Creating a Pine Needle Tube

  This tutorial is best viewed at 1024x768.
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All images are the sole property of © Designs By Astro
Do not copy, place on CD, make into Scripts or send
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All rights reserved.

The image/images you make using this tutorial
is your property to do with as you wish.

If you have any questions or need further help you can Email me

This tutorial can be done in 7, 8, 9 or X.

The trees above were created using the tube you are about to make.
This tutorial assumes you know your way around in PSP.

This tutorial is written using PSP 10.01 but can be done in other version of PSP with a little
modification of tool locations.

Some screenshots are reduced in size and some have been zoomed in on to show detail.

1. Open a 4x90 transparent canvas. Yes, you read right 4X90.

2. Set your foreground color to a nice green, I'm using #03b402

3. Using the Flood Fill Tool, fill in your canvas.

4. Go to Image, Canvas Size and set to these settings....

5. Go to Selections, Select All, Selections, Float.

6. Go to Effects, 3D Effects, Cutout and apply these settings...

7. Selections, Select None.

8. Go to Effects, 3D Effects, Drop Shadow and apply these settings...

Save this Needle as a pspimage. Leave it open in PSP.
Now to set up our tube.

9. Open a 600X600 Transparent Canvas. We will be working with our Ruler and Grid.

10. View, Ruler.

11. Make your needle canvas active. Copy and paste your needle as a New Layer onto your
600X600 canvas. Use the mover tool to move the needle into the upper left corner. You want
the needle to line up on your ruler to the ½ marker on the top of your ruler......

12. Now go to View, Grid.  Go to View, Grid, Guide and Snap Properties and set to these
settings....

13. You should now have 6 boxes  across and 6 boxes down on your canvas
like this....

14. I want you to copy the needle layer and paste it as a new layer.
Click on your picker tool and move needle 2 into the second top box, placing it
on the half mark between 100 and 200...

15. Go to Image, Freehand Rotate and set to these settings...

Note... be sure and uncheck All layers.

16. Paste as a new layer again. Rotate by 35. Do this 3 more times adding 5 to your rotation
to fill your 6 boxes across.....

17.  Hide Layer 1 and merge the 6 needle layers visible. Rename to Row 1.

18. Your first single needle should still be copied to your clipboard. Paste this needle as a new
layer. Rotate this layer by 90. Adjust the needle so that it is on the half mark on the side
ruler.
Note.. as you paste each needle try to place them centered in the box by using the ruler on
the side and top, they don't have to be perfect, just close.

19. Copy this layer, we will be working this row using the first needle on row 2.

20. Paste as a new layer. Move into second box . Rotate 15 right. Paste the next needle
 as a new layer, rotate 20 right. Continue to paste and rotate by 5 to fill the second
row....

21. Hide Raster 1 Layer and Row 1 Layer. Merge visible row 2 layer, Rename to Row 2.

22. Make Row 1 your active layer. Copy and paste as a new layer. Move into position
as Row 3, rename as 3.

23. With Row 3 your active layer, go to Adjust, Brightness and Contrast and set the
Brightness to -35.

24. Paste Row 1 once again. Move into position as Row 5. Leave it the lighter color.

25. Make Row 2 your active layer. Copy and Paste as Row 4 and Row 6. Adjust the Brightness
on Row 4 to -35. This is what you should have.....

26. Make visible all your layers. Merge all layers Visible.

27. Go to View and remove your Ruler and Grid.

28. Go to File, Export, Picture Tube.

29. Set up your tube as follows....

That's it, your pine needle is tubed and ready to use.

When used, your tube should look something like this....

I use this tube for lots of things. For making pine trees, wreaths or bushes, you can even change the
color to silver or gold to make tinsel! Have fun creating with your tube!

Until next time... God Bless!
Connie