Squares Tutorial

This tutorial is copyrighted to Kaye @ Kaye’z Designz. You may print out for personal use but do not post to any site or distribute as your own. Any resemblance to others online is purely coincidental.
Supplies Needed: Paint Shop Pro any version, I used X2. You can get it from COREL. Tube of choice. I used one from CEIStickers, you can purchase here MPT. Pattern of choice. You may use your own color, gradient or pattern. Squares mask in supplies. Font of choice.
Notes: Open tube, pattern and mask in PSP minimize. Open font and minimize on Task Bar it will be available when needed. Save often.

Step 1 Open new canvas 500 X 500. Flood Fill with white or color of choice. Name this layer BG.
Step 2 Add New Raster Layer. Flood Fill with brchamp pattern or one of choice. Angle 0, Scale 100.
Step 3 Make sure pattern layer is active. Apply mask of choice. I used Squares (in supplies). Go to Layers / New Mask Layer / From Image: Source Luminance checked, Invert Mask Data unchecked, choose Squares from drop-down box. In layer palette right click and choose Merge, Merge Group. Add Drop Shadow: V & H 1, Opacity 100, Blur 1, Black. Name this layer mask.
Step 4 Copy and Paste your tube as New Layer. Resize if needed, I resized mine by 85%. Add Effects / 3D Effects / Drop Shadow: V & H 3, Opacity 65, Blur 8, Black. Name this layer tube.
Step 5 Select Text Tool. Add text and / or name with font and size of choice. I used Comic Sans Ms, Size 70, Bold, Stroke 0.5, Kearning 50. Colors FG - Black, BG - brchamp pattern or your choice, Angle 0, Scale 100. Place where you like. Optional: Inner Bevel: Bevel #2, 9, 0, 2, 0, 0, White, 315, 50, 30. Drop Shadow: V & H 2, Opacity 65, Blur 5, Black. Name text or name.
Step 6 Add your copyright(s) and / or watermark. Name layers CR and / or WM. Save as .pspimage to make future changes. Use JPEG Optimizer at default settings. Click on curved arrow to get default setting and Save as .jpg to send to group.

All done! I hope you have enjoyed my tutorial. Remember this is just a guide. Experiment using different colors, gradients or patterns, images and settings. Any questions you can reach me at kay.winters@insightbb.com. This tutorial was written 3/13/09 by © Kaye’z Designz

The Cat's Meow

Click on image to view animation.

This tutorial is copyrighted to Kaye @ Kaye’z Designz. You may print out for personal use but do not post to any site or distribute as your own. Any resemblance to others online is purely coincidental.
Supplies Needed: Paint Shop Pro any version, I used X2. You can get it from COREL. Tube of choice. You may use your own color, gradient or pattern. Font of choice. Notes: Open tube in PSP. Save often.

Step 1 Open new canvas 500 X 500. Flood Fill with white or color of choice. Name this layer BG.
Step 2 Copy and Paste tube as New Layer.
Step 3 Select Preset Shape Tool - Ellipse. Vector, Line Width 2 black, background null. Draw out circle starting at 100 X 100 to 400 X 400. Use your Ruler as guide. Do Not Convert to Raster Layer. Resize tube and move it to fit inside circle.
Step 4 With Magic Wand click inside circle. Selections / Invert, select tube layer and hit Delete to be sure tube is not outside circle. Selections / Invert again to put marching ants around circle. Selections / Modify / Expand by 1.
Step 5 Add 4 layers below circle but above BG layer. Starting at bottom name them grad1 thru grad4. On these 4 layers click on layer link toggle till there is a 1 in each box. This will prevent layers from moving separately and stop any jumping.
Step 6 On your material palette choose two colors from your tube. Change foreground to back / fore gradient with these settings: Style Radial, Angle 0, Repeats 3, Invert unchecked, Center Point H 50, V 100.
Step 7 Activate grad1 layer, should be the bottom one. Flood Fill with gradient. Move up 1 layer and in material palette change Repeats to 5. Do this for the other two layers changing Repeats to 7 and 9. Deselect.
Step 8 Go to your tube layer and with Magic Wand select parts to add Noise to, I selected the eyes. Duplicate 3 times for total of 4. Click on layer link toggle till there is a 2 in each box to prevent jumping.
Step 9 Activate bottom tube layer. Go to DSB Flux / Bright Noise: Intensity 35, Mix ticked. Keep moving up one layer and increase Intensity by 5 on remaining tube layers, leave Mix ticked. Deselect.
Step 10 Go to your vector circle. Select your Text Tool use font and size of choice. Hover the cursor over circle until you get an A with half circle under it. Type your text and when it is to your liking click on plus sign in layer palette and close off circle by clicking on the eye. Optional: Add Inner Bevel and Drop Shadow of choice.
Step 11 Add your name and / or watermark. Add any copyrights if required.

ANIMATION
Step 1 Open Animation Shop. Back in PSP close off grad2, 3 & 4 and also copy of tube, copy (2) of tube and copy (3) of tube. Copy Merged, Go to Animation Shop and Paste as New Animation. Back in PSP close off grad1 and tube layers. Open next layer up (2) and Copy Merged return to Animation Shop and Paste after Current Frame.
Step 2 Continue this selecting copies 3 and 4 and closing previous layers as you go until you have 4 frames in Animation Shop. Click on Filmstrip icon to View Animation. If you like what you have save animation. When you click on Save you will be presented with several screens.
Step 3 On the first one push slider all the way to top. Click on Customize. Under Color Tab: Number of colors should be 255, Optimized Octree and Error Diffusion should be checked. Under Optimization Tab: Check 3 middle boxes and leave top and bottom boxes unchecked. Click Next, Next, Next this screen will show optimization results which shows the difference between current file and optimized file. Look at size of optimized file if this file is still too big cancel out of save and go back and resize or cull the animation. If size is okay click Finish.

All done! I hope you have enjoyed my tutorial. Remember this is just a guide. Experiment using different colors, gradients or patterns, images and settings. Any questions you can reach me at kay.winters@insightbb.com.
This tutorial was published 6/16/09 by Kaye’z Designz.