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 a rewrite of another tutorial that I have written for an earlier version of PSP.  It is intended for beginners to learn how to use selection shapes and the pen tool.  If you have any questions, please feel free to email me.

To do this tutorial you will also need Paint Shop Pro.  I wrote this with  Paint Shop Pro 9, but the steps may also be done in any version.  You may download a free trial at Jasc.

Remember to save as a psp file often!

1.  Open a new transparent image, size 600 x 600

2.  Choose the selection tool, and set it to ellipse.  Draw out a long ellipse.

3.  Flood-fill the ellipse with black.

4.  In the top menu, click Selections > Modify > Contract Selection.  contract by 15.

5.  Press the delete key on the keyboard.

6.  Then In the top menu, click selections > Modify > Contract Selection.  Contract by 5.

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

8.  On the new layer, flood-fill the smaller ellipse selection with black.

9.  Choose the pen tool and set to the settings below:  (straight line, create as vector, width = 15)

10.  Set the foreground to black, and background to null.

11.  In the top menu, click Layers > New Raster Layer

12.  Starting at the top center of the screen, and holding the SHIFT key down, draw a line from top to bottom dividing the ellipse in half.  Holding the shift key down will guarantee that the line will be completely vertical & straight.

13.  Right-click on the vector layer and choose Duplicate

14.  In the top menu, click Image > Rotate > Free Rotate.  Set Direction = Right, Degrees = 90.

15.  Click on the eyes of the bottom two layers (the two ellipses) and HIDE those layers.  Then click on the top vector layer to highlight it.

16.  Right-click on the vector layer and choose Merge > Merge Visible.

17.  Then right-click on the merged layer and choose Duplicate.

18.  In the top menu, click Image > Rotate > Free Rotate.  Set Direction = Right, Degrees = Free, 30 degrees.

19.  Right-click on the top copy of Merged layer and choose Duplicate.

20.   In the top menu, click Image > Rotate > Free Rotate.  Set Direction = Right, Degrees = Free, 30 degrees.

21.  The bottom two layers should still be HIDDEN.  click on the top merged layer to highlight it.

22.  Right-click on the top layer and choose Merge > Merge Visible.

23.  In the top menu, click Selections > Select All.  Then click Selections > Float.  Then click Selections > Defloat.

24.  In the Layer Palette, click on the bottom oval layer.  Press the DELETE key.  selections > None.

25.  Now right-click on the top layer (the bars) and choose Delete.  You don't need this layer anymore.

26.  UNHIDE both layers that are left.  These two layers should be the broken oval layer and the center oval layer.  Right-click on the top oval layer and choose Merge > Merge Visible.

27.  NOW SAVE this as your broken oval frame template (in case you want to use it again).  Save it in psp format.

28.  Working on the frame, hold the shift key down and Press the D key.  This will duplicate the frame.  You can close your template.

29.  In the top menu, click Selections > Select All.  Then Selection > Float.  Then Selection > Defloat.

30.  In the top menu, click Selection > Modify > Expand Selection.  Expand by 1.

31.  Flood-fill the frame with gold gradient or your choice of trim color.

32.  In the top menu, click Selections > Modify > Contract Selection.  Contract by 3.

33.  Open up the graphic that you wish to put into the frame.  In the top menu, click Edit > Copy.

34.  Click back on the oval frame.  In the top menu, click Edit > Paste > Paste Into Selection

35.  (Optional)  In the top menu, click Effects > Plugins > Flaming Pear > Superbladepro  and apply a glass like preset.  I used M_coconutice.   You could also use Eye Candy's Glass plugin instead.

36.  Save this graphic as a GIF.  File> Export > GIF Optimizer.

You can also use the various shape tools to make other broken frames.

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