SD Berrylicious Forum Tag Tutorial

SD Berrylicious Forum Tutorial

This is the tag we will be making:

Easy level - Basic knowledge of PSP is needed.

Materials Needed

Paint Shop Pro  (used Version 9, but can be done on any version)

Scraps -- None

Tube of Choice - I am using a tube by FTU artist "Snickers Doodles" - tubes can be found in most © compliant tube share groups.

You could also use an element from a kit, or accent/embellishment - the sky is the limit!

"Berrylicious" Wordart made by me - can be downloaded HERE.

Filters Needed 

Reflections/Pattern - comes with PSP

Blinds - comes with PSP

Inner Bevel - comes with PSP

Drop Shadow - comes with PSP

Optional Filters (for Name/Text)

Eye Candy 4000 - HSB Noise

Eye Candy 5 Impact - Gradient Glow

Fonts used

Miss LeGatees (for name/text), 

Grixel Kyrou 9 Regular (for copyright info)

Please note that I typically add my drop shadows last.  I will give the drop shadow settings that I have used at the end of the tutorial HOWEVER feel free to use your own settings if/when you would like.

1.  Install the font(s).  (Alternative:  You can open and minimize the font; it should show in PSP.  I use a font program called Cfont Pro (http://www.veign.com/application.php?appid=101) - it temporarily installs the font and will uninstall it when you shut down your computer.)

2.  Open a new file, 650 pixels x 250 pixels, 72 ppi, transparent.  At this time, also Shift+D on your image (this will make a copy of your image) - then close out the original, then minimize it for the time being.

3.  Go to your materials palette and choose a medium-to-dark color from your tube for the foreground color and a medium-to-light color from your tube as your background color.  (I used #88343c for my foreground and #bfcebe for my background.... you could also go with complemetary or even contrasting colors of the tube colors, if you desire.)  Add new raster layer (Layer - New Raster Layer) and flood fill it with your background color, rename this "background color".  Go to your tube and copy and paste it as a new layer.  You should now have something like this:

4.  Go to Effects - Reflection Effects - Pattern and apply the folowing settings:

5.  Activate "Selection" in your "Selection Tool":

and then click on the "Custom Selection":

and apply the following settings:

Top:  0    /    Left:  0     /  Right:  650     /    Bottom:  125

Add new raster layer (Layer - New Raster Layer) and flood fill it with your foreground color, and rename it "foreground color".   With the selection still activated (showing the 'marching ants'), go to Effects - Texture Effects - Blinds and apply the following settings:

While still active, Adjust - Add/Remove Noise - Add Noise and use the following settings:  

Gaussian, 15, Monochrome checked

You may then de-select your layer (Selections - Select None).

You should now have something like this:

6.  Go to your tube and copy and paste as new layer to your tag (file).  Using Mura's Meister-Copies filter, apply these settings:

Rename it "Copies", then move this layer below your background color layer, and change the layer properties to Multiply, Opacity: 85%.  Go to your background color layer and change the layer properties to Overlay, Opacity 70%.

7.  Go to your tube again, and copy and paste as new layer to your tag (file).  Place it to the left side of the tag (see mine for idea), rename this "tube".  Feel free to resize it if necessary (I did with mine, to 95%).

8.  Take the "Berrylicious" wordart, copy and past as new layer to your tag (file), rename it 'wordart'.  Resize it by 80%, then move it straight up to the top (see my tag for idea).  Move it below your tube layer.  Go to Adjust - Color Balance - Manual Color Correction and change it to a color that goes along with the colors you are using (I used my background color).  Apply the following drop shadow to the wordart:

Vertical and Horizontal:  0

Opacity:  100

Blur:  2.00

Color:  black

Change layer properties to Overlay, Opacity 100%.

9.  Go to your materials palette and go to the Gradient tab and choose the following:

Foreground/Background (in drop down menu)

Angle:  315

Repeats:  2

Style:  Linear (the first box)

Add new raster layer (Layer - New Raster Layer) and flood fill it with your gradient 'color', rename this "frame".  Selections - Select All, Selections - Modify - Contract ... by 5 pixels.  Click on my "delete" button.  Selections - Select All ... Selections - Float ... Selections - Defloat.  You should now have marching ants around what is left of the gradient layer.  Go to Adjust - Add/Remove Noise - Add Noise and use the following settings:  

Gaussian, 50, Monochrome checked

Then go to Effects - 3D Effects - Inner Bevel and use these settings:

Selections - Select None.  I applied the following drop shadow to this layer:

Vertical and Horizontal:  0

Opacity:  35

Blur:  15.00

Color:  black

I then applied the following drop shadow to my tube layer:

Vertical:  5

Horizontal:  -5

Opacity:  45

Blur:  10.00

Color:  black

Activate your crop tool, and click on the "merged opaque" button in the upper toolbar, and then click on the check mark to crop the tag.

10.  At this point, add your artist information (including license, if applicable), and tagger's watermark, if desired.  You can also add your name to the tag and you are done!  (If you would like to do your name the same as me, directions are below.)

To make the avatar:

1a.  Open new file - 150 pixels x 150 pixels, 72 ppi, transparent.

2a.  Go to your tag (file) and close out the following layers:  "frame", "wordart", "tube" and any crediting layers.  Go to Edit - Copy Merged.  Go to your avatar file (the 150 pixel file) and go to Edit - Paste as New Layer.  It should be centered (or pretty close to it)... feel free to move it around if it isn't centered.  Activate your crop tool, and click on the "merged opaque" button in the upper toolbar, and then click on the check mark to crop the tag.

3a.  Activate your crop tool, and click on the "merged opaque" button in the upper toolbar, and then click on the check mark to crop the tag.

4a.  follow step #9 (above).  

5a.  With your tube:  copy/paste as new layer, feel free to resize the image if needed (I resized mine to 40%).  Sharpen if needed and apply the previous drop shadow used for the tube.

6a. Add your artist information (including license, if applicable), and tagger's watermark, if desired.  You can also add your name/initials to the avatar/icon and you are done!  

~NOTE~  For name/text:

I did the text at size 56, stroke 2.0 .. foreground and background colors the same as used in tutorial... kern: 0.0

I applied Eye Candy 4000 - HSB Noise with the following settings:

And then I used Eye Candy 5 Impact - Gradient Glow with the following settings:

And then used the following drop shadow

Vertical :  3

Horizontal:  -2

Opacity:  45

Blur:  8.00

Color:  black 

Shadow on new layer: unchecked

Change layer properties to Luminance (Legacy), Opacity 100%

and you are done!

If you make anything with this - or any of my - tutorials, please share?  I'd love to see it, and post it to the blog!

Thanks so much for checking out my tutorials!

MIS Snowtime Tutorial

Snowtime Tutorial

This is the tag we will be making:

Easy to Medium level - Basic knowledge of PSP is needed.

Materials Needed

Paint Shop Pro  (used Version 9, but can be done on any version)

Image/Photo of Choice - I used "Below Freezing" by Mis - I have her Unlimited License to use this.  If you would like to use it too, you can get this amazing image at Indie-Zine

Postage Stamp Template and Blue Snowflake "Dangle" by Me , in zipfile, HERE 

Filters Needed 

Blinds - comes with PSP

DSB Flux - Bright Noise   (or the noise filter in PSP if you don't have this filter -- settings for this filter will be in parenthesis in the area that calls for the DSB Flux filter)

VM Natural - Lightburst -- shareware, found HERE

Optional Filters (for Name/Text)

Eye Candy 4000 - HSB Noise

Eye Candy 5 Impact - Gradient Glow

Fonts used

KR Kinda Flakey (for shape)

Ambitsek (for copyright info)

Signboard Font (for name/text), (free for personal usage) 

Please note that I typically add my drop shadows last.  I will give the drop shadow settings that I have used at the end of the tutorial HOWEVER feel free to use your own settings if/when you would like.

1.  Install the font.  (Alternative:  You can open and minimize the font; it should show in PSP.  I use a font program called Cfont Pro (http://www.veign.com/application.php?appid=101) - it temporarily installs the font and will uninstall it when you shut down your computer.)

2.  Open a new file, 600 pixels x 700 pixels, 72 ppi, transparent.  Flood fill with white.  At this time, also Shift+D on your image (this will make a copy of your image) - then close out the original, then minimize it for the time being.

3.  Go to your materials palette and choose a complementary dark color as your foreground and a lighter version of that color as your background.  (I used #215475 for my foreground and #e0eff8 for my background.)  Activate your text tool with these settings:

Create as:  Vector

Direction:  Arrow Pointing Down (1st option)

Font:  KR Kinda Flakey

Size:  450

Stroke:  4.0

Alightment:  Center

Anti-Alias:  Smooth

Line Style:  Solid

(the rest of the settings don't matter for this particular part of the tutorial)

Choosing a snowflake that you like, type it out (I used Shift + F).  When happy, go to Objects - Align - Center of Canvas.  While its still in vector format, do any moving around that you might need if it doesn't fit the canvas or you wish to make any adjustments.  Once happy, convert it to raster.

4.  Go to the stamp template, and copy and paste the following layer to your snowflake file:  white stamp cutout (should be the layer directly under "black insert").  If not already, move it to the layer above your snowflake.  Close out the snowflake layer, then go back to the stamp template layer.  Using your magic wand tool, click on the inside of the stamp.  Go to Selections - Modify - Expand .. by 6.0 pixels.  Go to your image and resize if needed (I ended up having to size mine down to 425 pixels x 637 pixels so that it would fit decently in the stamp frame.)  Move the image around so that the part you want in the frame is within the marching ants.  Once satisfied, go to Selections - Invert then click on your "Delete" button.  Selections - Select None.  Move image just under the stamp layer.  In your layer palette, you will want to lock the stamp layer and the image layer together:

<

That way when/if we need to move them, they will move together and you won't need to keep matching it up.

5.  Take your snowflake layer and duplicate it 3 times (so you will have a total of 4 layers).  On the very bottom snowflake layer, go to Image - Rotate and use the following settings:

Then resize it by 85%.  Adjust - Blur - Gaussian Blur ... by 10.0 pixels.  Effects - Texture Effects - Blinds with these settings:

Go to the bottom snowflake layer and apply the DSB Flux - Bright Noise filter with the following settings:

Intensity:  50

Direction:  Mix

Apply the same filter on the other 2 layers EXCEPT when you do each layer, click on "Mix" twice before clicking "OK".

(**IF you are using the Noise filter that comes with PSP, go to Adjust - Add/Remove Noise - Add Noise and use the following settings:  Uniform, Monochrome checked ... on bottom snowflake layer use noise of 40%, middle layer use noise of 50%, on top layer use noise of 45%)

6.  Go to your stamp layer and go to Adjust - Color Balance - Manual Color Correction   ... and color it to complement the colors you are using with your snowflake and image (I am using a icy blue color).  When using this, be sure your source color is the color you are starting with (white, in this case) and the target color is the one you want your frame to be.  Then apply the VM Natural - Lightburst filter with the following settings:

(I'm using mine through Filter Unlimited 2.0 however the settings will be the same regardless of whether you run it through a filter program or directly.)

7.  Copy and paste the snowflake dangle to your tag file.... arrange to top layer and resize as needed.  (I resized mine to 55%.)  Arrange on right side of tag (see mine for idea).

8.  Resize to 500 pixels x 500 pixels ... 72.000 ppi.... Weighted Average ... "all layers" CHECKED.  Feel free to use the crop tool to crop out any additional edges from the tag.  Use the Sharpen option (Adjust - Sharpness - Sharpen) if needed to clarify your layers.

8.  Apply any desired drop shadows to the layers ... I used the following with the Drop Shadow settings:

On stamp frame and dangle:

Vertical and Horizontal:  0

Opacity:  45

Blur:  8.00

Color:  black (or a dark shade of what you are using -- not black unless black is a major color on your tag)

On the noised snowflake layers:

Vertical :  0

Horizontal:  0

Opacity:  55

Blur:  11.00

Color:  #244d64  (I used the dark foreground color I used earlier) 

Shadow on new layer: unchecked

I did not apply any drop shadow to the image or the very bottom snowflake layer (with the gaussian blur and blinds filter).

10.  Apply crediting information and watermark.  If you wish to make this a non-animated tag, close out 2 of the noised snowflake layers, then merge visible.  Apply name text and then you are done!

(If you want to animated the tag, see below)

~Animation Shop Directions ~

If you are wanting to animate your tag, after you apply your crediting information and watermark, do the following.

1.  Close out the top and middle noised snowflake layers.  Go to Edit - Copy Merged  ... Edit - Paste as New Image.   Then close out the bottom noised snowflake layer and unhide the middle one.  Go to Edit - Copy Merged.... Edit - Paste as New Layer ... do the same thing for the last noised snowflake layer.  You should now have 3 layers.  When you save, save as "Animation Shop .psp":

Open Animation Shop ....

File - Animation Wizard ... using these settings:

1st window:   Same size as the first image frame (ticked)   (next)

2nd window:  Tranparent (ticked)   (next)

3rd window:   Upper left corner of the frame (ticked) / With the canvas color (ticked)   (next)

4th window:   Yes, repeat the animation indefinitely (ticked) / How long ... : 30   (next)

5th window:   click "Add Image", browse to location of your file then click "open", then "next"

6th window:  Finish

Your animation will now show up in Animation Shop.  

2.  Go to View - Animation to check if it is running at a desired speed.  Feel free to modify the speed if you would like.  (To do that, go to Edit - Select All  (or CTRL + A) and then right click on the first frame and go to Frame Properties and change the number... a smaller number will make it run faster, a larger number will make it run slower. ... when happy with settings, click OK.  You can check them by going to View - Animation.) ... I ended up changing mine to 15.

3.  Now, I always save a blank of my tag on my computer so that I can tag it for people later on.  So I will save the tag with the default settings (what AS installed with) ... usually these settings work ok (however red tones are pretty iffy) ... here is what I used:

Click on the CUSTOMIZE button and use these settings:

click OK ... all the way until it saves your tag.

Now all you need to do is put the name on it!  Go to PSP and, using your text tool, make up your name.  (I'll give you my settings at the end) ... Once you have your text the way you like, copy it, and then bring it over to Animation Shop and paste it. The click on CTRL + L twice (this will put 2 more layers of your name after the current animation frame, which is your first name frame).

You should now have 3 name frames.  While you have your names active, go to Edit - Select All (or CTRL + A), then Edit Copy (or CTRL + C) .... then go to your tag, click inside the 1st frame, then go to Edit - Select All (or CTRL + A) and then Edit - Paste - Into Selected Frame (or CTRL + E) .... place name where you want ... when happy, left click your mouse... name will place in the frame your own AND the other frames.  Feel free to go to View - Animation to see the tag with name on it.  When happy, save tag with previous settings, being sure to change saved name so that you don't save over your blank template.  (For example, my blank tag is name MIS-Snowtime_ani-blk.gif ... so my tagged tag would be something like MISSnowtimeMisbyWR.gif.)

And you're done!!!

~NOTE~  For name/text:

I did the text at size 56, stroke 2.0 .. foreground and background colors the same as used in tutorial... kern: 0.0

I applied Eye Candy 4000 - HSB Noise with the following settings:

And then I used Eye Candy 5 Impact - Gradient Glow with the following settings:

And then used the following drop shadow

Vertical :  2

Horizontal:  -2

Opacity:  30

Blur:  14.00

Color:  black 

Shadow on new layer: unchecked

and done!

I'd love to see what you come up with and thanks for checking out my tutorial!

AKY Take Me Out to the Ballgame Tutorial

Take Me Out to the Ballgame Tutorial

This is what we will be making 

Moderate level - Some knowledge of PSP is needed.

Materials Needed:

Paint Shop Pro  (used Version 9, but can be done on any version) 

Tube "Derek Jeter" by Akyanyme, which is an FTU licensed image at Indie-Zine, found here. Even though it is free, you must still have a license to use work from this artist.  License is also free by contacting customer service

Mask from Butterfly Flutterby #73  

Baseball Fever" Word-Art (Freebie!) from Bekah & Designs, found here at bottom of post

Dingbat baseball elements and grass pattern in zipfile, HERE

Filters Needed:  

Blinds (comes with PSP)

Mosaic - Antique (comes with PSP)

Drop Shadow (comes with PSP)

Xenofex 2 - Little Fluffy Clouds

Eye Candy 5 Impact - Gradient Glow

Fonts used:

FFF Executive for copyright info

Baseball and KR All Sports for the dingbat images

Brannboll Fet for the name/text

Please note:  I tend to make the whole tag first, and then apply drop shadows to the items I wish to drop shadow.  If you wish to apply them as you go along, that is fine, too!  My drop shadow settings are towards the bottom of the tutorial if you would like to use what I have used.

Directions

1.  From my zipfile, put the "Grass" jpg in your patterns folder.  Open PSP.  Open New File, 800 pixels x 800 pixels, 72 pixels/inch resolution, transparent.  (Don't worry, we will be resizing it later on.)  Open your mask, and minimize in PSP.  Also open up word art and minimize that in PSP.

2.  In your materials palette, make black your foreground and medium gray your background, then activate your preset tool and click on square with the following settings:

While still in vector format, go to Objects - Align - Center in Canvas.  Then go to Image - Rotate - Free Rotate 45 degrees, left .. all layers UNCHECKED.  Convert layer to raster.  Name this layer "template".

3.  With your magic wand, click on the medium gray center.  Selections - Modify - Expand: 2.00.  Layers - New Raster Layer.  Go to your materials palette and in one of them (doesn't matter which), choose the grass pattern with the following settings:

Angle:  0

Scale:  50

Texture:  unchecked

flood fill the area with the grass pattern.  Select - Select none.  Rename this layer "grass".

4.  Go back to your original square, click on the black outline with your magic wand.  Layers, new Raster Layer twice.  On one of the new layers go to Selection - Modify - Expand, by 2.00 pixels, and then go to Xenofex 2 - Little Fluffy Clouds and apply the following settings:

 

Select - Select none.  Rename this layer "clouds".  On the second new layer, go to Selection - Modify - Contract:  3.00 pixels.  Flood fill with darker blue color (I used #220eb8).  Selections - Select None.  Move this layer above the "clouds" layer and rename the dark blue layer "border".

5.  In your materials palette, make your background color #2138c5 and your foreground color white  (If you are using the element I gave you - AKY_KR-BaseballDiamond.psd - go to the * areas in parenthesis and disregard how to create it).  Using the "KR All Sport" font (* or using the baseball diamond element I enclosed in the zipfile) - create as vector (using the capital "B"") with the following settings:

Objects - Align - Center in Canvas.  (* if you are using the element I gave you, just center it as best as you can over the grass area.)  Convert to Raster (if creating your own).  In your layer palette, change properties to:

Blend Mode:  Luminance  (Luminance Legacy also works well)

Opacity:  100  

Layer is visible:  checked

Rename the element layer "diamond"  and move it to just above the "grass" layer if its not already.  Change the properties of the "grass" layer as follows:

Blend Mode:  Multiply

Opacity:  100

Layer is visible:  unchecked

6. Go to Layers - New Raster Layer, then move to the bottom.  Go to Xenofex 2 - Little Fluffy Clouds and apply previous settings.  Adjust - Blur - Gaussian Blur:  10.00. Go to Layers - New Mask Layer - From Image and apply these settings:

  

Merge - Merge Group.  Duplicate.  On bottom one - Adjust - Blur - Gaussian Blur:  3.00. Rename layer "Mask 2". Then go to Mosaic - Antique (comes with PSP) and apply the following settings:

Lower the opacity to about 70.  On top mask clouds layer, use the Blinds effect (that comes with PSP) with the following settings:

Adjust - Sharpness - Sharpen.  Rename layer "Mask 1".

At this point you will probably have an empty raster...go ahead and drop that down to the very bottom and - if desired - flood fill it with white.  You should now have something like this:

You can also close out your black/gray square "template".

6.  Open your tube and copy it to your tag layers.  Name this layer "tube".  Resize it 90%, then center it.  Activate your eraser tool with the following settings:

Shape:  round

Size:  50

Hardness:  10

Step:  25

Density:  100

Thickness:  100

Rotation:  0

Opacity:  25

along the bottom of the tube soften the edges and the bottom 'line' so that it looks more blended with the rest of the tag:

7.  In your materials palette, choose black for foreground and #304c86 for background.  (If you are using the elements I provided in the zipfile, you can pass #7 - just copy and paste the silhouettes on to tag as desired.)  Use the following settings as well:

Use the Baseball font (has the silhouettes of baseball players) and choose 2 or 3 positions and place around the tag as desired.  Convert to raster when you are happy with look and placement.  Merge down all of them to 1 layer.  Then go to Eye Candy 5 Impact Gradient Glow and apply these settings:

At this point, resize your total tag to 525 x 525 pixels, 72.000 ppi ... all layers CHECKED.  Be sure to sharpen each layer as needed.  

8.  Maximize your word art.  Shift + D to make a copy, close original.  Resize it to 200 pixels x 101 pixels, and be sure to change the ppi to 72.000 - Resample using: Weighted Average  and all layers checked.  Go to Adjust - Color Balance - Manual Color Balance and use the following settings:

Source color:  black

Target color:  #304c86

(don't have to worry about other settings) .... click "OK".  Copy and paste as new layer to your tag.  Move to upper right (see my tag for idea) ... then apply Eye Candy 5 Impact Gradient Glow using the previous settings.  Also apply the gradient glow to the blue line border layer and set the property for that layer to Luminance (Legacy), Opacity: 50 .

9.  At this point, you are pretty much done with the tag itself.  Feel free to apply desired drop shadows to layers - I used the following:

for all layers except tube layer, word art layer and mask 1 layer (no drop shadow at all on mask 2 layer):

Vertical:  1

Horizontal: 0

Opacity:  75

Blur:  7.00

Color:  black

Shadow on new layer: unchecked

for tube layer:

Vertical:  0

Horizontal: 0

Opacity:  75

Blur:  22.00

Color:  #0f1625  (very dark blue)

Shadow on new layer: unchecked

for word art layer and mask 1 layer:

Vertical:  2

Horizontal: 1

Opacity:  70

Blur:  2.00

Color:  #304c86  (medium to dark blue)

Shadow on new layer: unchecked

10.  Add your copyright information to your tag.

11.  For text on tag, I used Brannboll Fet at size 36, 2.0 stroke, color #0f1625 for foreground and #aab8d6 for background.  (To get the little 'swish' under the name, type in one of the numbers above the alpha pad - each number makes a different 'swish'...don't put a space between the last letter and the 'swish' number.)  Placed it as desired, then did Object - Align - Horizontal Center in Canvas.  Convert to Raster.  Then I used Eye Candy 5 Impact - Gradient Glow with the previous settings, then applied the following drop shadow settings:

Vertical:  2

Horizontal: 1

Opacity:  50

Blur:  8.00

Color:  black

Shadow on new layer: unchecked

Go to Edit - Copy Merged and then save that as jpg. *or* close out white background and save as a .png with a transparent background.

And here it is with transparent background (jpg background at top of tutorial):

And that is it!!  

I hope you enjoyed the tutorial and would love to see your results!

URW Learn Forum Set Tutorial

URW Learn Tutorial

This is what we will be making

Moderate level - Some knowledge of PSP is needed.

Materials Needed

Paint Shop Pro (used Version 9, but can be done on any version)

Tube by UnrulyWitch, who is an FTU licensed artist at Mistaken Art (MTA) HERE

Filters Needed:

Mosaic Glass (comes with PSP)

Distort - Radial Zig Zag (freeware, HERE)

Mura Meister - Copies (freeware, HERE)

AAA Foto Frame (freebie)

Eye Candy 5 Impact - Gradient Glow

Fonts used:

FFF Fuego (for copyright info)

Quasart (for name - freeware)

Additional supplies: HERE

(wordart from Scrappy Expressions - Melissa, now known as Sentimental Style, and cross hatch texture - put in your texture folder in PSP)

Directions

1. Open PSP. Open New File, 600 pixels x 250 pixels, 72 pixels/inch resolution, transparent. Open your tube, duplicate, close the original.

2. Chose a dark color from the tube for your foreground, a light color for your background. Using those colors, chose gradient from the materials palette, and the cross-hatch texture. You want to use the following settings for your gradient:

Style: radial

Angle: 45

Radial: 5

Invert: checked

Horizontal: 50

Vertical: 50

Texture: checked

have the Hatch Fine showing in your drop down menu

click OK

Flood fill your layer with the gradient. Right click on the layer in the layer palette - go to Merge - Merge All - Flatten.

3. Go to Effects - Texture Effects - Mosaic Glass and use the following settings:

4. Go to Distort - Radial Zig Zag and use the following settings:

Roughness: 0

Amplitude: 118

Frequency: 155

5. Copy and paste your tube, then move to the left side of the layer. Duplicate, and move that to the right side. Merge Down, then duplicate it twice (so you will have 3 - the original and 2 copies). Close out the top of them - you will work on the middle and bottom. Resize the middle one (the top of the unhidden) by 85% (all layers UNchecked). Go to Adjust - Blur - Gaussian Blur and use the following setting: Radius: 2.00. Go to the original and go to Adjust - Blur - Gaussian Blur and use the following setting: Radius 6.00. Then, for each, go to the layer palette, right click on it, and apply the following settings:

Blend Mode: Luminance (Legacy)

Opacity: 50

Link Set: 0

6. Go to the hidden duplicated layer and unhide it. Apply the Mura Meister - Copies filter with the following settings:

Random

Wraparound

Blend Mode

*Wallpaper

Number: 20

Shift X / Shift Y: 50

Angle / Rotation / Phase: 0

Cycle: 100

Attenuation: 0

Scale: 100

Tile Gap / Thru BG Range: 0

Thru BG Smooth: 30

Fade Out: 0

Fade Out to BG: unchecked

Click OK. Go to the layer palette, right click on it, and apply the following settings:

Blend Mode: Luminance (Legacy)

Opacity: 20

Link Set: 0

7. Apply tube, move it to the right side of the tag (or place as desired). Apply favorite drop shadow setting.

8. Copy and paste wordart, place on the left side of the tag. Apply Eye Candy 5 Impact - Gradient Glow with the following settings:

Glow Type: Outside Glow

Mask Selection: checked

Glow Radius: 11.00

Soften Corners: 35

Overall Opacity: 100

Distortion Amount: 0

Distortion Lump Size: 100

Gradient Smoothness: 92

move the slider to where you like it - try not to make it too 'fat'.

I used a very very pale shade of the light color I used for my gradient.

Then apply the following drop shadow to the wordart:

Vertical: 1

Horizontal: 0

Opacity: 50

Blur: 2.00

Color: very very dark shade of the dark color you used for your gradient.

Apply drop shadow AGAIN.

9. Duplicate the wordart. Go to the lower layer of the word art, then go to Adjust - Blur - Gaussian Blur and use the following setting: Radius 3.00. Then go to the layer palette, right click on it, and apply the following settings:

Blend Mode: Multiply

Opacity: 100

Link Set: 0

10. Go to Edit - Copy Merged - Paste as New Image. Apply the AAA Frames - Foto Frame and use the following settings:

Width: 4

Brightness: -48

Stroke: 0

Matte: 1

Red: 18 (*)

Green: 11 (*)

Blue: 2 (*)

Opacity: 98

Negative: unchecked

More Shadow: checked

(*) keep in mind that these will be flexible, depending on the colors you are using...these are what I used for mine.

11. Crop tag to 600 pixels wide, 250 pixels high. Apply © information and place where desired. (I used the previous gradient glow setting on my © info, then used Luminance Legacy with Opacity of 85 on it.)

And that is it for the forum tag. For the icon tag, simply take your selection tool, and mark out a large square around the area of the forum tag that you desire (I used the angel/tube, put it kind of to the right of the square.) Make sure the box is nice and big. Copy Merged then Paste as new image. Apply the AAA Frames - Foto Frame filter with the previous settings, then put the proper © information on it.

For the name and the initial for the icon, I used the font Quasart, with the dark shade of the dark color used for the gradient. I then applied Eye Candy 5 Impact Gradient Glow with the following settings:

(I used the lighter shade of my gradient for the first color, and the darker shade of my gradient for the second color)

And then the following drop shadow:

Vertical: 1

Horizontal: 0

Opacity: 50

Blur: 4.00

color: black

And then applied it AGAIN.

I saved my final tag/icon as jpg.

And that is it!!

I hope you enjoyed the tutorial and would love to see your results!