Framing The Graphic

1. Open the graphic you want to make stationery from.
2. if the original graphic is too large, go to Image/resize and reduce the picture by say 75%. This should give you a manageable graphic for framing. If it's still too big, resize again. Remember that the frame will use a bit of space on the background, so allow for it when resizing the graphic.

3. Go to top of prog and click Image/add borders and select 15 (make sure that the symmetric box is checked)

TIP

it's a good idea to make sure that the background colour (2nd box down on the right hand side of your PSP5 prog)

is set to a colour which isn't in the graphic, that way, when you select the border with the magic wand, it won't pick up any of the colours from the graphic, and you'll have nice clean edges to the frame you're making.

4. select the border with the magic wand tool (8th tool down on the left). Two rows of marching ants will appear, one at the edge of the graphic and one at the edge of the image.
5. with the border selected, choose a light colour from the graphic with the sample tool (directly under the magic wand)
6. Flood fill the border using the paint bucket tool, having checked first that the bucket is set to solid colour, Opacity 100, tolerance 20
7. Click on Selections/Invert.
8. just your graphic should be selected now.

9. click on Image/effects/cut out.

Have the Colour set as above
click ok.
(Adding the cut-out will add a black line to the top and left-hand side of the graphic)
10. go to Image/Effects/Drop shadow.

Use the settings above. (Adding the drop shadow will add a white line to the bottom and right-hand side of the graphic - gives it a 3D effect)
11. Go to Selections/Select All.
12. Go to image, add borders, change the border size to 25 (again, make sure the symmetrical box is checked) click ok
13. click on the magic wand, and highlight the new border.
14. Select a darker colour from the graphic, with the sampler tool, then Flood fill with a colour from the graphic using the paint bucket, as you did before.
15. go to Selections/Invert. The graphic and the inner border should now be highlighted.
16. go to Image/Effects/Cutout, and apply the same settings as before, click ok.
17. go to selections, select all.
18. go to image/Effects/Buttonize set your box up like this one

then click ok.

TIP

The buttoniser is affected by the background colour
so if the 2nd box down on the right-hand side is say, red, the buttoniser will have a red tint to it, it's best to set the background colour close to the colour of the border you're going to buttonise.
There's your finished graphic.

1. open a new image, a box will come up, set your box to match this one.

2. choose a colour from the graphic with the sample tool, then click the spray can.
In the controls box (if they're not already in view go to View/toolbars then check the control palette) click on the second tab and select a paper texture.
3a. spray the entire image (the new one, not the graphic) with the spray gun, see the pattern come through?

3b. Or, you could select an area of your graphic with the selection tool, or the lassoo tool, then click on Selections/Convert to Seamless Pattern. It will show as a new image, click on the bucket tool, on the control panel click on the first drop down box, choose Pattern. Click on the mesh tag at the top of the control panel, then scroll down to find the graphic number of the selection you've made. Click ok. Flood fill the white background strip with the selected pattern.

4. click your original graphic (just to make it active) then click edit copy.
5. Click the background graphic (to make it active) then click edit/paste as new layer'
6. the graphic will now be in the middle of your background
7. Move the graphic towards the top left hand corner of the background. Leave a smallish area of the background to frame the framed graphic.

8. with the magic wand tool, click on the background.
Click Selections/Invert. now just the graphic will be highlighted.
Click Layers/merge all.
9. go to Image/Effects/Drop shadow,

set your box like this one then click ok
10. go to selections. click none.
11. click save copy as.... (choose a name) then look at the options on the save as box,

you can compress the .jpg here,
set it to 40% click ok, click save.
12. Leave PSP6 and the finished graphic OPEN.
Open the .html file, alter your info on the template to best match the stationery strip.
Remember to use the same name you've given the background strip on both the .html file and the .jpg file.
Save the .html file to your Outlook Express stationery folder, (the .jpg goes there too) then open the stationery in Outlook Express. If the graphic has lost quality, go back to PSP6 and save the .jpg at a lower compression ratio.
Although smaller file sizes are a great idea, it's never worth ruining your work by over compressing the file.

Here's the finished thing...(I've shrunk it so it takes up less room on my server.)



Now you're done!

Feel free to visit my HOMEPAGE

Sue C - SJC Designs