To This
I'm sure you all have either seen or have images that are .wmf files (Windows Metafile) and know that they are not the best images to look at and/or use for your web sites. What if you had a way to make them look beautiful so you can use them? This tutorial will teach you just how to do that. The key to doing it is to choose an image that does NOT have a lot of different colors or very similar colors. You don't want to make it too difficult for yourselves.
Skill Level: Beginner to Advanced
Items you will need are
2. Blade Pro, Super Blade Pro, or even Eye Candy or Eye Candy 4000.
Step 1:
First decide on what size Height you want your calling card to be. I have chosen to make mine 250 pixels high. The width is not important just yet.
Open the image you downloaded and when a window pops up to ask you what size to give the image.
Step 2:
Now that the image is open you need to make it into a "Raster" image. To do that place your mouse pointer over the "Vector" layer in the Layer Control Box and right click, then choose "Convert to Raster".
Step 3:
We need magnify the image so we can actually see the "black" lines surrounding the flowers and the leaves. Do Not take in the "black" centers of the image please we want only the outlines. Zoom in on the image by 5. To do that you need to make the "Hand-called Pan tool" in the Tool Bar the active tool. Then click on the + in the 5 times zoom area.
Step 4:
Using your magic wand tool set it to what is below. You may need to increase the strength from 20 to slightly higher it will depend on your Graphics Card.
Step 5:
Touch anywhere on the "black" outline of the image and also the small black line in the bottom left flower you will have to use your shift key to select it also, do not deselect. Using the sliders of the "Zoomed In" window look to see if all the black outline has been selected. Don't worry about the portion of one or more of the flowers that got selected. We will take care of that in a few minutes. You can now zoom out to the normal size image by making the Zoom tool the active tool and clicking on the - minus side of the zoom more area.
Step 6:
With the black still selected go Selections/Promote to layer. This places the black portion onto a new layer of it's own. Then go Selections None
Step 7:
Turn off the bottom layer and make your promoted selection the active layer. You may rename the layer to Outline if you want to so you know what each layer holds.
Step 8:
You will notice that the leaves were also selected so we will need to place them on there own layer. To do that you will use the Lasso Tool set to "Freehand" setting are below.
Zoom in on your image and carefully lasso one of the leaves being sure to leave some of the original outline. Once you have lassoed one leaf press the "shift" key on your keyboard and lasso the second leaf as well. Then using the same method as before "Promote the selection to a new layer". Do not Deselect just yet!
Step 9:
While your selection still has the marching ants going around it make your "Outline" layer the active layer and press your delete key on your keyboard a couple of times. Your Layer Control box should look like below now.
Step 10:
Make your bottom layer the active layer if you have it turned off turn it back on. Using your magic wand with the same settings as before, Click on the center portion of the flowers. Only select the flower centers that will NOT also select the outline. We will fix that one after doing this step. Don't forget to use the Shift Key to also select the second flower center.
Step 11:
Again Promote the Selection(s) to a layer.
Step 12:
Make the Outline layer the active layer and using the lasso tool as before make your selection of the "third" flower center and also promote it to a layer. Then turn off all layers except the Flower Centers and right click on one of the "flower centers" and choose Merge/Merge Visible. Rename the layer to flower centers
Step 13:
Using the methods from above put the different colored flowers on their own layers as well. Your Layer Control should look like below when everything is on their own layers. You will have to use Selections/Modify/Select Color Range for the deep purple. When the window opens for you place your mouse over the "Purple" flower and click once this will then select ALL the deep Purple colors.
Now we get to start having some fun with the image. Use what ever filter you want to in order to make the image beautiful. I will be using Super Blade Pro with presets I created myself.
Step 14:
Make your "Outline" layer the active layer and go Selections/Select All, make your selection tool the active tool and lightly touch anywhere on the black lines.
Step 15:
Make your foreground color white and then make your Airbrush the active tool. Set it to a rather large size and color all the Black Lines White.
Once you have colored the lines to white use Super Blade Pro or what ever filter you want too use to give the outlines some definition. Here's what mine now looks.
Continue on in this method until you have All the layers using a different set of Super Blade Pro settings or with different textures.
Important Note:
When working with the flowers and leaves try leaving them the color they are before applying Super Blade Pro or what ever you will be using. You may be surprised at some of the outcomes.
Here is my Finished Flower.
Now it's time to make your lovely flower into a "Calling Card". Calling Cards can be placed in Guest books or even in your email as a "Sig Tag".
Step 16:
You can now delete the bottom layer the one with the old image on it.
Step 17:
Now we need to change the canvas size. Go Image/Canvas Size and make the width 550 pixels leave the height as it is. Add the extra canvas to the right of the image. Like below. Later we will be resizing the whole image.
Step 18:
Make sure all layers are visible right click on any layer and choose Merge/Merge Visible.
Step 19:
Add a new layer and drag the new layer down below the merged layer.
Step 20:
Pick some nice colors from your image for both the foreground and background. Here's mine
Now set the foreground to "Gradient" and click on the foreground to choose the gradient style you want to use. I am using Foreground to Background at a 45 degree angle with a repeat of 2. Like below.
Using your Flood Fill Bucket make your bottom layer the active layer and Flood Fill with your gradient.
Step 21:
I want the leaves of my flower to be on the bottom. If you do as well make your top layer the active layer and then go Image/Flip. Then add a drop shadow you your flower layer.
Step 22:
In the Layer Control Box right click either layer and choose Merge/Merge Visible.
Step 23:
Make sure you change your foreground back to color mode. Turn off your foreground layer and then choose a nice contrasting color and add your text to the card. Your text should be in a larger size as in the last step (the next one) you will be merging all and resizing to a more manageable file size.
Step 24:
Merge all layers and then resize by going Image/Resize and size it to about 75% or even 65% of the original, and your done with this tutorial.
All Tutorials, Images, and Styles © Lady Gem 2007
Except those images attributed to someone else.