Boxed Lines Tag

I wrote this tutorial on my own.  Any similarity to another tutorial is purely coincidental.  I claim the copyright to my tutorial.  You are free to do whatever you please with what you make, but please do not take my tutorial.  Do not send the tutorial through email.  Only share my link.

This tutorial is intended for a beginner to learn about mask layers  If you have any questions, please feel free to email  me.

To do this tutorial you will also need Photoshop CS.  I used CS 2.  You may download a free trial at Adobe.

Remember to save as a .psd file often!

You will need to download this mask:  Box Lines Mask.  Right-click on the mask and choose Save As Target.  This mask was created by me!

1.  Open up a new, transparent image, size = 400 x 400 pixels.

2.  Choose the gradient tool.  This may show as the paint bucket tool in your tool menu.  Right-click on the paintbucket tool and choose the Gradient tool.

3.  Choose the gradient color you wish to use.  Then Draw the gradient by clicking in the top left corner, holding, and dragging to the bottom right corner and releasing the mouse.

4.  Open up the Box Lines Mask.  In the top menu click Edit > Copy.

5.  Click back on the tag image.  In the top menu, click Edit > Paste.  This pastes the mask as a new layer.

6.  Choose the magic wand tool, set to tolerance = 10.  Click on the white space of the mask.

7.  In the top menu, click Layer > New > Layer.

8.  Edit > Fill > Color.  Chose a color to fill.  I chose a red.

9.  Right-click on the mask Layer and choose Delete Layer.  Selection > None

10.  Right-click on the top layer and choose Blending Options.  Click on the WORDS Drop Shadow.  Apply these Settings:  Blend Mode = Normal, Color = Black, Opacity = 100%, Angle = 38, Distance = 1, Spread = 0, Size = 1

11.  In the top menu, click Select > All

12.  In the top menu, click Select > Transform Selection

13.  Drag the center nodes on each side, inward about 100 pixels, each way.

14.  In the top menu, click Layer > New > Layer.

15.  Edit > Fill > Color, using the same color as the fill before.

16.  Right-click on this layer and choose Blending Options.  Click on the WORDS Drop Shadow and apply these settings:  Blend Mode= Normal, Color = Black, Opacity = 100%, Angle = 140, Distance = 1, Spread = 0, Size = 5

17.  In the top menu, Layer > New > Layer

18.  Open up the transparent image (tube) that you wish to use.  In the top menu, click Image > Size.  Change the width or height so that they are no bigger than 210 pixels.

19.  In the top menu, click Edit > Copy.

20.  Click back on the tag image and click Edit > Paste Into.

21.  In the Layer Palette, change the Opacity of this Layer to 25%.

22.  In top menu, click Edit > Paste.  You should get ANOTHER layer of the tube.

23.  In the top menu, click Edit > Transform > Scale.  Click on the lock between the Width & Height percents of the scale toolbar, and then on the image drag the top left corner inward, making the tube slightly smaller than the shadow of the tube from the previous layer.

24.  Add your text using whatever font, color, size you want.

25.  In the top menu, click Layers > Merge Visible.

26.  Now save this tag as a JPEG.  File > Save as.

 Please do not remove this tutorial from my site.  Share my url.