LovesnBloomMain

A softly sweet tag tutorial.

*Sized at 80 % for viewing here.

*This Tutorial is © to 'Meezerlove Designs' and is not to be copied, or added to any other web page without my consent.

Property of 'Meezerlove Designs'. August 20, 2005

Any similarity to any other Tutorial is strictly coincidental and unintentional.

*Note, Netscape and Foxfire users may not be able to see one of the background images in this tutorial.

Best Viewed in 1024 by 768 pixels.

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I have used Paint Shop Pro 9 for my graphics work. Download Free Trial HERE..

FM Tile Tools Free Demo Download HERE

Eye Candy 5 Impact HERE

For this tutorial you will need the following supplies and a working knowledge of the PSP program,

Layers. Brushes, and working with Filters.

Please place your Image Tube, Brushes, Font, and Gradient in their proper folders within

your Program.

Let's get started.

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On your Desktop, open a new image. 500x500 with a white background. On your Layer

Palette .. Promote Background Layer.

Then we will add a new Raster Layer. (Layers/New Raster Layer) Please 'Name'

this layer "BRUSH 1"

1. Select Brush 11 Touchstone026. Have your foreground color set to # 738579,

Background Null. Size your Brush to 375.

2. On your new image layer, line your Brush up so that the top of the image is at line

100. Have your rulers open so that you can accurately measure. (*image below just a small

portion of actual image, for demonstration purposes only)

3. When you are positioned, click your brush 4 times to darken the image effect.

4. Next we will go to Effects/FM Tile Tools/Blend Emboss. Leave the settings at Default

except for the Intensity and change it to: 0.180. Tic the "Edge Wrap" box.

Add a Drop Shadow here for some definition of detail. Effects/3D Effects/Drop Shadow.

The settings are as follows: Vertical and Horizontal -- 2; Opacity -- 30; Blur -- 3; Color -- Black

5. Add a new Raster Layer and name it "Brush 2"

6. Now open your "bg-text mailTOMH" Brush. Resize it to

180. Your foreground color should now be

set at # A1B5AA. Position the Brush a little over and slightly to the right

of the first Brush. Click your Brush 3 times. You will apply the "Blend Emboss"

with the same settings as in Step # 4.

7. Now we will go over to our Layer Pallet and move this layer below the

Brush 1 layer. To do this, hold down the left Mouse Key and just drag it below

making sure it is between the Brush 1 layer and the Background Layer. *Note, there will be no

Drop Shadow on this Brush Layer.

8. Highlight the Brush 1 layer in the Layer Pallet and "Right-Click" your mouse to

open the option to Add a New Raster Layer. Name this layer "Brush 3".

9. Size this brush to 350. Your foreground color will be set to # 9DA6B7.

Open your Brush "sg-grunge 11".

Click on your Brush 6 times to darken. Blend Emboss as in above steps.

10. Now up to Image/Rotate. Choose "Free Rotate" at 90o to the Right.

*Make sure that the "All Layers" box is NOT ticked when you do this.

11. Select your Mover Tool, pictured above 4th from top. Move this brush Layer

over to the Right and Up from the other two layers. As before, move this layer down under the other two layers.

"To do this, hold down the left Mouse Key and just drag it below" in the Layer

Pallet.

12. While still on this layer, so up to Selections/Select All. Then Selections/Float.

And, Selections/Defloat.

You will see the Marching Ants in and around the Brush Image. Do not de-select.

13. Layer/New Raster Layer. Name this layer "Fill".

Select your "Flood Fill Tool".

The color will be the same as for this Brush Image. # 9DA6B7. Apply the fill 3 times.

Duplicate this layer and move the slider over to 40-50. Selections/Select None.

14. Repeat the same Blend Emboss as in steps above with Brush Layer 2, apply twice.

Make all the other Layers Invisible, Red X's, and then Layers/Merge/Merge Visible the

Brush and Fill layers. Rename the merged layer, "Brush 3". Apply Drop Shadow, same settings.

Remove the Red X's to show all layers.

15. Layer/New Raster Layer. Name this layer "Brush 4". Make sure it is at the top

in your Layer Pallet. Open the "geometric05" Brush. Resize to 290.

The Foreground color is set to # 36423C. Position the brush between and a little above

the other three Brush Layers.

16. We will lower the Opacity on this layer to 80. Now apply a Drop Shadow as in Step # 4.

but this time set the Opacity to 60.

18. We will now use the Preset Shapes Tool to make a Text Box on our Image.

19. Set your Forground Color to the cmv_plate Gradient and the Background Color to #5E6578,

see Step # 1 for an example. Make sure you are

on the top layer, Rectangle Shape. Line Style .. Solid; Width .. 3.

With your cursor at the left edge and over at .... 20, and at lower edge ....250, holding

down your left mouse button start expanding the box out to the proportions you see in my

sample image above. ( I expanded out to 325.) This will be a Vector Layer, so

convert to a Raster Layer. Rename this layer "Textbox". Selections/Select All/Float.

Selections/Modify/Contract - 3. Click OK to defloat the image. Don't deselect.

Now we will apply a Drop Shadow with the following settings:

Vertical and Horizontal .. 1; Opacity .. 60; Blur .. 1; Color .. Black.

Selections/Select None.

20.Now we'll sharpen this just a bit. Adjust/Sharpen/Sharpen. Lower the Opacity of this

Textbox Layer to 60.

Drop Shadow with these settings: Vertical and Horizontal .. 3; Opacity .. 60;

Blur .. 9.00; Color .. Black.

21. In your Layer Palette, highlight the Background Layer, Layers/Merge/Merge All. You should now have

only one Layer, Background.

22. Now we want to resize the total image. Image/Resize with these settings:

Width .. 435; Height .. 435; Resample using - Bicubic

Lock aspect ratio .. Tic the box to Resize all layers .. Tic. OK.

*Note: If you resize your image before adding the Text, the results will be

sharper and less dull looking Text.

23. Layer/New Raster Layer. Now choose the Brush .. text3_bp 002.

In your Materials Box select the Gradient, cmv_plate for the Foreground.

Choose the cmv_fill_plate texture setting for the Background.

Position over your Textbox, apply the Brush.

You will notice it is a little larger than the Text Box, but we will fix that now.

Choose the Rastor Deform Tool, pictured in Step # 1, the second little image down

under the Magnifying Glass. Move the Words to the center of the box. Then

grab hold of the top and then the bottom with your Mouse and slowly make

the Words more narrow. To get rid of the Deform Lines, just click on the

Mover Tool or one other. Now lower the Opacity on thisBrush/Text Layer by

moving the slider in the Layer Pallet over to 60-80.

Effects/3D Effects/Drop Shadow with the following settings:

Vertical and Horizontal .. 1; Opacity .. 57; Blur .. 2; Color .. Black.

24. Layer/New Raster Layer. You will want to add your Watermark/Signature on this layer

and move into position to it's best advantage.

*Note: When applying my watermark tube, I go to the Layer Palette and change

the setting from "Normal" to "Hard Light" and then move the slider over to 38-40,

whichever looks best.

If you are satisfied with all of your layers, then .. Layers/Merge/Merge All.

Promote this layer and rename, "Background".

25. Layer/New Raster Layer and name this Layer "Tube". It should be on the top.

Click on your Tube Tool and find the burgessorchid_sjs. Scale it down to 47.

Apply the Tube to your Tube Layer by clicking the Tube Tool on it. Move the

Tube into place using my Sample Image above as a guide.

Selections/Select All

Selections/Float

Selections/Defloat

26. You should have the marching ants around the Tube.

Layer/New Raster Layer.

Go to the Materials box and change the Foreground to the cmv_plate Gradient.

Flood Fill the new layer. Lower the Opacity to 64. Do not Deselect.

27. Effects/Texture Effects/Sculpture and apply the Texture cmv_fill_plate.

In your Layer Palette Duplicate this layer.

Using your Eye Candy 5 Impact we will apply the following to the layer:

Move the slider on this layer over to 54.

Make your Background Layer Invisible, Red X.

28. Make sure you are on the bottom Tube layer and Merge/Merge Visible.

Rename this "Tube". Selections/Select None.

Effects/FM Tile Tools/Blend Emboss.

Adjust/Add-Remove Noise/Add Noise.

Settings: Uniform; Noise .. 7-8; Monochrome Ticked.

Lower the Opacity to 82-86

29. Apply a Drop Shadow with the settings of:

Vertical and Horizontal .. 3; Opacity .. 28; Blur .. 5 Color .. Black.

30. Now, for the final steps, your Name.

Layer/New Raster Layer, name it .. "Name".

In your Materials Pallet, have the Foreground set for the Gradient,

cmv_plate. Your Background set to the color #36423c.

Choose your Font, BickamscriptFancy2 set at Size .. 70; Stroke ..1

You may have to use the tabs on the Box to size down your name to suit.

Layers/Convert to Raster Layer.

Effects/3D Effects/Drop Shadow.

Vertical and Horizontal .. 2; Opacity .. 38; Blur .. 8; Color .. Black.

31. Layer Pallet, highlight your Name Layer and Right Click...Choose Duplicate.

Image/Mirror; Image/Flip

You can see my name upside down and backward here. Use your Mover Tool to Place it

where you want it. Image/Resize .. 75%. Make sure that the

"Resize All Layers" box is not ticked. Lower the Opacity to about 18.

32. Duplicate this layer.

Image/Mirror; Image/Flip; Image/Rotate/Free Rotate .. Right .. 90.

Lower the Opacity on this Layer to 14-16.

There you have it. I hope that you have enjoyed this tutorial and have learned

something new today.

As always, feel free to use your own images, colors, and just create up a storm.

Here is your Finished Image.

I wish to thank all the talented artists and tubers out there for their generous offerings.

It's because of all of you that I can sit at this computer and be able to express

myself through this form or art.

It is not my intent to infringe on anyone's art or work. These Fonts and Brushes have been

given to me, if there's something here that you would like credit for, please let me know. I would

be most happy to comply.

Tube by:

http://www.stakerfamily.com/psp.htm