Enchantress (PTU)

I wrote this tutorial using PSPX2 and Animations Shop 3

You will need your MCC (Manual Color Correction Tool) for this tut.  This tool is my best friend!  It is not in the default tools in PSPX2.  If you do not have it and do not know where to find it, I wrote a quick tut on retrieving it and adding it to your tools here.

I am using a gorgeous tube by Michael Calandra.  You must have a license to use his art.  You can purchase his art at PTE

I am using an awesome kit by Tamie, “Forgotten Places”, and you can purchase it at Dreams-N-Digital

Mask is WSL_Mask4 by weescotslass creations

I am supplying you with a Gradient (hope it works) here

Plug-ins Used:

Xenofex2/Constellation

dsb flux/Bright Noise

Eye Candy 4000/Gradient Glow

Font used:

Saginaw

Remember to save often!!

**MCC=Manual Color Correction Tool 

**c&p=Copy and Paste As New Layer

**When working with duplicate layers, I always refer to them as 1^st, 2^nd, 3^rd…and so on, working from the bottom up.

I usually keep my Drop Shadows on separate layers until I am done (or close to it anyways) just in case I want to switch something up

Let’s Begin 

Open your tube, Duplicate and close the original.

Resize the canvas to 750X750 pixels, Centered

Décor7: c&p; MCC Source: #727586, Target: #9e8486, repeat; Mirror, Flip, arrange to liking.

Flowers3: c&p, Resize 75%; MCC Source: #a9a9aa, Target: #f0e2cb, Brightness/Contrast: Brightness: 28, Contrast: 0, Duplicate, Rotate 90^o Left, position to liking

Flowers2: c&p, position to liking; MCC Source: #ffffff, Target: #eee2ca, Duplicate, Mirror, Rotate 90^o Left, position to liking, erase overlap

Mask: c&p, Resize 60%, Rotate 30^o Left

CU: Duplicate, Mirror, Resize 185%, Rotate 17.65^o Left, Sharpen, arrange layer just below the mask and position eyes in mask.

Activate mask layer: with your Magic Wand (Mode: Add), click inside each eye, Expand your selection by a value of your choice (I used 10), Invert Selection, hit Delete on keyboard, Select None.

(this looked to big to me so I merged all the layers and Resized it again 80%)

Dragonfly: c&p, Resize 50%, Mirror; MCC Source:  #4d535c, Target: #7e5745; Brightness/Contrast: Brightness: 13, Contrast: 4

Vines: c&p, arrange just above white background, position to liking; MCC Source: #202429, Target: #897246

Ribbons: c&p, Mirror, Rotate 15^o Left, arrange and position over Decor7, MCC Source:  #393d44, Target: #1c2132, Adjust> Brightness/Contrast 
Brightness: 11, Contrast: 22

Wrapping the ribbons around Décor7

Duplicate Ribbon and Lock both layers together, arrange one layer below Décor7

Activate the Decor7 layer, Select>All, Select>Float, Select>Defloat,

Activate the 2^nd ribbon layer and erase parts of the ribbon.

I erased these parts.

(the purpose for the duplicate ribbon below is for drop shadow (depth), if there are those of you who do not understand how to do this, leave me a note in my shout box and I will write a tutorial on it)

Flower2: c&p, Resize 60%, Arrange and position to liking.  If you want to give it the same “wrap” effect (so to speak), as I have done, it is the same concept as the ribbons above.

p4: c&p just above your white background, Resize 110%, Desaturate, MCC Source: #2e2e2e, Target: #674c3a, name the layer Mask

Name: I made a Gradient to match the top, I have provided the gradient for you and it should be placed in the PSP Gradients Folder but it’s the first time I have tried to supply a gradient so, if it doesn’t work, this is how I made it.

Set your Foreground color to #966148, and Background to #92837c, choose Foreground/Background Gradient and click on Edit

To add these extra colors, just place your cursor below the gradient and click and “walla” you have another color Marker (those are the solid colors right below your gradient).  Enter the Location that I have provided for you.  Next, enter the color for that Marker; click on the Custom Color selection box that is just below the Location box and enter your color there.

#1 is the Foreground color: leave alone

#2 - Location: 44%, Color: #e9dcc9

#3 – Location 47%, Color:#f0e7da

#4 – Location 50%, Color: #ffffff

#5 – Location 53%, Color: #f0e7da

#6 – Location 56%, Color: #e9dcc9

#7 is the Background color: leave alone

Set this Gradient as your Foreground and Background, grab your Text tool and select Bold, Stroke width: 1, Kerning: 50.  Place the name to your liking, Convert to Raster and Duplicate.

Activate the 1^st layer and apply Gradient Glow.  Choose Fat under the Color tab, enter a color of your choice for both color Markers (I chose to use #4e2f22) It’s easier to just set your foreground color to the color you want, before you open Gradient Glow

 The Color tab should look like this

The Basic tab should look like this

If you want a Drop Shadow, add it on the same layer

WSL_Mask4: Open and Minimize.  In your layers palette, activate the paper layer, right click on it and select New Mask Layer>From Image and select WSL_Mask4 from the drop menu.  Use your Pick tool to adjust the mask to your liking, Merge>Merge Group.

Add copyright and license, I suggest that you position it in a manner that it cannot be removed or tampered with, without being obvious.

Add Drop Shadows to your liking.  If you are going to be animating, make sure that you add Drop Shadows on a separate layer for the dragonfly.  If you are not going to animate, delete the white background layer, Merge Visible and save as a .png

Animation

With your Magic Wand set to these settings

 

Select the parts of the top that you want to add Bright Noise to.

Depending on where you are at on tube you may have to adjust your wand tolerance.  I adjusted all the way down to 0 for some areas

Once you are satisfied with your selection right click on the layer, over in your layers palette, and select Promote Selection to Layer.

My selection looked like this

Name your layer, if you would like, lock it to the tube layer and Duplicate it 3X

Activate the 1^st layer and apply Bright Noise set at 15 and Mix, repeat for the 2^nd – 4^th layers, clicking on Mix 1X for each new layer (this gives a more subtle effect).

Again, with your Magic Wand, select the areas that you want to sparkle.  (I chose the brighter areas)

Activate the 1^st layer and apply Constellation with these settings

Click on Random seed each time for the 2^nd – 4^th layers.

Activate your dragonfly layer, if you have not added a Drop Shadow on a separate layer, you will need your dragonfly layers locked so, right click on lock and it will put a lock only on your dragonfly.  Now, Duplicate the dragonfly 3X

With your Magic Wand set to these settings

Select the bright areas of the wings

Activate the 1^st layer and apply Constellation with these settings

Click on Random seed for the 2^nd – 4^th layers

Select None

Now, Select the bright parts of the body

Activate the 1^st layer and apply Constellation with these settings

Click on Random seed for the 2^nd – 4^th layers

Select None

Activate the 2^nd name layer, Select>All, Select>Float, Select>Defloat, Merge Down, Duplicate 3X

Activate the 1^st layer and apply Bright Noise set to 50 and Mix

Repeat for the 2^nd – 4^th layers clicking on Mix 2X for each layer

Select None

Merge together all of the non animated layers between the animated layers, including the Drop Shadow/s for the dragonfly, if you have one.  Duplicate each merged layer 3X

Activate your 1^st background layer (the very bottom layer in your layers palette), right click, View>Current Only

Now, make ONLY the 1^st layer of each group visible, right click on your visible background layer, Merge>Merge Visible. 

Make this layer invisible and make the next layer in each group visible, right click on your visible background layer, Merge>Merge Visible make this layer invisible and continue to repeat these steps until you have all of your layers merged.  View>All, Crop and save as a .psd or .psp (animation shop)…I always save as a .psd

If you wish to save as a WWO, refer back to one of my earlier tuts.

Animation Shop 3

Open your image in AS3, Select>All (Ctrl+A), Frame Properties (Alt+Enter): 13, hit Enter on the keyboard. 

Resize (Shift+S) to your liking and Optimize (Shift+Z)

And there you have it:)

I would love to see your version or results of my tut and would like to add them to my blog.  Feel free to email them to me; just make sure that you put “tut results” or something to that effect, in the subject or I will delete it without opening it

©X's & O's Dzynz and Tutorials

This Tutorial was written in November, 2011 by me, MsGoddess2U, and the concept of the tutorial is copyrighted.
See my TOU for further details