Preparation: Download and
install the spirofx filter.
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Set your background color to
black.
Go to file/ new / new image. Choose background color for
the color, and set the size to 300 pixels wide by 300 pixels high.
Click ok.
So now you see a square black
canvas. |
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Go to effect/ dc special/ spiro fx. On the right, you
will see two boxes. Click the top one and the windows color picker
appears. Set color 1 to gray. Click the color 2, and set this to
white.
Note:Due to the large size of the screen shot, I only made
one to show you. Therefore, the top color here should be gray.
Set all the other settings as you see them here.
Click ok.
Now you see something like this.
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Click the rainbow icon on the
lower right hand of your screen. In the popup, choose Grayscale (8
bit).
We will use this image as our mask, and work from a new
canvas. Leave this one open. |
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Go to file/ new/ new image.
Leave the settings as they were. Click ok.
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Go to effects/ dc special/
spirofx. Leave the settings the same except exchange the gray for a
bright color. I chose a bright purple here.
Click
ok.
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Go to selection/ import
selection. Click ok. You should see selection lines around your bow.
Right click and convert to object.
(I find this method easier
than using the magic wand to select the background, and then
inverting. Often, not all gets selected; leaving black spots on the
bow.)
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Now you have a simple bow.
Let's make it a little fancier. :-)
Right click and
duplicate the bow. Use the transform tool  with the lock locked  to resize the bow approximately half its original size.
This makes the bow a little hard to see so we'll fix that by
creating more copies.
Right click on the object and click
duplicate 2 times. Use the layer manager to select the top three
bows. (Hold down the control key while clicking each.) Right click
and click Merge as a single object. |
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When you are done with your bow
and all its layers, making sure at least one object is selected,
right click and click select all objects. Right click and merge as a
single object.
Add a shadow if you like and save to your
easy palette for later use. Your new bow should come in handy for a
variety of projects. :-) On this finished image, I pressed the enter
key and filled the canvas with a lighter color, Then I added a
shadow to add extra dimension.
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Variations: : Try importing the
selection into a blank black canvas. Right click, convert to object,
and fill with different gradients or fills.
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Spirofx settings tips.
When you play with the settings and get one you like, take a screen
shot of the dialog box. Since there is no way to save the settings
this will be your only method of saving the settings for later.
While the dialog box is visible on your screen, press alt and the
print screen key at the same time. Click ok, and then go to edit/
paste, as a new image. Type your canvas size on the screen shot so
you will know to use the same size canvas later. Your canvas size
does matter as the image will not resize to fit.
Also, if
you get a shape you like and it doesn't fit onto the canvas but you
want it to, press ok. Undo the filter application, and resize your
canvas a bit so that it will all fit in. Then go back to the filter
and apply it again.
The ending hole size seems to control the
total size of the image. So slide the slider to the right for larger
images, and to the left for smaller.
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