Tutorial 6

 

Cutouts are a fun way to make small sized stationery.  The graphics can be from Wingdings, Dingbats, or a black and white image...  for this lesson I am going to include some black and white images for you to play with.

 

I am also going to include several textured images for you to work with. Click here to download the zipped file of images. Cutouts show up best on a texture.  Once you get the hang of doing these, they can be applied to many different things, include clip art that is in color and using a layered image you can get some awesome effects.  If you don't like these textures you can chose your own or make it. 

 

Step 1:Select an image and a texture.  If need be resize the image to make it a workable size for stationery.  (Reminder: 200 - 300 pixels is a good size.)

 

Step 2: Open a new image 10 pixels wider and longer than the image that you have resized.  Using the Flood Fill tool.. (Paint Can on the tool bar.) On the control palette selection options, pattern, then select the texture that you want to use.  Flood fill the new image that you have just made. 

 

Step 3: Using the selection magic wand, select your image, if it is a solid image you can just click on it, or you can click on the background and invert the selection. Copy it and paste it into the textured background that you have made.  Leaving the image selected.. look at the layer control.  You will see two layers, one is "floating selection".  Right click on the floating selection and delete it. (Make sure you do this on the layer control!) You will now see just the image outlined on your background.

 

Step 4: Under Image/Effects/Cutout (Note: these settings will vary from image to image.. these are what I used for the dolphin.)

 

When doing a cutout, of this type you never have fill interior with color selected.

 

Shadow color: Black
Opacity: 75
Blur: 15
Vertical and Horizontal: 8

 

Play with the settings and get it out how you like it.. NOTE: you will NOT see the entire image outlined.  Click OK, leave the image selected.

 

Step 5: Under Image/Effect/Drop Shadow

 

Except for the opacity, which depends on the color of your background, the settings are pretty standard... for this image I used:

 

Color: White
Opacity: 75
Blur: 2
Vertical and Horizontal: 1

 

Click OK.

 

Step 6: You can add your "Stationery By XXX" if you wish that we covered in an earlier tutorial. 

 

Step 7: You can use the same technique to make the background for your stationery body as you did this or you can make a solid color one.. whatever your imagination calls for.

 

 

Tutorials | Tutorial 1 | Tutorial 2 | Tutorial 3 |

 

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