Click here or scroll to bottom for alternate versions



 They will both open in a new window and print out on standard 8½" X 11" paper

For information about which fonts, programs, etc I used to construct my pages and my headers, click here.
For this tutorial you will need:
Adobe Photoshop or Photoshop Elements. I've done this tutorial in PS CS3 and PSE 5, I believe it can be done in most versions.
You may have to look around for the commands but it's likely they are there.
Filters and materials needed:
 1 image
1 mask, with a hard edge, I've provided the 2 I used below
FM Tile Tools>Seamless Tile, if you are making a stationery header

Credits
The two images I used,
The horses image is Mountain Thunder by Mark Keathley
The woman by the water is Against the Wind by Ana Rasha
The edge mask I used is by unknown (to me) designer, the oval frame mask is by Diana of Free Tubes
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I am assuming you know the basics of Photoshop/Photoshop Elements and where the tools can be located.
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Some abbreviations I used: PS is Photoshop, and PSE is Photoshop Elements.
The instructions are for PS, and the PSE instructions, if different than PS, are in brackets.
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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.
           



The two masks I used, just right click and save
 
The 2 images I started with
 
Ana Rasha - Against the Wind         and                           Mark Keathley - Mountain Thunder
1. Open up the image you would like to use. Duplicate it by going to image>duplicate. Close the original.
2. Resize it if needed (image>image size, make sure constrain proportions is checked). Crop if there is any white (or any other color) border around the image, so the picture will flow seamlessly across the top.
If you are making a top border stationery, make the picture seamless by using FM Tile Tools>Seamless Tile
My settings were: Border Width 0.293 and Stretch Control 0.125, vertical not checked. You may want to play with the settings to get your picture the way you want it. I didn't want the lady all stretched out of proportion.
3. Go to Select>All. Edit>Copy. Go to file>new. A new window will open with right dimensions in it, select transparent, ok. 
Go to Edit>Paste to paste graphic onto the transparent canvas.
4. Open the mask you want to use (select one with clean, simple lines), duplicate and close the original
(go to my Great Beginnings page for a list of sites that have masks available. Many more available on the web).
In the case of an edge mask, if it is meant for a left border and you want to use it for a bottom, rotate it 90 degrees right (Image>rotate canvas>90º CW).
*Note: you cannot use a psp msk file in Photoshop, you will need to find one in jpg, gif, png, or psd form,
or take your msk file into PSP if you have it and convert it to a jpg.
5. Edge Mask:
Resize mask to fit picture (image>image size, constrain proportions should be checked for the edge mask to maintain the flow)
Make it the exact width of your graphic. You want the white part to cover most of the picture and the edge trim to come almost to the bottom. Trim the black part by cropping if it is too high in the picture (use the rectangular marquee tool to select a rectangle to trim from the bottom, then use the crop tool to crop it) and if you need to, add more white to the top by going to Image>Canvas Size - change the height number to the total amount of pixels high you want the mask (exactly the height of you graphic), make sure the canvas extension color is white, and then click on the down button in the section that has arrows pointing each way. When all done with the mask, you want to make sure it is the exact width and height of the image with the edge trim close to the bottom and not cutting too much of the picture off. Go to Select>All. Edit>Copy.

Frame Mask:
Resize the mask to fit the picture (image>image size, constrain proportions may be unchecked to fit properly, as long as the mask still looks ok, if it doesn't pick a different mask).
 
6. Go to graphic, paste mask over top, image>adjustments>invert
now you will see only the mask, you can't see the graphic. If your mask happens to be opposite, as I have seen some, with the black part covering what you want to see instead of the white, don't invert.

7. Go to the layer palette, with mask layer active, change blending (where it says normal) to screen.

They will look like this now
 
Go to Layer (in the menu bar)>Merge Visible.
8. Using the magic wand , click on the white part below (or in the case of the frame mask, wherever the mask left the graphic white) the masked image, tolerance set at about 2, hit the delete key and it will be masked on a transparent bg.
Apply a drop shadow to emphasize the edges.
 
Note: these are transparent png files. If you have an old version of Internet Explorer, they will still look like they're on white, on all newer browsers, you'll see them on a transparent background.
9. Go to Layers>Merge all and then save as jpg, gif or transparent png, quality medium or about 5-7.
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!
Alternate versions
Here are other versions of Mark Keathley's Mountain Thunder made with Essex Girl masks Western3 and Western4
 
This tutorial was written November 14,2005
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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
©2003-2010 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 "Applying A Hard Edge Mask" tutorial header is Oliver.
 Click on the font names to download the font.
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.