Let's start your Paint Shop Pro Program and open up a new image by going to File/New Image OR (much easier:P) click on the little icon just underneath File and up will pop a box asking you what size and colour you'd like your image to be. I always work from a transparent image which I would highly recommend if you ever loose or go wrong while making a tag. The background colour can be added later. For this tutorial we are going to start with an image of 352 x 272 :)
I am using this particlar image of Lana Lang (Kristin Kreuk)
but you can use any picture, perhaps one of your favourite celebrities. If you'd like to use this image, you can download it from here.
We are also going to use a 'selection' which is included in the above download. The file extension is usually .sel or.psp or .pspimage, depending on what version you are using. Don't forget to go to your Jasc Folder, open up your PSP version and download the selection into the Selection Folder. The 'selection' file name is "e4etagtempplate03.PspSelection. If you are using version 7 of Paint Shop Pro then simply rename the file to e4etagtempplate03.Psp".
There is also the font Scriptina included :)
Ok, let's get back to our original transparent image. Click on your image to make sure it's active, and add another layer. Call this layer Selection.
Now go to Selections/Load/Save Selection, then Load Selection from Disk..
Scroll through your selections and find our file e4etagtempplate03. Click on it, then press ok. Your image should now look like this..
Do NOT DESELECT.Now we can add our colour into the selection. If you are using a different picture then choose two colours that go with your image. I am using the following colours for my image :)
Now choose your Paint Can and click on the outer selection border with colour #955241.Your image should now look like this... do NOT deselect yet, let those ants march for a bit longer,lol!
Now go to Selections again and click on "Invert". Select your Paint Can tool and now fill in the sections that are blank with your second colour. We are using #ddb189.
Do NOT DESELECT! We are now going to add an effect to the lighter colour. Go to Effects/Texture/Blinds. Using the same setting as below, add your Blinds effect, but once again DO NOT DESELECT,lol!
This is how it will look :)
Now go to Selections and click "Invert". Then go to Effects/Textures and click on Blinds again but this time we are adding an effect on the darker colour by using the lighter colour (#ddb189) and the same settings as below.
This time we are giving the outer border a vertical blind effect. Your image should now look like this..
NOW you can deselect, lol! Add a new layer and call it Lana Lang. Now take your selection tool and make an oblong shape similar to the image below. This is where we are going to place our Lana Lang image :)
Now click on your Lana Lang image to make it active, and then go to Edit/Copy or go to the images top bar, right click and copy. Now click on your selection image or layer to make it active and go to Edit/Paste then Paste into Selection or right click on the templates menu bar and click Paste, then Paste into Selection. Your image should now look like this :)
Do not deselect at this stage. Add a new layer and call it Border as below. We can also rename our Layer 1 as Background
Now click on your image to activate it. Go to Selections/Modify/Expand as below:
When the expand menu pops up enter the number 4. Click ok. We are now going to "drag" the Border layer underneath the Lana Lang layer. You should still have our two original colours showing on your colour palette. We are now going to make those two colours merge into a gradiant. So click on gradiant and find the one named "foreground". Take your Paint Can tool and right click into your oblong shape. Make sure the Border layer is highlighted before you do this. You can now deselect.Your image should now look like this :)
Now click on your Lana Lang layer. We are now going to Draw a border around Lana to give the picture more structure. Click on your Pen and set your foreground colour to #66372c (Dark Brown). Set the line width to 8 and make sure anti-alias is ticked. Take your pen tool and line up with the top left of Lana Lang's image. Hold down the shift key and draw a line across the top, until you reach the end of her picture. The reason we used the shift key along with the line tool is that you cannot draw anything but a straight line, lol! Now take your line tool and once again hold down your shift key and draw a line across the bottom left to the right hand side to be symmetrical with your upper line. Your image should look like this now.
These two lines will now be on a seperate 'vector' layer on your layer pallette so right click on the vector layer and click on 'convert to rastor layer'. Right click again and rename your layer to Upperlines. Now still with your line tool reduce the line width to 3 and do exactly the same but down both sides. Repeat the process of converting your layer to a raster layer. Rename the layer 'Sidelines.' Your tag should now look like this :)
Ok, we're almost there, lol! Now let's add our name text. Add a new layer and call it 'Name'. Click on your Text Tool making sure your forecolour is #66372C and your stroke colour (outline) is #cb9977.
Now type in your name. I used the font Sciptina but you can use any text you like. If you'd like to use the sciptina text then you you'll find it in the files downloaded earlier. This font can be immediately put into your Windows/Font folder should you so wish or in a seperate font folder. Once you click on the scriptina file (if in another folder other than Windows), then minimize it, it will automatically show up in your Paint Shop Pro Font files. If you've downloaded it to your Windows/Font folder then it will show anyway.
One good tip is, don't keep more than about 30 fonts in your Windows Font folder as it will slow down your machine considerably. I created a folder called Fonts in My Documents, then inside the folder I made folders A-Z. I now keep most of my fonts alphabetically in those folders and when I need to use one of them I just double click the font and it opens up. I then minimize it until I'm finished with it in Paint Shop Pro and then I close it.
Ok, these are the settings I used when I added my name to our tag
Once you're happy with the way your name is, deselect. Now take you're mover tool and move your name around your tag until you're happy with it. Now go back to your Background layer and highlight it. Click your Paint Can tool and decide which background colour you'd like to use. Usually for email tags I choose a white background but for this tutorial I chose black. Now go to File/Save As and save your tag as a .jpg to your tag folder :) I also keep a folder for all my original tags on transparent background, complete with layers as a .psp image so that if ever I want to change it in anyway I can.
Voila - job completed!! Here's mine :)
Obviously you can use any colours you like and any picture you prefer but you get the general idea :)
I hope you enjoyed this tutoral as much as I enjoyed making it with you.
Should you have any questions relating to Tag Making then please feel free to email me, Michele and I'll try to help :)
and up will pop a box asking you what size and colour you'd like your image to be. I always work from a transparent image which I would highly recommend if you ever loose or go wrong while making a tag. The background colour can be added later. For this tutorial we are going to start with an image of 352 x 272 :)
and click on the outer selection border with colour #955241.Your image should now look like this... do NOT deselect yet, let those ants march for a bit longer,lol!
and make an oblong shape similar to the image below. This is where we are going to place our Lana Lang image :)
and set your foreground colour to #66372c (Dark Brown). Set the line width to 8 and make sure anti-alias is ticked. Take your pen tool and line up with the top left of Lana Lang's image. Hold down the shift key and draw a line across the top, until you reach the end of her picture. The reason we used the shift key along with the line tool is that you cannot draw anything but a straight line, lol! Now take your line tool and once again hold down your shift key and draw a line across the bottom left to the right hand side to be symmetrical with your upper line. Your image should look like this now.
making sure your forecolour is #66372C and your stroke colour (outline) is #cb9977.
and move your name around your tag until you're happy with it. Now go back to your Background layer and highlight it. Click your Paint Can tool and decide which background colour you'd like to use. Usually for email tags I choose a white background but for this tutorial I chose black. Now go to File/Save As and save your tag as a .jpg to your tag folder :) I also keep a folder for all my original tags on transparent background, complete with layers as a .psp image so that if ever I want to change it in anyway I can.