You can download the tutorial as a pdf file or word doc file with screenshots,
or pdf file or word doc file without screenshots you can print out the tutorial with them

For information about which fonts, programs, etc I used to construct my pages and my headers, click here.

Written June 20, 2011 by Ellie Weales
Supplies needed:
PhotoImpact: done in PI XL
Tube: ©PinupToons, purchased at CILM, now available at CDO
Fireworks from Scrapkit: FTU 4th of July by Lacarolita
Template: Template 73 by Rose’s Place-Tag Templates & More
Masks: Vix masks 26 and 41 (in supplies)
Supplies (Happy 4th word art, with gradient glow and without it; fonts, colorized circle word art and masks)
Font: Tiranti Solid LET (in supplies)
Filter: Eye Candy 4000>Gradient Glow (or whichever Gradient Glow you have) (only needed if you're colorizing the circle word art yourself)
Note: add both masks to your Easy Palette mask library (there’s a very easy tut here on how to do that)
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I am assuming you know the basics of PhotoImpact and where the tools can be located.
This is an extremely easy tutorial and can be done by beginners.
Here are some arrows and bars you can drag and drop where you need to mark or underline where you are. .
Just left click and drag to where you want it then let go.
They will stay where you put them until you close your browser.
           




You can also drag this example with you
I would suggest saving the tag at the top of my tut and keeping it open while you work to refer to for placement or drag the one above.
Open your tubes, duplicate (Control-D), and close the originals. Add the masks to Easy Palette Mask Gallery. Open the font(s) if you don't want to install it.
Let's Start
Open template, Control-D to duplicate it, close original
Copy your tube and paste in centre
Open fireworks1, resize 75% and paste in middle behind your main tube
Highlight blue rectangle layer, fill with color #000072
Highlight blue circle, fill with color #004EB2
Highlight red circle, fill with color #EB0000
Bottom left and top left red star layers, fill with same red #EB0000
Black line layer, fill with dark blue #000774
White line, fill with red #EB0000

Colorizing Circle Word Art: Highlight Circle word art layer, do the following or use the one I've provided in the supplies:
pick your paint-color replacement pen tool (in your brushes), settings shape round, size 20,
color 1st color box #640000 (dark red I selected from dark part of words), 2nd color box dark blue #000072, similarity 150,

Now go over the entire word art circle, it will change the inner part of the word art to dark blue.
With same settings, but 1st color box white, 2nd color box red #EB0000, go over the same word art again, changing the white to bright red.
It will seem a bit on the blue side. When done, go to Brightness and Contrast and pick the bottom right thumb 2X.
Go to Filters>Eye Candy 4000>Gradient Glow, settings: basic tab 3/25/100/draw only outside selection checked;
color tab: preset medium, color: click on color box, click on define custom colors and RGB (Red, Green, Blue) is 0/7/116.
Now go to Brightness and Contrast again and pick bottom right thumb once more.

Masks: Go to background layer, expand canvas 30 all the way around, on white layer change size, aspect unchecked, to match canvas (719X666).
If it doesn't center itself, just drag it in place. Duplicate white layer twice, send both to bottom, drag white layer below them.
Fill the second and third one from the bottom with red #eb0000, click the eye on the top red layer to turn it off for now.
On bottom red layer, apply Vix Mask 41 by double clicking it in your easy palette,
Turn on top red layer again, apply Vix mask 26, pull to upper left, reduce in size 90%, duplicate,
pull down in layer palette to the other one and move it to lower right.

Duplicate the fireworks1 that's behind tube, resize 50%, pull to upper right and pull layer down to below circle word art but above mask layers,
duplicate the fireworks and move that one down to lower left.
Copy and paste the provided Happy 4th word art (I used the font Scrap Spangled for it)
Use either the one with the gradient glow or without it, your choice

Now add your name: there are 2 alternatives, the left one is 2D text filled with gradient, the right one is 3D text filled with a gel preset


2D Gradient option:
Font Tiranti Solid LET, size 180, Bold, color doesn't matter, type your text, go to your fill tool, gradient fill, circle gradient on right, click on color box of multiple colors,

Pick a gradient with 3 squares, like #29, move the little squares in position as shown,
one at upper left, one at upper right and one to bottom middle, right click on little squares to change colors,
change upper left color to white #ffffff, upper right square to blue #000774, bottom square to red #EB0000, click OK.
Click on Add in this window to add this gradient to your saved gradients, if you like.

Fill text (it will look mostly blue), now go to your text toolbar and in the 3D tab change the border to 9.


Create a blue glow around it: Drop Shadow of all around shadow (3rd thumb from right), 0/103/3 color #000774 (dark blue) for a blue glow around it,

Right click and split shadow, now on this split shadow layer, apply drop shadow of left thumb, 2/2/50/100/3/black,
select both text layers and merge as a single object. Go to Brightness and contrast and click on middle right thumb 2X

3D Text option:
Font Tiranti Solid LET, size 180, Bold, color white, type your text, now in Easy Palette go to Material Gallery>Gel:
Preset G36, right click and modify, in Border/Depth tab change border to 4, apply,
now go to Brightness and Contrast, click on middle right thumb 4X

Drop Shadows
white stars and 2 red stars: default left thumb, 2/2/50/100/2/black
Tube: default left thumb, 3/3/50/100/3/black
White circle, red circle, blue rectangle: default left thumb, 3/3/50/100/3/black
The rest of the elements are not shadowed

You're done! Save as jpg or if you're saving as png, delete the white background layer first.

 l hope you had fun!
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If you have any questions or suggestions, click on the email button below to contact me. Have a wonderful day!
These tutorials are all my own creations.
Any resemblance to any other tutorial is purely coincidental and unintentional.
Feel free to share any of my tutorials on this site by a link back to my site,
but do not copy and send the entire tutorial to anyone or any group.
You may also save it to your hard drive (go to File>Save As, and save as an mht file-
this will save the pictures with the page in one single file and will open in a browser)
or print it out for your own personal use
©2003-2011 Ellie's Treasures


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Webpage Design Information
 This webpage background was made in PhotoImpact with a tutorial by Deb DeHaven
 Sadly, she passed away and her site is gone.
 The font I used for all of the text on the buttons is BrockScript
The font I used for the "Proud to be an American" tutorial header is Scrap Spangled.
 Click on the font names to download the fonts.
I use PhotoImpact to make all of my headers due to the amazing
3D text it has and the wonderful presets available free online
 Most of the presets I use are either the ones that come with PhotoImpact, usually the Gel ones,
or from Deb's PI Tutorials and More (see below) or Carol Oyl's site
 This is the address to Deb's old pages
 http://www.fortunecity.com/skyscraper/millenit/1716/pitutorials/objects/presets/presets1.html
 I can't find any links to her new pages but the presets are still on this page for download.
 For more sites to find PI Presets, take a look at my Great Beginnings page.