Skill Level: Beginner to Advanced
Items Needed to complete this tutorial:
An Image similar to these ones shown here.
Step 1:
Open your chosen image and then double click on the word "Background" in the layer control panel to change the image to being on a "Raster" layer.
Step 2:
Make your "Lasso" then click on the little black arrow and choose Smart Edge making the active tool and make the settings the same as mine below.
Step 3:
Using small clicks make your selection around your make image. In my case it is the woman. Once you have made all your selections around your image and come back to your starting point, double click on starting point to get the marching ants all around her/it. Once your selection is made "do not deselect" Go Selections/Promote Selection to a Layer. Do not de-select yet.
Step 4:
Turn off the top layer and then click on the bottom layer to make it the active layer. If you lost your Marching Ants, use your magic wand the click on the empty space(s) on your top layer and then make your bottom layer the active layer still with marching ants moving.
Step 5:
Go Effects/Art Media Effects/Brush Strokes. Use the settings below or choose your own settings. The idea here is to make the "Background" of the image into a painting.
You may deselect now.
Step 6:
Turn off the bottom layer and then make your top layer the active layer. Your canvas should now show only the what you originally selected.
Step 7:
Make your "Soften Brush " the active tool with the settings below.
Step 8:
The idea here is to "Soften" all the edges before going on to the next step. Using small strokes Soften all the edges of your image. To make things clearer for yourself you can add another and flood fill that layer with a color that is not predominant in your image. Place the new layer in between the top and bottom layers so you can see if your softening is good or needs more softening. I used a gray color for my extra layer. After softening the edges delete that middle layer.
Step 9:
Now that you have softened all around your central image you may delete that extra layer (if you used one).
Step 10:
Turn on your bottom layer and then make your top layer the active layer. Here is where some fun begins. Make your Selections Tool the active too then go Selections/Select All and touch your image on the top layer to select it.
Step 11:
Go Effects/Art Media Effects/Colored Pencil and use settings below or play with the settings to your own taste.
Use the Detail and Opacity settings to change the effects on your image. Click on the eyes to see effect on your image before you say click ok
Step 12:
Still with the top layer the active layer go Effects/3D Effects/Drop Shadow and apply a substantial drop shadow.
Step 13:
If you like your image as it is then from the layer control panel make sure all layers are visible then right click and choose Merge/Merge Visible.
Step 14:
We will now frame the image using PSP's own framing tool. Go Image/Picture frame and scroll through the different frames until you see one that the like. You may click on it and see a preview of what the framed image will look like. Below are my own settings. When you use PSP's framing it will automatically place the frame on a new layer. Merge the layers again and then re-size to your own specifications.
This concludes this tutorial and I hope you enjoyed doing it. If you need help just click the link below to send me an SOS.
All Tutorials, Images, and Styles © Lady Gem 2007
Except those images attributed to someone else.