Supplies
No scraps for this one! We will be making a forum sized tag. You will need a good working knowledge of PSP. I am using PSPX2, but this should be easy to use in any version.
Tube of choice – I am using art that is ©Pinup Toons, http://www.pinuptoons.com . I have purchased a license to use this work. If you do not have a license, please do not use this work. If you would like more info on purchasing a license, visit www.creativeimagelicensing.com
Masks of choice – I am using Vix Mask 197, which you can grab from her site - http://www.freewebs.com/vixpsp/goodies.htm
Font of choice – I am using “Santa’s Sleigh,” which can be found here: http://www.dafont.com/santas-sleigh.font?nb_ppp=50&af=o
Plug-In – Mura’s Meister: Copies. You can get it here http://www.photoshop-filters.com/html/mura.htm
Vanderlee: Snowscape – You can get it here: http://www.vanderlee.com/plugins_snowscape.html
Optional – Animation Shop
All links and supplies shared with permission.
Here we go!
First, open a new canvas 600 x 250. Then, flood fill white. Open your tube and duplicate it into a new window (just use Shift+D). Close the original and leave the duplicate up for reference.
Add a new raster layer and flood fill with a light color from your tube. I used #c2d7e3.
On your new flood filled layer, apply your mask. If you are using the same mask that I did, stretch the mask layer out so that it covers the entire canvas.
Right click on your mask layer – Merge>Merge Group. Save your progress.
On your masked layer, apply Adjust> Blur> Gaussian Blur, with a radius of 5. (My animated version does not have blur applied, my non-animated tag does, so you can see the difference and decide which you like better!)
Paste your tube onto your canvas. If you are using the same tube as me, resize 60%. Duplicate your tube layer. Hide the duplicate layer for now.
On the original tube layer, apply Mura’s Meister: Copies. From the drop down menu, choose “Wall Paper (rotate).” In the settings on the right, you can change the “Number” settings until the image has a nice mix of colors.
After you apply Mura’s Meister, if you are going to animate your tag – duplicate the Mura’s layer twice, for a total of three layers. If you are not animating, you only need the one Mura’s layer. Save your progress.
On one of your Mura’s layers, choose Edit>Copy and then Edit > Paste as New Image.
On your top Mura’s layer, apply Effects>Texture Effects>Mosaic Antique with these settings: Number of columns: 55, Number of rows: 40, Tile Diffusion: 100%, Grout Width: 1, Grout Diffusion: 50%.
If you are animating – apply the same effects to your 2 other mura’s layers, but change the grout diffusion to 55% on one layer and 45% on the other.
Save your progress.
Activate your top layer.
Choose your preset shape tool. You can use any shape, I am using a rounded rectangle. Set your line width to 10 and you fill/background color to null (turned off).
For your stroke/foreground color – In your materials palette, left-click on your foreground color box. Click on the “Pattern” tab. From the drop down menu, choose the Mura’s image that you copied and pasted as a new image. Set your Angle to 45, and your Scale to 75. Click “OK.”
Use your preset shape tool to draw out your shape. I drew out a large rounded rectangle. Apply Objects> Align> Center in Canvas. Convert your shape to a raster layer.
Save your progress.
Still on your shape layer – Selections>Select All (or CTRL+A), Selections>Float (or CTRL+F), then Selections>Defloat (or CTRL+
Apply Effects> 3D Effects> Inner Bevel with these settings:
Selections> Select None (or CTRL+D). Save your progress.
Choose your Magic Wand tool, tolerance and feather set to zero, and click inside your rectangle. Selections> Modify> Expand by 5 pixels.
Add a new raster layer under your rectangle layer. Flood fill the selection (on that new layer) with white.
Now, Selections> Invert (or CTRL+SHIFT+I).
Click on each of your Mura’s layers and hit delete. If you want your tube only inside your frame, then hit delete on your tube layer as well. I wanted my tube hanging out a bit, so I did not hit delete on my tube layer.
Selections> Select None (or CTRL+D). Save your progress.
On your white flood filled layer, change the opacity to 50%.
Unhide your tube. Arrange it how you like on the canvas. Apply a drop shadow. I used settings 0, 5, 45, 8, black.
Save your progress.
Now, select your text tool and type out your “word art” of choice. I used a stroke width of 1.0, color white, and a background/fill color of #cf6f8e.
Convert your text to a raster layer.
Apply Vanderlee> SnowScape with these settings: Thickness: 5, Stickiness: 50, Roughness: 50, Distribution: Even, Snow Color: Bright White
Apply a drop shadow. I used settings 3, 3, 30, 3, black.
Save your progress.
Next, put your name on the tag, following the same steps we used for the word art.
Now add your copyright info, license number (if applicable), and tagger’s mark (if you use one). Save
If you are not going to animate – you are done! You can delete the white background layer and save as a .png file to achieve a cool transparent background.
If you are animating, open Animation Shop and return to PSP.
Now, go to Edit>Copy Special>Copy Merged. Then, in Animation Shop, Edit>Paste>As New Animation. (Or just click CTRL+V)
Go back to PSP. Hide your top Mura’s Layer.
Now, go to Edit>Copy Special>Copy Merged. Then, in Animation Shop, Edit>Paste>After Current Frame. (Or click Shift+CTRL+L)
Go back to PSP. Hide your 2nd Mura’s Layer.
Now, go to Edit>Copy Special>Copy Merged. Then, in Animation Shop, Edit>Paste>After Current Frame. (Or click Shift+CTRL+L)
Save as a GIF and you’re done!
This tutorial was created on
I would love to see your results! You can email them to me at tutsbyj0eswife@gmail.com
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