Merry Christmas from Sabrina Buck Graphics

Christmas Sentiments Tutorial

All the supplies you will need can be downloaded here.

You will also need Animation Shop & Squirlz Water Reflections 2.

Plug Ins Needed For This Tutorial

Mura's Seamless - Shadow - here

Xero - Seasons - here

Xero - Mistifier - here

Xmas Sentiments Tutorial

Open up all the materials and place them in the right places. Font to fonts, gradient to gradients,
images to psp file and so on. This tutorial was written for PSP 9.

1. Open a transparent image 740 x 580.

2. Go into your material properties and bring up the materials palette.

3. Foreground color #213884 or choose your own

4. Background color #65d0e2 or choose your own

5. Materials Palette - make a gradient with your two colors - Settings - Angle - 45, Repeats - 0,
Style - Linear.

6. Flood fill your transparent image with your gradient color.

7. Layers - New Raster Layer

8. Selections - Select All

9. Open image 1 - sbg - xmas sentiments. Edit. copy and paste into selection. Blend Mode - Normal
Opacity - 100.

10. Selections - Select None

11. Layers - New Raster Layer

12. Go into your material properties and bring up the materials palette.

13. Foreground color #c2dadf or choose your own

14. Background color #65d0e2 or choose your own

15. Materials Palette - make a gradient with your two colors - Settings - Angle - 45, Repeats - 0,
Style - Linear.

16. Flood fill your transparent image with your gradient color.

17. Layers - New Mask Layer - Scroll down list to border 014 - Source Luminance - checked,
invert mask - checked. Click okay.

18. Layers - Merge Group

19. Effects - Texture Effects - ks6unbennant - Settings - Size - 46, Smoothness - 0, Depth - 2,
Ambience - 0, Shininess - 63, Angle - 315, Intensity - 50, Elevation 25.

20. Adjust - Add/Remove Noise - Add Noise - Gaussian - 5, Monochrome - checked.

21. Effects - Edge Effects - Enhance

22. Layers - Duplicate Layer

23. Image - Mirror

24.Effects - Drop Shadow - Settings - Vertical - -1, Horizontal - -1, Opacity - 100, Blur - 1, Color - Black

25. Effects on group copy - Drop Shadow - Settings - Vertical - 1, Horizontal - 1, Opacity - 100, Blur - 1,
Color - Black

26. Open image 2 - sbg - xmas sentiments - Edit - copy and paste as a new layer.
Opacity - 50 - Center in background Blend Mode - Normal

27. Layer Palette - Move image 2 under the 2 mask layers or just above image 1.

28. Open image 3 - sbg - xmas sentiments - Edit - copy and paste as a new layer.
Opacity - 100 - Carefully paste over top of where the original tree was. Blend Mode - Normal

29. Layer Palette - Move image 3 under the 2 mask layers or just above image 2.

30. Open image 4 - lupa - xmas sentiments - Edit - copy and paste as a new layer.
Opacity - 80 - Move to lower right corner. Blend Mode - Screen.

31. Layers - Duplicate Layer - Opacity - 60, Blend Mode - Luminance (Legacy).

32. Layer Palette - Move image 4 under the 2 mask layers or just above image 3.
Move the copy of image 4 under the 2 mask layers or just above image 4.

33. Open image 5 - miss silly - xmas sentiments - Edit - copy and paste as a new layer.
Opacity - 100 - Move to lower left corner. Blend Mode - Screen.

34. Layers - Duplicate Layer - Opacity - 100, Blend Mode - Luminance (Legacy).

35. Layer Palette - Move image 5 under the 2 mask layers or just above image 4 copy.
Move the copy of image 5 under the 2 mask layers or just above image 5.

36. Open image 6 - sbg - xmas sentiments - Edit - copy and paste as a new layer.
Opacity - 100 - Move to the center under tree. Blend Mode - Screen.

37. Layers - Duplicate Layer - Opacity - 100, Blend Mode - Luminance (Legacy).

38. Layer Palette - Move image 6 under the 2 mask layers or just above image 5 copy.
Move the copy of image 6 under the 2 mask layers or just above image 6.

39. Layer - New Raster Layer

40. Go into your material properties and bring up the materials palette.

41. Foreground color #213884 or choose your own

42. Background color #65d0e2 or choose your own

43. Materials Palette - make a gradient with your two colors - Settings - Angle - 45, Repeats - 0,
Style - Linear.

44. Flood fill your new layer with your gradient color. Opacity - 50. Blend Mode - Soft Light.

45. Layers - Merge All Flat

46. Effects - Mura's Seamless - Shadow - Settings - Offset X - 132, Offset Y - 132, Color R - 0,
Color G - 0, Color B - 0, Effects - 255.

47. Effects - Xero - Seasons - Settings - Red Cut/Boost - 0, Green/Boost Cut - 0, Blue Cut/Boost - 0,
Strength - 255

48. Effects - Xero - Mistifier - Settings - Haziness - 128, Strength - 128, Red Mist - 255,
Green Mist - 255 - Blue Mist - 255

49. Adjust - Photo Fix - Digital Camera Noise Removal - Settings - Small - 50, Medium - 50,
Large - 50, Link detail sizes - checked, Correction Blend - 70, Sharpening - 2.

50. Image - Add Border - 2 pixels. Flood - fill with sbg gold pattern sample or color of your choice.

51. Adjust - Sharpness - Sharpen. Selections - Deselect.

52. Image - Add Border - 1 pixels. Flood - fill with sbg gradient sample or color of your choice.

53. Adjust - Sharpness - Sharpen. Selections - Deselect.

54. Image - Add Border - 2 pixels. Flood - fill with sbg gold pattern sample or color of your choice.

55. Adjust - Sharpness - Sharpen. Selections - Deselect.

56. Selections - Select All, Selections - Modify - Contract - 5 pixels. Selections - Invert.

57. Effects - 3D Effects - Inner Bevel - Settings - Bevel - Straight (1), Width - 20, Smoothness - 2, Depth - 2,
Ambience - 8, Shininess - 18, Color - white, Angle - 315, Intensity - 37, Elevation - 37.

58. Selections - Select None.

59.. Image - Add Border - 40 pixels. Select border with magic wand.

60. Open Image 7 - sbg - xmas sentiments. Edit, copy and paste into selection.

61. Effects - 3D Effects - Inner Bevel - Settings - Bevel - Edge (3), Width - 8, Smoothness - 0, Depth - 4,
Ambience - -30, Shininess - 0, Color - white, Angle - 315, Intensity - 50, Elevation - 50

62. Selections - Select None.

63. Image - Add Border - 2 pixels. Flood - fill with sbg gold pattern sample or color of your choice.

64. Adjust - Sharpness - Sharpen. Selections - Deselect.

65. Image - Add Border - 1 pixels. Flood - fill with sbg gradient sample or color of your choice.

66. Adjust - Sharpness - Sharpen. Selections - Deselect.

67. Image - Add Border - 2 pixels. Flood - fill with sbg gold pattern sample or color of your choice.

68. Adjust - Sharpness - Sharpen. Selections - Deselect.

69. Selections - Select All, Selections - Modify - Contract - 5 pixels. Selections - Invert.

70. Effects - 3D Effects - Inner Bevel - Settings - Bevel - Straight (1), Width - 20, Smoothness - 2, Depth - 2,
Ambience - 8, Shininess - 18, Color - white, Angle - 315, Intensity - 37, Elevation - 37.

71. Selections - Select None.

72. Text Tool - Settings - Create as - vector, Direction - up and down, Font - English VivaceBT, Size - 30,
Stroke width - 0, Font Style - Italic, Alignment - center, Anti-alias - sharp, Line style - solid. Type in Christmas.

73. Layers Palette - Select Vector layer and click on the plus sign in front of it. Click on the text and right
click your mouse. A menu will open up. Scroll up to properties and click on it. Stroke should be checked
and the little box should have your gold pattern in it. Fill should also be checked and should have your
black background color in it. Stroke width should be 1 and the line style should be solid. Visible
should be checked. Anti-alias should be checked. Once all these are correct click okay.

74. Layer Palette - Highlight your vector layer, right click on your mouse and convert to raster layer.

75. Effects - 3D effects - drop shadow - settings: vertical 1 - horizontal 1 -
opacity 50 - blur 5 - color black. Adjust - Sharpness - Sharpen

76. Layers - Duplicate Layer.

77. Layers - New Raster Layer

78. Tube Tool - Star - Settings - Scale - 100, Step - 200, Placement - Random, Selection - Random
Put a star at the beginning of the word Christmas. Put another on the other side of the tree where
Sentiments will go.

79. Move the tube tool layer under the text layers.

80. Text Tool - Settings - Create as - vector, Direction - up and down, Font - English VivaceBT, Size - 3o,
Stroke width - 0, Font Style - Italic, Alignment - center, Anti-alias - sharp, Line style - solid. Type in Sentiments.
Place it next to the star tube

81. Layers Palette - Select Vector layer and click on the plus sign in front of it. Click on the text and right
click your mouse. A menu will open up. Scroll up to properties and click on it. Stroke should be checked
and the little box should have your gold pattern in it. Fill should also be checked and should have your
black background color in it. Stroke width should be 1 and the line style should be solid. Visible
should be checked. Anti-alias should be checked. Once all these are correct click okay.

82. Layer Palette - Highlight your vector layer, right click on your mouse and convert to raster layer.

83. Effects - 3D effects - drop shadow - settings: vertical 1 - horizontal 1 -
opacity 50 - blur 5 - color black. Adjust - Sharpness - Sharpen

84. Layers - Duplicate Layer.

85.To add your name go to font - Settings - Create as - vector, Direction - up and down, Font - English VivaceBT,
Size - 18, Stroke width - 0, Font Style - Italic, Alignment - center, Anti-alias - sharp, Line style - solid. Type
in your name or initials and position it where you normally like to place it.

86. Layers Palette - Select Vector layer and click on the plus sign in front of it. Click on the text and right
click your mouse. A menu will open up. Scroll up to properties and click on it. Stroke should be checked
and the little box should have your gold pattern in it. Fill should also be checked and should have your
black background color in it. Stroke width should be 1 and the line style should be solid. Visible
should be checked. Anti-alias should be checked. Once all these are correct click okay.

87. Layer Palette - Highlight your vector layer, right click on your mouse and convert to raster layer.

88. Effects - 3D effects - drop shadow - settings: vertical 1 - horizontal 1 -
opacity 50 - blur 5 - color black. Adjust - Sharpness - Sharpen

89. Layers - Duplicate Layer.

90. As an alternative you may use your watermark.

91. Layers - Merge all flat

92. File - Name and Save as a jpeg.

93. Open Squirlz Water reflections Program.

94. Click on the green folder and find the image you saved as a jpeg.

95. Click on Outline and then click on begin. Draw and outline around the mask, the bottom, the mask
on the other side and the top. Right click your mouse when finished.

96. Click on the Y and choose rain/snow. Click okay.

97. Click on the rain and choose these settings. Snow - checked, Within outline only - checked,
Number of snowflakes - 4081, Width - 6, Brightness - 255, Speed -1, Softness - 0, Transparency - 50,
Depth of Field - 10, Direction Variation - 50, Direction - 213. Click on the x.

98. Check your animation by clicking on the yellow arrow. Click the yellow arrow again to stop the
animation.

99. Click on avi to save your animation. Click okay and a box will come up. Name your animation
and click okay. It will save it in 15 frames. Click okay. It will save full frames. Click okay. It will build
your animation and tell you it has been saved. Click okay.

100. You can close out Squirlz and open Animation Shop. Bring up your saved animation from
Squirlz in Animation Shop. It will ask if you want all the frames. Click okay.

101. Click edit and select all.

102. Click on animation scroll down and click on cull animation.

103. A new window will come up. It should say remove 1 frame for every 2 frames, 20 candidate
frames, 10 frames will be removed by this operation, 10 frames will remain after this operation.
Click on okay. I usually repeat this step again so I only have 5 frames.

104. To check on your animation click on the little filmstrip. Close your animation when you are done.

105. To slow down your animation, click on animation and scroll down to frame properties.

106. A new window will pop up. For this tut I chose a setting of 6 but you can set this wherever
you would like it to be. Click on okay when you are done.

107. Check your animation again with the little filmstrip.

108. Once you are satisfied with your animation, go to file, scroll down to save as and click on it.

108. Name your animation and click on save. I will usually add something to the name so I don't
replace the animation saved from Squirlz just in case. Make sure you save it as a gif.

109. A new window will pop up. Click on next.

110. A new window will pop up. Click on next.

111. A new window will pop up. Click on next.

112. A new window will pop up. Click on finish. make sure you pay attention to the optimized file
size because yahoo will not allow stationary or files larger than 1 mb.

113. If you need to make your optimized file smaller still, you will need to repeat steps 81 through
92 again.

114. If you are finally satisfied with the outcome, you are finished in your Animation Shop.

115. You are now all done.

 

Credits
 
Mists by Sabrina Buck Graphics
 
 
Mists & Tubes by Maria Anna Astorino
 
Mists & Tubes by Angie - ArtInfinity Tubes
 
Mists & Tubes by Lupa - For Your Eyes Only Sweety
 
Song Credit
Song is National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation Theme.

Created December 21, 2007

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