This tutorial is entirely my own work and any resemblance to any other tutorial is purely coincidental. I claim no ownership or copyright of the images used in this tutorial. They were obtained either from the www. or through group sharing. If they belong to you and you do not wish them to be used please contact me and I will remove them.
Flip Flap Frame
This is what we will be making.
You will need:
PSP 8 or 9
Filters Unlimited 2
VM. Distortion
20-20 or Circle Fade Mask. 20-20 Zip Here
A Graphic of your Choice.
This frame works best with muted Earth colours and the settings are designed to work well with browns, greys and muted greens etc. If you use pastel or pale colours you will need to adjust the Cutout settings accordingly. The sizing of the graphic is very important. A different result will be achieved if the measurements are not followed. If you feel you need a slightly smaller finished result it is best to resize slightly on completion but the background image must be resized by the same percentage too.
Let's get started!.
1. Open your chosen graphic in PSP. Duplicate twice and close the original.
2. Minimise one copy of the image and with the other open in your workspace complete the following steps:-
3. Image/Resize. Resize your image to 380x380 pixels. Make Sure Lock Aspect Ratio is Unchecked. (Don't worry about distortion).
4. Effects/Image Effects/Seamless Tiling at default.
5. Adjust/Blur/Gaussian Blur/Radius 25
6. Effects/Plugins/Filters Unlimited 2/Tile and Mirror/Radial Tile/Rotation 88/Zoom 169.
7. From the blurred background of your image choose your foreground and background colours. They should be a dark and slightly lighter version of the same colour. Try to avoid black.
8. Maximise your saved copy of the image and resize so that it is no more that 380 pixels on it's longest side. (Remember to Re-check Lock Aspect Ratio)
9. Layers/Promote Background Layer and add your mask to this image. Delete the mask layer and Merge Group.
10. Edit/Copy and close this image.
11. Edit/Paste/Paste as New Layer onto your background image.
12. Layers/Merge/Merge all Flatten
13. Image/Add Borders 10 pixels/Symmetric in a bright colour not contained in your image.
14. Image/Add Borders/25/Symmetric/in another colour not contained in your image.
15. Select the 25 pix border with your Magic Wand.
16. Selection/Promote Selection to Layer.
17. Flood Fill with your Darker Colour.
18. Effects/Plugins/VM Distortion/Flipper with the following settings.
**19. Deselect.
20. Using your Magic Wand with the following settings select each segment of the pattern created by Flipper:
21. Effects/Plugins/Filters Unlimited 2/Paper Textures/Canvas Fine at default.
22. Selections/Invert
23. Effects/3D Effects/Cutout using the following settings.
24. Deselect.
25. Close off the top layer by clicking on the eye in your layer palette and highlight the bottom background layer.
26. Using your magic Wand (same settings as before) Select your 25 pix. border and then click on the 10 pix. border so that it becomes one selection.
*27. Flood Fill with your Lighter colour.
28. Effects/Plugins/Filters Unlimited 2/Paper Textures/Canvas Fine at default.
29. Selections Invert.
30. Effects/3D Effects/Cutout using the following settings.
31. Deselect.
**32. Open your top layer and Layers/Merge/Merge all Flatten.
33. Image/Add Borders/10 pix. in a colour not contained in your image.
34. Image/Add Borders/25 Pixels in a different colour.
35. Using your Magic Wand Select the 25 Pixel Border
36. Selections/Promote Selection to Layer.
37. Flood Fill with your Lighter Colour.
38. Effects/Plugins/VM. Distortion/Flipper using the following settings.
**Repeat steps 19 - 32 changing the fill colour in step *27 to your Darker Colour.**
Now complete the following steps
39. Image/Add Borders/10 Pixels/Symmetric in your darker colour.
40. With your Magic Wand select the border.
41. Effects/Plugins/Filters Unlimited 2/Paper Textures/Canvas Fine at default.
42. Selections/Invert.
43. Effects/3D Effects/Cut out using the same settings as in step 30.
Your frame is now complete. Your finished image should be 540x540 pixels but will appear 20 pixels smaller when placed onto your background. All will be explained in the following steps!
Save as a Jpeg with the compression at 25. You can close this image.
44. Open a new transparent image 1024 x 500
45. With your selection tool create a selection from the top to the bottom down the left side 60 pixels wide.
46. Flood fill with your lighter colour.
47. Selections/Promote Selection to layer.
48. Flood fill with your darker colour.(You can reverse these colours if you wish)
49. Deselect
50. Effects/Plugins/VM Distortion/Flipper using the following settings.
51. With your Magic Wand (same settings as before) select the segments created by Flipper.
52. Effects/Plugins/Filters Unlimited 2/Paper Textures/Canvas Fine at default.
53. De-select
54. Close off your top layer and highlight your Raster 1 layer.
55. Effects/Plugins/Filters Unlimited 2/Paper Textures/Canvas Fine at default.
56. Re-open your top layer
57. Layers/Merge/Merge Visible
58. Layers/New Raster Layer.
59. Flood fill this layer with your darker colour.
60. Effects/Plugins/Filters Unlimited 2/Paper Textures/Canvas Fine at default.
61. Effects/Image Effects/Seamless Tile at default
62. Layers/Arrange/Send to Bottom.
63. Highlight your top (merged layer and add a drop shadow using the following settings:
64. Merge all/Flatten
65. Save as a Jpeg with the compression at 25.
Assemble in letter creator placing the background and sidebar image in the body section and tile and the framed image centred in the header section. Set your text to about 80 left so that it doesn't obscure your sidebar.
I hope you have enjoyed this tutorial.
© Tricia