.::|- Artistic Visions Tutorials -.::|

1. copy the avie and background and have them open in pi. convert them to 'true color' format by clicking on:

as shown in the picture below { this setting is equivalent to 16 million from the colors on the menu bar in psp}

2. next adjust / alter the images base color by once again clicking on format > color balance. the lower example image is what you should now see, you can click on the various boxes (each are representative of a color), if the 'real time preview' box is selected you'll be able to view the changes as you make them on your original image, otherwise you can click on preview and elect to save your adjustments , to continue editing, or to cancel and start again. right click on the image and select ' merge all '

3. before you go any further, copy each of your images to make the next steps move along faster. to do that you may either click on the copy & paste icons in the middle level of the tool bar...

edit > copy, and then edit > paste in the top level of the tool bar. with either method you'll want to select 'save as new image'.

note: your image will initially have a box around its perimeter of dashed lines, this indicates that it's still a floating selection, or un-merged layer as it's referred to in psp. it will remain as such until you manually 'merge' the selection / layer by right clicking on it and selecting either merge, or merge all.

4. so that you may better familiarize yourself with the tools in pi, we'll cut out the image of the woman as opposed to erasing in this step.

in the task bar on the left of you screen you'll find the 'selection tool' icon ( shown below ) click on it, and select the lasso tool.

5. you'll notice that the bottom portion of your task bar will change to correlate with the tool you've opted to use. the setting shown below is what I used to trace around the image.

note : all settings are default except for the 'soften edge', by increasing it you'll find that you get a cleaner cut, making fewer adjustments necessary later

6. after you've traced around the edges, it should be enclosed as a floating selection / layer. simply right click on it and select copy. next click on your background image ( making it the active image ), and paste your female selection / layer onto it ( right click...paste...is the easiest method).

7. to give your female image a bit more depth, click on effects > eyecandy > drop shadow in your tool bar, using the following settings ; direction : 87 distance : 10 opacity : 50% color : black

b) to bring out the structure of her facial features click on 'format' in your tool bar, and then select style > light > shadow (the style gallery box is pictured below) . after you've clicked ok and allowed the shadow adjustment to be added to your active selection ( layer ), right click and 'merge'.

( just in case...you'll may copy this image and save it , to save yourself time later. after you merge your selection, you may want to use it again to re-emphasize the image. )

8. next right click on the extra background image you saved earlier ( which should already be in rgb true color {24 bit} format ). copy it and paste it as an object onto your image. using the erase tool which you'll find in the task bar on the left of your screen ( the icon is shown below on the left ), with the settings shown in the picture on the left, click randomly around the image until she appears to be blended into the bg.

your image should now look similar to this...if it does, right click and ' merge '

9. next...click on format in the tool bar, and open the style gallery again. this time choose nature > sea light-aqua.

click on ok to save that change, and then re open the style gallery adding the shadow effect from the light section...merge your selection / layer

10. to get rid of the imperfections in the womans face, and to blend and blur the edges of the image...click on the retouch tool icon in the task bar on your left, and select the ' retouch-blur ' tool. ( icon and settings shown below ). remember that the size of the tip, and the size of the area you're working in should be comparable, I lowered the shape size to 10 to smooth her facial features.

10. you're now ready to add text to your image, to do this click on the text tool icon in the task bar with the font settings shown below.

to pick up the color from the bg to use in your text, right click on the color box, and select eye dropper. the color i'm using is shown below

12. in your tool bar click on format > brightness & saturation click two times on the box in the middle row right column, then one time on the box in the top row, middle column. click on ok to apply your adjustment , but leave your selection / layer floating

note: the eyecandy settings given in the text directions will all remain the same for all of the text in this tutorial with the exception of drop shadow, or unless a color modification is specified for the cut out setting

12. to achieve the rounded 3d effect for the text, first click on effect > eyecandy > carve using the following settings :

bevel width : 3 bevel shape : mesa smoothness : 10 shadow depth : 50 darken depth : 11 highlight brightness : 86 highlight sharpness : 99 lighting direction : 116 lighting inclination : 42

b) with your selection still floating click on effect again, and eyecandy > inner bevel using the following settings :

bevel width : 5 bevel shape : button smoothness : 10 shadow depth : 50 highlight brightness : 100 highlight sharpness : 64 lighting direction : 135 lighting inclination : 215

c) with your selection still floating click on effect again, and eyecandy > cut out using the following settings:

direction : 23 distance : 2 blur : 3 opacity : 90 shadow color : select a contrasting but kind of light shade the hex code for the color I picked is #C2C0D1 ( be sure the solid fill box is not selected )

d) next click on effect > eyecandy > hsb noise and apply it using the following settings :

hue variation : 35 saturation variation : 43 brightness variation : 45 opacity variation : 39 lump width : 84 lump height : 38 random seed : 66

e) now, repeat the carve, and inner bevel eyecandy adjustments, and the cut out effect...(change your shadow color to #E3CADA)

e) this next step will add multi level lighting effects to your text. in your tool bar click on effect > magic > light click on the options tab to modify the settings... shown below

f) finally...in your tool bar, click on effect > eyecandy > drop shadow and apply using these settings : distance : 5 blur : 2 opacity : 65% color : black

right click on the text and merge your selection / layer. your image should look something like this at this point

12. we'll add a text wrap effect to frame the womans face. to do this open your ' easy palate ' gallery by clicking on it's icon in the tool bar { shown below}

click on the ' + ' next to ' wrap gallery ', then on ' all ' ...scroll down to ' path wrap 15 ' and right click on the box, select modify properties and apply...and then adjust the default settings to :

carve > inner bevel > cut out (shadow color the same as the 1st one given ). repeat all three effects one time, and then add the drop shadow effect with the following settings :

b) while your selection / layer is still floating in your tool bar click on effect > eyecandy > outer bevel and apply it using the following settings.

c) right click on your floating selection / layer and then on properties...adjust the transparency to 20 as shown below. merge your selection / layer

13. copy your image and paste it ' as a new image', then in your tool bar click on :

effect > { visman } extravaganza > transmission and apply it using the following settings :

b) next copy the original image (without the lines) onto the image with the transmission effect. using the eraser tool settings at :

shape : circle, 15 transparency : 10 soft edge : 50 click your mouse around the outer edges randomly...where it doesn't distort the text.

c) when you've done that, right click and adjust the property transparency to 25% ( just as you did earlier ) then ' merge ' your selection / layer

d) copy that image onto the original image (without lines), and adjust it's transparency to 80%, then merge. below are my images at the various steps


original image	transmission	merged images

e) to soften the image more you may also copy your original image onto the merged image, and use your eraser tool set at:

shape : circle, 55 transparency : 55 soft edge : 50...and blend the lines in as much or as little as you like

13. you may also wish to adjust the brightness, etc of your image at this time...depending on your personal taste. simply access the format options, and play with them until you're happy with the result.

( the only adjustment I made after pasting the original image over my merged image, and softening it a bit, was to add a shadow adjustment from the style gallery )

14. merge your selection one last time...then convert your avie to gif format so that you may save it.

format > data type > optimized indexed 256 color (which is gif ) and save your finished work ...