Paint Palette Tutorial

Requires:

A few notes before we get started: save often, experiment, ask questions, and have fun!

Create a new image with a transparent background. I'm working on a 500 x 500 image, but you can start with whatever size you're comfortable working with. Open your wood texture and minimize it or drag it out of the way, so that you'll have it ready when it comes time to use it.

Create a new raster layer and fill with black. This is so it's easier to see what you're doing. You can change it to match the background of your website later. Then, create another new layer and use the selection tool (Selection Type Circle - Feather 0 - Antialias checked) make a nice sized circle. Do not deselect.

If your wood texture isn't open, open it now. After making sure you're on the top layer, flood fill your selection with your wood texture. (Flood Fill - Pattern and select your wood texture) You can fiddle with the settings if you want to. I've set mine to 150% the original size and given it an angle of 23. **Tip: If you resize the pattern, you may want to add a 0.2 - 0.8 gaussian blur to it. This will cover up some of the flaws.** Now you can close your wood image; we're done with it.

Change your selection tool to an ellipse, but keep the other settings (Selection Type Ellipse - Feather 0 - Antialias checked). Select an ellipse in the upper left part of your image, but make it so only some of it overlaps the wood circle. Hit the delete key and press Ctrl+D on your keyboard to deselect. Then press Ctrl+A and, with the selection tool, just click inside the wood. Your palette is now selected.

You have two options for this step.

1. Open Super BladePro (Effects - Plug-In Filters - Flaming Pear - SuperBladePro). Click the button below to see what your settings should be like.

2. Alternately, if you don't have Super BladePro, you can create almost the exact same effect with just PSP7. Go to Effects - 3D Effects - Inner Bevel. Click the button to see what you should make adjust your settings to.

Press Ctrl+D to deselect.

You have two choices for this step as well.

1. Create a new layer. Set the Preset Shapes tool shape to Ink Blot. Then use Antialias checked - Retain Style and Create as Vector unchecked - Line Width 8. Make sure your background color is whatever color you want this splattering of paint to be and the foreground color is null. Draw your shape wherever you want it on your palette and then select it by pressing Ctrl+A and clicking inside the selection with the selection tool or the magic wand tool. Open Super BladePro. Click the button below for the settings. If you want, you can smudge this using the technique in the next step. Repeat this step until you have as many colors of paint as you'd like. Then, hide the wood, the black background, and the transparent layer and merge visible layers. You can now show the other layers.

2. Create a new layer. Select the Picture Tube tool and use the Colored Spheres tube. Scale it to whatever size you like the look of. (My settings are Scale 60 - Step 180.) Then use the Retouch tool set to Smudge - Hardness 0 - Step 1 - Density 100 - Opacity 100 - Shape Round. The size will depend on your preference; I'm using 21. Now smudge the edges of the sphere until it looks like paint that someone had their brush in. Don't worry about the darker color or the highlight getting mixed in; that just makes it look more realistic. It looks like a little bit of another color got mixed into that spot of paint. You can now repeat this step until you have as many different paint colors as you'd like. Hide the wood, the black, and the transparent layer. Merge visible layers and make the other layers visible.

Hide the layer of black and merge the visible layers or change the black to another color or pattern and merge all. If you choose to not merge the black, you may have to drag it beneath the other layer.

Ta-da! You now have a paint palette.

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Neither the text nor images of this tutorial may be removed from this site without my consent. Please, ask before you take! You may reach SaRa at KJChakotay@aol.com.

	Create a new image with a transparent background. I'm working on a 500 x 500 image, but you can start with whatever size you're comfortable working with. Open your wood texture and minimize it or drag it out of the way, so that you'll have it ready when it comes time to use it.
Create a new raster layer and fill with black. This is so it's easier to see what you're doing. You can change it to match the background of your website later. Then, create another new layer and use the selection tool (Selection Type Circle - Feather 0 - Antialias checked) make a nice sized circle. Do not deselect.
	If your wood texture isn't open, open it now. After making sure you're on the top layer, flood fill your selection with your wood texture. (Flood Fill - Pattern and select your wood texture) You can fiddle with the settings if you want to. I've set mine to 150% the original size and given it an angle of 23. Tip: If you resize the pattern, you may want to add a 0.2 - 0.8 gaussian blur to it. This will cover up some of the flaws. Now you can close your wood image; we're done with it.
Change your selection tool to an ellipse, but keep the other settings (Selection Type Ellipse - Feather 0 - Antialias checked). Select an ellipse in the upper left part of your image, but make it so only some of it overlaps the wood circle. Hit the delete key and press Ctrl+D on your keyboard to deselect. Then press Ctrl+A and, with the selection tool, just click inside the wood. Your palette is now selected.
	You have two options for this step. 1. Open Super BladePro (Effects - Plug-In Filters - Flaming Pear - SuperBladePro). Click the button below to see what your settings should be like. 2. Alternately, if you don't have Super BladePro, you can create almost the exact same effect with just PSP7. Go to Effects - 3D Effects - Inner Bevel. Click the button to see what you should make adjust your settings to. Press Ctrl+D to deselect.
You have two choices for this step as well. 1. Create a new layer. Set the Preset Shapes tool shape to Ink Blot. Then use Antialias checked - Retain Style and Create as Vector unchecked - Line Width 8. Make sure your background color is whatever color you want this splattering of paint to be and the foreground color is null. Draw your shape wherever you want it on your palette and then select it by pressing Ctrl+A and clicking inside the selection with the selection tool or the magic wand tool. Open Super BladePro. Click the button below for the settings. If you want, you can smudge this using the technique in the next step. Repeat this step until you have as many colors of paint as you'd like. Then, hide the wood, the black background, and the transparent layer and merge visible layers. You can now show the other layers. 2. Create a new layer. Select the Picture Tube tool and use the Colored Spheres tube. Scale it to whatever size you like the look of. (My settings are Scale 60 - Step 180.) Then use the Retouch tool set to Smudge - Hardness 0 - Step 1 - Density 100 - Opacity 100 - Shape Round. The size will depend on your preference; I'm using 21. Now smudge the edges of the sphere until it looks like paint that someone had their brush in. Don't worry about the darker color or the highlight getting mixed in; that just makes it look more realistic. It looks like a little bit of another color got mixed into that spot of paint. You can now repeat this step until you have as many different paint colors as you'd like. Hide the wood, the black, and the transparent layer. Merge visible layers and make the other layers visible.
	Hide the layer of black and merge the visible layers or change the black to another color or pattern and merge all. If you choose to not merge the black, you may have to drag it beneath the other layer.