Artwork ©Paul Corfield
Art entitled "Warm Up Warm".

This tutorial created on December 10, 2004 and is the sole property of Bubbles' Psp; Please do not remove this tutorial from my site to place on another site unless you have permission from me to do so.  Psp groups, please feel free to use any of my tutorials that you wish for your groups; I just ask that you don't pass the tutorials through the email.  Please post a text link to the tutorial.

This tutorial created using Psp Version 8; not sure if the selections used in this tutorial will show up in earlier versions of PSP

For this tutorial you will need the following:

Paint Shop Pro (demo)

VDL-Adrenaline Snowflakes

MezzoForce Ice (download is at bottom of page)

PhotoEffex

Snowflake tubes and graphic here

Font here

Tube of choice 

Selections here

Okay, let's start our tag!

1.  Open your graphic and tubes in Psp; minimize on your Psp workspace for now.  Unzip your selection files and place in your Psp Selections folder. 

2.  Open a new image 500w x 500h with a transparent background; raster background checked; color depth 16 million colors.

3.  Layers/New Raster Layer.  Selections/Load Selection from Disk/bbtagbkselections1.PspSelection; restore your graphic image from your Psp workspace and go to Edit/Copy.  Minimize your graphic to your Psp workspace for now.

4.  Make your image with the selections your active image and go to Edit/Paste/Paste Into Selection.  Selections/Select None.  This would be a good time to save.

5.  Layers/New Raster Layer.  Selections/Load Selection from Disk/bbtagbkselection1a.PspSelection; restore your graphic image once again and go to Edit/Copy; you can close out your graphic now.  Make your image with the selections your active image and go to Edit/Paste/Paste Into Selection.  Selections/Select None.

6.  Layers/Merge/Merge Visible.  click on your mover tool and move your merged image over to the left a little so that the right side of your image won't be too close to the edge.  Effects/3D Effects/Inner Bevel using settings shown below.

7.  Layers/Duplicate.  Hide (click on the glasses next to the layer to X out) your duplicated layer and make the original tag layer your active layer.  Effects/PluginFilters/MezzoForce-Ice using the preset Arctica with the settings shown below.

8.  Make your duplicated layer your active layer.  Remove the X next to your duplicated layer (click on the X).  Lower the opacity of this layer to 66% and change the blend mode from Normal to Luminance (Legacy) or you can try different blend modes to see which one you like best; Soft Light gives a pretty effect also.  Layers/Merge/Merge Visible. Good time to save your tag :)

9.  Let's add a little falling snow to our background; I didn't animate my snow but if you want to, go ahead and do so; it would add a pretty effect to the tag.  Selections/Select All.  Selections/Float.  Selections/Defloat.  Effects/PluginFilters/VDL-Adrenaline/Snowflakes using the settings shown below.  Selections/Select None.

10.  Effects/PluginFilters/PhotoEffex/Background Blur setting your blur strength to 15.

11.  Effects/3D Effects/Drop Shadow using the settings below:

Vertical 2; Horizontal 2; Opacity 75; Blur 9; Color Black

12.  Restore your jcw_wrapupwarm tube and go to Edit/Copy; you can close out your tube now.  make your tag background image your active image and go to Edit/Paste/Paste As New Layer.  If you use a different tube than the one provided, you may need to resize your tube.  Apply the same drop shadow that you applied to your tag background.  Position your tube on your tag background.  Good time to save!

13.  Layers/Merge/Merge Visible.  It's time to add your snowflakes.  To add your snowflakes to your background, just restore the snowflake tube you want to use and go to Edit/Copy; minimize your snowflake tube again and then make sure your tag image is your active image.  Go to Edit/Paste/Paste As New Layer.  Add as many snowflakes as you want; you can make yours like mine (see header tag for example) or add more or less snowflakes; just be sure to add each snowflake on a separate layer so you can move them around easily if you want to change the position of the snowflakes.  I added a slight drop shadow to my snowflakes to make them stand out more, this is optional.

14.  When you have finished adding your snowflakes to your tag background, go to Layers/Merge/Merge Visible.  Resize your merged tag by 85% using the bicubic setting for your resize type; resize all layers is NOT checked.

15.  Time to add our text to our tag.  Layers/New Raster Layer.  Below are the settings I used for my text:

Font Candy Store BV; Size 82; Stroke Width 1; Antialias and Floating checked; Foreground/Stroke Color #4C4C82; Background/Fill Color #E2C2DA

16.  Activate your text tool and type the text in the text box that you want to add to your tag; you will have the little "marching ants" around your text; do not deselect.  Selections/Modify/Contract by 1 pixel.  Apply an inner bevel using the settings shown below.  Do not deselect.

17.  Effects/PluginFilters/MezzoForce-Ice using the settings shown below.

18.  Selections/Select None.  Apply same drop shadow as before:

Vertical 2; Horizontal 2; Opacity 75; Blur 9; Color Black

Position your text on your tag.  Add a few snowflakes if you want them; see my tag header for how I did mine.  Layers/Merge/Merge Visible.  Edit/Copy; Edit/Paste/Paste As New Image.  Layers/Merge/Merge All (flatten).  Resize if needed and save in desired format.

Webset and tutorial ©Bubbles' Psp; please do not remove from site