Magic Mirror Stationery Set
My thanks as always to my special team of testers at Force Fantastic. You are the best!
The tubes I have used in the tutorial examples are by Kat. With Thanks.
For Top Border and Side Border examples see foot of page
You will need:-
PSP. I have used X but it should work in other versions
A Tube (A misted tube works well with this tut and one that is taller than wide.)
This tut can also be completed using a graphic masked with 20-20 but the instructions I give here will be for using a tube
Simple Filters
Penta Colour Dot
DSB Flux Bright Noise
FM Tile Tools
Xero (Soft Mood) Optional
To Begin:
1. Open your chosen tube in PSP, duplicate and close the original.
2. From your tube choose two colours which compliment each other. They don't have to be from the same colour group so if you want a purple and green frame then go for it!
My colours.
3. Materials Palette/Foreground/Gradient Tab/Foreground-Background using the following settings: Click on Edit in your Materials Properties Gradient Screen and it will take you to the Gradients Editor Screen/Note the position of the nodes.
Now move the left node until the Location Box says 50%
Now move the Right Node until the Location Box says 51%
Click on Save as and name it Magic Mirror/OK/Angle 45/Repeats 1/Invert NOT Checked/Style Linear and Close.
This will save the gradient as a Foreground-Background variation so if you choose to do the tut again just select the gradient and your colours will change to whatever you have chosen as your foreground and background colours.
4. File/New/Open a Raster/Transparent image 1024 x 350 pixels
5. Selections/Select All
6. Selections/Modify/Contract 40 pixels
7. Selections/Invert
8. Flood Fill Tool/Flood fill with your gradient/Selections/Select None
9. Effects/Distortion Effects/Warp using the following settings:- Horizontal -3 (minus)/Vertical 100/Size 98/Strength -86 (minus)
10. Effects/Plugins/Simple/Top Left Mirror
11. Effects/Distortion Effects/Polar Coordinates/using the following settings:-Rectangular to Polar/Wrap
12. Effects/Distortion Effects/Warp/using the following settings:-Horizontal 0/Vertical -67 (minus)/Size 98/Strength -86 (minus)
13. Effects/Geometric Effects/Circle using the following settings:-Repeat Checked
14. Effects/Distortion Effects/Warp using the following settings:-Horizontal 0/Vertical 100/Size 98/Strength -86 (minus)
14. Eraser Tool/using the following settings:
Carefully erase the middle section sweeping the eraser around the whole area to remove any stray specks. Stop at the bottom and change the size to 24 and remove the end of the centre spike both inside and outside of the frame.
15. Image/Resize using the following settings:-Percent 60/Resample using Weighted Average/Lock Aspect Ratio and Resize All Layers CHECKED
15. Image/Canvas Size using the following settings:-Width 650/Height 450/Placement Centre Bottom Arrow
16. Layer/Duplicate
17. Image/Flip
18. Move the top layer down until it is aligned with and just touching the bottom layer.
19. Layers/Merge/Merge Down (or Merge Visible)
20. Centre the frame.
There's your frame! Now let's give it some Pzazz!!
21. Selection Tool/Magic Wand using the following settings:-Add (shift)/RGB Value/Tolerance 10/Use all Layers and Contiguous CHECKED/Feather 0/Anti-alias CHECKED/Outside.
22. Select this part of your frame:-
23. Effects/Plugins/Penta.Com/Colour Dot using the following settings: Value 90/Distance 5/Colour R,G & B all on 255. (If you would prefer a coloured dot use the RGB sliders to achieve the colour of your choice.)
24. Selections/Select None
25. Selection Tool/Magic Wand/Select the other sections of your frame:
26. Effects/Texture Effects/Blinds using the following settings:- Width 3/Opacity 20/Colour White/Horizontal NOT checked/Light from left/top CHECKED. You can change the colour to one of your choice and alter the opacity accordingly.
27. Effects/Texture Effects/Blinds using the same settings but with Horizontal CHECKED
28. Selections/Select None.
If you want to make the sidebars to go with this image Edit/Copy and Edit/Paste as New image and Minimise for now.
28. Selection Tool/Magic Wand/Select the centre transparent area of your frame.
29. Selections Promote Selection to Layer and re-name it Inner Frame
30. Selections/Modify/Expand 4 pixels
31. Flood Fill Tool/Flood fill the selection with your foreground colour.
32. Effects/Plugins/Penta.Com/Colour Dot using the same settings as before but changing the Distance to 2.
33. Layers/Arrange/Move Down
34. Selections/Select None.
Minimise the frame for the moment while we make the background tile.
35. File/New/Open a new Raster/Transparent image 300 x 300 pixels.
36. Choose a colour for your background and flood fill your image. You can use your foreground or background colour or choose a different one.
37. Effects/Plugins/DSB Flux/Bright Noise using the following settings:- Intensity 8/Lighter CHECKED
38. Effects/Reflection Effects/Rotating Mirror using the following settings:- Vertical Offset -100 (minus)/Rotation Angle 270/Repeat CHECKED
39. Effects/Texture Effects/Fur using the following settings:- Blur 0/Density 100/Length 6/Transparency 0
40. Effects/Plugins/FM Tile Tools/Blend Emboss/Default
41. Effects/Image Effects/Seamless Tiling/Default
42. Materials Palette/Background/Pattern Tab/Locate the pattern you have just created using the following settings:-Angle 0/Scale 100
43. Minimise the pattern image and restore your frame image
44. Layers/New Raster Layer
45. Layers/Arrange/Send to bottom
46. Flood Fill Tool/Flood Fill the layer with your pattern
47. Effects/Image Effects/Seamless Tiling/Default
48. Highlight your middle layer (Inner Frame)
49. Maximise your tube and resize to 350 pixels high
50. Edit/Copy and close your tube.
51. Edit/Paste as New Layer onto your main frame image. Adjust size if necessary using the Pick Tool.
52. Highlight your Inner Frame Layer/Blend Mode Screen/Opacity between 20 - 50% depending on taste. (You can choose a different Blend Mode if your prefer)
53. Highlight your top Main Frame Layer/Effects/3D Effects/Inner Bevel using the following settings:-Bevel 2/Width 12/Smoothness 55/Depth 2/Ambience and Shininess 0(Adjust to preference)/Colour White/Angle 315/Intensity 35/Elevation 50
54. (Optional) Effects/Plugins/Xero/Soft Mood using the following settings:- Haziness 0/Glow adjust to your own taste or you can add a very light FM Tile Tools/Blend Emboss with the intensity at around 0.094 or use both!
55. Effects/3D Effects/Drop Shadow using the following settings:-Vertical and Horizontal 3/Opacity 32/Blur 10/Colour Black/Shadow on New Layer NOT checked.
56. Repeat Drop Shadow with minus -3 Vertical and Horizontal settings.
57. Add a new layer and add your Watermark. Merge all layers and export as a Jpeg with the compression at 25. Close the Image.
To make the sidebars.
1. Maximise the frame image you saved earlier.
2. Image/Rotate Right
3. Image/Resize using the following settings:- PIXELS/Width 35/Height 54/Resample using Weighted Average/Lock Aspect Ratio and Resize all Layers CHECKED
4. Image/Canvas Size using the following settings:-Width 60/Height 108/Image Placement Top Right Arrow CHECKED
5. Layer/Duplicate
6. Image/Flip
7. Layers/Merge/Merge Down
8. Image/Canvas Size using the following settings:-Width 1007/Height 216/Image Placement Top Left Arrow CHECKED
9. Layers/Duplicate
10. Image/Flip
11. Layers/Merge/Merge Down
12. Effects/3D Effects/Inner Bevel using the same settings as before but changing the Angle to 107
13. Effects/3D Effects/Drop Shadow using the following settings:-Vertical and Horizontal 0/Opacity 70/Blur 5/Shadow on New Layer NOT checked.
14. Adjust/Sharpness/Sharpen
15. Layers/Duplicate
16. Image/Mirror
17. Layers/Merge/Merge Down
18. Effects/Plugins/Xero/Soft Mood using the same settings if you used it on the main frame
19. Layers/New Raster Layer
20. Layers/Arrange/Move Down
21. Flood fill Tool/Flood fill this layer with your pattern
22. Effects/Image Effects/Seamless Tiling/Default
Export as a Jpeg with the compression at 25.
Assemble in Letter Creator setting your text at 75 Left and Right.
Enjoy!
If you have any problem with this tutorial or would just like to share your result with me you can find me here
Paste as a new image and Resize to 341 wide before adding your pattern to make the top border.
Resize to 460 high before adding your pattern to make the side border. Add about 30 pixels top and bottom so they are not too close together. Use a tube that is more wide than tall.
Use Different Textures and Blend Modes to achieve different effects
Set your imagination Free!
© Tricia May 27th 2007