-mail for downloading. Please note: you will have 24 hours from purchase date to download your product.

Click HERE to purchase.

Christmas Wrapper Set 4

2010-08-07T16:24:00.001-07:00

PRICE: $2.00

This set includes:

1 – Pre-made SOE

1 – Front Wrapper Display

1 – Back Wrapper Display

USES: Candy Wrapping

See TOU for complete details.

Payment via Paypal using: PayPal account, Visa, MasterCard.

Once payment is received you will be automatically be sent an e-mail for downloading. Please note: you will have 24 hours from purchase date to download your product.

Click HERE to purchase.

Christmas Wrapper Set 3

2010-08-07T16:21:00.001-07:00

PRICE: $2.00

This set includes:

1 – Pre-made SOE

1 – Front Wrapper Display

1 – Back Wrapper Display

USES: Candy Wrapping

See TOU for complete details.

Payment via Paypal using: PayPal account, Visa, MasterCard.

Once payment is received you will be automatically be sent an e-mail for downloading. Please note: you will have 24 hours from purchase date to download your product.

Click HERE to purchase.

Christmas Wrapper Set 2

2010-08-07T16:18:00.001-07:00

PRICE: $2.00

This set includes:

1 – Pre-made SOE

1 – Front Wrapper Display

1 – Back Wrapper Display

USES: Candy Wrapping

See TOU for complete details.

Payment via Paypal using: PayPal account, Visa, MasterCard.

Once payment is received you will be automatically be sent an e-mail for downloading. Please note: you will have 24 hours from purchase date to download your product.

Click HERE to purchase.

Christmas Wrapper Set 1

2010-08-07T16:15:00.001-07:00

PRICE: $2.00

This set includes:

1 – Pre-made SOE

1 – Front Wrapper Display

1 – Back Wrapper Display

USES: Candy Wrapping

See TOU for complete details.

Payment via Paypal using: PayPal account, Visa, MasterCard.

Once payment is received you will be automatically be sent an e-mail for downloading. Please note: you will have 24 hours from purchase date to download your product.

Click HERE to purchase.

Christmas SOE Papers Freebies!

2010-08-07T15:52:00.001-07:00

This set includes 2 SOE sized Christmas papers (backgrounds) in JPG format. These can easily be resized to fit a scrapbook page.

Click HERE to download them now for FREE!

Simple Flower Pattern

2010-08-05T21:29:00.001-07:00

This tutorial uses tubes made from the Simple Vector Flower tutorial uploaded previously. You can follow the tutorial and make your own tubes or for this tutorial you can download 3 simple flower tubes I have already made for free HERE.

NOTE These tubes are for your use to follow this tutorial or for personal use only. Please do not make commercial items using my tubes. Thank you.

Now…on to the tutorial!

Step 1 – Create a new image using the following settings:

Step 2 – Using your Tube Tool select the first flower tube and change the size to 20 and place it on the workspace. Center the layer using the Center Layer script. Your image should look as below:

Step 3 – Add a new raster layer: Layers/New Raster Layer. Using your Tube Tool select the second flower and using the same size of 20 repeat the above step. Repeat the same steps using flower tube 3. You should have 3 layers as below:

Step 4 – Make the Raster 3 and Raster 2 layers invisible and then select the Raster 1 layer (It should appear blue if it is selected).

Step 5 – Go to Effects/Image Effects/Seamless Tiling

Use the following settings: (Then press OK)

Your image should now appear as below:

Step 6 – Using your Selection Tool create a rectangular selection around the center of the image:

Press the Delete Key and remove the center flower. Then go to Selections/Select None. Your image will now appear as below:

Step 7 – Make Raster 2 Visible. (Make sure it is in the center of the workspace) Then go to Layers/Merge/Merge Down. Your image will appear as below:

Step 8 – Make Raster 3 visible and make sure you have it selected.

Using your Pick Tool (Raster Deform is using PSP 9 and below) change the scale X and scale Y to 30%.

Your image will now appear as below:

Move the smaller yellow flower to just above the blue flower. Then make your Raster 1 and Raster 2 invisible.

Step 9 – Select Raster 3 layer and duplicate the layer. Then Rotate the copy layer by going to Image/Free Rotate/ and use the following settings:

Duplicate the copy layer and repeat the rotate on the new layer. Continue duplication and rotation until you have 8 small flowers in a circle and your image appears as below:

Then go to Layers/Merge/Merge Visible.

Step 10 – Make Raster 1 and Raster 2 Visible and then select Layers/Merge/Merge Visible.

Add a new raster layer and move it behind your flowers layer. Flood fill with your desired background color and then Layers/Merge/Merge Visible. (For this tutorial I used a white background) Now we have one more step before our pattern is ready for use. Go to Image/Resize and change resize it 50% so that your image is now 200 x 200 in size. Your image should now appear as below:

Export as a JPG file to My Documents/My PSP Files/Patterns (Give it a unique name) and you can use it for any project you may need.

Here it is as an SOE paper using the patterns fill at 100%

You can repeat this tutorial changing the flowers that are made into a circle or the center or corners. Just play with it and have some fun!

I hope you enjoyed this tutorial!

Using Your Custom Shape

2010-08-05T20:37:00.001-07:00

So, if you followed the Creating A Custom Flower Shape tutorial then this tutorial will show you how to utilize this unique looking flower shape. It is very simple really, and you can use patterns, colors or gradients for your new unique flower.

Step 1 – Create a new image using the following settings:

Step 2 – Using your Preset Shape Tool select the flower shape we created in the earlier tutorial. Be sure to have Retain Style selected before adding the selection to the workspace.

Starting at the top left area of the workspace press down on your left mouse button and drag to the far bottom right area of the workspace to place your shape on the canvas. Then use your Center Layer Script to center it on the canvas. Your workspace should look as below:

Step 3 – Using your Magic Wand select only the BLACK area of the shape. Go to Layers/New Raster Layer and flood fill with your preferred color, gradient or pattern. I am using some Christmas Canvas I already had made but you can use anything you would like for this tutorial. Your image will look similar to this below:

Keeping the area selected add a new raster layer then go to Effects/3D Effects/Cutout and use the following settings: (again, you can play with these settings until you reach something of your liking)

Then go to Layers/Merge/Merge Down then Selections/Select None. Your image should appear similar to below except with different fill.

Make the layer with your flood filled selection invisible and return to the vector layer where you placed the shape.

Step 4 – This area will be done slightly different. Select the light gray areas and go to Layers/New Raster Layer. Then Selections/Modify/Expand and use the following settings:

Flood fill with your desired color, pattern or gradient. Then go to Layers/New Raster Layer. Repeat the Cutout Effect then Layers/merge/Merge Down then Selections/Select None. Your image should appear as below.

Move this layer above the first flood filled layer. So since I filled with red first, then the gold I should have gold layer, red layer (still invisible), then vector layer: See below:

Now, make the Raster 2 visible again and then make sure you have Raster 3 selected and go to Layers/Merge/Merge Down. Your layers pallet will now look like this:

And your image will appear as below:

Step 5 – Select the vector layer where you placed the shape and using your magic wand, select the dark gray area in the center of the flower. Then select the Raster2 and then go to Layers/New Raster Layer (this should put a new layer ABOVE the Raster 2 layer.

Then go to Selections/Modify/Expand using the same settings as before. Flood fill with your desired color, pattern or gradient. Add a new raster layer Layers/New Raster and repeat the Cutout effect. Then Layers/Merge/Merge Down then Selections/Select None. Your image should appear similar to below:

Now we will add some depth to the center. Select the layer with your center circle on it (Raster 3):

Go to Effect/3D Effects/Drop Shadow and use the following settings:

Press OK. Repeat Drop Shadow but change the blur to 60. Optional (Depending on colors you are using and amount of depth you are wanting to achieve) repeat the drop shadow a third time and change the blur to 90.

Then go to Layers/Merge/Merge Down. Your image should now appear similar as the image below:

Your layers pallet should look like this:

Step 6 – Select the layer that has your shape on it. Then, using your magic wand, select the dark gray areas that represent the leaves. While still on the vector layer go to Layers/New Raster Layer then Selections/Modify/Expand and expand using the same settings as before. Flood fill with the color, pattern or gradient of your choice. Go to Layers/New Raster Layer and repeat the cutout effect as before. Then Layers/Merge/Merge Down and then Selections/Select None.

Your image will appear similar to the image below:

Your layers pallet should look like this:

Go to your vector layer and right click. Select Delete. We no longer need the vector. Then go to Layers/Merge/Merge Visible. Your layers pallet should now have 1 raster layer to it and your image will still appear as it did before.

Using your magic wand select the area OUTSIDE the flower area. Then go to Selections/Invert. Then go to Image/Crop To Selection. This will get rid of any wasted space.

That is it! You just created an interesting flower from the flower shape we created earlier. Save the file to your graphic collection and if you would like as a tube.

I hope you enjoyed this tutorial! Play with it and see what you can come up with. But most importantly…have fun!

Creating A Custom Flower Shape

2010-08-05T18:00:00.001-07:00

In this tutorial we will be making a custom flower shape. This tutorial was written in Corel Paint Shop Pro X but will work in other versions as well. For PSP 9 and down you will use the Raster Deform tool instead of the Pick tool. Keep that in mind while working this tutorial.

This is nothing fancy, but will create something pretty nice when you utilize the shape we are about to make. I will be writing a separate tutorial on using your custom shape. A link will be provided at the end of this tutorial.

Step 1 – Create a new file using the settings below:

Step 2 – Using your Ellipse Shape tool, create a circle using the following settings:

Foreground: Black

Background: Black

Mode: Draw Circle

Create on Vector Checked

Line width set to 0

Anti-alias Checked

Your circle should appear as below:

Step 3 – Go to: Edit/Copy, then Layer/New Vector Layer then Edit/Paste as New Vector Selection. Paste on top of the existing circle. Using your Pick Tool (or Raster Deform)change the background color to a light gray.

Your image should appear as below:

Now select Image/Free Rotate and use the following settings:

Now, Edit/Copy this layer, add new vector, Edit/paste as new vector selection, change the background to black, and rotate. Repeat, changing the color to light gray. Continue this until you have 6 circles in alternating colors. Your image should appear as below once this has been completed.

Step 4 – Now, using your Pick Tool (Raster Deform for earlier versions) select the first circle. Hold down your Shift Key and select each circle until all 6 have been selected. You will see a square form around all selected circle. See below:

Now, go to Objects/Group. Your circles will be grouped together as one vector layer. Use your Center Layer Script and center the new vector layer.

Step 5 – Change your background color to a dark gray and then add a new vector layer and add a new circle using your ellipse shape tool. Place the circle in the center of your circles. If you get it off center, that is ok, just use your Center Layer Script to get it into the center. Your image should appear as below:

Step 6 – Using your Pick Tool (or Raster Deform), select the center circle, hold down your shift key and select the grouped circles made earlier. Then go to Objects/Group. You will now have 1 vector layer showing all the vector shapes put together. Your image will have a square around it and appear as below:

Step 7 – Add a New Vector Layer. Keep the dark gray background and then using your Symmetric Shape Tool create a star using the following settings:

Mode: Draw Stellated

Create on Vector Checked

Number of sides 6

Line width 0

Anti-alias checked

Draw out a star shape and then center it on the layer.

Step 8 – Move the star layer behind the grouped circles. Using your Pick Tool (or Raster Deform) select the circles layer and then hold the shift key and select your star until there is a square around all of the vectors. Then select Objects/Group. Your image will appear as below:

Step 9 – Now go to: Objects/Properties and change the name from Group 3 to whatever you want to name the group. I am going to name this one MyFlowerShape.

NOTE: For each shape you create, you must create a unique name or risk shapes of the same name being overwritten!

Step 10 – Now export this as a custom shape. Go to File/Export/Shape.

Give it a unique name different than any other shapes you may have. Typically it is good to use your initials with a dash so you can easily find your own custom shapes. For example: RDD-MyFlowerShape. In this case, I am just naming it MyFlowerShape. Press OK and your new shape will appear in your shapes folder.

That is it! You have now created a custom flower shape! Please refer to the using your shape tutorial to learn how to make a flower using this shape.

I hope you enjoyed this tutorial! Have fun!