FTU TUTORIAL - DEAR SANTA

I wrote this tutorial for those with a working knowledge of PSP 

Any resemblance to any other tutorial is purely coincidental

Supplies:

My Xmas_Template01, which you can download HERE

Gorgeous freebie kit, A Tagger's Christmas by Bel Vidotti, 

which you can download HERE

You can get Bel's new kits from the new blog HERE, 

but the old kits are not posted or linked to the new blog.

Tube of choice, I am using one by Daniel Esparza, which requires a license from CDO.

You can purchase the tube and license HERE

Mask of choice

Font of choice, I used Santa's Sleigh and Eight Fifteen

Effects:

Eye Candy 4000, Gradient Glow

Okay, Lets Get Started!

Open my Xmas Template_01 in PSP. 

Delete the credits layer

Activate your background layer

Layers, New Raster Layer, Floodfill with any color from your tube

Layers, Load/Save Mask, Apply Mask of choice, Merge Group

Adjust, Blur, Gaussian Blur, 10

Effects, Texture Effects, Blinds, Horizontal, 7, 72, white

Activate your circle layer, Selections, Select All, Float, Defloat

Copy and paste a paper of choice from the kit, 

Selections, Invert, hit delete on your keyboard, Deselect

Delete the original circle layer

Activate your Black Rectangle layer, Selections, Select All, Float, Defloat

Copy and paste a paper of choice from the kit, 

Selections, Invert, hit delete on your keyboard, Deselect

Delete the original Blk Rectangle layer

Activate your Green Rectangle layer, Selections, Select All, Float, Defloat

Copy and paste a paper of choice from the kit, 

Selections, Invert, hit delete on your keyboard, Deselect

Move this layer down a bit on your tag, see my tag for reference

Delete the original Green Rectangle layer

Activate your circle layer again, copy and paste the wreath from the kit to surround the circle

Copy and paste a candy cane of choice from the kit, position on the left of the verticle rectangle

see my tag for reference, Layers, Duplicate, Image, Mirror, position where you want it

See my tag for reference

Copy and paste a bow of choice and position at the top of your verticle rectangle,

making sure not to cover your wordart, you can move the wordart down a bit if necessary

Activate your wordart layer, Selections, Select All, Float, Defloat

Layers, New Raster Layer, Floodfill with a color of choice from your tube, Deselect

Effects, 3D Effects, Inner Bevel, default settings

Effects, Eye Candy 4000, Gradient Glow, Fat, color white, 3,25,100, Apply

Activate your vertical rectangle layer, Copy and paste the string of lights from the kit

Make sure they are under the bottom horizontal rectangle 

and only the top strings of lights are visible

See my tag for reference

Copy and paste tube of choice as a new layer, position on the right of your tag, see my tag for reference

Drop shadow your tube and elements with a drop shadow of choice

Add your copyright/tag info

Hide your background layer, Crop tool, Snag Crop Rectangle, Merged Opague 

and click the checkmark on top tool bar.

This will get all the excess space off your tag. 

Unhide the background layer, Layers, Merge, Merge Visible

If you do not wish to animate, save as a png file and you are done!

Animation:

Using your magic wand select the all the lights that are visible on your tag, 

Mode, Add, RGB value, Tolerance 15, Feather 0

Layers, Duplicate for a total of 3 layers

On the top layer, Adjust, Brightness & Contrast, 50, 0, Deselect

Activate your second layer of lights

Using your magic wand, select all the red lights that are visible on your tag, same setting as before

Adjust, Brightness & Contrast, same settings as before, Deselect

Activate your bottom layer of lights

Using your magic wand, select all the green lights that are visible on your tag, same settings as before

Adjust, Brightness & Contrast, same settings as before, Deselect

Hide your bottom two lights layers, Activate your top layer of lights

Edit, Copy Merged, paste into Animation Shop as a new animation

Back in PSP, hide your top layer of lights and unhide your second layer, Activate this layer

Edit, Copy Merged, paste into Animation Shop after current frame

Back in PSP, hide your second layer of lights and unhide your bottom layer, Activate this layer

Edit, Copy Merged, paste into Animation Shop after current frame

Edit, Propagate Paste checked, Select All

Animation, Resize animation (if desired) 600

Animation, Frame properties at default 10

View animation, if happy, save as a gif file and you are finished!

I hope you enjoyed my tutorial, if you make a tag with it, 

please send it to me so that I can show it off here!!

Thanks for trying my tutorial!!