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For this tutorial you will need: ULead PhotoImpact - available for purchase here or Adobe Photoshop - available for purchase here or Adobe Photoshop Elements - available for purchase here or Jasc Paint Shop Pro - available for purchase here This tutorial will work in any of these programs. Filters and Materials needed VM Extravaganza - Aura Detector - available free here (entire set) ~~~~~~ FM Tile Tools - available free here (it's a commercial filter but the seamless tile filter is one of the ones that keePhotoshop working when the time is up) or 20-20 - available free here ~~~~~~ Tube, PhotoImpact Object or Adobe psd file (a psd file can be opened in any of the programs, in layers) My plugin windows may look different from yours as I use Filters Unlimited 2 to manage my plugins - available for purchase here. I am assuming you know the basics of your graphics program and where the tools can be located. Some abbreviations I used: PSP is Paint Shop Pro, PI is PhotoImpact, PS is Photoshop, and PSE is Photoshop Elements. |
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Let's get started! |
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1. Open canvas
1280X300 Open your tube, object or psd file |
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2. Apply the
gradient (in Paint Shop Pro, Photoshop, and Photoshop Elements) (for
PhotoImpact, click
here) Apply a diagonal-gradient angled slightly to the left, one that will match the colors in your tube Many colors (3-4)works best without any very dark shadows or very light highlights. In this case, you want the gradient to kind of flow together in bands. Paint Shop Pro I applied a soft gradient, Angle 75-repeats 4. Some gradients vary in size so you may have to adjust the repeat until you get the right amount of bands of color. I then went to Adjust>Blur>Average and set it to 7 and it was just right. I picked the soften brush set at size 100, the rest at default, and just ran it over the canvas a few times to soften it some more.  I didn't use the above gradient, but I had the leftover screenshot with the right settings so used it. LOL The gradient shown in the above screenshot has too obvious shadows and highlights. Photoshop and Photoshop Elements see this page if you don't know how to apply a gradient in Photoshop or Photoshop Elements (it will open in a separate window) Set the style to linear Angle at around 160, scale can be adjusted to give you more ripples Check Dither and Align with Layer. Don't check reverse in this case, you don't want the more pronounced ridges. Most of the gradients in Photoshop and Photoshop Elements don't give you a very pronounced ripple effect meaning you don't have enough shadows and highlights, just bands of color, so they were very effective in this case. Just what the doctor ordered. In fact it was so easy in Photoshop and Photoshop Elements I had it done in a couple of minutes. I just applied the gradient, applied the filter, pasted in the tube, and it was done!   |
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PhotoImpact -
apply the gradient PhotoImpact gets it's own chapter because it was so involved No matter which gradient I picked in PhotoImpact, the ridges were too deep so I outline the method I used below to get it smoother and right for this stationery. Use the Magic Gradient (using the regular 2 or multiple color gradient won't let you adjust the number of repeats). Pick the color wheel you want by clicking on the edit button and choosing a color wheel For Mode, choose the first thumbnail as shown below. Change the repeat to 4, and change the slope to 161 Some gradients vary in size so you may have to adjust the repeat until you get the right amount of ripples  I applied the gradient, went to Format>Hue and Saturation and made the colors lighter and softer using the master control,  I then went to Format-Color Cast and with the eye dropper there, sampled the white in the source window on the left, then played with the hue and saturation controls near the bottom of the window to make the white a light soft color that matched. This evened out the whites to a softer color that blended better.  I then blurred with a big round brush to blend the colors in and soften the darker lines in the center of each color band. size 100-200, level 5, soft edge 50 Just blur enough to soften the colors but still retain the shape   The hard part is over! |
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3. Apply the Aura
Detector filter Go to Effect or Filter>VM Extravaganza>Aura Detector at default 51-50-120-121-229-228-104-255  It should look like this now  Your results will vary depending on the gradient you used, the number of bands of color, and the colors you used. The filter can really change the colors around so you may not get what you wanted in color, but try again with a different gradient. It's so easy that it will only take a few minutes to try another gradient. |
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4. Apply a blur with
a big brush to smooth it all out. Paint Shop Pro Soften Brush  PhotoImpact Blur Brush This is what I used in PhotoImpact, but use similar settings for your program. Shape circle, with a soft edge and some transparency to smooth the edges. Photoshop Elements Blur Brush  Photoshop Blur Brush  |
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5 Make seamless using
either FM Tile Tools>Seamless Tile or 20-20 Go to Filter (or Effect)>FM Tile Tools>Seamless Tile - slide both sliders up to maximum and check the box Vertical  or Use 20-20, open program, go to Image, Muted Background, slide the slider to where you want it (if you want to mute it), if not just leave it alone and hit apply.  I prefer to use the 20-20 for this particular stationery. I set the opacity with 20-20 somewhere between 50-60 after FM-Tile Tools   after 20-20 muted  I used the blur or soften brush again after the seamless effect to soften up any feathery edges in the pattern. |
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6. Copy tube and
paste to the stationery canvas Now go to your tube and copy it then paste it into the stationery canvas. In Paint Shop Pro as a new layer, in PhotoImpact as an object, and in Photoshop and Photoshop Elements you don't need to pick anything, it always pastes as a new layer.  I used seamless tiling (in Paint Shop Pro) on the tube layer as the flowers didn't look right just stuck there. But as you see in the other samples below, I didn't do that with all of them, just this one.  |
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Results will differ,
depending on colors used and the gradient itself. You won't get the exact same colors as the gradient, this filter changes them around, so play with it till you get one you like. |
Done in PhotoImpact  |
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Done in Photoshop I didn't save the gradient screenshot for this one. Sorry.  |
Done in Photoshop
Elements  |
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If
you have any questions or suggestions, click on the email button
below to contact me. |
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These tutorials are all my own creations. |
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