Chopped Frame Stationery Tutorial

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Chopped Frame Stationery Tutorial

Download Tutorial Here and Supplies Here

Things Needed:
**Paint Shop Pro (this was done using v.9)
**Graphic of your choice (one that is wider will work best. It also needs to be at least 450x400 in size)
**My Selections Found Here
**Eye Candy 4000 (Chrome) Found Here
Please unzip selections and place in your PSP/Selections folder and install plugin before opening Paint Shop Pro

~All settings remain the same unless otherwise noted~
The Header/Frame

 1.  Open your graphic in Paint Shop Pro and choose a medium/darker color for your background.
(what I like to do is create a new raster image 100x100 and flood fill with the color I have chosen. This way if I lose my choice from my color palette, I still have it saved)

2.  Open a new transparent raster image 450x400

 3.  Make your graphic the active image and go to Edit/Copy (you can now minimize this)

 4.  Back to the new raster image and go to Edit/Paste/Paste as a new layer
 

 5.  Using your mover tool, position your graphic. You may need to resize by going to image/resize and resize using smart size and lock aspect ratio (make sure resize all layers is not checked) If you resize you may also need to sharpen your graphic (Adjust/Sharpness/Sharpen)

 6.  Again use your mover tool to position the graphic to where you are happy with it.....This will be the last chance to move it around so make sure you have the "Focal Point" of your graphic showing :)

 7.  Image/Add Borders and add a 1 pixel symetric black border

 8.  Image/Add Borders and add a 5 pixel symetric white border

 9.  Select the white border with your magic wand:
Mode=Replace, Match Mode=RGB Value, Tolerance=0, Sample Merged and Contiguous both checked, Feather=0, Anti-Alias is Not checked

10.  Edit/Paste/Paste into Selection

11.  Effects/Texture Effects/Mosaic-Glass and use the Default Settings

12.  Selections/Invert and go to Effects/3D Effects/Drop Shadow:
V&H=0, Opacity=100, Blur=12, Color=Black

13.  Select None

14.  Image/Add Border and add a 1 pixel black border

15.  Image/Add Border and add a 10 pixel white border

16.  Select white border with magic wand and go to Edit/Paste/Paste into Selection

17.  Effects/Texture Effects/Mosaic-Glass

18.  Image/Flip

19.  Selections/Invert

20.  Effects/3D Effects/Drop Shadow

21.  Selections/Select None

22.  Image/Add Borders and add a 1 pixel black border

23.  Image/Add Borders and add a 15 pixel white border

24.  Select white border with magic wand and then go to Edit/Paste/Paste into Selection

25.  Effects/Texture Effects/Mosaic-Glass

26.  Image/Mirror

27.  Selections/Invert

28.  Effects/3D Effects/Drop Shadow

29.  Select None

30.  Image/Add Borders and add a 2 pixel black border

31.  Edit/Copy (You can now minimize this. Do Not close out though, we need this to do the side border/background!)

32.  Open a new trasnsparent raster image 600x600

33.  Edit/Paste/Paste as a new layer

34.  Effects/3D Effects/Drop Shadow:
V&H=0, Opacity=100, Blur=12, Color=Black

35.  Layers/New Raster Layer

36.  Selections/Load Save Selections-Load Selections From Disk and choose the CFCorners_JM Selection:
Source Luminance and Replace Selection should be checked

37.  Edit/Paste/Paste into Selection

38.  Selections/Select None

39.  Adjust/Sharpness/Sharpen

40.  Effects/3D Effects/Drop Shadow

41.  Layers/Arrange/Move Down

42.  Layers/Merge/Merge Visible

43.  Click on your crop tool: 

And then Snap Crop Rectangle to Layer Opaque (the middle one). You can either double click the middle of your graphic to set it or hit the check mark in the left top corner in PSP:

44.  Layers/New Raster Layer and flood fill this new layer with the dark color you have chosen. Move this layer to the bottom

45.  Layers/Merge/Merge Visible

46.  Layers/New Raster Layer

47.  Selections/Load Save Selections/Load Selection From Disk and load the CFButtons_JM Selection

48.  Flood Fill with Black or your dark color and Select None

49.  Effects/Plugins/Eye Candy 4000 Chrome:

50.  Adjust/Sharpness/Sharpen

51.  Effects/3D Effects/Drop Shadow
V&H=0, Opacity=100, Blur=12, Color=Black

52.  You can add your watermark and any text if you'd like. Then Merge All (Flatten). You may want to resize your header also (I have resized mine down 95%. Also make sure to sharpen if you resize) and save by going to File/Export/and export to the JPEG Optimizer. Optimize at around 20 or whatever your preference is...

We are now done with this..

The Side bordered Background

53.  Bring up the other copy of the frame that we minimized earlier. Click on the Selection Tool (found with your lasso tool and your magic wand)

54.  Now click on the Custom Selection which can be found at the top in PSP:

55.  Please enter in these custom selection settings:

56.  Edit/Copy and then Edit/Paste/Paste as a new image
57.  Image/Mirror

58.  Effects/Image Effects/Seamless Tile and tile using Corner and Vertical:
Vertical Offset=1, Transition=100

59.  Image/Canvas Size at 1400x394. If your screen resolution is larger than 1400 in width, please adjust this setting to suite your needs.

60.  Effects/3D Effects/Drop Shadow:
V&H=2, Opacity=75, Blur=6, Color=Black, and Shadow on new layer is checked 

61.  Effects/Image Effects/Seamless tile

62.  Layers/Merge/Merge Visible

63.  Layers/New Raster Layer

64.  Flood fill with your dark color and move this layer to the bottom.

65.  Layers/Merge/Merge All (Flatten) and you can now export this to the JPEG Optimizer, save and Assemble your new stationery in Letter Creator!

Hope your results were great ones....

Please link tutorial back to me at
http://www.jmcreationtuts.iwarp.com 

Please feel free to snag and share my tutorials after they have been released but please credit back to me in the footer..


If you are a tutorial writer and you would like to use my selections, masks, or other things please email me at
jodim@norwaymi.com

I do allow it, but I require a link back in your tutorial to my website here:
http://www.jmcreationtuts.iwarp.com   


Thanks to my testers at
CCC Testers too...You are the best!! 
 

Thanks!!
Jodi M