Let's Really Wow 'Em!

In the PSP menu, choose "Selection", then "Select None". RIGHT click a layer in the Layer Palette, choose "New Raster Layer", then "OK" from it's pop-up.

Get the "Selection" tool. Choose "Rounded Rectangle" with "Antialias" checked, but no "Feather" (make sure Layer "3" is hi-lited in the Layer Palette). Click and drag to make your rectangle just around the edges of the text. You will see the "ants" moving around the text in a rectangular shape.

Click the top box of the Color Chart and choose white. Now, "Fill" your "rectangular ants" with the white. Oooops....where did our cool text go? It's underneath the white fill! See?....Look in your Layer Palette. So, simply click and drag Layer "3" (the white fill), below Layer "2" (the cool text).

In the menu, click "Image", then "Effects", and then "Texture". Here you can change any of the options as you want. The KROW chose:

• Texture: 14
• Image: 0, 1, -15, 1

The rest are set at Default, then click ok.

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The Final "Ooo's and Ahh's"

One last step and we've got it!

In the Layer Palette, RIGHT click Layer "3" and create a new Raster Layer. In the menu click "Selections", then "Modify", then "Expand", and enter the number 8 in the "Number of Pixels", and click "OK". Your rectangle just grew by 8 pixels and is ready on a FRESH layer to do something with. So, let's put a real professional, finishing touch on this. A frame that matches the text!

"OH NO", you think. "I can't remember all those settings I used for the text"! Ahhh! Not to worry. Paint Shop Pro remembers them for you! All the "Sculpture" settings you used for your text are still set!

Use your white to "Fill" the selected rectangle again. Ooops, now it covered our textured background! Click on Layer "4" and drag it below Layer "3". Now, with Layer "4" hi-lighted, click the menu and choose, "Image", then "Effects" and then "Sculpture". In the preview window of that pop-up, you'll see the whole selection take the same "Sculpture" as the text did! (How cool is that!). You can change the options if you want, but to keep the consistent look, simply click "OK". Presto! Your image is now framed to match the text! Now, just add a Drop Shadow to it, and do an SOS.

Cool KROW Clue

If your image doesn't look perfectly centered (ie: the text doesn't sit just centered), use your "Mover" tool to move the layers around to where you want them!

Finally, let's get it into a format Mr. Bigexec can use. From the menu choose "Layers", then "Merge", then "Merge All (flatten"). In menu, choose "Selections", then "Select None". Now take your Selection tool (make sure it's set to regular "Rectangle" with NO "Antialias" or "Feather"). Click and drag a rectangle just around the framed text. Then click "Copy" and then "Paste"

Now you have a separate image of just the framed logo. Save it to your hard drive in a "gif" or "jpg" format and get it sent off to Mr. Bigexec!

Here's what image The KROW will be sending to Mr. Bigexec.

Your image may not look exactly the same, but that's ok! It's an original! Remember, unique is good, since Mr. Bigexec might be comparing your work to many other artists to see who's "style" he likes the best! Go ahead and get it sent to Mr. Bigexec. He may like your's the best!

Having confidence that Mr. Bigexec will be pleased with your work, next week we'll cover making a background for his entire website. Easy to do, but much to learn! So, stay tuned next week....same coolmaps time, same coomaps channel!

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