Dotted Text

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 dotted text.  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.

Remember to save as a psp file often!

Download CPK Designs > CK Pegs  filter.  (or you can use the Color Dots filter from penta.com)

1.  Choose a photo of your choice.  It needs to be at least 500 pixels across.  SHIFT +D to duplicate.  Close the original.

2.  Layers > Promote Background Layer

3.  With the Rectangle selection tool, select a rectangle area of your image to use for the background of your text

4.  Selections Invert

5.  Press the delete key

6.  Selections > Invert

7.  Image > Crop to Selection

8.  Right-click on the layer palette and choose Duplicate

9.  Choose the font of your choice.  It needs to be a "fat" font.  I chose Vagabond.  Size = 72, CREATE as VECTOR

10.  Set foreground = NULL, background = white

11. Type your text

12.  Pull the nodes upward and outward to expand the letters so that they take up the entire image.

13.  Right-click on the text layer and choose Convert to Raster Layer

14.  Select > All     Select > Float     Select > Defloat          Your words should be selected, and you still have 3 layers in your layer palette

15.  Selections > Invert

16.  In the Layer Palette, click on middle layer and press dELETE key

17.  Change the Layer blend mode of the TOP layer to Darken

18.  Selections > Invert

19.  Selection > Modify > Contract by 3 pixels

20.  Right-click on top layer and choose Merge > merge down

21.  Right-click on top layer and choose Duplicate

22.  Effects > Plugins > CK Pegs    Size = 1, spacing = 4

23.  Slide the opacity of the top layer to 66

24.  Right-click on the top layer and choose Merge > Merge Down

25.  Effects > 3D Effects > Drop Shadow   Apply:  Vertical & Horizontal = 2, opacity = 75, blur = 5, color = black

26.  Image > Canvas size.  Set width = 800, height = 500

27.  Open the tube that you want to use.  Image > Resize so that largest size is 100 pixels.  Edit > Copy

28.  Click back on name tag.  Edit > Paste > As New Layer.  With the mover tool, move it into position.

29.  Foreground color = black, set background color = a color from your tag.  Type your name to fit on top of the tag.

30.  I dragged the name layer below the tube layer

31.  Choose the rectangle selection tool.  Click on the Merged Opaque button

32.  Image > Crop to selection

33. Save this as a GIF.  File > Export > GIF Optimizer.

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