COUNTRY CHRISTMAS FORUM SET FTU

For some weird reason I can't post the animated version of the sigbar. . . 

Written by Gwenda on November 28^th 2012

Any similarity to any other tutorial is purely coincidental

You will need:

Font of choice – I used A&S Christmas Script, found

HERE

Scrapkit is a lovely FTU kit from Eileen called Christmas in Norway. You can get this kit and more

HERE

Tube of choice. I used Cowgirl Bust by Keith Garvey. You can purchase these beautiful tubes from Keith’s store.

HERE

Mask of choice – I used WSL119 from Wee Scots Lass.

HERE

My Supplies –scenery & Snow

HERE

New canvas 600 x 300

Set foreground color to #8b8ea4 and background to #2d2f2d

Make gradient 0 degrees with 1 repeat. Darker color should be at top and bottom.

Fill canvas with gradient.

Image – canvas size 615 x 315

Layers – new raster layer. Fill with #66000d

Selections – select all. Selections float. Selections – defloat. Selections – modify – contract 8. Hit delete.
Deselect.

You should be left with a red frame.

Effects – texture effects – weave with settings 1   2   10, both colors white.

Give inner bevel of choice. Dropshadow.

Make sure this frame is sitting as the top layer.

Paste Winter scene as a new layer and move to the left so it covers about halfway.

Duplicate and move to the right, so you see the little shed.

Merge both these layers together.

Don’t worry if there is a join – it will be hidden by the time we finish J

Apply mask WSL119

In layers palette, merge group.

Stretch mask to all edges.

Duplicate, and merge both mask layers together.
Drop opacity to 73

Element 21 (snow) - Resize 80% and position to the left as far down your tag as you can go.

Duplicate – mirror.

Remember you can always adjust placement later.

Element 50 (pine branch) – Resize 40%. Place on the right near the bottom.
Sharpen. Duplicate – mirror.

Dropshadow both.

Element 60 (berries) – Resize 30%. Position on right near bottom.

Sharpen. Duplicate – mirror

Dropshadow both.

Element 43 (frame) – Resize 60% then 95%. Sharpen.

Click inside frame with magic wand. Selections – modify – expand 6

Layers – new raster layer. Paste Paper 4 into selection.

Deselect.

Sharpen paper.

Dropshadow frame.

Element 33 (leaf ring) – Resize 50%. Place under Paper 4 circle to the left.
Sharpen. Duplicate – mirror.

Dropshadow both.

Element 35 (flower vine) – Flip. Resize 40%. Position at top over leaf ring

Sharpen. Dropshadow.

Element 49 (pine cone & branch) – Resize 40% then 60%.

Free rotate left 50

Sharpen twice and position above the frame on the right.

Duplicate – mirror. Dropshadow both.

Element 59 (pine cone) – Resize 30% twice.
Free rotate left 20.

Sharpen. Duplicate – mirror.

Dropshadow both.

Element 21 (snow again) – Resize 30% and position on the left just above the other pine cone layers. Sharpen. Duplicate and merge both snow layers together.

Duplicate again, and move to the right. In layers palette, move this layer to sit above the other larger snow layers.

Element 36 (gift) – Resize 40% then 60%. Sharpen.

Position just above the mask layer.

Dropshadow.

Element 13 (cinnamon bundle) – Resize 30% then 80%. Sharpen. Dropshadow.

Element 50 (cookies) – Resize 60% twice. Sharpen. Dropshadow.

OK . . . now for the fun bit – the Snow!!

Click on Element 58 (cookies).

Go to Snow 600 x 300 and copy frame 1.

Back to your tag, and paste as a new layer. Rename SNOW1

If you don’t want to animate, do not paste any more snow layers, but go directly to ***

Back to Snow 600 x 300 and copy frame 2

Back to your tag and paste as a new layer above SNOW1.

Rename this one SNOW2.

Keep doing this with all the snow frames from Snow 600 x 300, pasting each one above the other and renaming as you go.

You should end up with 10 snow layers and a really messy looking tag lol.

Don’t Panic! Tidy-up time in  a minute.

***  Paste tube and dropshadow.

In layers palette, go to each of the snow layers, and click the little eye to the left to close it. Do this to all snow layers except SNOW1.

Add any other embellishments of choice

Add copyrights.

Shift D to copy the tag ( we are going to use the copy soon to make the avatar). Move it out of the way for now so you don’t get confused.

Ready to Animate??

Open Animation Shop.

In PSP make sure all snow layers are closed off, except SNOW1

Edit – Copy Special – Copy merged.

Go to Animation shop. Edit – paste – as new animation.

Back to PSP.

Close SNOW1 and open SNOW2.

 Edit – Copy Special – Copy merged.

Go to Animation shop. Edit – paste – after current frame.

Back to PSP.

Close SNOW2 and open SNOW3.

 Edit – Copy Special – Copy merged.

Go to Animation shop. Edit – paste – after current frame.

Repeat this last step, closing off one snow layer and opening the next until you have 10 frames in Animation shop.

In Animation Shop.

Edit – select all

Animation – animation properties.

Check box opaque and change colour to white. Click OK.

Edit – select all

Animation – frame properties. Change display time to 5

Save as a gif file.

Now back to PSP to sort out the Avatar.

Resize 63% all layers checked.

Delete the red frame.

Delete element 43 (round frame) and the Paper 4 circle.

Crop to the size you want.

Click on top layer (which should now be your tube).

Layers – new raster layer. Fill with same red as before #66000d

Selections – select all. Selections – float. Selections – defloat. Selections – modify – contract 4. Hit delete. Deselect.

You should be left with a red frame.

Effects – texture effects – weave with settings 1   2   10, both colors white.

Give inner bevel of choice. Dropshadow.

Make sure this frame is sitting as the top layer.

Sharpen all the snow layers.

Now we animate the avatar in exactly the same way as we did the sigbar.

Open Animation Shop.

In PSP make sure all snow layers are closed off, except SNOW1

Edit – Copy Special – Copy merged.

Go to Animation shop. Edit – paste – as new animation.

Back to PSP.

Close SNOW1 and open SNOW2.

 Edit – Copy Special – Copy merged.

Go to Animation shop. Edit – paste – after current frame.

Back to PSP.

Close SNOW2 and open SNOW3.

 Edit – Copy Special – Copy merged.

Go to Animation shop. Edit – paste – after current frame.

Repeat this last step, closing off one snow layer and opening the next until you have 10 frames in Animation shop.

In Animation Shop.

Edit – select all

Animation – animation properties.

Check box opaque and change colour to white. Click OK.

Edit – select all

Animation – frame properties. Change display time to 5

Save as a gif file.

I hope this wasn’t too confusing, as it’s a lovely snow effect if you take the time to do it.

Thanks for trying this tutorial and I would love to see your results!