Tree Ornament

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 an ornament tree.  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 this preset.  Place it in your  c:/My Documents/My PSP Files/Presets folder.

1.  Set your foreground color to black, and background color to white.

2.  Open a new, transparent image, size 400 x 400 pixels

3.  Choose the selection tool.  Set it to circle.  Left-click in the center and drag out a circle selection.

4.  Flood-fill the selection with the pattern or color of your choice.

5.  Effects > Artistic Effects > Balls and Bubbles.  In the drop-down menu find the RDBOrnament preset.  Click apply.

6.  Choose the Rectangle shape tool

7. CHECK Show Nodes, Create on Vector

Set width = 8

8.  Set foreground color = NULL, and background color = gold.  Draw a rectangle on top of the ornament, to be the ornament cap.  Left-click on the top right-node and drag to the left for a little bit.  This will round the corners

9.  Right-click on the cap layer and choose Convert to Raster Layer.

10.  Effects > Textures > Blinds Apply these settings:  width = 4, opacity = 40, Color = medium gray, UNcheck Horizontal, CHECK light from left/top

11.  Right-click on the top layer and choose Merge > merge visible.

12.  Set this ornament aside, open up a new image and create another ornament.

13.  After you have made all the ornaments that you wish to use, open up a new, transparent image, size 500 x 800.

14.  Choose one of your ornaments.  Edit > Copy.

15.  Click back on the new image.  Edit > Paste as new Layer.

16.  Choose the Raster deform tool.  This will place a deform box around your ornament.  Left-click on one of the corner nodes and drag in towards the center to shrink your ornament to a reasonable size for the tree.  Then grab the center handle (see black circle) and drag downward to rotate the ornament.

17.  Right-click on the ornament and choose Duplicate.

18.  Start building your tree, using the mover tool to move the ornaments into position.  You may want to reflect some of the ornaments.  Image > Mirror

19.  Add in a second color ornament.  Make these ornaments a different size.  Duplicate and move them into position to finish out the tree shape.  I only used 2 color ornaments, but you can use more.

20.  When you are satisfied with your tree shape,  Right-click on the top layer and choose Merge > Merge visible.

21.  Choose the Symmetric Shape tool

22.  Apply these settings:  Star shape, Create on Vector, Number of sides = 5.

23.  Set foreground color = NULL, background color = gold gradient.  Draw a star near the top of the tree.  When you have your star drawn, use the vector box to move the star into position.

24.  Right-click on the star vector layer and choose Convert to raster.

25.  Image > Add/Remove Noise > Noise  Gaussian, 50%, Monochrome

26.  Effects > 3D Effects > Inner Bevel.  Apply these settings:  Pie bevel, width = 14, smoothness = 15, depth = 5, ambience = 0, shininess = 50, color = white, angle = 19, intensity = 45, elevation = 30.

27.  Choose the pen tool

set the pen tool to bezier curve, CHECK connect segments, CHECK create on vector, CHECK show nodes

Set width = 75.  Set foreground = gold gradient, background = NULL

28.  Read instructions completely before trying:

Left-click once somewhere on the left side of your tree (see #1).  But then as you right-click somewhere on the right (see #2), at the same time you will drag the mouse out to the right and up (see #3).  You will see an arrow create at that point, and as you drag, the ribbon will curve.  Do not release the mouse button until you are satisfied with the curve you made.

If you do release the mouse button, you will have to grab the end or tip of the arrow and drag it up or down to rotate and curve the ribbon.

29.  Choose the text tool.  Set it for Floating.  I chose Times New Roman, size = 60.

30.  Left-click on the center of the ribbon AFTER the cursor changes to an A with a little curve under it.  Then type your text.  Your text should curve along with the ribbon.  But the text has a selection around it.

31.  Right-click on the text layer and choose Promote Selection to Layer.  Selection > None

32.  Right-click on the vector layer (underneath the text layer) and choose Convert to Raster layer

33.  I added the same noise to the ribbon that I added to the star.

34.  Now we are going to touch up the ribbon to make it look bent on the edges.  Choose the lasso tool and set it to Freehand, Feather = 25

35.  Draw a lasso around one end of the ribbon.  Do a small section.  Remember, the feather will make it larger.

36.  Adjust > Brightness and Contrast > Brightness/Contrast  Brightness = -75, Contrast = 0  (Depending on your color, you may have to change the brightness)

37.  Now darken the other end of the ribbon.

38.  Now merge everything VISIBLE.  Layer > Merge > merge visible.

39.  Save this as a pspimage for use later in other projects.

40.  Save this as a GIF to share in the group/emails.  File > Export > GIF Optimizer.

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