Meri CT Tutorial

**This tutorial was written using Photoshop CC. I believe the instructions should work with various other versions, but they are not tested on any other version.  

This tutorial is my own creation.  Any similarity to any other tutorial is not done purposely or knowingly (aside from the fact that the process is pretty similar in most tutorials).  

If you do not know how to do some of the things I mention here (like mirroring an image, adding a drop shadow, resizing elements, etc.), check out my “Tips and Tricks” tutorial. **

Supplies:

Kit- “Nina Terror by Skyscraps” by Tiny Turtle Designs which can be purchased here.

Tube - Meri by Designs By Norella.  You can purchase the tube exclusively at Scraps From the Heart.

Template – Template 01_2013 by Xoiya Creations which can be downloaded from her blog.

Abbreviations:

DS – Drop Shadow

Settings I use:

DS Settings - Blend Mode set to Multiply, Opacity set to 75%, Angle set to 129 degrees, Distance 5, Spread 0, Size 5

Ready…..Set….Tag!

Open up the PSD file for the template.  This will be referred to as the working canvas in my directions when switching between canvases.

When working with a template, the first thing I do is figure out if I am going to cover the layers with papers or styles and then apply all of them from the bottom up.  For this template I used a clipping mask to apply papers.  (If you do not know how to use the clipping mask feature in Photoshop, you can check out my tutorial on how to use them.)

Here is what I used on this template:

• Raster 4 layer I covered with a clipping mask of Nina Terror 27 paper.

• Raster 6 & 7 layers I covered with a clipping mask of Nina Terror 25 paper

• Raster 3, 5, 9, 10 & 11 layers I added a transparent bevel style

• Raster 2 layer I covered with a clipping mask of Nina Terror 4 paper

• Raster 8 layer I covered with a clipping mask of Nina Terror 18

 After applying the papers and styles, I then am ready to add my tube.

Add your Meri layer to the canvas.  Resize her so she fits in the canvas on the right side on top of all the template layers.

Use the Rectangular Marquee Tool to draw a box around the top part of the Meri poser in Layer 0 of the Meri psd file.  Copy (Ctrl + C) the selection and return to your working canvas.

On your working canvas make sure the Paper Nina Terror 18 layer is selected then paste (Ctrl + V) the copied selection.  Resize the selection so that Meri’s head fits to your satisfaction on the right side of the rectangle.  Clip it to the paper layer.  Reposition the head until you like how it appears.  To give it the transparent look that mine has, apply the Blend Mode of Multiply in the Blending Options. 

Voila!  The focal point of your tag is now created.

Now decorate your tag with any of the chic elements from the kit.  Resize the elements as you add them so fit the proportions of your tag.  Experiment with rotating them and mirroring them for more variety.  In addition duplicate elements and use multiple times to fill in holes and add more pizzazz.  In this tutorial to indicate when I used more than one of the same element I will add (X#) by the name to indicate how many versions of the element I used. 

Here are all the elements I used from the bottom layers up (although they are sometimes in between layers of the template for better impact.

• Nina Terror 68 – Pink sparkly blob (x4)

• Nina Terror 56 – Pink sparkles (x6)

• Nina Terror 20 – Pink lit columns (x2)

• Nina Terror 38 – Bead necklace

• Nina Terror 39 – Black rose

• Nina Terror 43 – Wider black rose

• Nina Terror 21 – Pink flowers on vine

• Nina Terror 34 – Stack of striped presents

• Nina Terror 86 – Sparkly silverish heart

• Nina Terror 96 – Corset

• Nina Terror 27 – Flower and bow

• Nina Terror 9 – Clock with teacup

• Nina Terror 10 – Love with flowers

• Nina Terror 16 – Bird cage with flowers

Because I layered so many elements around the edges of the focal point of the tag, there is no need to brush the background or add a mask.

Add your license and copyright info to the tag.

Add name and any other text of choice.

Save as PNG and go share with all your friends!

Thank you for trying my tut! I’d love to see how your tags turn out so if you like what you made, please post a copy here or show me on Facebook!

Photoshop Tag Tips and Tricks

Instead of continuing to repeat these instructions in my tutorials I decided to create a tutorial type document which I can add to over time to include helpful information you may need while following my tag tutorials.  Hope you find it helpful!

Helpful tips and tricks:

Resizing tubes and elements – To keep from distorting your images when you resize them use either option below:

1)                  Hold down Alt + Shift on your keyboard and use your mouse to select one corner and drag

2)                  Increase the scale size up in the action bar by the same percentage (100% is the beginning size).  After you have resized it, click the a on the action bar to commit the change to the image.

Rotating elements – Use “Free Transform” (Ctrl + T) and then use the mouse to select a corner of the image and rotate it in the direction you want.

Mirror images – Use “Flip Horizontal” or “Flip Vertical” to create a reverse of your image.  From the menu select Edit > Transform > and then whichever flip you want.

Blending options – Right click on a layer and select Blending Options.  You can use the General Blend Mode to get different effects light overlays, lighting effects, etc.  Play with the modes and see what you like. I tend to use Multiply and Overlay the most, but have used most of the modes at one time or another to get an effect I want.

• Bevel & Emboss - This option makes your image or text stand out.  To learn about how each part of it works, either play around or check out this tutorial:  http://design.tutsplus.com/articles/the-comprehensive-guide-to-bevel-and-emboss--psd-17308

• Stroke - I use this option all the time on text.  It creates an outline of the layer and you can change the color and thickness.  This really helps make words stand out against a background.

• Drop Shadow - This is a great way to add a more "realistic" effect on your image.  It adds a shadow behind the image at an angle which creates the illusion that the image is raised off the paper.  You should play around with the angles and see what works for each situation.  Changing the shadow angle can make a big difference on how "raised" the image looks and can make it appear to have a different perspective.

• Outer and Inner Glow - This is another very handy tool to help give some "life" to your work.  It does exactly what it sounds like.  It adds a glow to the inside or the outside of your text or image.  I suggest playing around with it to understand how it works, but if you want to know more before playing, check out this tutorial:  http://www.flyingmeat.com/acorn/docs/outer%20and%20inner%20glow.html

I hope this tips and tricks will be useful!  Enjoy playing with them.  As I find more that I rely on a lot I will add to this document so be sure to check back!

How to make a clipping mask

For me the easiest way to demonstrate this is to use a template. Here is a link from which you can download Template 480 by the amazing Millies of Millie’s PSP Madness.

http://milliespspmadness.blogspot.com/2014/01/template-480-and-tag-with-queen-of.html

We are also going to be using papers  so if you need a pack you can download the FTU pack I used called Perspective here:

http://inspirationsscrap-design.blogspot.de/2011/07/perspective.html

Abbreviations:

SS – Screen Shot

1.       Open your Template and delete layer “Raster 1”.

2.       Open up your first paper and expand it so that it covers the entire pink background circle (see next SS).

 3.       Drag the Paper_1 layer down so it is between layer 1 and 2.

5.    The paper disappears except for where it covered the layer directly under it.

6.       That is all there is to clipping a mask.  Cover the shape with something else, right click, and  select “create clipping mask”. When I work with templates I often use the same paper for all the elements of the same color to keep the continuity of the template that the artist created, but it is entirely up to you on what to cover each layer with.  To practice keep adding papers and clip to each layer.

7.       I’m also going to throw in some information on how to make the layers stand out . Here is mine after adding all the papers.

8.       As you can see the layers all kind of run together. You can use blending elements like Drop Shadow and Outer Glow to separate them, but it is important to understand that you have to add the blending to the layer of the base object not the clipping layer or it doesn’t show.

9.       Right click on layer 7 and select Blending Options and then select Outer Glow and Ok.  Now you will see your words stand out.

10.   Continue playing around with Blending options on the base layers until you like the results. Here is what I did:

1. Layer 1 – Stroke and Inner Shadow
2. Layer 2 – Bevel & Emboss and Stroke
3. Layer 3 – Outer Glow and Drop Shadow
4. Layer 4 – Bevel & Emboss, Outer Glow, and Drop Shadow
5. Layer 5 – Bevel & Emboss and Stroke
6. Layer 6 – Nothing
7. Layer 7 – As in step 9
8. Layer 8 – Outer Glow and Drop Shadow
9. Layer 9 – Bevel & Emboss, Inner Glow, Outer Glow, and Drop Shadow
10. Layer 10 & 11 – Inner Glow and Outer Glow

And now for my finished product……

CT Tutorial - Krista

**This tutorial was written using Photoshop CC. I believe the instructions should work with various other versions, but they are not tested on any other version. This tutorial is my own creation.  Any similarity to any other tutorial is not done purposely or knowingly (aside from the fact that the process is pretty similar in most tutorials).**

Supplies:

Kit- Emo St Patrick by Designs by Joan.  Available at Scraps N Company.

Poser - Krista by Designs By Norella.  You can purchase the tube at PicsForDesign.com.

Abbreviations:

DS – Drop Shadow

OG – Outer Glow

Settings I use:

DS Settings - Blend Mode set to Multiply, Opacity set to 75%, Angle set to 114 degrees, Distance 5, Spread 0, Size 5

Helpful tips and tricks:

Resizing tubes and elements – To keep from distorting your images when you resize them use either option below:

1)      Hold down Alt + Shift on your keyboard and use your mouse to select one corner and drag

2)      Increase the scale size up in the action bar by the same percentage (100% is the beginning size).  After you have resized it, click the a on the action bar to commit the change to the image.

Rotating elements – Use “Free Transform” (Ctrl + T) and then use the mouse to select a corner of the image and rotate it in the direction you want.

Mirror images – Use “Flip Horizontal” or “Flip Vertical” to create a reverse of your image.  From the menu select Edit > Transform > and then whichever flip you want.

Ready…..Set….Tag!

Open a new canvas (Ctrl +N) 700 x 700, transparent background.  This will be referred to as the working canvas in my directions when switching between canvases.

Add your Krista layer to the canvas.  Resize her so she is taking up most of the right hand side of the canvas.  Work with the placement until you like the angle and what part of her is displayed.  Add DS.

Add EmoStPatrick91 (Green fishnet like frame) and size to fit the canvas.  Add DS.  Make sure this layer is below the Krista layer.  Position it so that it slightly behind her shoulder.

Add Paper 9 behind the frame and resize so the edges are hidden behind the frame and the only part showing is through the center.

Use the Rectangular Marquee Tool to draw a box around the top part of the Krista poser in Layer 0 of the Krista psd file.  Copy (Ctrl + C) the selection and return to your working canvas.

On your working canvas make sure the Paper 9 layer is selected then paste (Ctrl + V) the copied selection. Resize the selection so that Krista’s head fits to your satisfaction in the center of the frame.  Once it is resized, right click on the layer and select “Create Clipping Mask”.  Reposition the head until you like how it appears.  To give it the grainy look that mine has, from the menu select Filter > Filter Gallery > Film Grain.  Play with the setting on the filter until you like how it looks then click ok.  Once you return to the working canvas, right click and select Blending Options, and change the Blend Mode to Dissolve and press ok.

Voila!  The focal point of your tag is now created.

Now decorate your tag with any of the lovely elements from the kit.  Resize the elements as you add them so fit the proportions of your tag.  Experiment with rotating them and mirroring them for more variety.  In addition duplicate elements and use multiple times to fill in holes and add more pizzazz.  In this tutorial to indicate when I used more than one of the same element I will add (X#) by the name to indicate how many versions of the element I used. 

Between the empty base layer and the Paper 9 layer from the bottom up I used:

• EmoStPatrick97 – Shamrock scatter (x2)
• EmoStPatrick65 – Butterflies (x6)
• EmoStPatrick57 – Orb scatter (x2)
• EmoStPatrick66 – Heart plant (x3)
• EmoStPatrick56 – Purple Balloon
• EmoStPatrick35 – Green ribbon
• EmoStPatrick33 – Piles of purple petals (x6)
• EmoStPatrick24 – Green Balloon
• EmoStPatrick53 – Bright blue flower
• EmoStPatrick99 – Gold and emerald clover

Between the frame layer and main Krista layer from the bottom up I used:

• EmoStPatrick40 – Blue and Green striped heart
• EmoStPatrick77 – Blue netting (x2)
• EmoStPatrick92 – Lucky Me badge
• EmoStPatrick62 – Top hat with gold and clover
• EmoStPatrick84 – Blue lips

For a little extra glam, on top of the Krista layer I used some decorative items:

• EmoStPatrick41 – Blue ribbon
• EmoStPatrick61 – Sparkly purple barrette

Because I layered so many elements around the edges of the focal point of the tag, there is no need to brush the background or add a mask.

Add your license and copyright info to the tag.

Add name and any other text of choice.

Save as PNG and go share with all your friends!

Thank you for trying my tut! I’d love to see how your tags turn out so if you like what you made, please post a copy here or show me on Facebook!

CT Tutorial - Gown

**This tutorial was written using Photoshop CS5. I believe the instructions should work with various other versions, but they are not tested on any other version. This tutorial is my own creation.  Any similarity to any other tutorial is not done purposely or knowingly (aside from the fact that the process is pretty similar in most tutorials).**

Supplies:

Kit- Doyle by Sleek n Sassy Designs.  Available at ScrappinDollars.

Tube- Gown by Ishika Chowdhury.  You can purchase the tube exclusively at Mystical Scraps.

Abbreviations:

DS – Drop Shadow
OG – Outer Glow

Settings I use:

DS Settings - Blend Mode set to Multiply, Opacity set to 75%, Angle set to 120 degrees, Distance 5, Spread 0, Size 5

OG Settings – Blend Mode set to Screen, Opacity set to 75, Noise set to 0, Technique Softer, Spread 0, Size 5, Default Contour, Range 50, Jitter 0

Helpful tips and tricks:

Resizing tubes and elements – To keep from distorting your images when you resize them use either option below:

1)      Hold down Alt + Shift on your keyboard and use your mouse to select one corner and drag

2)      Increase the scale size up in the action bar by the same percentage (100% is the beginning size).  After you have resized it, click the a on the action bar to commit the change to the image.

Rotating elements – Use “Free Transform” (Ctrl + T) and then use the mouse to select a corner of the image and rotate it in the direction you want.

Mirror images – Use “Flip Horizontal” or “Flip Vertical” to create a reverse of your image.  From the menu select Edit > Transform > and then whichever flip you want.

Ready…..Set….Tag!

Open a new canvas (Ctrl +N) 700 x 700, transparent background.  This will be referred to as the working canvas in my directions when switching between canvases.

Add Doyle_Element45 (Moon) and size to fit the canvas.  Add DS and OG.

Add the copy of the tube without the swing.  Resize to fit the canvas and position so it appears she is sitting on the moon.

Voila!  The focal point of your tag is now created.

Now decorate your tag with any of the lovely elements from the kit.  Resize the elements as you add them so fit the proportions of your tag.  Experiment with rotating them and mirroring them for more variety.

Between the empty base layer and the Moon layer from the bottom up I used:

Doyle_Element35

(I made a copy of this element and overlapped them to make the “pool” under her  at the bottom of the tag”

Doyle_Element40

(I made multiple copies of this element in different size and placed strategically around the canvas to create the cloudy sky appearance behind the moon)

Doyle_Element11

Doyle_Element54

(I made multiple copies of this element and staggered them to make it appear a flock of birds was flying through the sky)

Doyle_Element6

At this point I added some sparkles to the canvas to give it some glam effect.  Unfortunately the kit I used did not have much of these, so instead I added FTU standalone elements I have collected over time.  You can choose to leave it without the glam effect or add your own variations.  You could also add a similar effect using the OG option and some good sparkle brushes.

Add your license and copyright info to the tag.

Add name and any other text of choice.

Save as PNG and go share with all your friends!

Thank you for trying my tut! I’d love to see how your tags turn out so if you like what you made, please post a copy here or show me on Facebook!

CT Tutorial - Sexy Vamp

**This tutorial was written using Photoshop CS5. I believe the instructions should work with various other versions, but they are not tested on any other version.  This tutorial is my own creation.  Any similarity to any other tutorial is not done purposely or knowingly (aside from the fact that the process is pretty similar in most tutorials).**

Supplies:

Kit- Sexy Vamp by Michelle’s Myths.  Available at Picsfordesign.com or Scrap Candy.

Tube- Becca by Designs by Norella.  You can purchase the tube exclusively at ScrapsFrom the Heart.

Abbreviations:

DS – Drop Shadow

Settings I use:

DS Settings - Blend Mode set to Multiply, Opacity set to 75%, Angle set to 120 degrees, Distance 5, Spread 0, Size 5

Helpful tips and tricks:

Resizing tubes and elements – To keep from distorting your images when you resize them use either option below:

1)      Hold down Alt + Shift on your keyboard and use your mouse to select one corner and drag

2)      Increase the scale size up in the action bar by the same percentage (100% is the beginning size).  After you have resized it, click the a on the action bar to commit the change to the image.

Rotating elements – Use “Free Transform” (Ctrl + T) and then use the mouse to select a corner of the image and rotate it in the direction you want.

Mirror images – Use “Flip Horizontal” or “Flip Vertical” to create a reverse of your image.  From the menu select Edit > Transform > and then whichever flip you want.

Ready…..Set….Tag!

Open a new canvas (Ctrl +N) 700 x 700, transparent background.  This will be referred to as the working canvas in my directions when switching between canvases.

Add Bats element and size to fit the canvas.  Add DS.

Add Sparkles1 on top of the Bats layer.  Resize it so that it fits the scene you are creating.  I used this sparkle element for the top half of the tag and then added Sparkles2 on top of this layer and resized it for the bottom of the tag.

Next add your tube to the bottom right of your canvas above the Sparkles layers. 

Add Heart3 next and resize to fit your tag.  Add DS.

Use the Rectangular Marquee Tool to draw a box around the top part of the Becca poser in Layer 0 of the Becca psd file.  Copy (Ctrl + C) the selection and return to your working canvas.

On your working canvas make sure the Heart3 layer is selected then paste (Ctrl + V) the copied selection.  Resize the selection so that Becca’s head fits to your satisfaction in the upper left curve of the heart.  Once it is resized, right click on the layer and select “Create Clipping Mask”.  Reposition the head until you like how it appears.  To give it the outline look I used, right click on the layer again and select “Blending Options” and change the Blend Mode to “Multiply” and press Ok.

Now right click on the layer again and select Duplicate Layer.  Select the new layer and Flip the image horizontally to create a mirror image.  Reposition it in the upper right corner of the heart.

Voila!  The focal point of your tag is now created.

Now decorate your tag with any of the lovely elements from the kit.  Resize the elements as you add them so fit the proportions of your tag.  Experiment with rotating them and mirroring them for more variety.

Between the Sparkles2 layer and the Heart3 layer from the bottom up I used:

Moon

Love

Between the Copy layer of Becca’s head and the tube layer from the bottom up I used:

Tombstone2

Trees1

Coffin1

Skulls (I made a copy of the skulls and used them in two spots)

Skulls2

Trees1 (I made a copy and used two images to have them on both sides of the tag)

Rose3

Coffin2

HolyWater

Book

Stake

Street Lamp 1

At this point I added the background a new layer at the bottom of the layers.  I used a watercolor brush and just dabbed around the canvas to add the shadowy looking background.  You could also use a mask for your background if you’d like instead.

Add your license and copyright info to the tag.

Add name and any other text of choice.

Save as PNG and go share with all your friends!

Thank you for trying my tut! I’d love to see how your tags turn out so if you like what you made, please post a copy here or show me on Facebook!