Holly's Monarch Butterfly Tag

This is my first tutorial attempt and I must follow the lead of others and point out that this should not be copied, emailed or represented as anything but my work. Of course, the results of following the tutorial are yours to use any way you wish but the tutorial itself belongs to me exclusively. I made the butterfly tubes from free photos at the MorgueFile and would appreciate, also, that you use them for this tutorial but not add them to your tube pages for distribution. Of course, you can use any other tube and you will get a similar effect but a butterfly is ideal.

Supplies

• Kang Filter Set
• Monarch Butterfly Tube 8
• Monarch Butterfly Tube 9

This tutorial was developed in PSP 9 but can be adapted to PSP 8 and later versions. I have recently been having a problem with viewing images from tutorials in some web sites so I've added the settings for each of the tools so that you can view them when you mouse over the image. Hope this will be helpful.

Step 1


To begin, open a new transparent image 300x300. Open a new raster layer and the Tube Tool. Using one of the butterfly tubes, set as shown below, start at the bottom left corner and, holding your left button down, spread the tube up to the top corner.



Save in psp as butterflytag. Continue to save as you go along.

Step 2


At this point, depending on the tube used you may feel the background is too dark. This is the time to change it before you use the filters. One way might be to use Adjust/Automatic Contrast Enhancement set as follows:

In PSPX you should go to Adjust/Hue/Saturation/Lightness and change the lightness setting until you like it. Or you might want to continue and use a tube at the end that has more contrast.

Step 3



Open Effects/Kang 1/New Facets
Click OK Open Effects/Eye Candy 3.1/Glass/

Click the Check Mark
Go to Adjust/Softness/Soft Focus/


Save and open a new Raster Layer.

Step 4


Select the Picture Tube Tool and place the Butterfly Tube, scale it to a size that appears right to you. The original tube was set at 72, but the one supplied would be smaller. Use the move tool to put it where you want it. If it's necessary to change the angle of your butterfly image go to Image/Rotate/Free Rotate/Left(or Right)30 or whatever percentage places it where you want it. Check the Rotate single layer around canvas center box and make sure the All layers box is not checked and then rotate . If you have a problem turn off the background layer (X out the eye next to the layer on the layer pallete) as a possible fix if the whole image rotates. Adjust/Blur/Motion Blur
Merge/Visible. Save.

Step 5
At this point, prior to adding the text, decide whether you want to reduce the size of the tag.One good way to do this is to resize to 90% and then repeat that until you have the size you want.It appears that the image retains it's clarity that way.
Open a new Raster Layer and select the Text Tool. I used the Phyllis font size 48 stroke width 1 but I understand it is now a paid one so use whatever one you wish.

For the foreground color select a dark color from the tube and for the background, a lighter shade. I used #B25DL3 for the foreground and #E0A360 for the background.

Note: One way to do this is in your materials pallette. Click on the foreground box. When the window opens your cursor will become an eyedropper. You can go over to the tube and select a color from there much like you do when you use the regular eyedropper tool. This way, though, you don't have to change the tool and can remain in the text function. Less chance of the color changing. Do the same for the background color.

Add your text. You can align it in the center where you've placed it by clicking Objects/Align/Horizontal Center in Canvas or if you want it in the Center of the image you can choose that option.

While the text is still selected go to Effects/3D Effects/Inner Bevel. I used the default bevel.