Hints:

• Shift + D : duplicates entire window
• Ctrl + C : copies selection, layer or window
• Ctrl + L : pastes clipboard contents to new layer
• Tab : toggles control palettes on and off

Required:

In order to complete this tutorial you'll need some special fonts. They are downloadable, and free from:

MediaBuilder Free Font Library

Download and install instructions are available on the font pages.

Category	Font Name
Dingbats	Fleurons
Dingbats	Webdings
Script	Hancock

Wait!!!!!!!........ Don't go getting lost over there! There's lots of free stuff to be had and it's real easy to get sidetracked! <g>

Ahhhhh........ you're back. So let's get started.

Open a new window, approx 150 x 150, 16 Million Colors, Background White. Immediately add a layer. This can be done easily by pressing the Shift key on your keyboard while clicking on the new layer button in the Layer Control Palette.

With the Text Tool selected, click in the center of your canvas.
Text Dialog Box Attributes:

• Font: Webdings
• Size: 100 (You'll notice that the Size slider only goes to 72. To set the font size to 100, type 100 in the box above the size settings).
• Antialias: checked
• Keystroke: Y
• Floating: unchecked

Do not de-select the selection.

On the Color Palette set your foreground color to

• Red : 192
• Green : 0
• Blue : 192

Click on Images | Effects | Cutout

• Fill Interior: Unchecked
• Shadow Color : Foreground Color
• Opacity: 100
• Blur : 84.6
• Horizontal: 1
• Vertical: 1

With your selection still selected, click on Selections | Modify | Expand setting the number of pixels to 2.

Keep that area selected! Don't de-select yet!

On the Color Palette make the foreground color white. Then click on Image | Other | Hot Wax Coating, applying the Hot Wax Coating twice.

Okay! The big moment is here! De-select your selection by pressing Ctrl + D on your keyboard, or by clicking anywhere outside of the selected area on the working canvas.

Time to add a new layer. (Press the Shift key on your keyboard while clicking on the new layer button in the Layer Control Palette).

With the Text Tool selected, click in the center of your canvas.
Text Dialog Box Attributes:

• Font: Fleurons
• Size: 48
• Antialias : Checked
• Keystroke: n
• Floating : Unchecked

On the Color Palette, change the foreground color to

• Red : 128
• Green : 0
• Blue : 128

While the text is still selected, lets add a dropshadow. Click on Image | Effects | Dropshadow

• Color: Foreground Color
• Opacity: 100
• Blur : 3.3
• Vertical: 1
• Horizontal : 1

De-select the text.

Select the Mover Tool, the one that looks like a + with arrows on all four ends. Position the fleuron so that the top left edge lays on top of the top left edge of the heart. (Note: To get the Mover Tool to grab onto the desired layer, position the curser on a colored part of that layer. If the space you click on is clear, you will end up moving the layer beneath).

Even though you've de-selected the text, the layer the text is on is still the focus, so you can copy it by pressing Ctrl + C on your keyboard. Go ahead and copy it. Now lets paste it into the window as a new layer by pressing the Ctrl + L key on your keyboard.

Once the paste is complete, it becomes the layer with the focus. We need an exact opposite of this layer, so click on Image | Mirror. Now, select the Mover Tool if it isn't already selected. Position the fleuron so that top right edge lays on top of the top right edge of the heart.

Add new layer. (Press the Shift key on your keyboard while clicking on the new layer button in the Layer Control Palette).

Time to add the decorations to the bottom of the heart. Select the Text Tool. Most of your settings should still be selected in the dialog box, (unless you've been fooling around in there and changed them <g>).

• Font: Fleurons
• Size: 48
• Antialias : Checked
• Keystroke: i
• Floating : Unchecked

Before you de-select the text, add a drop shadow.
(Image | Effects | Drop Shadow)
Again, your settings should still be available from the last drop shadow, so all you'll need to do is click the OK button.

De-select the text.

Using the Mover Tool position the fleuron so that it's top right covers the bottom left of the heart.

A quick copy/paste will duplicate our fleuron for the other side of the heart. Remember, even though you've de-selected the text, it's layer still retains the focus. Copy it by pressing Ctrl + C on your keyboard. Now lets paste it into the window as a new layer by pressing the Ctrl + L key on your keyboard.

Once the paste is complete, it becomes the layer with the focus. Again, we need an exact opposite of this layer, so click on Image | Mirror. Now, select the Mover Tool if it isn't already selected. Position the fleuron so that it's top left covers the bottom right of the heart.

At this point we're going to make a duplicate of our image. Press Shift + D on your keyboard. We'll work on the duplicate now so that if we don't care for the results, or want to try different affects, we still have the original image to duplicate again.

We need to merge all of our layers for the next step. On the menu bar select Layers | Merge | Merge All.

Next we need to change our Background Color on the Color Palette:

• Red : 169
• Green : 255
• Blue : 211

Choose the Selection Tool, specifying the following settings:

• Selection Type : Ellipse
• Feather : 0

Starting in the center of your image, make a selection. For best results you might try positioning the curser just below the vertical center. Carry your selection out nearly to the edges of the window.

On the menu bar, click on Selections | Modify | Feather setting the Number of Pixels to 20.

Invert the selection by pressing Ctrl + Shift + i on your keyboard and press the Delete key on your keyboard once.

De-select the selection.

(Uh-oh) Add a layer. (Remember how? Here's a hint).

Switch the foreground and background colors on the color palette by clicking on the small two headed arrow. Your foreground color should now be Red : 169, Green : 255, Blue : 211.

Working on this new layer, (it should have the focus), select the Text Tool. In the Text dialog box choose the following settings:

• Font: Hancock
• Size: 18
• Antialias: checked
• Floating: checked

Type the following, exactly as it is below:

		Be My
		Valentine
	

With the text still selected, click on the Deformation tool. Holding the Shift key in, position your cursor over the center top handle and drag to the right. (Careful! Just a little, don't want your text slanted too much). Using the handle in the direct center of the box, rotate the area counter clockwise. (You'll know when you're in the right spot, your cursor will change to two little arrows going in a circle). When you're satisfied with the look, double click in the center of the bounding box. You'll be asked if you want to apply the deformation. Say yes.

Add a dropshadow, changing only the color of the shadow to the background color, and the Blur to 0.8. Leave all other settings as they were.

De-select the text.

Use the Move tool to move the text into position in the lower right corner.

You're done! Press Ctrl + F12 to Save As...

© 1999 L. Cole