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Halloween Pumpkin. Still or Animated
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Needed tools. Nothing for the still image. For animation you will need a Jack-o-lantern pattern. You can find one here http://www.jack-o-lantern.com/ and
Open a new image 500 X 500 Transparent.
Save. Save after each step. Select your Preset Shapes tool. Set the Background color to the color shown below.
In your Tools options, select the Ellipse shape. Be sure that Create as Vector is selected.
Draw an ellipse like the one shown below.
Click on your object selector and click on Node Edit in the Tools Options.
There will be 4 nodes there. Please add 3 between each of the existing nodes.
Right click on each of the new nodes and select Node type > Cusp.
Once all of the new nodes are changed to Cusp, lift click on each one and grab one of the arrows and slightly pull away from the ellipse. This will create a bubble effect as shown below.
Once you have pulled the arrows on each of the new nodes, click on the draw tool. Press CTRL + D to deselect. In your layers palette, convert to Raster. Set your draw tool settings to the ones shown below. Be sure that Create as Vector is selected.
Set the foreground color to the one shown below.Set the background to null.
Draw a line right down the middle of your pumpkin. Be sure that it extends past the top and bottom as shown below.
In your layers palette, expand your vector layer and click on the line. Right click and select Copy.
Right click on the transparent part of your image and select paste as new vector selection. Place the new selection directly on top of the original one. Repeat the 4 more times so that you have a total of 6 lines in your layer palette. Click on the first line layer to activate it. .
Click on your object selector and click on Node Edit in the tools options. Add a node right in the middle of the line. Change the node type to Symmetric.
Grab the node with your mouse and drag it to the left so that it is between the 2 outtermost bubbles in your pumpkin. Grab the top arrow and pull straight up until the line touches the bubbles, as shown below.
Click on the object selector. In the layers palette, activate the next line layer down. Click on Node Edit in the tools Options. Add a node in the center of the line. Change the node to Symmetric, Drag it over to the left so that it is between the next set of bubbles. Extend the arrow so that it touches the bubbles as shown below.
Repeat for the next line. On the forth line, repeat but this time drag the node to the right between the 2 outer most bubbles. Continue on with the next 2 lines on the right. Your image should look like the one shown below.
In your layers palette, convert this vector layer to Raster. Click on your draw tool. Uncheck Create as Vector and draw a line right down the center of the pumpkin.
Activate the layer that has the pumpkin on it. (the middle layer). Use your Magic wand tool and click on the outside transparent area. In your layers palette, activate the top layer (the one with the lines) and press delete. This should get rid of the un needed parts of the lines. Deselect. With the top layer active still active, apply Gaussian Blur, with the radius set to 1.00.
Merge visible layers. Click on your retouch tool. Set your retouch tool to Darken RGB. Adjust the settings to the ones shown below.
Carefully go over all of the lines. You can go over them more than once to make them as dark as you want them. Change your retouch tool to Lighten RGB. Adjust the settings as shown below.
Lighten the areas between the lines.
You may want to soften at this point. If you do, change the retouch settings to soften. Select a size about 20 and go over your image to soften.
Activate your draw tool. Recheck Create as vector. Set the line size to about 15. Set the background color to the one shown below.
Draw a short vertical line like the one shown below. Click on your object selector. Add a node in the middle of the line. Change the new node type to Symmetric.
Grab the top node and pull it slightly to the left to make the shape of the stem.
Click on the object selector, Deselect and convert to raster. Move this layer to the bottom and merge visible layers. Add any drop shadow you like and your done :-) If you would like to animate your pumpkin, here's how. Click on your Freehand tool and set it to freehand.
Draw a circle around your stem and part of the top of the pumpkin.
Click on the stem. The ants will form around the stem and the top of the pumpkin.
Press CTRL + C to copy. Press CTRL + V to paste as a new image. I am not going to use this new top in my animation, but if you would like to use it, set it aside until later.
On your original image, press delete to remove the part that you selected
Use your magic wand tool and click on the transparent part of this layer. Save to alpha channel. Name your selection "bottom". Press CTRL + L to paste the top as a new layer. Press CTRL + I to flip. Press. SHIFT + B to bring up the brightness window and change the brightness to -18. Move this layer to the bottom. If the top doesn't fit right, you can use your deformation tool to stretch it.
Please open the Jack-0-lantern pattern that you downloaded. Use your preset shapes tool set to rectangle, create as vector unchecked, foreground set to null, background set to white. Draw a square to cover the text that came on your Jack-o-lantern pattern. Resize it so that it fits on your pumpkin.
Use your magic wand tool tolerance set to 0, and select the white area of the pattern. Selections > invert. Press CTRL + C to copy. Activate your Jack-o-lantern and paste as a new layer.
Use your Magic wand tool and click on the outside of the pattern, invert. Save to alpha channel. In your layers palette, delete the pattern layer Activate the top layer. Duplicate and send to bottom, Change the brightness of this layer to -18. Activate the top layer. Load your pattern from alpha channel. Press delete, You may see some of the stem showing through. If that is the case. activate the middle layers and press delete.
Activate bottom layer and duplicate 2 times for a total of three bottom layers.
Turn off two of the three bottom layers. Activate the one that's on. Click Effects > Illumination effects > Sunburst
Place the burst in the center of the pumpkin. Click Effects > Plug-in Filters > Eye Candy 4000 > Fire. In the fire window, click settings and select Manual Page 90 Top Left.
You may see some flames sticking up past the top of the pumpkin. If this is the case, load your bottom selection from alpha channel and press delete. Deselect. **HINT**You can delete the hidden layers and flatten your layers now if you want a still image with a Jack-o-lantern pattern. Turn off that bottom layer and turn on and activate a different bottom layer. Apply the same sunburst. Apply the same Eye Candy 4000 Fire but click Random speed. Then click OK.
Load bottom from alpha channel and press delete, Deselect. Turn off that bottom layer and turn on and activate the last bottom layer. Apply the same sunburst and the same fire. Remember to click random speed. Load bottom from alpha channel and press delete, Deselect. Turn off all 3 bottom layers. Activate the top layer and merge visible.
Make two duplicates of the merged layer. Place one merged layer ABOVE each of the bottom layers. Turn off all layers except the top two. Activate the top layer. Merge visible. Rename this merged layer "1"
Turn off your 1 layer. Turn on the two layers under it. Activate one of the layers that is now on. Merge visible layers. rename the merged layer "2" Turn off the 2 layer and turn on the two layers under it. Activate one of the layers that is now on. Merge visible layers. rename the merged layer "3" Turn on all layers and save one last time.
Open animation shop. Click File > Open. Open the file that you just saved in PSP. Click CTRL + A to select all. Right click on your animation and select Frame Properties. The default setting will be 10. Please change it to 40 and click ok. Slide the slider bar all the way to the left so that the first frame is visible. Use your crop tool and select as much of the image as you can without chopping off any of the pumpkin. Double click on the inside of the square that you made with your crop tool. The animation should change to include the area that you selected with your crop tool. Click View > Animation. If your animation looks ok, Time to save.
I hope you have enjoyed my tutorial. If you have any comments or questions. Please email me at:
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