Images into frames


	Transparent Frames


	Utilise Non-Rectangular Picture Frames - Intermediate Written For Paint Shop Pro 7 8 9 X Paint Shop Pro XI & X2 Photo + (Ultimate) Students Should Follow X’s Instructions

This tutorial demonstrates how to place photographs inside an irregular shaped Picture Frame, and is an alternative to saving the frame to Paint Shop Pro’s Picture Frames folder.

To work along, you are welcome to download the Start Images Here. Unzip the file and open the contents onto Paint Shop Pro’s workspace ready to utilise.

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1/
Open your Double Picture Frame and choice of Start Photographs onto Paint Shop Pro’s workspace.

2/
Then activate your first photograph: and from the top menu, choose Edit then choose Cut. Then activate the Double Picture Frame, and from the top menu, choose Edit then choose Paste As New Layer.

Your first photograph will now be pasted as a New Layer, over the Double Picture Frame - as illustrated below.

3/
Now, activate your second photograph, and Cut and Paste it (as a New Layer) onto the Double Picture Frame. Your Double Picture Frame will now have two photographs pasted over it - onto separate Layers.

Note
The Layers Palette will now have three Layers - the Double Picture Frame, and Two Cat Photographs, (or your choice of photographs) - as illustrated below.

4/
It is time to resize and manoeuvre the cat photographs, and place them inside each of the Picture Frame’s ovals. Ensure the photograph you are working with is active, (highlighted) in the Layers Palette: and that it is positioned at the top of the Layers Stack. Then from the left-side Tools Toolbar, activate the Deform/Deformation/Pick Tool - depending on your Paint Shop Pro version.



(Or press your D key).

(Or press your K key).

Paint Shop Pro 8 9 X XI X2 Photo +
Change the Mode to Scale.

Your first (active) photograph will be isolated with a large Vector Deformation Bounding Box. Now, by manipulating the tiny boxes attached to the large Deformation Bounding Box, carefully resize and reshape the photograph until it fits inside the first oval:- this may take a little practise to perfect.

Paint Shop Pro 7
Whilst manoeuvring the tiny repositioning boxes, press and keep pressed your Keyboard’s Alt Key. This resizes your photograph in proportion.

Tip
To make it easier; toggle the visibility eye/spectacles icon of the second cat photograph, (the one you are not working with). This renders it temporarily invisible. You do this by
left-clicking the Eye/Spectacles icon in the Layers Palette.

This places a red line through the eye/spectacles - and so renders the Layer invisible.

Paint Shop Pro 7’s (Spectacles) Visibility Toggle:
Layer visibility on and Layer visibility off .

This makes it much easier to manipulate the first cat photograph, as illustrated below.

5/
Starting with the cat photograph’s top-right Deformation Box.

Drag the small box diagonally towards its opposite corner, (again, this can take practise to perfect). This reduces the size of your photograph in proportion and without distortion - as illustrated below.

6/
Repeat the previous step, then using the Central Deformation Rectangle: move the photograph to the centre of the oval aperture, as illustrated below.

7/
If it is still too large, again reduce its size proportionally - if it is too narrow for the Double Picture Frame, (illustrated below left): then stretch its width by manipulating the right-side (middle) deformation box - and drag it to the right - illustrated below right.



8/
Now, activate any Tool from the Tools Toolbar to remove the Vector Deformation Bounding Box, (for convenience, I activated the Pan Tool, found at the very top).
Then left-click, and drag the Double Picture Frame’s Layer above the Red Cat Layer - as illustrated below.

The red cat photograph has now been placed behind the Double Picture Frame - and you are ready for the next step.

Important
As illustrated in my screen capture above, part of the photograph is peeking out from the
left-side oval: this can be removed easily using The Eraser Tool.

9/
From the left-side Tools Toolbar, activate the Eraser Tool.



And enter the following settings into the Tool Options Palette or Ribbon.

Paint Shop Pro 7

Paint Shop Pro 8 9 X XI X2 Photo +

Important
Ensure the Layer of the photograph you are working with is highlighted (active).

Then left-click - and carefully remove the red pixels that are peeking out of the frame.

Tip
Remember to remove the photograph’s red pixels from the transparent spaces of the outer frame - as illustrated below.




After removing all traces of the photograph that transcends the left-side frame; you are ready for the next step.

10/
Now, from the Layers Palette, activate the second photograph, then left-click the eye/spectacles to toggle the visibility - this will reveal the second photograph.

11/
Then drag the second photograph to the top of the Layers Stack, as illustrated below.

This places your photograph over the Double Picture Frame - as illustrated below.

12/
From the Tools Toolbar, activate the Deform/Deformation/Pick Tool - depending on your version. And your second photograph will be surrounded with a Vector Deformation Bounding Box, and is is now ready to manipulate, resize and move over the second oval aperture: just as you did back in Chapter 4 with the first photograph.

13/
Once you have resized your second photograph: activate the Eraser Tool, and remove pixels that transcend out of the right-side oval: exactly as described back in Chapter 9.

Tip
Whilst the Layers remain unmerged; you can reposition the photographs with the Toolbar’s Mover/Move Tool.

14/
To finish, apply a Drop Shadow to the Double Frame’s Layer - Effects then 3D Effects then Drop Shadow.

15/
Congratulations, your double picture frame conversion is complete and is ready to save as a Transparent Gif.

16/
Alternatively, Merge Flatten its Layers: (Layers, then Merge then Merge All (Flatten). And save it as a Jpeg.

Save And Optimise Images Here!

Notes
Merge Visible your Layers, then apply a New Raster Layer and Flood Fill that Layer with a similar colour to your website background - then upload your completed work to your website as a Jpeg. This creates a significantly smaller file size than it would if you were to save your image as a Transparent Gif: and your frame will still appear invisible against your website’s background. The background of the Double Picture Frame below has been filled with the same background colour (cream) of this tutorial’s page - and as a consequence, it blends seamlessly.

By employing the principles demonstrated in this tutorial, you can fill any type of
non-rectangular frame with a photograph or an image.

Tip
Always apply a Sharpen filter after resizing images - or photographs. (Effects/Adjust then Sharpness/Sharpen).

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