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Easter
Eggs
Using
seamless tiles, gradients or plain
colours
This tutorial is written
for Paint Shop Pro (PSP) 8 or higher. It cannot be done
with PSP 7 as it uses the Balls and Bubbles
Effect and the Mesh Warp tools which PSP 7
and before do not have.
You will need to download my preset for
Balls and Bubbles HERE. Extract the
zip file to your My Documents/My PSP
Files/Presets folder.
You can also download my Deformation
map. These are version specific -
PSP8 PSP10 . Extract
the zip file to your My Documents/My PSP
Files/My Deformation Maps.
Instructions are provided for creating your
own deformation map and saving it.
If you have a pattern tile you want to
use for you egg, open it in PSP before you
begin and minimize it.
If
you want to make a seamless pattern to use
on your egg then I have a tutorial for doing
that HERE
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| Create a new image 400 x
400, Raster, Transparent
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| Effects menu, Artistic
Effects, Balls and Bubbles
On the pull down list at the top of
the Ballls and Bubbles window, select
my plain_ball-jh preset.
You should get a large red ball.
Click on the Surface tab.
Zoom out the preview window so that
you can see the whole ball.
Click in the box showing the red
colour and select the material you
want - plain colour, gradient or
pattern. If you are using a
pattern I suggest you set an angle of
20 - 30 and a scale between 20 and
50. Click OK to see how what
you've chosen looks in the preview
window (you can go back into the
materials and change them if you need
to).
When you are happy with the
material you have chosen, click OK at
the bottom of the Balls and Bubbles
window.
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Image menu, Resize - use
these settings:
Width
= 60 %
Height = 60 %
Resample using = ticked and set to
bicubic
Maintain Original Print Size =
unticked
Lock Aspect Ratio = ticked
Resize All Layers = unticked
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| Click
on the Mesh Warp tool - PSP 8/9 it is
in the group 2nd down on the tool
pallet. PSP 10 it is near the
bottom of the tool pallet.
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| Set
the tool options as shown below:
Note:
If your computer reacts slowly as you
make changes, change the Draft Quality
to Low.
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| Using
a saved deformation map:
If
you already have an egg deformation
map (one of mine or one you've made)
you load it now by clicking on the
Folder Symbol on the Options
Pallet. Use the following
settings:
Deformation
Map = egg2-jh or egg3-jh (or your
own)
Operation = Replace Current Map
Mapping = Fit To Canvas
Checkerboard Size = Small
Click
the Tick on the Options Pallet to
apply the deformation at best quality.
Click
on the Crop tool (just to get out of
the Mesh Warp)
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| To
create your own deformation map:
Click
on the Mesh Warp tool.
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| Set
the tool options as shown below:
Note:
If your computer reacts slowly as you
make changes, change the Draft Quality
to Low.
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| You
start with your round ball on a grid
of straight lines. Where the
lines cross there are nodes you can
move about to change the shape of
what's on the layer.
Move
the nodes marked 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 to
the positions marked 1a, 2a, 3a, 4a
and 5a, as shown in the diagram.
You only move nodes 3, 4 and 5 a very
small amount.
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| If
you are not happy with the position
you move a node to just click the Undo
button on the top tool bar to work
backwards through your
adjustments. You can put all the
nodes back to their starting positions
by clicking the X on the Options
Pallet.
When
you are happy with the positions you
have moved all the nodes to - it
should look like the picture opposite,
click on the disk on the options
pallet, and save your deformation map
with an appropriate name, so you can
use it again for making more eggs.
Finally,
click the tick on the Options Pallet
to do a final apply of the changes to
the shape.
Click
on the Crop tool to get out of the
Mesh Warp tool.
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| To
save your egg as a tube:
File
menu, Export, Picture Tube - give it a
name and click OK to save. |
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