Ferdi's Frame and BG Tutorial

By ©LismibaebisCreations
8 February 2008

Tutorial image (Ferdi's dog Clancy) courtesy of Lyn in England (Ferdi's Mum)

This tutorial is dedicated to Ferdi, killed by a landmine in Iraq in 2007

The music was his favourite song. If you don't want to listen to it, you can turn it off at the bottom of the tutorial.

Skill Level: Intermediate

This tutorial is my own creation, any resemblance to another tutorial is purely coincidental

Needed

Paint Shop Pro - I used X2
(Tutorial will work with other PSP versions, some adjustments might be necessary)
Free 30 day PSP trial from Corel, available here
Letter Creator from Incredimail (optional), available here

Graphic
Graphic of choice, width greater than height
The filter used introduces a lot of black into the frame

Filters
Simple Filters, available here
VM (also called VisMan or Visual Manipulation) Experimental, available here

Performance Notes
This tutorial is in 3 parts:
- Preparation
- Frame
- Background

The settings for different Tools will stay the same throughout the tutorial, unless new setting instructions are given

Program shortcuts will be given in parentheses

Don't forget to save your work often

Preparation

1) File > Open
Open Graphic of choice

2) Window > Duplicate (Shift + D)
Close original

3) Image > Resize
Settings:
Resample using = Bicubic
Lock aspect ratio = Checked
Resize all layers = Checked
Resolution = 72.000
Width = No greater than 400 Pixels
Height = No greater than 340 Pixels

4) Adjust > Sharpness > Unsharp Mask
Settings:
Radius = 2.00
Strength = 10
Clipping = 5
Luminance only = Not checked

5) Dropper Tool (E)
Left click in graphic to choose a light or medium color as Foreground Color
(I chose #a0b386)
Right click in graphic to choose a dark color as Background Color
(I chose #4a231a)

6) Materials Palette
Change Foreground to Gradient
Settings:
Angle = 0, Repeats = 25
Invert = Not checked
Style = Rectangular
Center Point Horizontal = 50
Vertical = 50
Focal Point Horizontal = 50
Vertical = 50
Link center and focal point = Not checked
Texture = Not checked

7) Window > Duplicate
Minimize one image

Frame

8) Edit > Copy

9) Layers > Merge > Merge All (Flatten)
(If necessary)

10) Selections > Select All

11) Effects > 3D Effects > Cutout
Settings:
Vertical & Horizontal = 3
Opacity = 55, Blur = 22.00
Color = Black
Fill interior with color = Not checked

12) Effects > 3D Effects > Cutout
Settings:
Vertical & Horizontal = -3 (Minus)

13) Image > Add Borders
Settings:
Symmetric = Checked
Size in pixels = 1
Color = Black

14) Image > Add Borders
Settings:
Size in pixels = 7
Color = Any Color not in image

15) Magic Wand Tool
Settings:
Mode = Replace
Match mode = RGB Value
Tolerance = 0
Use all layers = Not checked
Contiguous = Checked
Feather = 0
Anti-alias = Checked
Outside

16) Select new border

17) Flood Fill Tool (F)
Settings:
Match mode = None
Use all layers = Not checked
Blend mode = Normal
Opacity = 100

18) Left click to flood fill selected border with Gradient

19) Effects > Texture Effects > Weave
Settings:
Gap size = 25
Width = 7
Opacity = 100
Weave color = Your (dark) Background color
Gap color = Black
Fill gaps = Not checked

20) Effects > 3D Effects > Cutout
Settings:
Vertical & Horizontal = 0

21) Image > Add Borders
Settings:
Size in pixels = 1
Color = Black

25) Image > Add Borders
Settings:
Size in pixels = 18
Color = Any Color not in image

26) Magic Wand Tool
Select new border

27) Edit > Paste > Paste Into Selection

28) Adjust > Blur > Gaussian Blur
Settings:
Radius = 12.50

29) Adjust > Add/Remove Noise > Add Noise
Settings:
Gaussian = 25
Monochrome = Checked

30) Effects > Texture Effects > Weave

31) Effects > 3D Effects > Cutout

32) Image > Add Borders
Settings:
Size in pixels = 1
Color = Black

33) Image > Add Borders
Settings:
Size in pixels = 38
Color = Any Color not in image

34) Magic Wand Tool
Select new border

35) Edit > Paste > Paste Into Selection

36) Adjust > Blur > Gaussian Blur

37) Effects > Plugins > VM Experimental > Every Picture Tells A Story
Settings:
Input Channels = 121

38) Effects > 3D Effects > Inner Bevel
Settings:
Bevel = #2, Width = 10
Smoothness = 3, Depth = 5
Ambience = 10, Shininess = 0
Color = White, Angle = 315
Intensity = 40, Elevation = 40

39) Image > Add Borders
Settings:
Size in pixels = 1
Color = Black

40) Image > Add Borders
Settings:
Size in pixels = 7
Color = Any Color not in image

41) Magic Wand Tool
Select new border

42) Flood Fill Tool
Left click to flood fill selected border with gradient

43) Effects > Texture Effects > Weave

44) Effects > 3D Effects > Cutout

45) Image > Add Borders
Settings:
Size in pixels = 1
Color = Black

46) Selections > Select None

47) Raster > New Raster Layer

48) Add Watermark(s)

49) File > Export > JPEG Optimizer
Settings:
Set compression value to = 25
Chroma subsampling = YCbCr 1x1 1x1 1x1 (None)
Save Exif data = Not checked

Do NOT close Frame

Background

50) Selection Tool (S) > Custom selection
Settings:
Top = 70
Left = 0, Right = 46
Bottom = 360
Make sure that the Bottom Setting is not lower than the start of the bottom section of the Frame, adjust Setting if necessary

51) Edit > Copy Merged

52) Edit > Paste > Paste As New Image

53) Effects > Plugins > Simple > 4 Way Average

54) Effects > Image Effects > Seamless Tiling
Settings:
Corner = Checked
Vertical = Checked
Vertical offset = 0
Transition = 50

55) Image > Canvas Size
Settings:
Lock aspect ratio = Not Checked
Width = 1280 pixels*****
Height = 290
Placement = Left Middle Arrow

*****or width of your computer resolution, e.g. 1024 or 1600

56) Effects > 3D Effects > Drop Shadow
Settings:
Vertical = 0, Horizontal = 5
Opacity = 75, Blur = 15.00
Color = Black
(Or a Setting of your liking)
Shadow on New Layer = Checked

57) Effects > Image Effects > Seamless Tiling

58) Layers > New Raster Layer

59) Layers > Arrange > Move Down

60) Selections > Select All

61) Restore Up
Your minimized graphic

62) Edit > Copy

63) Activate Background Canvas by clicking on its Title Bar

64) Edit > Paste > Paste Into Selection

65) Selections > Select None

66) Effects > Image Effects > Seamless Tiling
Settings:
Default Setting

Older PSP Versions:

If you click on the icon indicated by the hand, PSP will set it to default

67) Adjust > Blur > Gaussian Blur

68) Effects > Plugins > VM Experimental > Every Picture Tells A Story

69) Effects > Image Effects > Seamless Tiling

70) Raster > New Raster Layer

71) Flood Fill Tool
Right click to flood fill new layer with (dark) Background color

72) Layers Palette
Reduce Opacity of flood filled layer to 34
(Or a setting of your choice)

73) Materials Palette
Change Foreground back to Color
AND
change Background Color to White

74) Raster > New Raster Layer

75) Layers > Arrange > Move Down

76) Right click to flood fill new layer with (white) Background color

77) Layers Palette
Reduce Opacity of flood filled layer to 52
(Or a setting of your choice)

78) Raster > New Raster Layer

79) Layers > Arrange > Move Up

80) Left click to flood fill new layer with (light) Foreground color

81) Layers Palette
Reduce Opacity of flood filled layer to 56
(Or a setting of your choice to make your background text friendly)

The Layers Palette should be from Top to Bottom:
Border
Drop Shadow
Light Foreground Color
Dark Background Color
White Color
Image

82) File > Export > JPEG Optimizer

You are done!
Now you can assemble the stationery in LC or OE
Please link tutorial to this page

I hope that you enjoyed doing this tutorial. If you have any questions, please email me at Barbara @ Lismibaebi.com
I would love to see what you create with my tutorial.

A special "Thank you" goes to my Tester Group.
Your help, support and patience made this possible

Ferdi
3 April 1962 - 9 May 2007

"On the 9th May a bright star fell from the sky, Ferdi was taken away from us.
The star that fell from the sky is now back shining brighter and watching over you all but with a mischievous twinkle"