Weave + Mosaic Frame and Background Tutorial

By: ©LismibaebisCreations
3 May 2005

Skill Level: Beginner to Intermediate
No outside filters

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, 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 should be greater than height

Performance Notes
The settings for different Tools remain the same for the whole tutorial, unless different instructions are given

Frame

1) Open graphic of choice in PSP

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

3) Image > Resize
Settings:
Lock aspect ratio = Checked
Resolution = 72.000
Resample using = Bicubic
Width = No greater than 450 pixels
Height = Will adjust itself
Resize all layers = Checked
(My example is 450 x 326)

4) Adjust > Sharpness > Sharpen
(if necessary)

5) Dropper Tool (E)
Choose a light color as Foreground Color and a medium dark color as Background Color

6) Edit > Copy

7) Image > Add Borders
Settings:
Symmetric = Checked
Size in pixels = 1
Color = Any color not in image

8) Magic Wand Tool
Settings:
Mode = Replace, Match mode = RGB Value
Tolerance = 0, Sample Merged = Unchecked
Feather = 0
Anti-alias = Checked, Outside

9) Select your new border

10) Flood Fill Tool (F)
Settings:
Match mode = None
Sample merged = Unchecked
Blend mode = Normal
Opacity = 100 %

11) Flood fill border with black

12) Selections > Invert

13) Effects > 3D Effects > Cutout
Settings:
Horizontal & Vertical = 2
Opacity = 70, Blur = 5.00
Shadow Color = Right click in Color and choose your Background Color
Fill interior with color = Not checked

14) Effects > 3D Effects > Cutout
Settings:
Horizontal & Vertical = -2 (Minus)

15) Selections > Select None

16) Image > Add Borders
Settings:
Size in pixels = 15
Color = Any color other than black

17) Magic Wand Tool
Select new border

18) Edit > Paste > Paste Into Selection

19) Effects > Texture Effects > Texture > Weave
Settings:
Gap size = 10, Width = 25
Opacity = 80
Weave color = Right click on color and choose your Background Color
Fill gaps = Unchecked
ok
(Gap color only matters if "Fill gaps" is checked)

20) Effects > 3D Effects > Inner Bevel
Settings:
Bevel #2, Width = 5
Smoothness = 10, Depth = 10
Ambience = 0, Shininess = 30
Color = White, Angle = 315
Intensity = 50, Elevation = 30

21) Selections > Select None

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

23) Image > Add Borders
Settings:
Size in pixels = 30
Color = Any color other than black

24) Magic Wand Tool
Select new border

25) Edit > Paste > Paste Into Selection

26) Effects > Texture Effects > Texture > Mosaic - Glass
Settings:
Number of columns = 50
Number of rows = 50
Symmetric = Checked
Glass curvature = 50, Edge curvature = 0
Grout width = 2, Grout diffusion = 50

27) Effects > 3D Effects > Inner Bevel

28) Selections > Select None

29) Layers > New Raster Layer

30) Add Watermark(s)
If you have a watermark tube, see Step #30a)
If not, follow Step #30b)

30a) Place your tube and continue with Step #32

30b) Text Tool (T)
Create as Vector

31) Layers > Convert to Raster Layer

32) Move Tool
Move text to where you want it

33) Layers Palette
If necessary, reduce opacity of watermark layer

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

Background

35) Right mouseclick on free space of PSP > Paste as New Image

36) Crop Tool (R)

Select a small section of your background (about 100 - 150 pixels wide and 100 - 150 pixels high)
Depending on the background you want to create, this might be a plain part or an interesting part of your graphic
Double click somewhere in the selected area in order to crop image

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

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

38) Layers > New Raster Layer

39) Flood Fill Tool
Flood fill new layer with Foreground Color

40) Layers Palette
Lower opacity of flood filled layer until the graphic starts to show through

41) Layers > Merge > Merge visible

42) Effects > Texture Effects > Texture
Choose a Texture of your liking
Settings:
Size = 100 %, Smoothness = 0
Depth = 2, Ambience = 0
Shininess = 0, Color = White
Angle = 315
Intensity = 50, Elevation = 30

43) Layers > Merge > Merge All (Flatten)

44) Layers Palette
If necessary lower opacity (in order to make the background more text friendly)

45) File > Export > JPEG Optimizer

Letter Creator

46) Open Letter Creator

47) Header > Image
Look for the JPEG file of your frame
Alignment = Center

48) Body > Image
Look for the background JPEG file
Click on "Tile"
Choose Font and Font Size
Choose Text Color
Choose Link Color
Margins: Top 0, Left 10, Right 10

49) Footer
Your Name
Reference and link (if available) to graphic used
Name of tutorial "Weave + Mosaic Tutorial" and link to this page
Date you created the stat

50) 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.