Whimsy Frame

This tutorial was created on August 24, 2002.  If it bears any resemblance to another tutorial on the net, it is pure coincidence.  The skills that you will learn here are your own, and I hope that you will fine them useful.  In this tutorial, I will assume that you have a basic working knowledge of PSP, and is made for the intermediate skill level.  I will not be using screen shots in this tutorial.  If you have any trouble, feel free to contact me, and I will do what I can to help.

These are the materials that you will need:  You will need Paint Shop Pro, or course.  I use Version 7.04, but I am sure it will work in other versions as well.  You can download a trial version of Paint Shop Pro from COREL.  You will also need the Screen Works plug in, which you can get from Cybia.  This is a free plug in, and while you are there, you might want to check out the rest of their site.  Extract this plug in into your plug in's folder in PSP.  You can also use Filters Unlimited.  This is not a free plug in, and it is optional for this tutorial.  If you have it, use it (or buy it).

You will also need the tube that I have used, or use one of your own that you really like.  You can download the tube, and the gold tile that I have used for the fill around the borders HERE.  Open both image files and minimize them on your workspace.

Open a new image, 375 by 375, 72 million colors on a transparent background. Name it and save it now, and don't forget to save it after every step.
New layer. Edit/Copy the angel, and paste it as a new layer onto your blank canvas.
Select/Select All. Now go to Image/Crop to Selection.
Give your angel a drop shadow. Effects/Drop Shadow, V and H at - 4, Opacity=65 and Blur=50, Color=black. Save.
With your selection tool set at square, make a square around the flowers and grasses at the bottom of the dress. Don't get too close to the edge. Now keep it selected, and go to Selections/Convert to Seamless Pattern. You will now have a separate seamless tile on your workspace that you can work with. Go ahead and minimise it if you like. On your main graphic, Select None, or right click on the graphic and the marching ants will disappear.
Highlight layer one in your layer pallet. If you have Filters Unlimited, go to Effects/I.C.Net Software and then choose Filters Unlimited/Render/Thin Clouds. Apply the filter and then colorize with Hue:170 and Saturation:100. If you do not have Filters Unlimited, flood fill with #B5B9D7. You can do it either way, but the cloud effect is kind of pretty here. On the Layer Pallet, change the layer blend mode for this layer to Color.
Add a new raster layer. Flood Fill with the tile that you just made from the image. Now on your layer pallet, change the layer blend mode to "screen", and lower the opacity to 50%.

** If you would like to save the blue flowers as a wall paper, turn off the image layer with the angel, by clicking on the eye glasses on the layer pallet, and highlight either layer 2 or three. Then go to Layers/Merge Visible. Make sure that your merged layer is highlighted, and then copy and paste as a new image. Then save this new image. **
Back to your angel image with all layers visible... If your image is not exactly on the edge of your workspace, use your mover tool to move it so that there is no blue showing on the bottom of her dress.
Change your background color to white, and add a symmetric border of 2 by going to Image/Add Borders.
Select this border with your magic wand, set at tolerance and feather 0. Flood fill this border with the gold tile.
Selections/Invert. Now go to Effects/3D Effects/Cutout with these settings: V and H=0, Opacity=75 and Blur=20.
Image/Add Border of 2, select this border and flood fill it with #B5B9D7.
Background color is white, then Image/Add Border of 2, select with magic wand, and flood fill with gold tile.
Image/Add Border of 25, select the border, and flood fill it with #B5B9D7. Keep selected, and go to Effects/Plug ins/Screen Works/Light Gauze.
Make sure that your background color is white, and add another border of 2 pixels. Select it, and flood fill it with the gold tile.
Selection/Invert and add the same cut out that you used before.
Image/Add Border of 2, select and flood fill it with #B5B9D7.
Background color is white, Image/Add Border of 2, select the border and flood fill with the gold tile.

You are done, except for the resizing. Do not forget to sharpen after your resize, and thank you for doing one of my tutorials!

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