Crop Circles, Remembered Tutorial
Before starting this tutorial, I want to explain why I am calling it what I am.
Many years ago, more than 12, easily, after I had learned – somewhat! - how to use PSP, make tags, get better at my "skills", and while in a copyright compliant PSP group on Yahoo (Snaggers Annonymous - now on groups.io), as one of the challenges we did a tutorial called "Crop Circles" by A Diva's Delight, which their tag tutorial blog is no longer around - it appears to now be a makeup/beauty advice blog. It's a shame, as that tutorial, and many written around that time, are now considered "old school" where you actually use the different tools in PSP, learned how they worked, and even used them as a point to leap off and try your own thing! For those who are curious, these are two tags I made those many years ago:
All is not lost, however. I was able to find it via the Wayback Machine and, even though it doesn't have any of the screenshots/images visible anymore, the steps are still there, so ..... with that in mind, I will use that as my inspiration for this tutorial. It won't be exactly as the original ... just inspiration. As you will see as you go through the tutorial, that the finished look for your tag is pretty much only limited by your imagination.
Here we go.
Ready?
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 (however if you would like to use them in addition to the tutorial, you are free to do so!)
Tube of Choice - I am using a tube by FTU artist, Michelle Hoefener
Preview:
... 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!
A Dingbat of your choice – the original tutorial made a preset shape from one of the “letters” in the dingbat called “Crop Circles” (hence the name) – found HERE
...we won’t be making a preset shape from it, instead using it like a regular font. If you want to use a different dingbat, ones that look like designs and/or have an empty "middle" (aka "Fill") work best.
Outside Filters Needed
These can all be found here:
https://www.lismibaebi.com/FiltersandPlugins/FiltersandPlugins.html
Mura's Meister > Copies
VM Distortion > Radial Pox
Xero > Fritilliary
Filters Part of PSP
Adjust > Blur > Gaussian Blur
Adjust > Sharpen > Unsharpen Mask
Drop Shadow
Optional Filters (for Name/Text)
Eye Candy 5 Impact - Gradient Glow
(can be found at link, above)
Fonts used
FFF Executive - © info
Farming Times - Names
👉 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. 👈
**SAVE YOUR PROGRESS OFTEN**
1. Install the font(s). (Alternative: You can open and minimize the font; it should show in PSP. Personally, I use a font program called Cfont Pro and it's actually freeware, despite the name. It temporarily installs the font and will uninstall it when you shut down your computer.)
2. Any tubes or elements you have: for each, click on Shift+D, and then close out the original(s).
3. Open a new file, 700x700 pixels, transparent background. (Don't worry, you will be able to crop/resize later on. This size just allows more area to create and move things as needed.)
4. Choose colors for your foreground and background, using your tube colors as a guide. You could also use a gradient or a pattern as the background ("fill") if you so desire. I am choosing dark gray for my foreground, and a medium-to-light pink shade from the tube for the background.
5. With your text tool, choose the dingbat font you wish to use, with these settings (I am using the Crop Circles dingbat font, letter e/lowercase):
Size: 550 -- Stroke Width: 2.0 -- Anti-Alias: Smooth Alignment: Center
Kerning: 0.00 -- Tracking: 0.00
Background Color: closed (Null)
Once created, go to Objects - Align - Center In Canvas
Feel free at this time to resize this to your liking (bigger, smaller). You want it to, more or less, take up most of the canvas, like this:
When satisfied, convert to raster. Rename this "dingbat".
6. Choose a dark color from your tube and make it your foreground color. With the "dingbat" layer still active, go to Adjust - Color Balance - Manual Color Correction. In the window on the left will show your current color ("Source"), on the right will show the color you are wanting ("Target"). I am using a dark pink from my tube (#da0d8b), so it will look like this:
7. Copy your tube, Paste as New Layer. Make duplicate layer of tube, close out the original for now. On the duplicate tube, make sure your tube is centered. Resize it by 50% (you may need to modify this a bit depending on the tube you are using) - be sure that "resize all layers" is NOT checked.
8. Mura Meister > Copies with these settings:
Duplicate this layer. Image > Rotate > Free Rotate:
Direction: Right
Degrees: 90
All Layers: Not checked
Rotate single layer around canvas center: checked
Merge down.
9. Adjust > Blur > Gaussian Blur of 15.00. Rename this layer "Blur".
10. Hide this layer for the moment and go back to your "dingbat" layer, make it active. With your Magic Wand (Selection Tool > Magic Wand), click on the inside of each area of the shape as well as outside the shape (you will see the marching ants in the areas you choose).
11. Go back to your "blur" layer, unhide it / make it active. Then hit Delete. Your "blur" area should now be inside the lines of your shape. Move this under the dingbat layer. Selection > Select None.
11. Go to your original tube layer, make active (unhide it). Be sure it is centered and then Edit > Copy Merged, Edit > Paste > Paste as New Layer. Be sure it is exactly lined up with the other elements on your tag (use your move tool if need be). Once satisfied, Adjust > Blur > Gaussian Blur: 20.00 pixels. While on this layer, apply Xero > Fritilliary with these settings:
Duplicate this twice, so you should have 3 total layers of this. Merge all 3 Fritilliary layers into one, and then move it under the blur layer. Duplicate it twice. On one of those duplicated layers, resize by 80%, "resize all layers" unchecked, Resample using "Smart Size".
You should now have something like this:
On the other duplicated layer, Adjust > Blur > Gaussian Blur ... by 10.00.
12. While still on this layer, Image > Resize by 90%, all layers unchecked, Resample using "Smart Size". Then apply VM Distortion > Radial Pox with these settings (mine is through Filters Unlimited 2, however they should be the same if you use the filter directly):
Repeat filter with same settings. Resize this layer by 90% with previous settings.
13. Using your crop tool put these settings in your toolbar, and then click on the check mark to use the settings:
(click on this to enlarge if you need to see the settings clearly)
14. If you wish to add anything else - accents, scraps, word art, etc - now is the time. I am not adding anything to mine, so I will continue to the next step.
15. At this time we will resize it. Go to Image > Resize and use the following settings:
Be sure to pay attention to the areas with the pointed hand. (You don't have to worry about the settings under "Print Size" since we aren't printing this out.)
16. Going to each layer, use the following: Adjust > Sharpen > Unsharpen Mask .. with these settings:
(For a short cut, after you click on each layer, hold down Ctrl + Y and it will "repeat last action" which will be the Unsharpen Mask with these settings)
17. At this point, add drop shadows to your different layers. I used the following on my tube and the dingbat font shape:
18. Add your crediting info, and your name. If you wish to use the settings I did for the gradient glow on my © info:
Eye Candy 5 Impact > Gradient Glow (using a medium pink shade from the tube):
After I applied the gradient glow, I duplicated it, then gaussian blur by 5.00 and then moved it under the original. I set that layer property to Multiply, 100%. I set the original © info layer to Hard Light, 100%.
Save as .png if you wish to retain background transparency.
19. You're done!! I'd love to see what you come up with and thanks for checking out my tutorial!
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