For this Tutorial you will need to have PSP 7, it will not work in other versions, unless you can find something else to replace the Chrome in PSP 7.  This Tut also requires Eye Candy 4000. Get the image I have used HERE.   Of course you can use your own image as well. As for resizing your image, I usually start out by resizing in the beginning rather than at the end so, I offer you this tip from Pat who was one of my testers for this Tut. If you wait to resize, Pat suggests you go to effects/sharpen/unsharp mask with these settings: Radius= 1.79, Strength=31, and Clipping=1. Thanks Pat for this suggestion. Most settings are specific to this image and would need to be adjusted if you are using your own image. I have noted this where needed. Below is what you will be creating:

Okay, let's get started.

Open your image in PSP and shift D to duplicate it and minimize the original as we will be using it. Set your foreground to pattern and choose the original image you have minimized with the settings shown below:

Set your Background to color #C9E9E8, these are the two flood fills we will be using.  Now you are ready to create.

Working with your duplicated image, double click on the background in your layer pallette, then click okay, we just promoted it to a layer.

Click on your selection tool and set to rectangle, feather=0 and antialias should be checked.  Beginning at 11-0 draw out a rectangle to 22x421. These last coordinates will only work with the image I have provided, yours will be longer or shorter depending on the size of your image. In other words, you will need to make sure the selection comes all the way down to the bottom of your image. Keep selected and add a new layer, click on your flood fill tool and flood fill with the pattern we already set up. Deselect. Remember to save often!  Now go to layers/duplicate then image/mirror.  Now layers/duplicate and image/rotate with these settings:

Using your mover tool bring this new bar to the top, I have made the bar black so that you can see the actual placement of the top bar. It should be spaced about the same distance from the edge as the side bars are.

To help you understand the placement of the bars I have made another screenshot to use as a guide. Here it is, I hope it helps:

 Now got to layers/duplicate then image/flip and now you should have 4 bars surrounding your image. Staying on the same layer go to layers/duplicate then image/rotate, changing the 90 to 45. Move this bar to the bottom left and place it as shown below:

Again you will not have the ants. Duplicate this layer and image/mirror. Now layers /Duplicate, image/flip then layers/duplicate and image mirror. Now you have the basic frame work done. Turn off layer 1 and merge/merge visible and rename this merged layer Frame. Turn layer 1 back on. Make sure you are working on the Frame layer now. Using your magic wand tool Tolerance=0 and Feather=0, Sample merged should be unchecked. Click inside the upper left triangle, hold the shift key down and click in the other 3 triangles.  Below is what you should have at this point:

This time you do have the ants. Keep them selected and then make layer 1 active and flood fill with the pattern we already have set up. Now, the settings for this flood fill may need to be changed here  if you are using your own image. By that I mean the scale # should be either lower or higher in order to get a centered image in the triangle. Just experiment with the numbers until you get what you want. Keep selected and go to effects/plug-in filters/eye candy 4000/ cutout and apply the settings shown below:

Deselect!  Turn off layer 1 again.

Make your frame layer active again and using your magic wand with the same settings click, holding shift key down ,on all the outside spaces outside of the frame. It should look like the image shown below:

Keep selected and click on layer 1 to make it active, now flood fill the selections with Color #C9E9E8, keep selected and apply the same eye candy 4000 cutout as before. Deselect!

Activate your Frame layer again and apply an inner bevel with the settings below:

Still working on the frame layer go to effects/artistic effects/ chrome and apply the settings shown below:

Now, go to effects/sharpen and sharpen two times.

Okay, stay on the frame layer and using your magic wand tool , click in the center portion of the frame.  Do the same eye candy 4000 cutout as we did before then click on layer 1 to activate it and do the eye candy 4000 cutout again. Deselect!

Now you may merge all/flatten your layers as we will be adding a border. Go to image/add border of 10 symmetric checked and click okay. Select your border with your magic wand tool and flood fill with the same pattern as before. Keeping the border selected apply the same inner bevel as before and also the same chrome as before. Keep selected and sharpen twice. Deselect, and save as and you are done.

As always if you have any problems with this Tutorial please feel free to email me and I will do my best to help you. I hope you enjoyed this tutorial and did not find it too difficult.

Ally