Krusty Sparkles - A Forum Set Tutorial

To create this set you will need

A Tube

I used the fabulous art of Ismael Rac

I bought this tube way back when Ismael was with MPT

At the time of this writing Ismael's Tubes and License

Can be bought from his STORE

Font of choice - I used P22 OhLey (Pay Font)

Filters

DSB Flux - Bright Noise

Krustys FX 2.0 - Generator N-3

Alien Skin Eye Candy 5 - Perspective Shadow

Ready?

Let's Begin!

Choose a bright color from your Tube for your foreground

Choose a nearly white shade of your FG color for your BG

Make a FG/BG gradient on the FG

Linear - Angle 45 - Repeats 3

New Image - 600x250

Fill with your Gradient

Duplicate Layer - Mirror - Change Blend Mode

Play around here a little

For example on top, I chose Multiply

For sample set at the bottom, it was Overlay

Whichever option you choose here-the result should be Bright

If it's not very bright, you can duplicate and change the blend mode to screen

That should lighten it up

Merge Visible

Effects - Image Effects - Seamless Tiling

Duplicate

On the Duplicate - Krustys FX 2.0 - Generator N-3

Again, play with the Blend Modes

I used Overlay - Merge Visible

Rename it Background

Magic Wand - RGB - Tolerance 10

Click once in one of the lighter circles

Modify - Select Color Range

Tolerance and Softness - 20, 20

Click once in the Reference Color Box

Hover over your Tag and click in the lightest of the circle areas

Click ok

Now click again in the Reference Color Box

Hover over your Tag and click in the darker of the circle areas

Click ok and see that you have added to the first selection

Repeat this until you have everything selected that you want selected

Duplicate the Background Layer twice for a total of three Layers

On each of these three Layers

DSN Flux - Bright Noise - Mix Checked - 45

Hit the mix button once for each Layer

New Layer - Send to Top

Rename Sparkle Border

Select All - Contract 8 - Fill with your Very Light Color (BG)

Contract 2 - Delete - Keep Selected

Expand 1 - Invert

Keep Selected

New Layer

Drag under top layer - Fill selectiom with your Bright Color (FG)

Rename Bright Border

Deselect

Highlight your Sparkle Border Layer

Duplicate it twice for a total of three Layers

On each of these three Layers

DSN Flux - Bright Noise - Mix Checked - 60

Hit the mix button once for each Layer

Paste your Tube and Send to Top if it's not already there

Give it a blurry Drop Shadow

I used EC5 Impact - Perspective with the Drop Shadow preset

Crop your tag

Add your Name, CR Info and License # if Necessary

Now let's get what we need for our Avatar

Hide all layers except the Three BG Layers

Starting from the Bottom Layer

Edit - Copy

Paste as a New Image

Back to the Tag

Highlight Middle BG Layer

Edit - Copy

On the New Image

Paste as a New Layer

Back to the Tag

Highlight Top BG Layer

Edit - Copy

On the New Image

Paste as a New Layer

Get out your crop tool and crop your New Image to 150x150

So now you should have three BG Layers

Make your Borders Like you did for your Tag

Add your Name or Initial

Set aside for now

Back to our Tag

Un-hide all Layers

Merge your Tube, Name and CR Layers Together

This is what you should have now

ANIMATION

Hide the Top Two BG Layers and the Top Two Sparkle Border Layers

Edit - Copy Merged

Open Animation Shop

Edit - Paste as New Animation

Back in PSP

Hide the Bottom BG Layer and Sparkle Border Layers

Unhide the Middle BG and Sparkle Border Layers

Edit - Copy Merged

In Animation Shop

Edit - Paste After Current Frame

Back in PSP

Hide the Middle BG Layer and Sparkle Border Layers

Unhide the Top BG and Sparkle Border Layers

Edit - Copy Merged

In Animation Shop

Edit - Paste After Current Frame

View - Animation to make sure it looks right

Save as a gif

Open the Avatar you made

Animate the same way you did for your Tag

Here's what it looks like when it's done

Sample Set also using art by Ismael Rac

If you try this or any of my other Tutorials,

Please leave a link in the commemnt section on my BLOG