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Part One: Decorating your
button kit.
1. Download the .ufo kit to
a folder on your hard drive. Now click file/open, and browse to the folder
to which you downloaded your kit. Open the button ufo. |
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2. Each
button is a group consisting of the rim and the actual button. Click on
each grouped button, and ungroup. Click on the background, then
click on the center of the button to select it.
3. Click on path tool,
and in the attribute bar click the rectangle under the word color to
choose a color for your button. Set the mode to 3d round,
Now in the attribute bar, set the border to 4 or 5, and the depth to
10.
Click on the rim, and set the color to the same color. You can
get really creative and apply other fills too. |
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4. To apply a fill to a path
object that isn't in your easy palette, Click the path tool, then the
material button in the attribute bar. In the color/texture tab,
click file, and browse to a file you have stored on your hard drive
to fill the button. |
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5. You may also want to try
some of the magic fills for your button.
Click fill gallery,
Magic texture. There are several fills in there that are really nice
for this type of thing. Only use natural textures or magic
textures in the fill gallery however; the other fills will convert
your button to an image object automatically. |
 
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Your first button is almost
done!
6. Let's add some thread to your button!
Click the
path tool, and slide cursor over to arrow in corner of button. When
the tray opens, click the line and arrow tool.
Set mode
to 3d round, and the width to 5. Match the color of your thread
to the color of your button. Click on arrow in the attribute bar
and click the first option, the straight line.
Click on top of one hole and let
go of the mouse button. Point to the second hole, and double
click. |
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7. Go to object/convert
object type/from path to object.
8. Click the zoom
tool and click on your canvas to move in closer to your thread. Click
once or twice until you're comfortable with the setting. Click the
eraser tool; set the size to 5, and the soft edge to 0. Use the
eraser to miter the corners of your thread so that it looks natural. Note:
your thread should still be selected in order to erase parts of it.
This does not have to look perfect. When you zoom out it will appear right
to your eyes.
If your button has more than two holes,
right click, duplicate. Position this "thread" over the second set
of holes.
When finished, click the pick tool, and hold down control
while clicking each part of the button. If you wish to make another button
of
a different color, right click and duplicate.
Otherwise, just right click and merge as a single object.
Decorate
the rest of the buttons like you did the first one. |
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When all buttons have been
prepared, and each merged as a single object, add a drop shadow to each
one if you wish. Use the transform tool to make different sizes. and
rotations. Go to file/save as. Save as a ufo, and store in your Photo
Impact files folder. I have a special folder inside this folder called
stamps where I store all my stamps. |
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Part two: using your stamp to make a continuous
border.
1. Open a new file, 250 X
200, single color.
2. Fill your canvas with a color of your
choice. Click edit/fill/color tab. Use the ulead color picker to
choose your color.
3. If you like, you may add a cloth like
texture to your canvas at this point with the texturizer
filter.
Click effect/texture/texturizer. Leave the texture set to the
default: canvas. Set the relief to 2, and the light direction to top
right. Click ok. |
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4. Click the stamp tool. Click
the down arrow beside the deer. Click "Add stamp". Browse to your photo
impact files/stamps folder. Find your new button stamp, and click
ok. |
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5. Stamp several button objects
on your canvas until you get a nice variety.
6. Drag extra buttons off
canvas until you have a nice arrangement with no buttons or their
shadows going off the edge. Arrange remaining buttons in a pleasing
pattern. If any are not entirely on the canvas, it will cause a seam when
tiled. When you are satisfied with your arrangement, Right click and
merge all. |
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7. Go to web, shift
image. Enter a horizontal offset of half the width of your canvas and
a vertical offset of half the height. Since the dimensions we are using
are 250 X 200, we need to enter 125 for horizontal and 100 for
the vertical. Click ok. |
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8. Using buttons that you
dragged off into their own canvas or by stamping new ones, paste buttons
over blank spaces so they are not noticeable when tiled.
9. Test
your tile by clicking on file/preview in browser/as tiled background. If
you are satisfied with your arrangement, right click and merge
all. |
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10. Press control + D to
duplicate your canvas.
with one of these, we will create a tiled
background, and with the other, we will make the left border.
11. Click
edit/expand. Expand the right side only, 20 pixels. Expand sides equally
should NOT be checked. |
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12. Use the path tool to draw a
long skinny rectangle for a divider as in this tutorial. Use the same techniques to make your
strip seamless as we did in that tutorial.
13. When you have your
divider on the canvas, right click and merge all.
Right click/
copy. |
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14. New canvas, 1152 X 200.
Paste the copied image on the left side.
15. Right click, click
shadow. Accept default shadow settings.
16. Click object in
menu bar. Click split shadow. Use the layer manager to select
your split shadow as it is sometimes difficult to select the shadow by
clicking. Use transform tool to resize shadow as is also explained
in this tutorial.
17. Click on the white
background to select it.
Minimize canvas, and go to the duplicate
of your button tile.
18. Right click/ click all. Right
click/convert to object. Drag the new object to its own canvas. Click
on the pick tool, and in the attriubte bar increase the
transparency to at least 50%. I used 65% becuase of the high amount of
contrast in my image. Right click and merge all. Right click
copy. |
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19. Go back to your minimized
strip canvas.
Go to edit/fill/image
tab.
Click the circle in front of clipboard.
click
ok.
Right click and merge all. Your strip is ready for the
image optimizer. |
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Have fun with this tutorial!
Your button stamp should come in handy for other projects too. The
shift image command can be used to create beautiful borders.
Click here to see some I have done using this
command. |
