Frame Stack

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 use a mask.  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 these plugins:

Scribe Plugins
Toadies

Download this Bow overlay tube

1.  Open up the photo or image that you want to use.  SHIFT+D to duplicate it; close the original.  It is best to use a HORIZONTAL picture (where the width is longer than the height)

2.  Resize the duplicate so that the width is 500 px, and the height is smaller.

3.  SHIFT+D to duplicate again.  Minimize one copy for later use.

4.  On the second copy:  Effects > Plugins > Scribe > 4way Mirror.  This plugin will automatically apply when you click on 4way Mirror

5.  Effects > Plugins > Toadies > Weaver.  Set:  Width & Height = 59, cell edges = 255

6.  Effects > Distortion > Pixelate.  Set Width & height = 50

7.  Effects > Texture Effects > Texture:  Set:  Texture = Paper Coarse, size = 25%, smoothness = 10, depth = 3, ambience = 0, shininess = 0, color = white, angle = 315, intensity = 50, elevation = 30

8.  Image > Canvas Size, set width = 600, height  = 500, placement = center

9.  Right-click on the pixelated layer and choose Duplicate.

10.  Image > Free Rotate.  Direction = right, degrees = 90, UNcheck all layers

11.  Choose the raster Deform Tool

12.  Bring the top center node down, and the bottom center node up  to shrink the top and bottom a bit.

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

14.  Adjust> Hue and Saturation > Colorize.  Play around with the slider to get the color that you like.  I picked a red shade from my image.

15.  Choose the Ellipse SHAPE tool

16.  In the toolbar at the top, set the shape to circle, UNcheck show nodes, and create as vector

17.  Layers > New Raster Layer

18.  Foreground color = NULL, background color = White.  Draw a large circle that takes up most of the graphic. 

19.  With the magic wand, select the white circle.  Selection > Modify > Contract Selection by 8 pixels.

20.  NOW, open the duplicate image that you minimized at the bottom of PSP desktop.  Edit > Copy

21.  Click back on your circle image.  Edit > Paste Into.

22.  Adjust > Blur > Gaussian Blur.  Radius = 5

23.  Selection > None

24.  Effects > 3D Effects > Drop Shadow.  Vertical & Horizontal = 1, Opacity = 100, Blur = 2, color = black

25.  Repeat the drop shadow, but change Vertical and Horizontal to NEGATIVE 1

26.  Layers > New Raster Layer

27.  Choose the Rectangle Selection tool.  In the Toolbar at the top, choose Custom selection

28.  Set:  Top = 100, left = 300, right = 600, bottom = 400

29.  Flood-fill the selection with a color from your graphic

30.  Effects > Textures > Texture.  Use the same settings as before

31.  Layers > New Raster Layer

32.  With the Ellipse SHAPE tool, same settings as before, draw a white circle.

33.  With the magic wand, click on the white circle to select it.  Selection > Modify > Contract Selection by 8 pixels.

34.  Open up the duplicate image again.  Edit > Copy

35.  Click back on your circle image.  Edit > Paste Into  Selection > None

36.  Effects > 3D Effects > Drop Shadow  Vertical & Horizontal = 1, Opacity = 100, blur = 2, color = black

37.  Repeat the drop shadow but change the Vertical & Horizontal to NEGATIVE 1

38.  Right-click on circle layer and choose Merge > Merge Down

39.  With the mover tool move this circle/square into position on the right side of the image.

40  Right-click on this circle/square layer and choose Duplicate.

41.  Image > Mirror

42.  Layers > New Raster Layer

43.  Choose the Rectangle SHAPE tool.  Foreground = Null, background = white

44.  Draw a white rectangle, like so

45.  With the Magic wand, select the white rectangle.  Selection > Modify > Contract Selection by 8 pixels.

46.  Open up the duplicate image.  Edit > Copy.  Then click back on the rectangle image.  Edit > Paste into.  Selection > None

47.  Repeat the two Drop Shadow steps.  First, with Vertical & horizontal = 1, then with Vertical & Horizontal = NEGATIVE 1

48.  Layers > New Raster Layer.

49.  Now we are going to make the little ribbon ties.  Choose the Rectangle SELECTION tool, and draw a small rectangle selection from circle frame to square, like so

50.  Flood-fill the selection with the same color choice as before.

51.  Selection > None

52.  Image > Free Rotate.  Left, Free = 10

53.  Effects > 3D Effects > Drop Shadow.  Vertical & Horizontal = 1, Opacity = 75, blur = 5, color = black

54.  Choose the Warp Brush tool

55.  Set the warp mode to push, and size = 20

56.  Use the warp brush in the center of the ribbon where it overlaps the white frame.  Gently push the top (left-click and drag down) and then the bottom (left-click and drag up) to make the center squeeze in.

57.  Click on the Green Check to apply the warp.

58.  Right-click on the tiny ribbon layer and choose Duplicate.

59.  Image > Flip

60.  Use the mover tool, to line up the ribbons, then right-click on the top ribbon layer and choose Merge > Merge Down

61. Choose the paintbrush tool, set to round, size = 10, hardness = 100, step = 1, density & opacity = 100

62.  Layers > New Raster Layer

63.  With the paintbrush tool, left-click ONCE where the ribbons cross each other to make a knot.  Use the SAME color as you did for the ribbon.  I used yellow so that you could see where I was clicking.

64.  Effects > 3D Effects > Inner Bevel  Set:  Bevel = pie, width = 25, smoothness = 25, depth = 3, ambience = 0, shininess = 50, color = white, angle = 315, intensity = 50, elevation = 28

65.  Effects > 3D Effects > Drop Shadow.  Vertical & Horizontal = 1, Opacity = 75, blur = 5, color = black

66.  Right-click on knot layer and choose Merge > Merge Down

67.  Right-click on the top layer and choose Duplicate.

68.  Image > Flip

69.  Use the mover tool to fix the second ribbon as necessary.  Right-click on top layer and choose Merge > Merge Down

70.  Right-click on the ribbons layer and choose Duplicate

71.  Image > Mirror

72.  Layers > New Raster Layer

73.  Choose the paintbrush tool.  Set shape = square, size = 10, Step = 200.  Foreground color = black

74.  Left-click ONCE  above the rectangle frame at left corner. 

75.  Then hold SHIFT key down and left click above right corner.  This will produce a straight line across.  (The step setting made the spaces between the squares)

76.  Right-click on squares layer and choose Duplicate

77.  Image > Flip.  With mover tool, move into position underneath the frame.

78.  Open up the bow tube.  Image > Resize, resize to about 100 pixels wide. 

79.  Selection > Float.  Selections > Defloat

80.  Layers New Raster Layer

81.  Flood-fill the selection with the color you have been using.

82.  Set the layer blend mode to DARKEN

83.  Right-click on top color and choose Merge > Merge down

84.  Edit > Copy

85.  Click back on the frame images, and choose Edit > Paste as New Layer.

86.  Choose the raster deform tool, and if necessary  drag the top left corner into the center to make the bow smaller.

87.  Drag the bow up to the top right corner and use the center handle to rotate the bow a little.

88.  Apply a drop shadow to the bow:  Effects > 3D Effects > Drop Shadow, same settings as before BUT... if you CHECK create shadow on a new layer, then you'll be able to erase the part of the shadow that extends beyond the stacked frames so that it will save nicely as a GIF.

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

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