Farmhouse Tutorial
This tutorial was written with PSP 7, but should work with earlier versions. All you will need is PSP, and the farmhouse.zip file, with selections, windows, door, fill, and trim.The terms of use are here
This is quite a large image, so it is important to save it quite often.
You could save it now, and then just press CTRL-S, to save, as often as you wish.
Have fun with this. You can place the windows differently, or use different windows or doors, and use any colours or fills that take your fancy!
1. Open a new image, 700 x 530 pixels. If you wish to use the fill I did, just right-click on the fill below to save:
NOTE: Each step which needs a new layer will use the format with the name of the new layer, and then the selection for that layer. So Houseroof layer - houseroof.sel, means make a new layer Roof, and then get the houseroof.sel file by going to Selections - Load from disk.
2. Houseside Layer - 01houseside.sel. Flood-fill
with the siding given, or any fill or colour you wish.
3. Ell front Layer - 02ellfront.sel. Flood-fill with your colour or siding.
4. Ell side layer - 03ellside.sel. Flood-fill.
5. Left Trim Layer - 04lefttrim.sel. Flood-fill with black, then go to Selections - Modify - Contract 1 pixel. Then flood-fill with any colour trim you like.
6. Front House Layer - 05fronthouse.sel. Flood-fill with siding.
7. Porch Layer - 06porch.sel. Flood-fill with a porch floor colour (I used light gray).
8. Porch Skirt Front Layer - 07porchskirtfront.sel. Flood-fill with white
9. Porch skirt side Layer - 08porchskirtside.sel. Flood-fill with white.
10. Ell front foundation Layer - 09ellfrontfoundation.sel. Set your Styles box to Pattern, find the Cemented Rock Pattern, Scale around 21%, Angle 0, and fill.
2. Houseside Layer - 01houseside.sel. Flood-fill
with the siding given, or any fill or colour you wish.
3. Ell front Layer - 02ellfront.sel. Flood-fill with your colour or siding.
4. Ell side layer - 03ellside.sel. Flood-fill.
5. Left Trim Layer - 04lefttrim.sel. Flood-fill with black, then go to Selections - Modify - Contract 1 pixel. Then flood-fill with any colour trim you like.
6. Front House Layer - 05fronthouse.sel. Flood-fill with siding.
7. Porch Layer - 06porch.sel. Flood-fill with a porch floor colour (I used light gray).
8. Porch Skirt Front Layer - 07porchskirtfront.sel. Flood-fill with white
9. Porch skirt side Layer - 08porchskirtside.sel. Flood-fill with white.
10. Ell front foundation Layer - 09ellfrontfoundation.sel. Set your Styles box to Pattern, find the Cemented Rock Pattern, Scale around 21%, Angle 0, and fill.
If you prefer, you could flood-fill with white or another foundation colour, and then go to Effects - Texture Effects - Textures and choose one of the textures, making sure that you reduce the Size to something around 30%.
11. Chimneys - 10chimney.sel. You can flood-fill with one of the brick patterns. Then get 10topschimney.sel and flood-fill with dark gray (#404040).
12. Ell Roof Layer - 11ellroof.sel. Flood-fill (I used colour #D51111.) Then apply the following drop shadow:
Metal or Shingle Roof
If you want the look of a metal roof (which so many farm houses have), get 12ellroofridges.sel, flood fill with the same colour as your roof, and go to Effects - 3D Effects - Inner Bevel, and use the preset Frame:
11. Chimneys - 10chimney.sel. You can flood-fill with one of the brick patterns. Then get 10topschimney.sel and flood-fill with dark gray (#404040).
12. Ell Roof Layer - 11ellroof.sel. Flood-fill (I used colour #D51111.) Then apply the following drop shadow:
Metal or Shingle Roof
If you want the look of a metal roof (which so many farm houses have), get 12ellroofridges.sel, flood fill with the same colour as your roof, and go to Effects - 3D Effects - Inner Bevel, and use the preset Frame:
If you want a shingled look, you can go to Effects - Texture Effects - Blinds, and fiddle around with the width and opacity until you get the look you want (it will depend on the colour you use).
13. House Roof layer - 13houseroof.sel. Flood fill with a colour which is slightly darker than the Ell roof (I used #CB0303), and apply the same Drop Shadow.
For the metal roof look, get 14houseroofridges, flood fill with your colour and use the Inner Bevel Frame preset again--twice.
14. Front Trim layer - 15fronttrim.sel. Flood-fill with black, go to Selections - Modify - Contract 1 pixel, and then flood-fill with white or the same colour you used on the Left Trim layer.
15. Make a new layer, Posts, which we'll return to later.
16. Ell Trim - 16elltrim.sel. Repeat what you just did in Step 14.
17. Ell Inner Roof layer - 17ellinnerroof.sel. Repeat the same steps again.
18. Side Porch Roof layer - 18sideporchroof.sel. Flood-fill with the same colour you used for the Ell Roof layer (#D51111). Add a drop shadow.
19. Front Porch Roof layer - 19frontporchroof.sel. Flood-fill with the darker roof colour (#CB0303). Add the same drop shadow.
20. Ell Foundation layer - 20ellfoundation.sel. Use the Cemented Rock pattern again, or whichever pattern you used for the Ell Front Foundation (Step 10).
Now have fun!
If you haven't done so yet, open the *.psp files from the farmhouse.zip file on your desktop. These would be the post, porch trim, steps, door and window files.
Windows. If you want to change the colour of the window trim, go to the Trim layer. Then press CTRL-A, and click with the Magic Wand
on the coloured trim. Then you flood-fill with any colour you want.
The windows files have several layers. You can decide which layers to use, or add layers of your own, and then go the the Layers Pallette, left-click and Merge Visible. Press CTRL-A, CTRL-C to copy, go to your farmhouse image, make a new layer, and press CTRL-E to paste the window and place it where you want. It's a good idea to place each window on a separate layer in case you want to re-arrange them.
The Door and Steps. Make a Door layer, and using the same technique, move the door into place. Then make a Steps layer and add the steps. (Those who don't live in the North may be saying--"What's with those, ick, green steps?" Steps and porches get treacherously icy in the winter, so most people have runners, with the green astro-turfy being quite popular!)
Posts. Click on the Post layer, and place the left-hand post in place. Make a new layer, and place the middle post. You may have to click on the Deformation Tool
to make the post smaller. Then place the last post, using the deformation tool again, if necessary.
Add a Drop Shadow, V 0, H 3, Opacity 65, Blur 6.
Porch Roof Trim. Making new layers, over all the other layers, place the front porch trim in place, and add a Drop Shadow with the following values: V & H 4, Opacity 49, Blur 6, Colour black.
Place the side porch trim in place, and using the same procedure, add the same Drop Shadow.
You're all done. Congratulations!! I hope you enjoyed this tutorial.
If you have any questions or comments, our email contact is here.
13. House Roof layer - 13houseroof.sel. Flood fill with a colour which is slightly darker than the Ell roof (I used #CB0303), and apply the same Drop Shadow.
For the metal roof look, get 14houseroofridges, flood fill with your colour and use the Inner Bevel Frame preset again--twice.
14. Front Trim layer - 15fronttrim.sel. Flood-fill with black, go to Selections - Modify - Contract 1 pixel, and then flood-fill with white or the same colour you used on the Left Trim layer.
15. Make a new layer, Posts, which we'll return to later.
16. Ell Trim - 16elltrim.sel. Repeat what you just did in Step 14.
17. Ell Inner Roof layer - 17ellinnerroof.sel. Repeat the same steps again.
18. Side Porch Roof layer - 18sideporchroof.sel. Flood-fill with the same colour you used for the Ell Roof layer (#D51111). Add a drop shadow.
19. Front Porch Roof layer - 19frontporchroof.sel. Flood-fill with the darker roof colour (#CB0303). Add the same drop shadow.
20. Ell Foundation layer - 20ellfoundation.sel. Use the Cemented Rock pattern again, or whichever pattern you used for the Ell Front Foundation (Step 10).
Now have fun!
If you haven't done so yet, open the *.psp files from the farmhouse.zip file on your desktop. These would be the post, porch trim, steps, door and window files.
Windows. If you want to change the colour of the window trim, go to the Trim layer. Then press CTRL-A, and click with the Magic Wand
on the coloured trim. Then you flood-fill with any colour you want.
The windows files have several layers. You can decide which layers to use, or add layers of your own, and then go the the Layers Pallette, left-click and Merge Visible. Press CTRL-A, CTRL-C to copy, go to your farmhouse image, make a new layer, and press CTRL-E to paste the window and place it where you want. It's a good idea to place each window on a separate layer in case you want to re-arrange them.
The Door and Steps. Make a Door layer, and using the same technique, move the door into place. Then make a Steps layer and add the steps. (Those who don't live in the North may be saying--"What's with those, ick, green steps?" Steps and porches get treacherously icy in the winter, so most people have runners, with the green astro-turfy being quite popular!)
Posts. Click on the Post layer, and place the left-hand post in place. Make a new layer, and place the middle post. You may have to click on the Deformation Tool
to make the post smaller. Then place the last post, using the deformation tool again, if necessary.
Add a Drop Shadow, V 0, H 3, Opacity 65, Blur 6.
Porch Roof Trim. Making new layers, over all the other layers, place the front porch trim in place, and add a Drop Shadow with the following values: V & H 4, Opacity 49, Blur 6, Colour black.
Place the side porch trim in place, and using the same procedure, add the same Drop Shadow.
You're all done. Congratulations!! I hope you enjoyed this tutorial.
