Plate - Intermediate Level
Make a Plate
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Your finished product is your own to do with as you please.
While this tutorial is rated Intermediate, it is really quite easy to do.
It is rated Intermediate because you do need to have an understanding of layers, and will use
preset shapes.
I used Paint Shop Pro 9 for this tutorial, however, you should be able to use other versions as
well.
For a free trial or to purchase Paint Shop Pro, click on the above link.
This tutorial assumes you have some knowledge of Paint Shop Pro and will not go into things
like how to select a layer in your layer palette, selecting a color in your materials palette,
how to create a new layer, how to duplicate a layer, etc.
It also assumes you can draw a preset shape.
We will be using vectors for this tutorial.
1. Open a new transparent image.
For this tutorial I used 300 x 300 pixels, but you can use whatever size you'll need for your
end result.
NOTE: All steps should have the foreground set as null, retain style (for the shape)
should NOT be checked, and anti-alias should be checked.
We will use only the ellipse preset shapes.
SAVE often.
2. Create the basic plate.
Select your ellipse preset shape.
Set your foreground to null and your background to the basic color of your plate.
I'm using white.
Draw an ellipse that is round, the size you'll need.
To make the ellipse a perfect circle, hold down your shift key while drawing it.
Then center it in the canvas (Objects, Align, Center in Canvas.)
Name your vector layer "plate" or something to help you remember what it is.
SAVE your file.
3. Draw the center of your plate.
Keep the same color and draw another smaller circle as the center of your plate.
This circle will be the center where the lip of the plate starts.
It will be difficult to see this circle as it will be the same color.
After drawing it, center it in the canvas (Objects, Align, Center in Canvas.)
Below you'll see the center circle centered, and selected.
You can't really see that circle, but you can see the box surrounding it.
Name this one "plate center" or something to help you remember what it is.
SAVE your file.
4. Make the plate lip appear.
Select the "plate" vector in your layer palette.
From the menu: Selections, From Vector Object (or use Ctrl-Shift-B.)
Add a new Raster layer above your Vector layer.
Invert the selection: Selections, Invert (Ctrl-Shift-I.)
Make sure your new Raster Layer is active.
Apply a drop shadow: Vertical and Horizontal Offsets - 0, Opacity - 50, Blur - 25.
The color is your choice, all depends on the color scheme you are using.
The blur will need to be increased for a larger plate and reduced for a smaller plate,
see what looks best to you.
Also, you may want to change the opacity to your liking.
SAVE your file.
5. Make the center appear.
Select your "plate center" vector in your layer palette (Selections, From Vector Object.)
Again, add a new Raster Layer above your Vector Layer.
Make sure this new raster layer is selected.
Apply a drop shadow, the same settings as above.
Now invert the selection (Selections, Invert) and apply the same drop shadow again.
Select None (Ctrl-D) and SAVE.
You're all done!
You can convert your Vector Layer to a Raster Layer and apply a drop shadow for a more natural look.
Decorate as desired.
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