Underwater Collage

This is what we will be making

This tutorial was written specifically for my beginners list.

All the images you will need for this tutorial are in a zipped folder here

Put all the images into a working folder that you can also save to as you're
working, and put your Water-Bubbles image into your patterns and textures folder (in PSP).

OK - lets get started

1. The first thing you will need to do is prepare all the images. Open your
mermaid image, and using your lasso tool set to point to point as shown below, trace around the outside of your image.

2. Double click once your points meet, copy what you have selected, and then paste as a new image. Minimize your cutout mermaids, close the image you cut them out from, and repeat the cutout process with the images of the dolphins and fish, remembering to minimize the cutouts and close the other images.

3. Now that the hard bit is over, now you can have some fun :) Open up your Water dazzle image, then press shift D to make a copy of your image. I always do this with every image I use, that way I always have the original to go back to later - its a good habit to get into, just as saving after each step is a good habit - there is nothing more frustrating than working on something, getting it almost where you want it, and something goes wrong and PSP closes down :(( Another alternative is to time save your work - I time save every 5 minutes, as well as after every step now :)

4. Promote your image to a layer, then add a new raster layer. Now we'll put
your collage together. One at a time, open all your cutout images, copy and then paste as a new layer into your Water dazzle image - if you paste each image in a separate layer you can move your images around to suit you. You can flip or mirror the image, or add a deformation to change the look of your images. Play around until you get it looking the way you want it to look move layers up and down - the only thing that will hold you back here is your imagination :) ... and NO cheating and using tubes ... or you'll have to stay in this class forever! LOL

5. Finished having fun yet?? Once your happy with your collage, merge all
layers.

6. Now we'll frame your creation :) Make sure your background colour is set to white, then go to image>add borders, and add a symmetrical border of 20. Click this border with your magic wand tool to activate your marching ants, then go to the foreground colour on your styles palette and click to open up your patterns.

7. Find your Water_Bubbles pattern and click on it, then flood fill your border with this pattern. DO NOT DESELECT.

8. Go to selections and invert your image, add a cutout using the following
settings, then repeat the cutout using -2 vertical and horizontal.

9. Add another border of 20 as before, and repeat the invert and cutout steps, keeping your border selected all the time.

10. After your last cutout, invert again, and add an inner bevel using the
following settings. DO NOT DESELECT.

11. Invert your border one last time, and add a drop shadow using the following settings, then repeat with -3 horizontal and vertical.

Well, that's it! Hopefully you now have a gorgeous image that is truly unique - no 2 will ever look the same :)) Add your watermark as a final step!

Thanks Sandi for finding this one!

I hope you enjoyed doing this tutorial as much as I enjoyed writing it If you have any problems or questions, please don't hesitate to E-mail me