Le Chat Coloré Frame
(PSP all versions - no filters)
A tutorial by Mar © 2006

You can Drag & Drop the below hand  for a easy use of this tutorial.

What you need:
Corel PSP. Download a 30 day trial here.
Materials: Download here.
There are  two selections in the ZIP. One for PSP 7 and 8
and one for the versions 9 and higher. Save the
selection in your Selections folder for PSP.
Open all images from the ZIP in PSP.

Save often.
Let's get started. Good luck.....

This tutorial is done in PSP 9.
Open one of the LeChat-bases from the ZIP.
Make a choice what color you want to use for your frame.
All basses have LeChat cat tubes in matching colors.

Selections > Select all.
Selections > Modify > Contract with 10 pixels.
Selections > Invert.

Effects > 3D-effects > Inner bevel > Color white.

Effects > 3D-effects > Drop shadow > Black.

Repeat the drop shadow but this time Vert. and Horiz. at - 2.

Selections > None.

Layers > New raster layer.

Fill your layer with a color that matches your cat or base.
For some examples look at the bottom beneath this tutorial.
The cat I used had the #8b67a7 color so I will use that.
Fill your layer with the color.

Effects > Texture effects > Blinds > Pick a matching color
but make sure it is darker as the layer color. I used #644a7a.

Effects > Deformation effects > Warp.

Selections > Selection load/save > Load from disc.

PSP 9+....... Look for the LeChat selection.

PSP 7 and 8......... Look for the le-Chat-7+up.sel selection.

Apply.
Click "Cut" to remove the middle and put to your PC's memory.

Selections > Select all.
Selections > Modify > Contract with 10 pixels.
Selections > Invert.
Click delete to remove the edges.

Selections > None.

Repeat the inner bevel.
No drop shadow.

You still have the oval on your PC's memory.

Edit > Paste > Paste as a new layer.

Image > Change size > 95% > All layers unchecked.

With your magic wand (feather 0 and
Tolerance 40) click outside to the oval.
Selections > Invert.
Selections > Modify > Contract with 15 pixels.


Click "Delete" to remove the middle part.

Selections > None.

Repeat the inner bevel.
No drop shadow.

Layers > Duplicate.

Image > Change size > 90% > All layers unchecked.

Select the layer with the largest oval (2nd layer from the top).
We are going to colorize that one.

Adjust > Hue and saturation > Colorize.

How do you determine what values you need to use?
The color that I (see the color menu below) want to use matches my frame.
If you use another color base, click with your color picker in your base or
 Le Chat cat tube and look in your color menu for the values. The top two
at the right are the values you need to colorize H and S. (K and V in Dutch).

In stead of 'Saturation' 125, I used 175.
I think that is better and nicer.
De H (Hue) is the most important one.
You need to take that value precisely.

So for me:

Apply.

Now lock your background layer.

Layers > Merge > Merge visible layers.

Repeat the drop shadow at 2 and at - 2.

Unlock your background layer.

With your magic wand, click in the middle oval frame.
Selections > Expand with 15 pixels.
(15 Because of the drop shadow).

Layers > New raster layer.
In your Layer Palette  move this layer one position down.
So this layer is now the middle layer of three.

Open one of the cat photo's from the ZIP
or use one of your own cats and copy it.

Go back to your frame.

Edit > Paste > Paste into selection.

Is every thing OK??
Must look something like this.

Selections > None.

Layers > Merge > Merge all flatten.

Open two matching LeChat cat tubes.
Copy them one by one and paste them one by one in your frame.

Edit > Paste > Paste as a new layer.

Move on the corners of your choice (see examples).

Give each cat a drop shadow at 2.

Open the MD-Hearts and put on the two empty corners.
Of course you have to colorize if you colorized before.

Layers > Merge > Merge all flatten.

Your Le Chat Coloré Frame is done.
I hope you like this tutorial and learned some new.
Thank you for putting my tutorials to the test.

Since 11-11-2006: