Italian Affair SB Tutorial

By: ©LismibaebisCreations
25th April 2005

Skill Level: Intermediate
Knowledge of using masks and filters necessary
(Hints available here)

Please do not script my tutorials
This tutorial is my own creation; any resemblance to another tutorial is purely coincidental

Needed

Paint Shop Pro 8, (Tutorial should also work with other PSP versions)
Free 30 day PSP trial from Corel, available here
Letter Creator from Incredimail (optional), available here

Filters
Italian Editors "Filtro Fantasma", available here
FM Tile Tools, available here

Graphic
Graphic of choice

Mask
Mask of choice

Let's Start

1) Open graphic of choice

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

3) Image > Resize
Settings:
First set Resolution to 72.000
Lock aspect ratio = checked
Resize all layers = checked
Width = About 300 - 350 pixels (depending on your graphic)
Height = Will adjust itself
My example is 300 pixels wide and 381 pixels high

4) Dropper Tool (E)
Pick very light color from your graphic as foreground and very dark color as background color
The foreground color will be used later to flood fill and the background color will be used for the watermark

5) Edit > Copy

6) Minimize graphic

7) File > New
Settings:
Width = 1024
Height = Height of your graphic + 50 pixels
Transparent

8) Selections > Select All (Crtl + A)

9) Edit > Paste > Paste Into Selection

10) Selections > Select None

11) Effects > Plugins > Italian Editors Effects > Effetto Fantasma
Settings:
Sposta X = 41
Sposta Y = 41

12) Effects > Image Effects > Seamless Tiling
Settings:
Default

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

13) Effects > Reflection Effects > Rotating Mirror
Settings:
Horizontal offset = 0 %
Rotation angle = 0
Reflect = Checked

14) Layers > New Raster Layer

15) Flood fill Tool (F)
Flood fill new layer with foreground color

16) Layers > Arrange > Send to Bottom

17) Layers Palette
Select Top Layer
Lower Opacity to something you like
(I turned mine down to 40)

18) Layers > Merge > Merge Visible

19) Effects > Plugins > FM Tile Tools > Blend Emboss
Settings
Default =
Horiz. Offset -1.000
Vert. Offset -1.000
Intensity 0.250
Gray Level 64
Red Blend 0.938
Green Blend 0.938
Blue Blend 0.938
Edge Wrap checked

20) Minimize this background tile

21) Maximize graphic

22) Layers > Promote Background layer (if necessary)

23) Layers > Load/Save Mask > Load Mask from Disk
Choose mask you want to use
Settings:
Check: Source luminance
Fit to canvas
Hide all mask
Invert transparency depends on mask used. You want to be able to see most of the graphic

24) Layers > Delete
Click "yes" to "Would you like this mask merged into the layer below it"

25) Edit > Copy

26) Minimize graphic

27) Maximize background tile

28) Edit > Paste > Paste as New Layer

29) Move Tool (M)
Move graphic to the left of background tile

30) Optional
Effects > 3D Effects > Drop Shadow
Settings:
Vertical & Horizontal = -2 (Minus)
Opacity = 80, Blur = 5.00
Color = Right click on color and choose your background color
Shadow on New Layer = UNchecked
(Please try this out and decide if you like it better with or without
This example doesn't have one, but some of my other attempts look much better with a Drop Shadow)

31) Layers > New Raster Layer

32a) Text Tool
Create as Vector
Write your watermark (I like to use the font Chinacat at size 8, Stroke Width 0.0, Font Style Bold)

32b) You might have a tube as a watermark
Use this instead of 32a) and continue with tutorial at Step 34)

33) Layers > Convert to Raster Layer

34) Move Tool
Move text to where you want it

35) If necessary lighten opacity of text layer

36) File > Export > JPEG Optimizer
Settings:
Compression = 25
Chroma subsampling = YCbCr 1x1 1x1 1x1 (None)
Save Exif data = Not checked

Letter Creator

37) Body; Image, look for the background JPEG file
Click on "Tile"
Choose Font and Font Size
Choose Text Color
Choose Link Color
Margins: Top = 10, Left = to the right of your graphic, Right = 10

38) Footer; Your name
Reference and link (if possible) to graphic
If appropriate, link to mask (some creators wish a link to their website)
Name of tutorial "Italian Affair SB" and link to this page
Date you created this stat

39) Finish;
Choose Letter Name and Collection Name
Save Project
Add to Incredimail

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 big thank you to the Testers from the Hootyworkshop.
Without you and Hooty's KnT Lessons I would never have got this far.