Sugar and Spice Frame Set

This tutorial is entirely my own work and any resemblance to any other is purely co-incidental.  Please do not copy, duplicate, translate, script or use in any groups without my permission.

Thanks go, as always, to my great group of testers at Force Fantastic who make it all possible.

Artwork 'Black Eye Suzi' by Renee Biertempfel - tubed by KLD

There are two different sets of sidebars explained in this tutorial.

You can create it with squares

Or you can create it with long bars.

NOTE

The filter used to create the dot effect in this tutorial is Unplugged Tools Spice Dots.  In case you don't have this or are not happy with the effect achieved using this filter I have added some brushes in a Zip file which can be used instead.  I have given details in the tutorial in turquoise of which brush and where and when to add them.  An image using the brushes can be seen at the foot of the page.  If you prefer to use the brushes download the zip and open to a folder on your computer.  Open PSP and go to File/Import/Custom Brush/Click Open/browse to the folder where you have your three brushes saved/Select them all/Select Add all and OK.  They should now all be working brushes in the correct folder

You will need:-

PSP X

A Tube

Simple Filters

FM Tile Tools

Unplugged Tools

I.C. Net Software Filters Unlimited 2 (for long sidebars only)

Brushes Zip Here

This is what you do:-

1.  Open your chosen tube in your PSP workspace

2.  Decide what colour you want your frame to be and choose two shades of the same hue. If you don't have a lighter colour in the tube choose one from your colour palette.  In your Materials Palette (foreground box) select the darker of your colours. This will be the main colour of your finished frame.  In your Background colour box select a lighter shade of the same colour to create a Foreground/Background Gradient.  My colours are shown below as a guide: 

3.  Minimise your tube

4. In your materials palette foreground (top) colour box select the gradient tab/Edit/Foreground/Background using the following settings: Angle 45/Repeats 3/Invert CHECKED/Style Linear.  OK these settings and  return your foreground box to colour.

5.  Open a New Raster Transparent Image 270 x 270 pixels and flood fill with your lighter Background Colour

6. (From this point you may think that I have gone completely batty! But trust me this is the easiest way of completing this tutorial.) Image/Canvas Size/Increase the canvas to 280 x 280/Image Centre. (Image placement will be centre throughout this tutorial)

7.  Selection Tool/Magic Wand/Using the following settings: These will remain constant throughout this tutorial. Select the transparent border.

8.  Selections/Promote Selection to Layer.

9.  Flood Fill Tool/Flood Fill with your Darker Foreground Colour

10.  Deselect

11.  Image/Canvas Size/Increase Canvas Size by 30 pixels to 310 x 310 pixels.

12.  Selection Tool/Magic Wand/Select the Transparent Border

13.  Selections/Promote Selection to Layer

14.  Flood Fill Tool/Flood fill with your Background colour

15.  Deselect.

16.  Image/Canvas Size/Increase by 10 pixels to 320 x 320 pixels.

17.  Selection Tool/Magic Wand/Select the Transparent Border

18.  Selections/Promote Selections to Layer

19.  Flood fill with your Foreground Colour

20.  Deselect

21.  Image/Canvas Size/increase to 330 x 330 pixels.

22.  Selection Tool/Magic Wand/Select the Transparent Border

23.  Selections/Promote Selection to Layer

24.  Flood Fill with your Foreground Colour.

25.  Deselect

26.  From this point repeat steps 11 through 20 three times ignoring the dimensions given and increasing your canvas height and width by 30 pixels and then by 10 pixels until your canvas is 450 x 450 pixels.  Then you should have something which looks like this with each border on a separate layer.

27.  Scroll Down your layer Palette to your Bottom (Raster 1) Layer.  Highlight it and hit delete on your keyboard. This layer was filled originally to make it possible to increase the canvas. Close this blank layer by clicking on the eye.

28.  At this point, should you wish, you can save this image as a PSP file. It's not necessary but should you want to repeat this tutorial at any time then the border template is already prepared and all you have to do is change the colours to suit your new tube.

29.  Scroll to the top layer in your layer palette and close. Now close all layers beneath it until you reach Promoted Selection 2. Leave this and the two active layers beneath it open.

30.   Ignoring the blank closed layer at the bottom Highlight your next layer up which should be called just Promoted Selection.

31.  Effects/Geometric Effects/Spherize using the following settings:  Strength -70 (minus 70)

32.  Effects/3D Effects/Inner Bevel/using the following settings. Bevel 9/Width 3/Smoothness 20/Depth 2/Ambience and Shininess 0/Angle 315/Intensity 38/Elevation 40/Colour White.  These settings will remain constant throughout.

32. Highlight your next layer Promoted Selection 1

33.  Effects/Geometric Effects/Spherize/using the same settings.

34.  Selection Tool/Magic Wand/Select the coloured area

35.  Selections/Modify/Expand 2 pixels

36.  Flood Fill Tool/Flood fill with the gradient you created earlier.

37.  Deselect.

38. Layers/Arrange/Move Down

If you are using the Brushes follow these instructions (if not move on to 39)

Move to Step 42

39.  Effects/Plugins/Unplugged Tools/Spice Dots using the following Settings. Note: These settings should be used as a guide only. Spice dots will react differently depending on your choice of frame colour.  Adjusting the Brightness Detect settings will increase or decrease the amount of dots visible. Change the setting until you find something you are happy with.  Lowering the colours (Red: Green: and Blue) will change the dots from white to a colour of your choice. Feel free to experiment.  The Grid scale and Dot size settings, for the purposes of this tutorial should be left as they are. 

40.  Effects/Plugins/Simple Filters/Top Left Mirror

41.  Effects/Plugins/FM Tile Tools/Blend Emboss using the following settings:

42. Highlight Layer Promoted Selection 2

43.  Effects/Geometric Effects/Spherize/using the same settings.

44.  Effects/3D Effects/Inner Bevel

45.  Layers/Merge/Merge Visible. Close this merged Layer by clicking on the eye.

46.  Open Layers Promoted Selections 3, 4 and 5.  Highlight Promoted Selection 3.

47. Effects/3D Effects/Inner Bevel

48.  Highlight Promoted Selection 4

49.  Selection Tool/Magic Wand/Select the coloured area

50.  Selection/Modify/Expand 2 Pixels

51.  Flood Fill Tool/Flood Fill with your gradient

52.  Deselect

53.  Layers/Arrange/Move Down

For Brush Users Only:

Layers/New Raster Layer

54.  Effects/Plugins/Unplugged Tools/Spice Dots/Same Settings as previously used.

55.  Effects/Plugins/Simple Filters/Top Left Mirror

56.  Effects/Plugins/FM Tile Tools/Blend Emboss/Same Settings as previously used

57.  Layer Palette/Highlight Promoted Selection 5

58.  Effects/3D Effects/Inner Bevel

59.  Layers/Merge/Merge Visible. Close this merged layer by clicking on the eye.

60.  Highlight Layer Promoted Selection 6

61.  Layers/Delete.

62.  Open Layers Promoted Selections 7, 8 and 9.  Highlight Promoted Selection 7.

63.  Effects/3D Effects/Inner Bevel

64. Highlight Layer Promoted Selection 8

65.  Selection Tool/Magic Wand/Select the coloured area

66. Selections/Modify/Expand 2

67.  Flood Fill Tool/Flood Fill with your Gradient.

68.  Deselect

69.  Layers/Arrange/Move Down

For Brush Users Only:

Layers/New Raster Layer

70.  Effects/Plugins/Unplugged Tools/Spice Dots/using the following settings.

71.  Effects/Plugins/Simple Filters/Top Left Mirror

72.  Effects/Plugins/F M Tile Tools/Blend Emboss/using the same settings.

73.  Layer Palette/Highlight Promoted Selection 9

74.  Effects/3D Effects/Inner Bevel.

75.  Layers/Merge/Merge Visible

76.  Open your other two Merged Frame Layers

77.  Layers/Merge/Merge Visible. (If you want to make the square sidebars duplicate this image and minimize the copy)

78.  Image/Expand Canvas/Increase Canvas Size to 500 x 500 pixels.  This is going to become part of the background so it won't increase the size of your frame.

79.  Highlight and Open your Bottom blank Layer and Flood Fill with your Foreground or Background Colour depending on whether you prefer a light or dark background to your frame.

80.  Adjust/Add Remove Noise/Add Noise/using the following settings. Uniform/Noise 15%/Monochrome Checked.

81.  Adjust/Add Remove Noise/Salt and Pepper Filter using the following Settings: Speck Size (Pixels) 25/Sensitivity to Specks 1/Include all lower speck sizes CHECKED/Aggressive Action CHECKED.

82.  Highlight your Frame Layer

83.  Effects/3D Effects/Drop Shadow using the following settings:- Vertical and Horizontal 0/Opacity 50/Blur 15/Colour Black/Shadow on New Layer NOT checked.

84.  Layers/Merge/Merge Visible.

85.  Before we go any further, If you want to make the long sidebars we need to take our selection now. If you don't want to do this move on to Step 89.

86.  Make a Selection on your main frame image as shown below. From the outer edge of the second border to the inner edge of the first border avoiding the top and bottom frame edges.

87.  Edit/Copy

88.  Edit/Paste as New Image and Minimize out of the way until later

89.  Maximise your tube and adjust to size.  If you want it in the centre of your frame make it about 250 pixels on it's longest side.  If you want to place it differently or have a sitting image as shown in the example I have used for the tutorial, make it about 320 - 350 pixels then place it on your frame and adjust the size with the deform tool. Sharpen if necessary after resizing. (See tube and text examples at foot of page)

90.  Effects/ 3D Effects/Drop Shadow using the following settings: Vertical and Horizontal 2/Opacity 50/Blur 10/Colour Black/Shadow on New Layer NOT Checked.

91.  If you want to add text to your image do it at this point.

92.  Layers/New Raster Layer

93.  Add your watermark

94.  Layers/Merge/Merge All Flatten

Save as a Jpeg with the compression at 25.

To Create the Long Sidebars and Background

1.  Maximize the image you created from your selection.

2.  Effects/Plugins/I.C.Net Software/Filters Unlimited 2/Tile and Mirror/Quadrant Mirror

3.  Effects/Plugins/I.C.Net Software/Filters Unlimited 2/Tile and Mirror/Seamless Blend (Horizontal)

4.  Image/Canvas Size/Increase the width of the canvas to 1024 (or whatever your screen resolution is). Set the height to the height of your image/Image Placement Centre Left.

5.  Effects/3D Effects/Drop Shadow using the following settings:- Vertical 0/Horizontal 5/Opacity 35/Blur 10/Colour Black/Shadow on New Layer CHECKED.

6.  On your shadow layer Effects/Image Effects/Seamless Tiling/Edge/Vertical.

7.  Layers/Merge/Merge Visible

8.  Layers/Duplicate

9.  Image/Mirror

10.  Click on the duplicate image with your move tool and using the left arrow on your key pad move it inwards 17 clicks.  Alternatively move it manually inwards 17 pixels.

11.  Layers/New Raster Layer

12.  Layers/Arrange/Send to Bottom

13.  Flood Fill Tool/Flood fill this layer with the same colour you chose for your background on your main frame image.

14. Adjust/Add/Remove Noise/Add Noise using the same settings as before

15.  Adjust/Add/Remove Noise/Salt and Pepper Filter/Same settings as before.

16.  Layers/Merge/Merge all Flatten

Save as a Jpeg with the compression at 25.

To Create the Square Sidebars.

1.  Maximize the copy frame image you saved earlier.

2.  Image/Resize/using the following settings. 80 x 80 pixels.

3.  Image/Canvas Size/Increase the width of the canvas to 1024 (or whatever your screen resolution is)/Increase the height to 160/Image Placement Centre Left.

4.  Move your square image 2 pixels to the right.

5.  Effects/3D Effects/Drop Shadow/using the following settings. Vertical and Horizontal 1/Opacity 50/Blur 3/Colour Black/Shadow on New Layer NOT checked.

6.  Layers/Duplicate

7.  Image/Mirror

8.  Click on the duplicate image with your move tool and using the left arrow on your key pad move it inwards 17 clicks.  Alternatively move it manually inwards 17 pixels.

9.  Layers/New Raster Layer

10.  Layers/Arrange/Send to Bottom

11.  Flood Fill Tool/Flood fill this layer with the same colour you chose for your background on your main frame image.

12. Adjust/Add/Remove Noise/Add Noise using the same settings as before

13.  Adjust/Add/Remove Noise/Salt and Pepper Filter/Same settings as before.

14.  Layers/Merge/Merge all Flatten.

Save as a Jpeg with the compression at 25.

Assemble in Letter Creator placing your sidebar and background image in the body section and tiling.  Adjust your text to 95 left and right.  Place the main frame image in the Header section placed centre.  Complete your details and it's done.

I hope you have enjoyed this tutorial.  Let me know or ask any questions here

This Image was made using the brushes and with some text added.

Dove Tube is by Gran Gran

Created using the Spice Dots Filter and with a darker background

Magnolia Tube is by Cheryl

Tricia © 9th April 2006

www.force50.co.uk

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