Soft Quarter-Square
Sideborder Tutorial

picture of finished tutorial

By ©LismibaebisCreations
28th May 2006


Skill Level Advanced Beginner to Intermediate
Knowledge of using Filters necessary
(or learn how to get started 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 9 (Tutorial should also 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

Filters
VM (also called VisMan or Visual Manipulation) Distortion, Flipper, available here
(If you can't see Flipper in PSP, please check your VisMan folder - where you installed the filter - to see if it is there. If it is, rename it to e.g. Flipper1 or Flippera. PSP does only recognize one filter per name.
You might have to close and re-open PSP to see it if you renamed the filter).
Xero Filter, Porcelain (Set 1), available here

Graphic
Tube of choice * / **


*You could also use a graphic instead and apply a mask

**I have used a Tiny Tube for the tutorial.
Some yahoo groups to collect tubes from:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/graphicdream_tubes/
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/H_LDesigns/
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/JazzlUpdates/
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Nonnys_tubes_and_psp_stuff/
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/top_design_tubes/



Let's Start

1) Open tube of choice

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

3) Dropper Tool (E)
Choose a very light (almost white) color as Foreground color
(I choose #f1edf7)

4) Image > Resize
Settings:
Lock aspect ratio = Checked
Resolution = 72.000
Width no greater than 350 pixels
Height no greater than 350 pixels
Resize all layers = Checked
Write down new height

5) Adjust > Sharpness > Sharpen
(if necessary)

6) Window > Duplicate (Shift + D)
(we have now 2 resized copies)
Minimize one copy

7) Image > Resize
Settings:
Lock Aspect Ratio = NOT checked
Width = 1024
Height = New height + 30 pixels
Resize all layers = Checked
(My example is 1024 x 380 pixels)

8) Layers > New Raster Layer

9) Flood Fill Tool (F)
Settings:
Match mode = None
Sample merged = Not checked
Blend mode = Normal
Opacity = 100

10) Left Click to floodfill new layer with Foreground Color

11) Layers > Arrange > Move Down

12) Layers > Merge > Merge Visible

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

Setting for Tool

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

14) Adjust > Blur > Gaussian Blur
Settings:
Radius = 21.00

15) Effects > Plugins > VM Distortion > Flipper
Settings:
Size = 18
Jumble (0=Off) = 39
Flip = 172

16) Layers > Duplicate

17) Effects > Plugins > VM Distortion > Flipper
Settings:
Size = 9
Jumble (0=Off) = 255
Flip = 37

18) Layers Palette
Reduce opacity of duplicated layer to 24

19) Layers > Merge > Merge Visible

20) Effects > Edge Effects > Dilate

21) Adjust > Softness > Soft Focus
Settings:
Softness = 62, Edge Importance = 19
Include scattered light = NOT checked
Amount = 100, Halo size = 42
Halo visibility = 80

22) Effects > Plugins > Xero > Porcelain
Settings:
Softness = 188, Strength = 25
Brightness = 128,
Red Channel = 0, Green Channel = 0
Blue Channel = 255
(Some Xero versions do not have the Channel options, just do the available settings)

23) Layers > New Raster Layer

24) Flood Fill Tool (F)

25) Left Click to floodfill new layer with Foreground Color

26) Layers Palette
Reduce opacity of top layer to 70
(or a setting of your choice, you want to see some of the pattern, but need to make sure that the background is text friendly)

27) Layers > Merge > Merge Visible

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

29) Minimize this tile

30) Maximize the other copy of the tube

31) Edit > Copy
Minimize tube again

32) Maximize tile

33) Edit > Paste > Paste as New Layer

34) Move Tool (M)
Move tube to the left of your tile

35) Effects > 3D Effect > Inner Bevel
Settings:
Bevel #2, Width = 3
Smoothness = 3, Depth = 3
Ambience = 0, Shininess = 0
color = White, Angle = 315
Intensity = 50, Elevation = 30
(or an Inner Bevel setting of your choice)

36) Effects > 3D Effects > Drop Shadow
Settings:
Vertical & Horizontal = 2
Opacity = 30, Blur = 10.00
Color = Black
Shadow on new layer = Not checked
(or a Drop Shadow setting of your choice)

37) Layers > New Raster Layer

38) Add Watermark
If you have a watermark tube, see Step #38a.
If not, follow Step #38b

38a) Place your tube and continue with Step #40

38b) Text Tool (T)
Create as Vector
Write your watermark
(I like to use the font Chinacat at size 8 – 10, Stroke Width 0.0, Font Style Bold)

Setting for Text Tool

39) Layers > Convert to Raster Layer

40) Move Tool (M)
Move watermark to where you want it

41) If necessary, reduce opacity of watermark layer

42) File > Export > JPEG Optimizer
Settings:
Compression = 25



Letter Creator

43) Open Letter Creator

44) Body > Image
Look for the JPEG file
Click on “Tile”
Choose Font and Font Size
Choose Text Color
Choose Link Color
Margins: Top 10, Left 10 - 20 to the right of your tube, Right 10

45) Footer
Your Name
Reference and link to the image you used
Name of tutorial ”Soft Quarter-Square" and link to this page
Date you created the stat

46) 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" goes to my testers. I couldn't do it without your help and support.

smilie



Link to First Page


Last revised January 2007
~~~Best viewed with a 1024 x 768 Screen Resolution~~~
Page Design by ©Lismibaebi 2007

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