PSP X2-- Butterfly Frame

I own the intellectual copyright for the written tutorial. What you make is yours, but please do not take my tutorial. Share only my link.

This tutorial is intended for beginners to learn how to create a frame with a twisted ribbon. 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 X2, but the steps may also be done in any version. You may download a free trial at Corel.

http://www.mcuniverse.com/FP-Butterfly-Chromosome.1106.0.html (butterflips)

Open the butterfly font file on your desktop. Open the ribbon file from the zip in PSP. Let's begin!

1. Open a new, transparent image, size 400x400

2. Flood-fill it with gradient, color, or pattern of your choice.

3. Select > All

4. Select > Modify > Contract, contract by 3 pixels

5. press the DELETE key.

6. Select > Modify > Contract, contract by 2 pixels.

7. Flood-fill the selection with the same color.

8. Select > Modify > Contract, contract by 2 pixels

9. Press the DELETE key

10. Select > Modify > Contract, contract by 2 pixels

11. Fill the selection with the same color/gradient/pattern.

12. Select > Modify > Contract, contract by 1 pixel

13. Press DELETE key

14. Selections > Select None

15. Your frame should look like this. Now. We need more room to add the butterflies and the ribbon.

16. Image > canvas size. Change width and height to 500 pixels

17. Open the ribbon file from the zip. Image > Resize. Change the height = 425 pixels

18. Edit > Copy.

19. Click back on the frame image. edit > paste as New Layer. With the mover tool, move the ribbon into position over the left part of the frame, like in the image below.

If you want the ribbon to match the color of your frame: Adjust > Hue & Saturation > Hue/Saturation and choose the color.

20. Right-click on the ribbon LAYER in the layer palette and choose Duplicate

21. In the layer palette, move the duplicate layer to the bottom, below the frame.

22. In the Layer Palette, click on the middle layer (the frame layer)

23. With the magic wand, select OUTSIDE the frame. Hold the SHIFT key down and select INSIDE the innermost frame.

22. Selections > Invert. The frame bars should be selected now

23. Choose the eraser tool. Set: Shape = square, size = 25, hardness = 100, Opacity = 100.

24. In the Layer Palette, click on the TOP layer so that you will be erasing parts of the ribbon. Now carefully erase the part of the ribbon that curves behind the frame (see pink arrows).

25. Selections > Select None

26. Right-click on the bottom layer and choose duplicate.

27. Image > mirror

28. Repeat Steps 26 & 27 with the top ribbon layer. Now you should have the wrapped ribbon on both sides of the frame.

29. Choose your text tool. Set the font to your butterfly font (I chose Butterflips). Set size (I chose 72 pixels). Create as a VECTOR, stroke = 1.0, line style = solid

30. Choose the same color or pattern as before for the BACKGROUND. Set foreground = NULL

31. Type a letter to get the butterfly ding of your choice. Grab the CENTER node of the butterfly and move the butterfly to the top left corner.

32. Effects > 3D Effects > Drop Shadow. Apply these settings: Vertical & Horizontal = 1, opacity = 100, blur = 1, color = black

33. Right-click on the top (butterfly) layer and choose duplicate.

34. Image > Mirror

35. Now Click on each layer in turn and apply the same drop shadow.

You can make a two-toned frame by adjusting the colors of the ribbon or the frame:

Adjust > Hue & Saturation > Hue/Saturation

36. When you're happy with your frame. Layers > Merge > Merge Visible.

37. Now save this frame for future use: File > Save As, and save in PNG or as pspimage.