S.W.A.K.

The Sealed With a Kiss blog train takes off today.  Thankfully, I finished this kit before my RAM died.  I used heart templates by Delicious Scraps and scripts by PSPgirl in my kit.  I was testing some scripts for PSPgirl and decided the results looked nice enough to keep, so I added them to this kit.  My part of the train is a full-size kit containing:

• 7 papers
• 2 journalling tags
• 1 bow
• 3 glitter lips
• 1 round frame
• 1 chain of hearts
• 1 flower
• 5 hearts
• 1 wordart
• 4 alphas
  

Download Kit

Conversation Hearts Alpha - Blue

This alpha was actually made two days ago while I was trying to see if my resuscitated computer would continue to function if used with all its guts hanging out.  It is a very odd sort of life support to continue functioning while all electronic innards are outside.    I wish I knew whether one could draw on the iPad.  It is such a cool idea and I'd love an e-reader.  If I could do some graphics on it, then it would be a very nice buy.  Right now I'm doubtful that it can replace my dying computer.

Alpha

Conversation Hearts Alpha - Green

I've managed to resuscitate my computer (briefly) by running it with the case open.  I'm trying to put it through its paces to determine exactly how much failure it is actually experience.  I shudder to think that I have to replace more than just RAM.  The computer is from 2005 so I guess it is time that parts started to fail.

Alpha

Conversation Hearts Alpha - White

I made the preview for this alpha before my RAM died, so I'm posting it.

Alpha

Seamless Heart Overlay

This tutorial will show you how to use the offset filter to make a seamless pattern in Photoshop.  In this particular case, I will make a seamless heart pattern which can be used as an overlay.  This tutorial could easily be adapted to use brushes or custom shapes instead of dingbats.  You can also check out my tutorial for a seamless pattern in PSP.

Supplies:

Valentine Dingbats by Kat's Fun Fonts  (Freeware, but not commercial use ok)

1.  Prior to starting Photoshop, open up the dingbat fonts that you would like to use and minimize the windows.  The fonts do not need to be installed.  As long as they open, Photoshop will detect them upon startup and they will be available for use.  To open a font, find the file, then double-click it. 

2.  Open a new canvas the size of your repeating pattern.  Mine is 600 x 600.

3.  Go to the text tool and select the dingbat font.  Type a letter and move it to the center of the canvas.

4.  Go to the layer menu and flatten the image.

5.  Go to the Filter menu and select the Offset Filter (Filter > Other > Offset).

6.  Make the offsets half the size of the canvas.  Since my canvas is 600 x 600, my offsets are horizontal = 300 and vertical = 300.  Set the undefined areas to wrap around.  The offset filter will not work correctly if the image has not been flattened.  If the canvas is transparent, then the image will not wrap completely around the edges of the canvas.

7.  Now the original image from the dingbat font has been moved to the corners of the canvas and the center is empty.  Use the text tool and place another dingbat.  Use the same dingbat of change to a different one.  I changed the color of the font so that the pattern will create a two-tone overlay.  I also used the move tool to rotate the dingbat.

8.  Define a New Pattern (Edit > Define Pattern).  Give the pattern a name.

9.  Open up a new canvas the size of your desired overlay.  Mine is 3600 x 3600.

10.  Fill the canvas with the new pattern (Shift + F5).

The overlay is now complete and you can use it to make a paper.  Here is the overlay set to soft light over a pink paper.

Conversation Hearts Alpha - Yellow

Here are the yellow conversation hearts.

Alpha

Conversation Hearts Alpha - Orange

Here are the orange conversation heart letters.

Alpha

Conversation Hearts Alpha - Purple

Today is going be very busy with a birthday party for my son, but I wanted to start posting my conversation heart alpha series.  I made the hearts in all the standard colors.  I hope that people will like them.

Alpha

Bottle Cap

I was investigating the different Chrome filters and effects on bottle caps, so I decided to write up this comparison of the different filters.

Supplies:

Bottle Cap Custom Shape

1.  My bottle cap shape is 600 x 600.  If you make your bottle cap a larger or smaller size, then you will need to adjust the size of the bevel.

Paint Shop Pro
2.  For Paint Shop Pro, I used the Gear 5 Preset Shape.  It is part of the Basic Shapes.

Create As Vector = Checked
Anti-alias = Checked

3.  Get the selection from the vector object.

4.  Create a new raster layer (Layers > New Raster Layer).

5.  Apply one of the following plugins:

Eye Candy 5 Impact - Chrome

Basic
Bevel width = 36.00
Bevel Height = 50
Smoothness = 30.00
Round Corners = 0
Bevel Placement = Inside Selection
Reflection Map = Abstract - Stainless Steel
Blur = 80

Lighting
Direction = 115
Inclinination = 64
Hightlight Brightness = 75
Highlight Size = 47
Highlight Color = White
Tint Amount = 0
Tint Color = White
Surface = None

Bevel Profile = Flat

Final product:

Eye Candy 4000 - Chrome

Basic
Reflection Map = Roadside.tif
Bevel Width = 36.00
Bevel Height Scale = 50
Smoothness = 50
Ripple Thickness = 3
Ripple Width = 300.00
Bevel Placement = Inside marquee
Random Seed = 1

Lighting
Direction = 135
Inclination = 45
Highlight Brightness = 100
Highlight Size = 40
Highlight Color = White
Tint Amount = 100
Tint Color = White

Bevel Profile = Button

Final product:

6.  Or, fill the selection with grey (#c0c0c0).

7.  Apply a the inner bevel effect (Effects > 3D Effects > Inner Bevel).

Bevel = 1
Width = 25
Smoothness = 10
Depth = 10
Ambience = 0
Shininess = 30
Color = White
Angle = 0
Intensity = 30
Elevation = 40

8.  Apply the Chrome Effect (Effects > Artistic Effects > Chrome).

Flaws = 4
Brightness = 50
Use original color = Unchecked
Color = White

Final product:

Photoshop
2.  Photoshop does not come with a custom shape suitable for creating a bottle cap.  You can either create your own or use mine.  Select the custom shape, set the color to #c0c0c0, and draw out the bottle cap on the canvas.

3.  Add a bevel, a contour and a gradient overlay style.

Style = Inner Bevel
Technique = Chisel Hard
Depth = 100
Direction = Up
Size = 25
Soften = 0
Angle = 90
Use Global Light = Unchecked
Altitude = 16
Gloss Contour = Flat
Anti-aliased = Unchecked
Highlight Mode = Screen
Highlight Color = White
Highlight Opacity = 75

Shadow Mode = Multiply
Shadow Color = Black
Shadow Opacity = 75

Contour = Flat
Anti-aliased = Unchecked
Range = 50

Blend mode = Screen
Opacity = 100
Style = Linear
Angle = 125
Scale = 52
The gradient that I used is part of the metals set that comes with Photoshop.  You can load the metal gradients by clicking the arrow on the gradients to expand the menu, then clicking the triangle in the upper-right corner and selecting Metals from the drop-down menu.

4.  Go to the layer palette and right-click on the layer effects.  Select create layers to generate separate layers for all the styles.

The layer palette will look like this after the separate layers have been generated.

5.  Merge visible.

6.  Use the Chrome Filter (Filter > Sketch > Chrome).

Detail = 4
Smoothness = 1

Final product:

Filter Forge - Bottlecap
1.  There is no need to make a shape for this filter.  Instead, fill the canvas with your choice of color.  I made mine grey (#c0c0c0).

2.  Open up the Filter Forge plugin.

3.  Apply the Bottle Cap filter.  I used the third factory preset supplied with the filter.

Final product:

Psychedelic Mutant Berries

I don't know if anyone else does, but I really love the pattern and color for this chipboard alpha.

Mutant Berries

Cyclops Complex

Conversation Heart

This tutorial will show you how to make a conversation heart (aka candy heart) in Paint Shop Pro.

Supplies:

Objecten.jsl
Engraved Text Script

1.  Open up a new canvas 600 x 600.

2.  Select a color for your heart and set it as your background color.  Click the circle with the slash on the foreground color so that the foreground is transparent.

3.  Go to Preset Shapes and select your heart preset shape.  Make sure you install the objecten.jsl preset shapes if you want to use my heart.  The heart that I used is Heart 1.

Retain style = Unchecked
Anti-alias = Checked
Create as Vector = Checked

4.  Draw out the heart on your canvas.

5.  Get the selection from the vector object.

6.  Right-click on the layer in the layer palette and convert the layer from a vector to a raster.

7.  Use Extrude from Eye Candy 5 Impact to create the 3D.

Extrude Direction = 350
Extrude Distance = 60.00
Taper = 1
Smoothness = 100
Color of Side Faces = Color from Original
Light Direction = 50
Highlight Brightness = 66
Highlight Color = White
Shadowing = 40

8.  Ctrl + D to select none.

9.  Add Noise (Adjust > Add/Remove Noise > Add Noise).

Gaussian
Noise = 30
Monochrome = Checked

10.  Smooth using Edge Preserving Smooth (Adjust > Add/Remove Noise > Edge Preserving Smooth).

12.  Go to the Freehand Selection tool and use it to select the bevel or area that was created with the Extrude plugin.  I chose Point to point as my selection type as I find it easier to make selections with point to point.

Selection type = Point to point
Mode = Add
Feather = 0
Smoothing = 3
Anti-alias = Checked

13.  Go to the Magic Wand tool and set the mode to Remove.

Mode = Remove
Match mode = RGB
Tolerance = 35
Sample merged = Unchecked
Contiguous = Unchecked
Feather = 0
Anti-alias = Checked
Outside

14.  Click the transparent area in the existing selection in order to remove it.

 

15.  Promote the selection to a layer.

16.  Motion blur to soften up the edge.

Angle = 90.00
Strength = 30

17.  Add noise a second time using the previous settings.

18.  Average the noise to create the candy texture.

Filter aperture = 5

The basic heart is now complete.

Text
1.  Choose your color and write the text as a vector.

2.  Place the text where desired and then obtain the selection from the vector (Selections > From Vector Object).

3.  Duplicate the layer (Layer > Duplicate).

4.  Run my engraved text script to make the text look like it has been stamped into the candy or you can follow my engraved text tutorial.

5.  Ctrl + D to select none.

6.  Blur the text by averaging (Blur > Average).

Filter aperture = 5

Here is the final product.