Tutorial-Painted-Backgrounds

Easy Painted Backgrounds

PI 10 [any version will work]

Description: Making painted backgrounds for cards or scrapbook pages or whatever you need them for.
Author: Rosalie Elmore
Terms of Use: Please read
Skill Level: Easy I assume you know where the tools are in PhotoImpact. I would suggest that you take the free Beginners Workshop to learn this program if you do not know how to use it very well.

Tools: Paint Brush
Additional Files: Simple Filter and Fantastic Machines Tile Tools

Mezzo Force Ice [2 manekenai TM] were used but not necessary to do the background. Any flowers you might have or use the ones in PI program. Note: I am sorry but I can't offer the filter in my zip...waiting for a reply from the company for a link to the filter.

NOTE: Save your work often. I suggest you read the entire tutorial, before you start. Where it reads "R/C" in this tutorial, it means right click. And if you need help, or if you have any suggestions, please don't hesitate to contact me at: blurose@wildblue.net.

Instructions:
Open a white paper size 600x600 pixels. Select your Paint brush and use a regular paint brush size about 40 or higher I leave the soft edge at 50. I draw lines and curves changing colors and changing the size of the brush on the paper it looks weird at this point. Go to Effect/Artistic/Oil Paint and the fun begins. See Note for PI X3. I change the sliders and set them up past 50 ...usually 74 even 100 is what I wind up with I just play with the sliders until I like the results. I use the 1st, 5th, and 6th style box the most. I have the oil page effect box on full screen not as the small one to see better. I just save it as a .jpg if I like the results. Below is using the 1st one in the style box. I am not giving you settings I used because I failed to write them down but the important thing is play with the setting for a while and see what you can come up with. Note: I just found that when using PI X3 you need to Open your EP and Go to Special Effects/Artistic/Oil Paint MaryLou gave me this screen shot below. R/C and when your box comes up then change the settings. I will show a screen shot Birgit provided below. If your Angle is set at zero you can up the number that also, it will change the direction of your pattern. To continue on...my results are below. I then used MezzoForce Ice Filter on it. Again just play with the settings you can always hit the back key and try it again if you don't like the results. Save it with a new name if you like your results. Make a folder for yours trust me it is addictive making these papers. If you need a back ground that is tiled I use the Simple filter to do that. I don't always like the results when I use the simple filter it sometimes becomes too busy looking. As you can see below the Mezzo Ice made the color change but it is still pretty. You can use the flowers in the EP that come with PI. Add them after you have used the Artistic/ Oil Paint [or even before hand but merge them on your paper and your flower won't show to much but gives some pretty results]. I used the tulips and simply used the transparency to blend them in this design below. Use any flowers you have that are cut out, like Dover sheets. Below you can see some other flowers added and made transparent to blend in. I use Dover flowers a lot. Put your flowers where you want them and merge to the background. If you want to make a card of some kind from this use the Standard Selection Tool on these settings to make a rectangle in the center of your page. [or where ever you want to put it on your design.] I used 240x264 on mine but you can use any size you prefer. When you have your selection on the paper, where you want it to go, R/C convert to object. You can make a border around your rectangle by using POE. The below screenshot shows my setting for the paint brush I used. After you finish POE you can write in anything you wish. Below is a get well card I finished off by doing an outside border and a 1 pixel inner border. . Note: Yes the background on this web page is done the same way. How I use it on a scrapbook page How I use it to present something I made If you need one you made but it is the wrong color for the new project your using it for just use the hue and saturation to change the colors. Sometimes I make one lighter like on the butterflies I showed so it would not detract from the object I was showing. I would like to add some that others have made using this tutorial: Just click on the thumbnails to see full size. 1. Edna made a very pretty one, the Ice filter gave it a beautiful effect this is a gorgeous blend of colors. Thanks for letting me show this dear. ____________ 2. Birgit did this one using a blurry photo she was going to delete, she blended a flower and framed it!! Her 2nd one is softer with tulips, she used lower setting on the paint filter it gives a dreamy effect. Thanks for letting me show this Birgit. ___________ 3. Joy did this one in silver ...very pretty. ____________ 4. Anne also painted the Orchids both are absolutely gorgeous. At full size below. ________________________ 5. Carol did this one saying... "This celebrates not only Spring but the the emergence of my first ever successful King Alfred Daffodil." Gorgeous colors Carol! I hope you have enjoyed this tutorial as much as I liked writing it for you. Thank you for giving it a try! Rosalie's Tutorial List

Instructions:

Open a white paper size 600x600 pixels. Select your Paint brush and use a regular paint brush size about 40 or higher I leave the soft edge at 50. I draw lines and curves changing colors and changing the size of the brush on the paper it looks weird at this point.

Go to Effect/Artistic/Oil Paint and the fun begins. See Note for PI X3. I change the sliders and set them up past 50 ...usually 74 even 100 is what I wind up with I just play with the sliders until I like the results. I use the 1st, 5th, and 6th style box the most. I have the oil page effect box on full screen not as the small one to see better. I just save it as a .jpg if I like the results. Below is using the 1st one in the style box. I am not giving you settings I used because I failed to write them down but the important thing is play with the setting for a while and see what you can come up with.

Note: I just found that when using PI X3 you need to Open your EP and Go to Special Effects/Artistic/Oil Paint
MaryLou gave me this screen shot below.

R/C and when your box comes up then change the settings. I will show a screen shot Birgit provided below. If your Angle is set at zero you can up the number that also, it will change the direction of your pattern.

To continue on...my results are below.

I then used MezzoForce Ice Filter on it. Again just play with the settings you can always hit the back key and try it again if you don't like the results. Save it with a new name if you like your results. Make a folder for yours trust me it is addictive making these papers. If you need a back ground that is tiled I use the Simple filter to do that. I don't always like the results when I use the simple filter it sometimes becomes too busy looking. As you can see below the Mezzo Ice made the color change but it is still pretty.

You can use the flowers in the EP that come with PI. Add them after you have used the Artistic/ Oil Paint [or even before hand but merge them on your paper and your flower won't show to much but gives some pretty results].

I used the tulips and simply used the transparency to blend them in this design below. Use any flowers you have that are cut out, like Dover sheets.

Below you can see some other flowers added and made transparent to blend in. I use Dover flowers a lot.

Put your flowers where you want them and merge to the background.
If you want to make a card of some kind from this use the Standard Selection Tool on these settings to make a rectangle in the center of your page. [or where ever you want to put it on your design.] I used 240x264 on mine but you can use any size you prefer.

When you have your selection on the paper, where you want it to go, R/C convert to object. You can make a border around your rectangle by using POE. The below screenshot shows my setting for the paint brush I used.

After you finish POE you can write in anything you wish. Below is a get well card I finished off by doing an outside border and a 1 pixel inner border.

.

Note: Yes the background on this web page is done the same way.

How I use it on a scrapbook page
How I use it to present something I made

If you need one you made but it is the wrong color for the new project your using it for just use the hue and saturation to change the colors. Sometimes I make one lighter like on the butterflies I showed so it would not detract from the object I was showing.

I would like to add some that others have made using this tutorial: Just click on the thumbnails to see full size.
1. Edna made a very pretty one, the Ice filter gave it a beautiful effect this is a gorgeous blend of colors. Thanks for letting me show this dear.

____________

2. Birgit did this one using a blurry photo she was going to delete, she blended a flower and framed it!! Her 2nd one is softer with tulips, she used lower setting on the paint filter it gives a dreamy effect. Thanks for letting me show this Birgit.

___________
3. Joy did this one in silver ...very pretty.

____________
4. Anne also painted the Orchids both are absolutely gorgeous. At full size below.

________________________

5. Carol did this one saying... "This celebrates not only Spring but the the emergence of my first ever successful King Alfred Daffodil." Gorgeous colors Carol!

I hope you have enjoyed this tutorial as much as I liked writing it for you.
Thank you for giving it a try!
Rosalie's Tutorial List