Dragonfly Tutorial PSP 7 This tutorial was created May 17th 2002©Copyright Artwork by EssexGirl please do not copy it, or put it anywhere else without my written permission. *NOTE* Sometimes the links for filters change, it's difficult (and a lot of work) to keep changing them on individual pages, so I have created a page with links to filters and programs that I have used in my tutorials. That way it is easier for me, because when there are changes I will only have one page to update and hopefully better for you, because I'm less likely to miss a page out when doing the updates :) You will find links to filters/programs used in this tutorial Here the link will open in a new window Filters and programs used in this tutorial :- Paint Shop Pro Dragonfly's Sinedots II Super Blade Pro VM Natural filter Render 2D Hyperclouds, or Mura Meister's 'Cloud' (if you have 'Filters Unlimited the render filter comes with it) Super Blade Pro Materials :- There is a text file included in the zip, if you don't know where to place the items. My sg_dragonfly.cfg, gradients and SBP presets Here I dedicate this tutorial to Philipp Spöth the author of Dragonfly's Sinedots filter some images have been made smaller to shorten file size

Step 1. Open a new Image 200 x 200 transparent. Flood fill with a black, add a new layer and name it 'wing 1' Go to Effects...Plugins...Sinedots... Open the sg_dragonfly.cfg and open the 'coiled_cup' preset. If you are new to sinedots and don't know how to open the .cfg file click HERE for more information Some presets use different 'blend' settings and it is important for this tutorial to make sure that the blend in the sinedots setting is set to 'screen' like this:-

Step 2. Go to Effects...Geometric Effects... Perspective Horizontal ...difference=100

Step 3. Go to Image...Canvas size... Tick the centre horizontally and vertically boxes and change the size of the canvas to 400 x 400 then make the background the active layer and flood fill with black.

Step 4. Make 'wing 1' the active layer. Click on the Deformation Tool. A box will surround your sinedot wing. We are going to rotate the box in a clockwise direction using the handle that I have arrowed. The following screenshot will show you how far to turn it. I have turned on the grid (found under view...grid...) and changed the grid and guide properties (also found under view...grid...) to 100 both vertical and horizontal and the colour to red, so that it can be seen. This is to make it easier for you to judge the amount of rotation. Double click to remove the deformation box, then Go to Effects...Sharpen...and Sharpen. I also turned off the grid.

Step 5. Click on the little arrow of the foreground styles box and choose gradient as the style, then click on the styles box. In the dialogue box, click on the window or its arrow and select the gradient that you want to use from the list. I used sg_pastels 1 with these settings Activate the 'wing 1' layer With the Magic Wand match mode=RGB, feather=0 tolerance=0 sample merged unticked, click the black area around your sinedot then go to Selections...Invert...then Selections...Float... Flood Fill the selection with your gradient and de-select.

Step 6. Go to Layers...Duplicate...Rename this layer 'wing 2' Click the Deformation Tool again and move the handle that I have arrowed inwards to make the sinedot a bit narrower, like this screenshot (don't remove the deformation box yet) Now move this handle to rotate the sinedot a little bit in a clockwise direction You can either use the centre handle to reposition this sinedot so that the pointed end touches that of the one on the previous layer, then double click to remove the deformation box, or remove the deformation box first and the re-position the wing with the Mover Tool Go to Effects...Sharpen...and Sharpen.

Step 7. Move this layer below 'wing 1' by opening the layers palette and dragging it down. Go to Effects...3D Effects...Drop Shadow... and apply a drop shadow using horizontal=2, vertical=2, opacity=65, blur=10 Make the other wing (wing 1) the active layer and repeat the drop shadow, then turn off the visibility of the background layer by opening the layer palette and clicking the glasses. Go to Layers...Merge...Merge Visible. Rename the layer 'wings' Turn visibility back on.

Step 8. Use the Mover Tool to move the wings nearer to the top of the image. Change the background colour to white, and the style to solid fill. Change the foreground style to null. With the Preset Shapes tool type=elipse, antialias ticked, create as a vector ticked, make a long narrow cigar shape for the body (as this is a vector PSP will automatically make it on a vector layer).

Step 9. Use the rotation node (just to the right of the centre node) to rotate the elipse so that it runs diagonally, then use the centre node to move move it into position on the dragonfly wings. I made mine a little too long, so I adjusted the size by moving the top right corner handle inwards You can use any of these handles to adjust the elipse in different directions, so if your dragonfly's body doesn't quite fit try making adjustments with the handles When you are happy with the position and size go to Layers...Convert to Raster Layer.

Step 10. Select the body with the Magic Wand, go to Effects...Plugins...SuperBladePro...and apply my sg_ballbearings preset, or another of your choice. De-select Make a small elipse with the Preset Shapes Tool, for the head, convert to Raster Layer, select and apply SuperBladePro in the same way as you did for the body. De-select You can adjust the position with the Mover Tool if necessary

Step 11. Add a new layer Swap the foreground and background style and colour by clicking the double ended arrow, so that the foreground is white and the background null With the Draw Tool, type=freehand, width=2, antialias ticked, create as a vector unticked, draw an antenna, then with the paintbrush shape=round, size =4, put a dot at the end of the antenna. Go to Effects...Texture Effects... Sculpture... and use the 'silver' preset, found in the dropdown list at the top of the dialogue box. Go to Layers...Duplicate... Click on the Deformation Tool rotate a little to the right using centre right handle (in the same way you did with the wing). Double click to remove the deformation box and move into position next to the first antenna using the Mover Tool, then go to Effects...and sharpen. If the lines for the antenna have overlapped the head just open the layers palette and drag the antenna layers below the head layer. Turn off the visibility of the wings and the background, go to Layers...Merge...Merge Visible Rename the layer body and turn visibility back on

Step 12. Add a new layer The dragonfly needs six long spindly legs. Use the Draw Tool, type=point to point, width=2, antialias ticked, create as a vector unticked, closed path unticked. do a left mouse click on the body of the dragonfly level with where the wing joins the body. make a second click where you want to put the knee joint and a third click for the ankle joint (I don't know if dragonflies actually have knee and ankle joints LOL) and one last click for the end of the foot. You should have something similar to this Finish by clicking outside the image your leg should look something like this You need another two similar legs for this side of the body. If you draw each leg on a seperate layer they can be moved individually or if you don't mind them being exactly alike you could duplicate the layer twice and move them into position with the Mover Tool This was my first three legs Turn off the visibility of all the layers except the three legs, Merge Visible and turn visibility back on

Step 13. Now we want three legs for the other side of the body. Make the background layer active and add a new layer. Make three legs for this side in the same way as before, the joints will go in the opposite direction. This was my first one Turn off the visibility of all the layers except these three legs, Merge Visible and turn visibility back on. Apply the same sculpture with the silver preset that you used on the antenna in step 11, to both of the legs layers. Turn off the visibility of the background layer and Merge Visible, then turn visibility on again. Rename the layer 'dragonfly'. This is my screenshot

Step 14. Go to Effect...3D Effect...Drop Shadow using these settings Step 15. Make the background layer active. For the sky I have used the Render filter. If you have filters unlimited apply Render...Clouds(white/blue)... If you don't have filters unlimited and are just using Render, make the foreground colour white, background colour #3886FE, then go to Effects...Plugins...Render... and apply Clouds (fore-/background colour) Now go to Effects...Plugins...VM Natural... Lakeside Reflection...Change the horizon to 200 and leave the other settings at default

Step 16. We will make some sinedot rushes next Open a new image 100 x350 transparent Go to Effects...Plugins...Sinedots... choose the 'ribbon2' preset Go to Image...Flip... Make the foreground style gradient, click on the styles box. In the dialogue box change the angle to 45 change the gradient in the window to 'sg_rushes'. We are going to flood fill the sinedot, but first open layers palette click off the red X which is on the padlock at the far right, this will protect the transparent areas of the layer while we flood fill. Flood fill the layer with gradient. Duplicate the layer and merge visible, then apply the same drop shadow that you used on the dragonfly Go to Edit...Copy... this image is no longer needed

Step 17. The background of your main image should still be active. Go to Edit...Paste...Paste as a new layer. Name the layer 'rushes 1'. Use the Mover Tool to reposition the sinedot rushes. Here is my screenshot. Duplicate the layer and rename it 'rushes 2'. Go to Image...Mirror...then Image...Resize... Make sure that the all layers box is not ticked and resize the layer to 60%, then go to Effects...Sharpen...and Sharpen. With the Mover Tool move this one so that it slightly overlaps the larger rushes.

Step 18. Make the background layer active and add a new layer, naming it 'mist'. Click on the foreground styles box and change the gradient to 'sg_dragonfly mist' leave the other settings the same as before. Flood fill the layer, then in the layers palette lower the transparency to 40 Turn off the visibility of the background and the dragonfly layers and Merge Visible. Turn visibility back on. Apply the VM Natural...Lakeside reflection, I changed the horizon to 236 but if your rushes are a little lower or higher than mine you will have to adjust this. The horizon, on this layer should come about a quarter of an inch above the bottom of the rushes, so that they look as though they are in the water.

Step 19. Go to Layers...Merge...Merge All... Before framing resize the image to 300 x 300 Then Sharpen using the unsharp mask radius=2.00, strength=50, clipping=15 For the frame, we are going to make a border on the bottom and right side in one colour, then the top and left side in another colour, which we will repeat with alternating colours. I have used the same SuperBladePro preset for both as the colour of the border underneath changes the effect. Make the foreground colour #CEBBCB and the background colour to #26D0CE Go to Image...Add Borders... Untick the symmetric box and put these figures in the border size boxes top=0, bottom=10, left=0, right=10 You should have a border along the right side and bottom of the image Select the border with the Magic Wand, go to Effects...Plugins... Flaming Pear...SuperBladePro... Apply the sg_misty rose preset Don't de-select, we want to add a cut-out. Go to Selections...Invert... The selection will run along the outside of your image, but inside the bottom and right side border. Go to Effects...3D Effects...Cutout... Use these settings Repeat the cutout, changing the horizontal and vertical settings to negative figures (minus 30)

Step 20. Click on the double ended arrow between the foreground and background colour boxes under the palette, this will swap the foreground and background colours. Add another border, this time reversing the figures (top=10, botton=0, left=10, right=0) Select the border with the Magic Wand and apply SuperBladePro using the sg_misty rose preset

Step 21. Keep the same background colour Add another border reversing the figures back again. (top=0, botton=10, left=0, right=10) Select the border and apply the SBP sg_misty rose preset.

Step 22. Swap the foreground and background colours and Add another border, reversing the figures to (top=10, botton=0, left=10, right=0) Select the border with the Magic Wand and apply SuperBladePro using the sg_misty rose preset

Step 23. repeat step 21 Step 24. Repeat step 22 Then de-select

I hope you enjoyed this tutorial. Thankyou to my great testers To see my other tutorials click Here

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