| Crack in a Wall - PhotoImact 4.2 | |
This tutorial is done by request...and is a neat little effect that I'm sure you can find many uses for. It is basically an adaptation of my insetting images tutorial with a little different application.
This tutorial again brings out one thing that PhotoImpact is missing that I truly miss from both PhotoShop and Paint Shop Pro, and that is the merge effect "softlight." Maybe Ulead will add this to the next version? Luckily we can recreate the effect very easily with similar results.
I am not going to include pictures with the first several steps, since you should be comfortable with the basic operations of PI. If you are not, please see some of my earlier tutorials. So, let's make a crack in a wall!
1. Open a new image with a black background. I like to work with the largest image I can, which is usually 600x400 or 500x300.
2. Select All by either using CTRL-A or choosing Edit-->Selections-->All. Right click and convert to an object.
3. Select your paintbrush tool, set to 1 pixel with no soft edge, using white as the color. It is very important that you do not have a soft edge with the paint brush tool, this tutorial will not work if you have a soft edge.
4.
Draw some lines with your paintbrush tool to make the cracks.
There is no secret to this, just draw what you like. To make
a hole in the wall, connect the lines so there is a space for
the hole.
5.
To fill in the hole, select your paint brush tool with white
as the color and antialias off. Fill in the hole.
6.
Now right click and select "Duplicate." This will duplicate
your image. Choose Format-->Invert to change the colors to the
opposite.
7. Your image should have two objects and look something like this:
8. Now, right click on the top object and select properties. Set your transparent color to white.
9. Don't be scared if your entire image is black now...it should be. Now, in your easy palette click on the object that has a black background. Follow the previous step, but make black your transparent color.
10. Your image will probably still look all black because of the background image. Right click and choose "select base image." Fill (CTRL-F) the base image with any texture. I choose the natural gallery and clicked on the library button, and selected the texture "Sand 1".
11.
Now, select the top layer (the one with the black crack on it).
Move it one pixel up and one pixel to the right or left, depending
on how you want it to look. I moved it to the left.
12.
Now, on the easy palette, select the image with the white lines.
Right click and choose properties. Set the transparency level
to between 40-60%, until your crack looks set in enough.
That's all...your done! You have a nice crack in the wall! Easy huh?
This tutorial is adapted from a PhotoShop tutorial by Patrick with his express written permission and was created by request.
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