This tutorial was created for some friends of mine who wanted to begin learning more about PSP.  It is intended for upper beginners to learn how to use selections.  If you have any questions, please feel free to email me.

This tutorial uses puzzle masks that I have made.  Click on the link to download the zipped file of my selections, then unzip into a folder onto your hard drive.  Download Selections

To do this tutorial you will also need Paint Shop Pro.  I used Paint Shop Pro 8, but you can use Paint Shop Pro 7.  You may download a free trial at Jasc.

Remember to save as a psp file often!

Before we begin, you might want to study the PSP tool bars.  I have labeled the tools on another page.  Click on the link and it will open a new page.  You may want to keep this page open while you work on the tutorial, to refer to the names now and then.  PSP Tools

Now that you have studied the tools, let's begin!

1.  Open one of the Puzzle Masks that you downloaded for the tutorial.  I used Puzzle1RDB.jpg

2.  Hold the Shift key down on the keyboard and press D.  This duplicates the mask.  Close the original.  Save the duplicate as missingpiece.psp

3.  Open the tube that you want to use.  Press Shift and D on keyboard to duplicate.  Close the original. 

4.  In the top menu, click Image > Resize and resize your tube so that your longest dimension is 280.  Make sure you have chosen pixels.

5.  In top menu click Adjust > Sharpen > Unsharp Mask  (this is in Effects menu for PSP 7)

6.  In top menu, click Edit > Copy and then click on your white image to activate it.  Then click Edit > Paste >Paste as New Layer.  So now your tube is on top of the white puzzle mask.

7.  In the Layer's Palette, right-click on the bottom layer, and rename puzzle pattern.  Then right-click on the top layer, and rename tube.

8.  Hide the tube layer by click on the eyes and making a red X.  Then click on the bottom layer to activate the Puzzle pattern.

9.  Choose your magic wand tool set to tolerance = 30, and click on the black puzzle piece in your mask.

10.  Now activate the Tube layer.

11.  Right-click on that layer and select Promote Selection to Layer.

12.  Now Hide the Promoted Selection Layer and the tube layer.  Activate the Puzzle Pattern layer.

13.  Set your magic wand to tolerance=0. Click on a white puzzle piece

14.  In top menu click on Selections > Modify > Select Similar. Set Tolerance =10, continguous

15.  Then click Selections > Invert

16.  In Layer Palette activate the tube layer and UNHIDE.

17.  Click Edit > Clear  and you will delete the puzzle lines and black puzzle piece from your tube.

18.  Right-click on the Puzzle Pattern layer and click Delete.  We don't need that layer anymore!

19.  Activate tube layer.  In top menu, choose Effects > 3D Effects > Drop Shadow.  Apply these settings:  Vertical = 1, Horizontal = 1, Opacity =100, blur = 2, and color = black.

20.  Apply a Drop Shadow the second time but change the veritical and horizontal to - 1 (negative)

21.  Activate the Promoted Selection layer.  In top menu click Image > Rotate > Free rotate.  Apply this rotation:  check right (or left) , check free, type in 50 degrees. 

22.  With the mover tool, move the puzzle piece somewhere near the bottom of your tube so that it looks like it's fallen there.  See pic below.

23.  Right-click on the Promoted Selection Layer and choose Duplicate.

24.  On the Copy of Promoted Selection layer Apply a Drop Shadow with these settings:  vertical = 0, horizontal = 0, opacity = 100, blur = 10, color = black

25.  Choose your magic wand and set the match mode to "All Opaque".

26.  Activate the tube layer and click somewhere on your tube (to select all of the tube).

27.  Hold the Shift key down, and activate the promoted selection layer.  Click on your puzzle piece.  Now your selection area includes your tube and puzzlepiece together.

28.  In top menu, click Selection > Invert

29.  Activate the Copy of Promoted Selection Layer, and click Edit > Clear.

30.  Select Layers > Merge > Merge Visible

Save your tag!  Now you can add text 

Here's another one:

 
 
 

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