Spring Flowers Tutorial

Directions are given for PSP 7 and 8. Special directions for PSP 8 are given in red. This tutorial is very long, and probably difficult for beginners. You will need the following files, which contain the alpha selections:

springflowersalpha
flowers

The terms of use are here

If you aren't familiar with using the Colour Pallette for patterns, there is a short explanation here

There is a short tutorial for the Materials Pallette in PSP 8 here.

PSP only allows 24 alpha selections for each file, so first we will make the leaves and stems and then we will make separate images of the flowers and paste them into the leaves and stems image.

1. First we will fill all the leaves with the gradient, and then we'll go back to make the painted effect. The reason for this is that it really becomes tedious changing the fore- and backgrounds if each leaf is finished separately. You can download the colour charts by right-clicking and saving.




You can set your Smudge settings now, as they won't change throughout the tutorial.



Notice the two boxes on the top left, marked 1 and 2. If you click on Box 2, you will find the menu and can choose Smudge.

PSP 8 - Click on the . Pick the default, shape Round on the Tool Ribbon and use these settings:

    Size 15; Hardness 29; Step 1; Density 42; Thickness 100; Rotation 0; Opacity 100

2. Open the springflowersalpha.psp file you downloaded. If you think you might use it again, copy the image (SHIFT-D), name it and use this image for the tutorial. Click on the Leaf 5 layer and get the first alpha selection by going to:

Selections - Load from Alpha Channel
Selections - Load/Save Selection - Load Selection from Alpha Channel
Click on Leaf 5

Set your Foreground colour from the green colour chart to #1. Set the Background colour to #2. Then click on the gradient image in the Colour Pallette or Materials Pallette.. Use the #1Foreground-Background gradient with these settings:

Style - Linear Gradient, Angle 0, Repeats 0
Flood-fill the selection

Click on the Leaf 4 layer
Get the Leaf 4 selection as above and Flood-fill

Click on the Leaf 6 layer
Get the Leaf 6 selection and Flood-fill

Click on the Leaf 3 layer
Get the Leaf 3 selection and Flood-fill

Click on the Leaf 2 layer
Get the Leaf 2 selection and Flood-fill

Click on the Leaf 1 layer
Get the Leaf 1 selection and Flood-fill

Click on the Leaf 8 layer
Get the Leaf 8 selection and Flood-fill

Click on the Leaf 7 layer
Get the Leaf 7 selection and Flood-fill

3. Click on Leaf 5 in the Layer Pallette. From now on, we'll use the layers in order--no more jumping around. :-)

Set your Foreground colour to #3 and change the Foreground Style from Gradient to Solid.

Get the Leaf 5 selection again and keep selected!
Click on the Airbrush Tool / ( ) and use these settings:

Shape - Round,
Size - 255, Hardness 100
Opacity 100, Step 25, Density 15
Size 255, Hardness 100, Step 25, Density 15, Thickness 100, Rotation 0, Opacity 100,
Blend Mode Normal, Rate 5
and then click once on the leaf.
Go to Effects - Blur - Motion Blur
Go to Adjust - Blur - Motion Blur
Direction - Angle 47, Intensity/Strength 13

Click on the Smudge Tool
Smudge lightly at about the same angle as the leaf



How much you smudge is up to you and how smooth you want your leaf to look. You may even like the look of the leaf and decide not to smudge! Remember--you can always Undo!

4. Click on the Vein 5 layer and get the Vein 5 selection
Flood-fill with your Foreground colour (#3)
Deselect (CTRL-D) and Smudge up and down the vein
Lower the Opacity of this layer by using the slider in the Layer/Materials Pallette to about 68


How much you lower the opacity will depend on how much you smudged and what looks good go you.

5. Shading 5 layer - Shading 5 selection
Flood-fill with your Foreground colour
Lower the Opacity of the layer to 70.

6. Leaf 4 layer - Leaf 4 selection - keep selected
Click on the Airbrush Tool and then click once on the leaf.
Go to Effects - Blur - Motion Blur
Direction - Angle 25, Intensity 13 Pixels

Click on the Smudge Tool
Smudge lightly at about the same angle as the leaf

7. Click on the Vein 4 layer and get the Vein 4 selection
Flood-fill with your Foreground colour (#3)
Deselect (CTRL-D) and Smudge up and down the vein
Lower the Opacity of this layer by using the slider in the Layer/Materials Pallette to about 68


8. Shading 4 layer - Shading 4 selection
Flood-fill with the Foreground colour (#3)
Lower the Opacity of the layer to 70

9.I think you've got the hang of this now, so the next instructions will be briefer.

Leaf 6 layer - Leaf 6 selection
Airbrush the leaf
Motion Blur, changing the Angle to 66, then Smudge

10. Vein 6 layer - Vein 6 selection
Flood-fill with #3, Deselect (CTRL-D), then Smudge
Lower the Opacity of the layer to about 68

11. Leaf 3 layer, Leaf 3 selection
Airbrush, Motion Blur at Angle 354, Smudge

12. Vein 3 layer - Vein 3 selection
Flood-fill with #3, and lower the Opacity of the layer to about 37

13. Leaf 2 layer - Leaf 2 selection
Airbrush, Motion Blur at Angle 309, Smudge

14. Vein 2 layer - Vein 2 selection
Flood-fill with #3, Deselect (CTRL-D), then Smudge
Lower the Opacity of the layer to about 68

15. The next leaves and veins are done just as we've been doing them, so I'll just give the layers and Angle of the Motion Blur for the leaves--everything else you do the same way!

Leaf 1 layer - Leaf 1 selection, use Motion Blur Angle 274.
Vein 1 layer - Vein 1 selection

Leaf 8 layer - Leaf 8 selection, use Motion Blur Angle 21
Vein 8 layer - Vein 8 selection

Leaf 7 layer - Leaf 7 selection, use Motion Blur Angle 132
Vein 7 layer - Vein 7 selection


17. We're done with the leaves, and there are only 5 stems, so we're almost done with this part of the tutorial. Click on the Middle Stem layer, get the Stem Middle selection, and Flood-fill with Colour #1. Then go to:

Effects - 3D Effects - Inner Bevel - Frame preset

18. Do the following layers the same way, Flood-filling and using the Frame preset.

Stem Right 2
Stem Smallest
Stem Right
Stem Left

Save your image and minimise. Now would be a good time to empty the clipboard and command history, too, by going to:

Edit - Empty - Clipboard and then Command History.

Congratulations! You've gone through all these steps, and now we're ready to make the flowers.

The Flowers

The first flower we're doing is the the most lengthy to do, but we use it twice. We're only making three flowers. The others are really quick and easy, so please don't get discouraged!

Flowers 3 & 4
1. Open the flower3alpha.psp file and duplicate, if you wish. Change your Foreground colour to #1 on the pink chart, and the Background colour to #2. Then change the Foreground style from solid to the #1Foreground-Background gradient, with these settings:

Linear - Angle 180 - Repeats 0 - Invert gradient not checked

Click on the Base layer, get the Base selection, and Flood-fill with the gradient. (This step insures that there will be colour under all the parts of the flower since smudging sometimes leaves some transparent parts.)

2. Click on the Left layer and get the Left selection. Flood-fill with the gradient, and keep selected.

3. Click on the Airbrush Tool, changing the Density to 25, and then left-click on the selection, so you will be getting a spray of Colour #2. Now go to:

Effects - Blur - Motion Blur
Go to Adjust - Blur - Motion Blur
Direction - Angle 57, Intensity/Strength 13
Keep selected and then use the Smudge tool to give that painted effect.



4. Right layer - Right selection. Flood-fill the selection with the gradient, chaning the Angle of the gradient to 320^o.



Then use the Airbrush tool (left-clicking). Then use the Motion Blur, changing the Angle to 54, and Smudge.

5. Inside Left layer - Inside Left selection. Flood-fill with the gradient at the same Angle. You don't have to Smudge.

6. Inside Right layer - Inside Right selection. Flood-fill with the gradient, Angle 135.

7. Middle layer - Middle selection. Flood-fill with the gradient at an Angle of 220 and use the Airbrush (left-clicking). Use the Motion Blur without changing the settings, and then Smudge, going from the bottom of the petal to the top.



8. Shading layer - Shading selection. Flood-fill with Colour #2, deselect (CTRL-D) and smudge. Then, if you want to, lower the Opacity of the layer to 65 or whatever looks good.

9. Optional. Depending on the Smudging, there may not be enough definition of the petals. If you want to make the petals look more individual, make a new layer over all the rest and get the Middle selection. Then go to

Selections - Invert and then to
Effects - 3D Effects - Drop Shadow
V & H 0, Opacity 62, Blur 14.8, Colour #2

10. Right-click on any layer in the Layer Pallette and Merge - Merge Visible. Save the flower and then copy (CTRL-C). Open the large image with the leaves, click on the Spring Flower 2 layer and paste (CTRL-E) the flower in place. Here is where the flowers go: