Thanksgiving Banner
Skill Level: Advanced Beginner. Vector layers to create the text on a curve make this just a bit more advanced. If the instructions are followed carefully, a novice can do the tutorial. I include lots of screenshots to make it easier to follow.
Materials needed:
Paint Shop Pro
Rope tube - Comes with PSP
Jpg image - Wider than high will work best for this tut.
Any fat font of choice
No outside plugins required.
If you don't have the rope tube, you can download it here. Move it to your tubes folder in PSP.
Open your image in PSP. I always choose large graphics to work with and resize them later.
The example I used was shared on the internet. It is a painting done by Persis Clayton Weirs.
Shift + D to duplicate it. Close the original.
If your layer palette is not open, press F8 to open it.
Layers > Promote background layer.
Selections > Select All
Selections > Modify > Contract 20
Selections > Invert
Tap the Delete Key
Selections > Invert
Layers > Duplicate
Working on the top layer,
Selections > Modify > Contract: 2
Selections > Invert
Tap the Delete Key
Click on the bottom layer in the layer palette.
Selections > Select All
Selections > Float
Selections > Defloat
Floodfill the bottom layer selection with a dark color or pattern.
Selections: Select none
This is what your image should look like... a blank space all around your slightly outlined painting.
Layers > Merge > Merge visible.
Effects > Distortion Effects > Lens Distortion
Horizontal: 0, Vertical: 0, Distortion type: Pincushion, Strength: 25, Edge Mode: Transparent
Layers > New Raster Layer
Selection Tool > Circle
Mode: Add or Replace, Feather: 0, Anti-alias checked.
Draw a small circle in the upper left corner of your banner.
Selections > Modify > Select Selection Borders
Inside: CHecked, Anti-alias: CHecked, Border width: 4
Floodfill with a metallic color or pattern.
Inner bevel:
Bevel: 1, Width: 5, Smoothness: 0, Depth: 7, Ambience: -15, Shininess: 33, Color: White, Angle: 315, Intensity: 40, Elevation: 40
Select None.
Layers > Duplicate
Image> Mirror
Your top grommet should be in the top right corner of your image.
Layers > Merge > Merge Down
Layers > Duplicate
Image > Flip
You should have a grommet in each corner now.
Layers > Merge > Merge Down
Magic wand:
Mode: Add, Match Mode: RGB Value, Tolerance: 0, Contiguous: CHecked, Feather: 0, Anti-alias: Checked, Position: Outside
Click on the empty space inside of each grommet - to select just the holes.
Select the banner layer
Tap the delete key once.
Select none.
Select the top layer in your layer palette.
Effects > 3D Effects > Drop Shadow
Layers > Merge > Merge Visible
Layers > New Raster Layer
Picture Tube - Rope (comes with PSP)
Scale: 69 (or set to fit your grommet - depending on the size of your original image.)
Step: 2 , Placement mode: Continuous, Selection mode: Incremental
Click and hold and drag your rope from the inside of one of the grommets outward toward the edge.
Layer > Duplicate
Image > Mirror (if you need to, use the mover tool to align your ropes so that they fit in the grommets.)
Layers > Merge > Merge Down
Layers > Duplicate
Image > Flip
Layers Merge > Merge Down
Create a new raster layer.
Layers > Arrange > Send to Bottom
Draw another rope starting beneath the edge of your image coming from the back of the grommet.
Layer > Duplicate
Image > Mirror (if you need to, use the mover tool to align your ropes so that they fit in the grommets.)
Layers > Merge > Merge Down
Layers > Duplicate
Image > Flip
Layers Merge > Merge Down
Now, if everything looks lined up to you....
Layers > Merge Visible
Effects > 3D Effects > Dropshadow - same settings as before.
Layers > New Raster Layer
Layers > Arrange > Move to Bottom
Select a light color from your picture for the background.
Floodfill your background layer.
Adjust > Add/Remove Noise > Add Noise
Gaussian, 4%, Monochrome CHecked
If you are going to add text -
Text on a curve... Because this is a banner, you want your text to follow the curve of the banner.
My steps: Of course, you can choose your own fonts, colors, size and message.
Set your Foreground color to something bright and contrasting so you can see it against the background. I chose the hot pink in the default swatches. Hide the background in the material palette.
Select the Pen Tool.
Draw Point to Point - Bezier Curves, Connect Segments and Show Nodes CHecked.
Line Style: +Solid, Width: 4.
Click and hold and drag your first point a few pixels to the right & down slightly from the top left edge of your banner.
Release your mouse.
Click and hold and drag your second point a few pixels toward the top right edge of your banner.
The line should follow the edge of your banner. It doesn't have to be exact, but close.
Use your Object Selection Tool  to drag your line down to where you want to position your text.
Hover your mouse over the center node until it turns into a 4 direction arrow. Click and drag your line down into the picture.
When you have it where you want it, select your text tool. Select your font, (a fat font works best). Choose patterns, gradients or colors that you like and that will show up well against the banner. I used a gold fill pattern for my foreground and pale yellow for my background.
Hover your mouse over the line until it turns into a +A on the line.
Click and type your text in the Text Entry window. Click Apply. |
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You can drag your text anywhere along your curved line and the text will follow the line, however you cannot reposition your text away from the line. Simply click on the center node while the text tool is selected and drag your text to where you want it.
Make sure your Vector layer is expanded to show the layers below it.
Hide the line by clicking on the eye behind the line layer.
Right click on Vector 1
Convert to Raster Layer.
Add an inner bevel or dropshadow to your text to give it a 3 dimensional look.
My Settings:
Inner Bevel
Bevel: 2, Width: 14, Smoothness: 47, Depth: 12, Ambience: 7, Shininess: 25, Color: White, Angle: 311, Intensity: 25, Elevation: 57
(I also applied this inner bevel to my banner layer after the fact. It was one of those happy accidents as I clicked on the wrong layer. I liked it, so I kept it.)
Drop Shadow
Vertical and Horizontal: 3, Opacity: 56, Blur: 5, Color: Black
Resize your image appropriately for what you intend to use it for. In my case, I resized the original in small increments of 90% three times for the banner image here. By resizing in small increments until you reach the size you want, you do not lose clarity of your original. There is seldom a need to sharpen your image after resizing.
Export your creation as a jpg at a compression setting of 8.
I hope you had fun with this tut.
vetch
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