For information about which fonts, programs, etc I used to construct my pages and my headers, click here.
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For this tutorial you will need: ULead PhotoImpact - available for trial or purchase here or Adobe Photoshop - available for trial or purchase here or Adobe Photoshop Elements - available for trial or purchase here or Corel Paint Shop Pro (or Jasc PSP pre version X)- available for trial or purchase here ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ This tutorial will work in any of these programs and will also work in most graphic programs that support layers and filters. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Filters and Materials needed Fantastic Machines Paint Engine - available free here My fmachine.ini file to put the same settings into your Paint Engine (just unzip and put it into C:\Windows) Click here to download it. (optional, you can make a different background or add the settings yourself) David Blend Photo Tools filter - Frosted Edge - Color - available free here Tube, object, png or psd file ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I use a little program called the The Image Tiler to preview my tiles to see if they're seamless. Not necessary in PI but useful in the other programs. It's license says it's free to be redistributed and all of the links I found for it are dead, so I've uploaded it. Click here to download it. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 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 use: PSP is Paint Shop Pro, PI is PhotoImpact, PS is Photoshop, and PSE is Photoshop Elements. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Although I don't usually do this, I haven't repeated the same instructions over again each time you expand and add a beveled border. Since I'm writing for 4 programs, the tutorial is long enough already and in the interests of not making this even longer, I have just referred to the previous steps with clickable links to get back and forth. If you hold down shift when you click on the link, it will open in a new page and when you close that page, you will be back to where you left off in the tutorial. |
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Let's get started! |
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1. Open your graphic
if not open yet, duplicate twice and close original In PhotoImpact it's Control-D, in Paint Shop Pro it's Shift-D; In PS/PSE: right click on title bar of the picture and pick Duplicate or go to Image>Duplicate. In older versions of PS you may have to use Control-A to select all, Control-C to copy, up to File>New>it will automatically be set up for what you have in the clipboard, so say ok, then Control-V to paste the picture in. |
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2.
Copy your picture, and using the eyedropper, pick a color
from the picture for the frame (not in PI) Minimize the copy |
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3.
Expand canvas by 5 evenly, contrasting color to your picture PhotoImpact Format>Expand Canvas  on to step 4 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Paint Shop Pro Image>Add borders  on to step 4 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Photoshop/Photoshop Elements *Note: Follow these instructions for each expansion in the tutorial: in layer palette right click, create layer from background (in PS, the new layer icon is at the bottom of the layer palette, in PSE the icon is at the top of the layer palette), 
 create new layer, pull it under the picture layer and proceed with the expansions and fillings and beveling, flattening, making background a layer, etc.  Always add the expansion to the bottom layer, not the picture layer. It's easier to turn the picture layer off when expanding and filling the lower layer and turn it back on before you flatten image. --------- So in this step create Layer from Background, pull the new layer underneath, fill with chosen color, then resize canvas (in PS go to Image>Canvas Size - in PSE it's Image>Resize>Canvas Size), increase width and height by 10 so you have 5 added all the way around. Don't change the arrows.  |
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4.
Pick with magic wand (PI and PSP: behind selection tool, PS and PSE, on the toolbar) tolerance at 0, feather (or soft edge) at 0, all left at default |
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5.
Bevel the border PhotoImpact-just below Click here for PSP PS PSE PhotoImpact With cursor on the selected border, right click and convert to object, right click again and covert from text image to path Go to your easy palette, click on the Material Gallery>Gel presets Pick the color you want and right click, pick modify and apply.  In the next window, click on the bevel tab and change the bevel to 3D pipe,  Now click on the Border/Depth tab and change the border to 2, don't change the depth,  Now click on the Shadow tab and uncheck the shadow (the shadow will make it not fit right into the frame).  Click ok. Deselect. On to Step 6 Click here to go back to Step 7 Click here to go back to Step 12 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Paint Shop Pro With border selected, go to Effects>3D Effects>Inner Bevel and set at Bevel 2, 5-0-10-0-0-315-50-30 Color same as the one you picked for your border.  Click OK, deselect (control-D) On to Step 6 Click here to go back to Step 7 Click here to go back to Step 12 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Photoshop With the color layer selected, go to Layer>Layer Styles>Inner Bevel, and leave all at default but check the box for Anti-Alias and change the contour to the third from the left, bottom row, called Double Ring.  Merge all (flatten). Right click>Layer from background. Create new layer, pull it below the picture layer. On to Step 6 Click here to go back to Step 7 Click here to go back to Step 12 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Photoshop Elements With the color layer selected, go to your styles and effects palette, pick Layer Styles in the drop down menu at the top,  pick Wow-Plastic in the drop down menu at the top right and click the Wow-Plastic white preset (white gives you a truer color. You can of course pick one of the colored presets if it goes with your picture and then you won't need to colorize it). You must fill the layer first, even though you are using a white preset, or nothing will happen when you click on the preset. Now go to Layer>Adjustment Layer>Hue and Saturation, click the box "group with previous layer".  In the next window, check the colorize box. Turn the saturation up to over 5. Now play with the hue and lightness slider till you get a color that goes with your picture.  You may have to turn the saturation up or down a bit to get the color you like. Make sure you make note of the setting so you can do the other small borders the same color. Flatten image. Step 6 just below. Click here to go back to Step 7 Click here to go back to Step 12 |
Results
after first border |
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6.
Copy your duplicate picture, expand canvas by 20 evenly pick
with magic wand and fill selection PhotoImpact After expanding by 20, Edit>Fill>Image>clipboard - check tile the image and apply. Deselect (control-D) Paint Shop Pro After expanding by 20, Edit>Paste into Selection. Deselect (control-D) Photoshop/Photoshop Elements To get 20 added evenly all around, add 40 to height and 40 to width (make sure you have followed the basic steps of background to layer, new layer, pull to the bottom). Click the eye in the picture layer to turn it off. With the bottom layer selected, go to Edit>Paste Into (or hit Control-Shift-V). If you haven't turned your picture layer off, you won't see what you have pasted, it's in behind the picture. Go to Edit>Transform>Scale (in PSE it's Image>Resize>Scale) and pull it out to fit with the bounding boxes (the little squares). You can move it around too, to get the best selection in the border.  Make sure it goes out to the edges or beyond, if you don't there will be a white strip where it doesn't meet in the next steps. When done, either hit enter or click on the checkmark up in the toolbar to finish it. Turn your picture layer back on. Deselect (control-D) Merge all (flatten) |
Results
after step 6 |
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7.
Make a 5 pixel beveled border as in Steps 3 to 5 above Click here to go back to step 3 PhotoImpact: but in the properties, make the border 5 this time Paint Shop Pro: same as steps 3 to 5 above Photoshop: Same as steps 3 to 5 above. Merge all (flatten). Deselect. Right click, layer from background. Photoshop Elements: Same as steps 3 to 5 above. Merge all (flatten). Deselect. Right click, layer from background. |
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8.
Make a beveled border as in Steps 3 to 5
above, but this time make it 2 pixels (optional) Don't forget to merge all in PS/PSE when done |
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9.
Expand by 20 evenly all around, select, fill selection with
copied picture As in step 6 above, click here to go back to step 6 PhotoImpact and Paint Shop Pro: Expand canvas by 20, pick with magic wand, paste into selection again (with your copied picture) Photoshop/Photoshop Elements Don't forget to make background a layer, create new layer, and pull it to the bottom first. Add the expansion to the bottom layer. All programs Stay in this layer, do not merge |
Results
after Step 9 |
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10.
All programs - Apply Gaussian Blur Go to Effect (Filter)>Blur>Gaussian Blur, radius of 4. In PI that's the thumbnail at the left, middle row. |
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11.
All programs-Apply Frosted Edger filter Go to Effect>Filter>David Blend (might say Photo Tools)>Frosted Edger - Color  Play with the red, green, blue sliders till you like what you see, click apply. For the wheelbarrow one (see the examples at the bottom of the tuturial, click here), since I was putting a green pastel on a green picture, I ended up playing with the diffuse and encroachment sliders as well, I turned them both down, so I could see the frosted edge better. I also didn't Gaussian blur that one first. Deselect Merge all (flatten). Photoshop/Photoshop Elements: Right click, layer from background. |
Results
after step 11 |
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12.
One more 2 pixel border and you're
done, same as in steps 3-5 Expand canvas by 2, PhotoImpact Modify properties and apply chosen gel preset as above, changing border to 2 Paint Shop Pro Apply same 2 pixel border as above. Photoshop/Photoshop Elements Don't forget to make background a layer, create new layer, and pull it to the bottom first. Add the expansion to the bottom layer. Go to Effect (Filter)>Sharpen>Unsharp mask and apply at default setting. Make sure you have the preview box checked and see if it needs it, it may be better without it. |
Final
result of Frame portion of tutorial Merge all (or flatten), watermark and done. Save as a jpg and don't forget to optimize. Optimizing PhotoImpact: I normally optimize the jpg at anywhere from 60-80, just check the preview window and see how it looks. I use 60 the most but sometimes you need it optimized less for a good graphic. Paint Shop Pro: I normally optimize at about 10-12 Photoshop/Photoshop Elements: I normally save at medium. If you're not creating the background tile then go Back to top |
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13.
Create the background tile - for all programs Open canvas 200X200. Fill with chosen color. Go to Effects (Filters)>Fantastic Machines>Paint Engine and use the pastel sponge settings  The line to paste into your fmachine.ini file (found in C:\Windows) for this are: Setting01=pastel sponge;1,1,0,0,0,1,233,324,9,2,100,118,108,14,9,-1,0,0,2,1 It will look like this  My whole fmachine.in file is also available for download at the top of the tutorial. Instructions on use are with it. For some shades, as in my lime colored background, the pattern doesn't show well, so I created another preset for that, it's also in my ini file available for download or the line to add to your fmachine.ini file is: Setting54=Ellie's sponge 2;1,1,0,0,0,1,4294967170,4294967256,7,2,99,118,108,11,1,-1,15,4,4294967289,3 The screenshot for it follows:  and this is the result  If not assembling into stationery go Back to top |
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14.
Assemble the stationery You could, of course, use just the frame tutorial but to assemble it into stationery, go to the following links: To use as a framed header, go here: http://www.ellies-treasures.com/statdesign/letter-creator/lctut.html To use as a left border strip, go here: http://www.ellies-treasures.com/statdesign/lc-sideborder/lc-sideborder.html These tutorials on assembling stationery are for Incredimail only, at this point. One day, I'll write a basic tutorial on how to assemble them for Outlook Express. I don't know if you heard, but the new Vista Operating System from Microsoft, coming out later this year or early next year, has replaced Outlook Express with a different email program, called Windows Mail, so as people switch to Vista, I'm not sure what that will mean for OE stationery. |
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That's it! You're
done!! Back to top |
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Some more examples The first one was made in PhotoImpact This is using my Wired Tile background, click here to visit that page.  and here it is on the Paint Engine background  The next two were made in Photoshop 
 
 This one was made in Photoshop Elements 
This one was made in Paint Shop Pro 
I liked PhotoImpact best for making this tutorial, because of the nice gel presets for the borders, and I liked Photoshop Elements second best, because I liked the Wow Plastic preset for the borders. I liked Photoshop the least, I didn't like the beveled borders it made very much. I guess that puts PSP in third place. LOL |
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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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