Tutorial Seven

Using Masks and Frames

In this tutorial you will be using a mask and a frame to make a simple tag.

The supplies you will need you can download Here.

Unzip the file to your desktop or a folder and open the folder so you can view the contents. It contains the psp image you will need to create your tag, and a mask. The psp image is a Snickers Doodle creation, created by Allie who has sadly passed away.It is the wish of her family that they continue to be used. You will find the TOU in the zip file. The mask is a very simple circle gradient and I have included it in in the zip file..

In order to use the mask, PSP needs to know where to find it.

Open your My Documents folder on your PC. Create a folder and call it Masks Copy and paste the mask from the supplies to the folder. masks. In Paint Shop fo to File/Preferences/ File Locations:-

Click on File Locations and the following box will appear:-

On the left hand side you will see a list of File Types. scroll down and highlight "Masks", then click on "Add" on the right hand side.

Browse your folders and find the "Masks" Folder you created:-

Click on OK, then OK again on the original box. Your program now knows to look in that folder as well as the default folder fo masks. You can create more than one folder for your masks, but it is advisable to only have a few enabled at a time or your program will freeze. To enable/disable a folder, go to File /Preferences/File Locations and highlight the Folder you wish to change, then tick the enable box as below:-

You can use this method to store and access any file types.

You are now ready to start making your tag.

Open the psp image that was in the zip file and minimise it to your workspace.

Open a new image :-

Set your colours to a dark and pale blue from your image colours. I used #3b617c as the foreground colour and #9db4c5 as my background layer. Flood fill the image with your foreground colour. Add a new Raster Layer and flood fill with the background colour. (Remember left click on your flood fill tool is foreground colour, right click is background)

Now we are going to add the mask, which if you remember from the Understanding Layers Tutorial, will change the opacity of areas of the image. Click on Layers in your Menu Bar and find Load/save mask, load mask from disk:-

Click and a box will open enabling you to find the mask you added to your Masks Folder:-

You will find the mask by clicking on the drop down menu on the left and looking for the mask. The one we are using is shown above. For this tag you need to have the boxes I have arrowed checked as above. Click on load. Your image should now look like this:-

Now go to your layers palette, you will see these layers:-

Right click on the Mask layer and Merge Group then rename your layer Mask :-

Next you need to open the teddy psp image. Right click onto it, making sure that the teddy bear layer is active and click on copy, then right click on your image and paste as a new layer. Your teddy will be sitting nicely centred in the image. Add a drop shadow:-

And then repeat the drop shadow changing the Vertical and Horizontal settings to -4, rename this layer Tube:-

Now make the copyright layer active, and cut and paste that layer as well, move it to the bottom of the teddy so that it is legible but not detracting from your image. It is advisable to place it on theimage if possible, so that no-one can crop the image removing the credit.

Now we can add some text. Click on the text tool and choose a font and use the following settings:-

Pick a darker colour for your text. I used #15304b. When you are happy with the position and size of your text, right click on the text vector layer in the layer palette and convert it to a Raster Layer. Add a drop shadow with these settings:-

Your image should now look something like this:-

Now is the time to add your "Tagged By" or watermark layer. Some people like to make a symbol type mark unique to them, others just type Tagged by X in a small font. A Pixel Font is ideal for both adding copyrights and your mark. Pixilated and Sober are two good ones and they can be downloaded Here

You could just save this tag now, but it would look better with a frame ?

Ok,click on "Image" in the top menu bar, scroll down and you will see Picture frame:-

Click on that and the following box will appear:-

Click on the drop down and locate a frame which you like. I chose a simple ragged edge just to soften the edges of the tag. Make sure you have the same boxes checked as the shot above. You will see a preview of what your tag will look like in the right hand box. Click on OK, and your picture is framed.

Now save your picture as a psp image before merging all your layers:-

Now you can save or export your tag as a jpeg and the tutorial is finished.

If you have any queries on this tutorial , please contact me. I would also love to see your results.

This Tutorial was written in July 2010 by Helen Peachey, and the concept of the tutorial is copyrighted.
Please feel free to LINK to the tutorial and/or print it out for your personal use,
but please do not copy it in any way to put online, pass out or re-write without permission.
The image you create using this tutorial is for you to do what you wish except for monetary gains or for merchandising.
© Peachies Designs and Tutorials. Any Resemblance to another tutorial is purely coincidental.