| Seamless Graphic Borders |
1. Choose a graphic which has similar (or preferably the same) colours at top and bottom. 2. On a large new image 1024 x 800, Click on the graphic, click Edit/copy. Click on the new large background and click Edit/Paste as new layer. Move the graphic to the extreme left of the background. Leave a good gap at the top and bottom of the image  3. Choose a colour from the graphic to use as your background colour, and flood fill the background layer with this colour using the bucket tool. Use filters (if you want to) to get a nice effect on the background layer ONLY. 5. Merge the layers. 6. Make a selection to the right of the graphic and make your bar.  Important: Make sure that the bar reaches above and below the graphic. 7. Whilst the bar is still highlighted, add a drop shadow  8. Crop the stationery just within the graphic's edges. Note: By cropping just inside the graphic, you'll discard the very extreme of the graphic and the top and bottom of the bar, thereby making the bar and drop shadow seamless.  9. Click on Edit/Copy. 10. Open a new large image 1024 x 800 and click Edit/Paste as new layer - twice. 11. Move one layer to the top of the new image, and the second layer up to meet it like this   12. Click on Layers/Merge (flatten all) 13. Using the Smudge tool set to 3 (alter the setting in the control box) gently smudge the colours at the join.  Even if you can't get the colours to match up exactly, as long as you don't have a straight line where the graphics join, the finished stationery will appear more seamless than before. Remember, there is no straight lines in nature :-). 14. Add texture to the graphic and/or background. (Two good reasons for doing this.. firstly it looks nice.. and secondly it helps disguise the join still more). 15. Look at the graphic, and decide on an obvious repeat of the pattern. With the selection tool, select from point A on the top graphic to EXACTLY the same point on the lower graphic. Click Edit/Copy. 16. Make a new large image 1024 x 800 and click Edit/Paste as new layer twice. Move the first layer to the top, and the second layer to meet it, as you did earlier. You will see when the two images meet, that you have a bit of graphic at the top, then the whole image, then another bit of graphic. That's what you're supposed to have. 17. Click on Layers/merge all (flatten). 18. Now find the original ends of the graphic, and select. Again, look for the obvious repeat and select down to EXACTLY the same place in the second graphic as in the first.  click Edit/copy then paste as new layer twice to another new large image 1024 x 800. I know this seems long winded, but, if it's done right, it's worth the trouble. 19. Check that the images when brought together, match perfectly. Then Click Edit/Paste as new image. This is the one to keep. When repeated in Outlook Express, this will be the result  I hope this has been of use to you. There are more help files available on my HomePage
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