Country Xmas Frame
(PSP all versions - no filters)
A tutorial by Mar ©2005

What you need:
PSP. Download a 30 day trial here.
Materials:  Download here.

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

For this tutorial I want to go deeper into PSP's color options. If you
want your frame to be as the one at the top, skip the color methods.

Open a new image 400 X 450 > Transparent.

Foreground to pattern and look for the MD-Pattern-2.jpg.
Scale to 105 and angle to 0.
Texture unchecked (= bleu hand).

Fill your image.

Layers > Merge > Merge all layers flatten.

Image > Add borders > 5 Pixels > Symmetric > Color #7287b2.

Again add a border of 5 pixels but this time with the color #eedeba.

Selections > Select all.
Selections > Modify > Contract with 55 pixels.

Fill the selection with #7287b2.

Selections > Modify > Contract with 5 pixels.

This time fill the selection with #eedeba.

Layers > New raster layer.
Fill the selection again with the bleu: #7287b2.

Layers > New mask layer > From image.

Look for the MD-MCmask.jpg.
Invert mask data checked.

Layers > Merge > Merge all flatten.

Selections > Select none.

If you want to use one of the 3 color methods I describe below you
have to do so on the background now. I have numbered them 1* - 2* - 3*.
Please read the instructions at the bottom of this tut first before you
proceed and make a decision. For PSP 7 users not all 3 options are available.

Open the MD-Jesus-tube.psp and copy.

Edit > Paste > Paste as a new layer.

Move the tube to the left corner so it will be like on the screenshot below.

Open the MD-Xmas-startag.psp and copy.

Edit > Paste > Paste as a new layer.

With move to the right upper corner like on the screenshot below.

If you used one of the color methods on your background:
Use the same method on the MD-Xmas-startag.psp.

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

Repeat the drop shadow but this time Vert and Horiz. at - 3.

Open the MD-Xmas-stich.psp and copy.

Edit > Paste > Paste as a new layer.
You don't have to move it.

Layers > Merge > Merge all layers flatten.

Your standard Frame is done.

The color methods:
1*.   To get the next result I have given the background
and MD-Xmas-startag.psp a negative effect.
 Adjust > Color balance > Negative.

 2*.  To get the next result I used the channel mixer.
 Adjust > Color balance > Channel mixer.
Beneath the image are the settings.

Go ahead and try something different settings too. Do this by
 altering the numbers or by clicking the dice (not for PSP 7).

3*.  And than there is the manual color correction.
Adjust > Color balance > Manual color correction.
Fore this example I used the preset "Miscellaneous" (hand 2).
The color for the source #5c7579 and #6f7ca8 for the target.
The example for this method is at the end of this tutorial.

Try some of the other settings too.
You will be amazed over the funny results.

The advantage for this 3 methods are..... you can colorize without
having the same color all over your image. Isn't this fun?

Your Country Xmas is done.
I hope you like this tutorial and learned some new things.
Thank you for using my tutorials.