How to use masks in PSP

Masks are usually monochrome jpg files

but you can also use png files with transparent background

You can find lots of masks on my mask blog HERE

First we will deal with how to use a jpg mask that is

already installed in your files

Download your chosen mask and place it in your masks folder

Open blank canvas 700 x 700

floodfill white

copy and paste as new layer a

 scrap paper of your choice

or 

new raster layer

floodfill with a color/gradient of your choice

layers - load/save mask - load mask from disk

click on the thumbnail and scroll through

until you find a mask you like

click on it

the settings I use are as follows

source luminance

fit to canvas

hide all mask

then click load

(Note:  if your mask is negative i.e. white background/black middle, you will 

need to check "Invert transparency")

now in your layer palette, right click on the mask layer

hover over merge, then click on merge group

now you are ready to add other elements/tube to your tag

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You can also use jpg masks as an image in PSP 

so you dont have to install every mask you use in your files.

Open the mask in your psp program

open blank canvas 700 x 700

floodfill white

copy and paste as new layer a

scrap paper of your choice 

or

new raster layer, 

floodfill with color/graident of your choice

layers - new mask layer - from image

choose the mask from the dropdown list

click ok

(Note:  If the mask has is negative i.e. white background and 

black middle, then you will need to check 

"Invert mask data" before clicking OK)

in your layer palette, right click on the mask layer

hover over merge, then click on merge group

Now you are ready to add other elements/tube to your tag

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OK now lets deal with using png images with a transparent background

There are a couple of ways of using these kind of images.

Open the png file in psp

Layers - Merge - Merge all (flatten)

once it is flattened it will look something like this

(now it has a white background)

continue to use the mask as an image as described above

Flattening png images, often gives them a white background so 

you will need to ensure that "Invert mask data" is checked

This is what happens if you dont check "invert mask data"

if this happens just hit undo and redo the mask

but check "invert mask data"

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The 2nd way to use png images is as follows

Open the png file in psp

open blank canvas 700 x 700

floodfill white

copy and paste the png image as a new layer

resize if necessary, to fit nicely in the center of your canvas

select all, float, defloat

copy and paste as new layer a 

scrap paper of your choice

or

new raster layer

floodfill with color/gradient of your choice

deselect

in your layer palette, delete the layer with the png mask on it.

you are now ready to add other elements/tube to your tag

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Entwined Words

Supplies needed:

My supplies HERE

Font(s) of choice I am using

An Unfortunate Event & Blueberry Oatmeal

Filter - Eye Candy 4 Gradient Glow

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This tutorial was written by Mizteeque on 18th February 2016

Written using psp9 but other versions should work just as well

Any similarity to other works is unintentional and purely coincidental

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Open blank canvas 700 x 700 

floodfill white

text tool

Font of choice

I am using "An Unfortunate Event"

size 100, fore and back color black

stroke width 3

type the word "Sweet"

convert to raster

select all, float, defloat

new raster layer

floodfill with color/pattern/gradient of choice

expand by 3

new raster layer

floodfill with different color/pattern/gradient of choice

add noise 100, uniform & monochrome checked

deselect

drag this layer below your gradient layer

copy and paste roses as new layer

resize by 60

duplicate

I rotated the first one slightly to the right 

and positioned so it was diagonally across the end of my word

and the duplicate a position towards the bottom left of my word

merge the two rose layers together

make noise layer active

select all, float, defloat

now on your rose layer use your eraser to 

erase some of the roses

you may need to change the size of your eraser as you go

so you only erase the parts you want

in the image below I am going to erase the rose that has been cut off

Here it is erased

Keep erasing parts until you are happy that it looks

like the roses are entwined round the word

you should end up with something like this

Now copy and paste as many of the sweet treats as you wish

and position to your liking

I placed some in front of everything

and some behind the word "Sweet"

dropshadow the sweet treats, the roses & the noise layer

2,5,50,8,black

using a different font

I used Blueberry Oatmeal, size 100, color black

write out the word "Treats"

convert to raster

select all, float, defloat

new raster layer

floodfill with same gradient as before but change

the angle and repeats to 0

effects, eye candy 4, gradient glow

dropshadow as before

delete your white background layer

merge visible

crop and save as png

Word with Images inside

Supplies needed:

Tube(s) of choice

Filter - Eye Candy 5 Impact

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This tutorial was written by Mizteeque on 18th February 2016

Written using psp9 but other versions should work just as well

Any similarity to other works is unintentional and purely coincidental

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

One of my forum members asked me how I make names with images in them

so here is how I make them.  There are probably a dozen different ways to do 

this but this is just one way that i know and find easiest.

Open blank canvas 700 x 700 

floodfill white

text tool

use a blocky font

I am using GramophoneNF

size 120, color black

create as vector

convert to raster

select all, float, defloat

choose two colors from your tube(s)

make a fore/back gradient

linear, angle 45, repeats 4

new raster layer

floodfill with your gradient

copy your tube(s)

paste as new layer(s)

resize & position to your liking

selections invert

hit delete on each tube layer

merge all tube layers together

change blend mode to lumincance

duplicate

adjust blur, gaussian blur 8

change blend mode to screen (or whatever you like)

selections expand by 2

new raster layer

floodfill with background colour

add noise, 100, uniform & monochrome checked
drag this layer below your gradient layer

selections contract by 2

new raster layer

drag this layer to the top of your layer palette

effects, eye candy 5 Impact, glass

make noise layer active

add dropshadow 2,5,50,8,black

add name and copyright information 

delete white background layer

and black name layer

merge visible

crop and save as png