Candle Bridge

Created December 6, 2002 © Copyright Moon's Designs
Property of Moon's Designs
This is my creation, any similarity to other tutorials (except where stated for permitted PSP versions of third-party tutorials) on the Internet is unintentional.
Please do not copy or place this tutorial or any graphics to any other place without written permission directly from me. Thank you.

The idea for this tutorial is from Rosie Hardman who writes some awesome tutorials for Photo Impact. She doesn't use PSP and I don't use Photo Impact *grin*. Rosie and I first became acquainted during the first Sinedots rage, her owl eyes preset inspired me to do my Sinedots Owl Frame. I have recently been in touch with Rosie and she has graciously given me permission to convert some of her PI tutorials into PSP, and this is how this tutorial was born. Please visit Rosie's site HERE, you will be very impressed - I know that I was.

Your Candle Bridge can easily be used as a Channukia (the Jewish Menorah) by adding one more rectangle.

This tutorial uses only Paint Shop Pro effects, including the dreaded Vectors. *winks* Please don't feel intimidated, we won't be shaping the vectors, but I do hope you learn something about them. We will also be using several items from the Effects menu and the Color menu.

My tutorials are only guidelines to help you accomplish a certain creation. Please feel free to be inventive and take whatever liberties you would like. I encourage each of you to do your "own thing" and make your creation yours! Your finished creation is yours to do with as you please.

Screenshots are resized and compressed for faster loading. Don't forget to SAVE your work often.

This tutorial is written in and for PSP Version 7.04 and assumes you have a working knowledge of PSP at an intermediate level. I am sure this can easily be done in Version 6 with a few adjustments in paths but I have only used Version 7 so I can't make promises *S*

FOR THIS TUTORIAL YOU WILL NEED:
JASC's PSP (30 day free trial)- You can get it HERE
JASC's Holly Tube (optional) You can get it HERE

This lesson is in two parts. We will be making the bridge first and then the candle.

Step 1:
Open a new image 400x400, 16 million colors, transparent background. We want to have plenty of room to work with and will be resizing your finished creation before we are finished. Set your foreground styles to null and your background styles to a wood pattern of your choice. I used the Stained Wood pattern that comes with PSP.

Step 2:
Activate your preset shapes tool, , set your options to rectangle, antialias and create as vector checked.

Draw out a rectangle approximately 300x30. If you look at the bottom left of your work area, you can see the dimensions as you are drawing out your rectangle. The third set of numbers are your dimensions.

Step 3:
Draw out 3 more rectangles.
220x30
140x30
60x30

You do not need to add new layers for each one, as we are using vectors. They also don't have to be centered exactly, as we will be fixing that quite easily in a few minutes. Below is a screenshot of my second rectangle.

Place each rectangle on top of each other. You can easily get to each rectangle by clicking on your Object Selector tool, , and clicking each rectangle to move it. This is how I have my lined up.

Step 4:
Activate your layer palette. Click on the the plus sign next to layer2 and you should have 4 Rectangles with the rectangle you have activated in bold.

Right click your mouse on one of the rectangles and choose Select All.

Your rectangles will now all be selected and should look like this.

Now we need to get them aligned correctly. Right click again and choose Align Object.

Choose Horizontal Center.

All of your rectangles will now be centered horizontally on top of each other. Wasn't that easy? *grin*

Step 5:
On your layer palette activate layer2, right click and choose Convert to Raster Layer. Rename your layer bridge front.

Step 6:
Here comes the tricky part. We need to cutout out part of the rectangles to make it into a bridge. You want to have the sides even, if you activate your grid, it will make it much easier. I have my grid set at 10 horizontal spacing and 10 vertical spacing. To set your grid spacing to to View-->Grid and Guide Properties. To activate your grid go to View-->Grid.

On your tool palette activate your selection tool, , and choose ellipse, antialias checked. Starting in the bottom, middle of your rectangles draw out an ellipse similar to what I have shown below. It may take a few try's to get it just right, and that is where the undo feature in PSP comes in very handy.

When you have your ellipse where you would like it, press the delete key on your keyboard to remove that area. You can then remove your grid by going to View-->Grid. I hope you have been SAVING!

Step 7:
Now we want to make it look more 3D. Click on your bridge front on your layer palette, right click and duplicate. Your duplicated layer will say copy of bridge front. Rename it to bridge back. Go to layers-->arrange-->move down. Make sure your Bridge Back layer is activated. Go to Image-->Resize and resize this layer by 88%. Make sure resize all layers is UNchecked.

Step 8:
Go to Colors-->Adjust-->Brightness/Contrast and enter Minus 24 in brightness and 0 in contrast.

You will notice that your bridge back layer is not aligned correctly with your bridge front. Activate your mover tool, , and move your bridge back layer so it is aligned with your bridge front layer.

Step 9:
With your bridge back layer activated, apply the same brightness contrast 2 more times. Activate your layer palette and "hide" layer one by clicking on the eye glasses. You will have a red X on your hidden layer. Make sure you are on one of the open layers and go to Layers-->Merge-->Merge Visible. Rename your layer bridge. SAVE.

Step 10:
Go to Effects-->3D-->Inner Bevel and apply the following settings. Save!

Step 11:
Go to Colors-->Adjust-->Brightness/Contrast and apply the same setting that we used earlier (it will still be in your settings) once. Here is my finished bridge!

Make sure you have your bridge saved and minimize it in PSP while we make our Candle. If you would like to get up and stretch your legs, grab another cup of coffee or take a potty break, now is the time to do it. When you come back we'll make the candle, just click on the link below.

CANDLE

Tutorial written and created by Patti Wavinak for Moon's Designs. These Tutorials are copyrighted by law. You may LINK to them only. You may not remove any of the graphics, zip files or html within these pages to reproduce these Tutorials, without the expressed permission of Moon's Designs. These pages may not be removed from this website and sent via e-mail, nor saved, stored or archived in files in YahooGroups or other mailing list sites, nor may they be translated and placed on another site.
Creations made from these tutorials are your creations.
Moon's Designs holds the copyright to all selections, original tubes and original images that I have created and provided for use within my tutorials. Page backgrounds and images are created exclusively for this website and may not be downloaded or used without written permission.
If you would like to use any of my tutorials for group lessons please contact me.

OR

  
View My Guestbook
Sign My Guestbook