GRADIENT

GRADIENT

This tut was written on October 1, 2010.
It is written using PSPX; I'm sure the same effects are available in other versions.

SUPPLIES
A tube.
I'm using the work of Elias Chatzoudis. You need to purchase a license to use this work from MPT.

The following filters:
MuRa's Meister - Copies
DSB Flux - Bright Noise
Xero - Porcelain (optional)

Font of choice (I'm using "Bank Gothic Light").

Let's begin!

Choose a lighter color for the foreground, and a darker for the background.
Make a foreground gradient - Linear, Angle - 45, Repeats - 2, Invert checked.

Open a new image, 50x50.
Fill with the gradient.

Open another image, 600 x 250.
Fill with the darker color.

Add the 50x50 image to the larger image as a new layer.

MuRa's Meister - Copies using the default Tiling setting, changing the Tile Gap from 0 to 1.

Layers - Merge Visible.

Change the settings on your magic wand:

Click anywhere on the dark color.

Selections - Invert.
Selections - Promote Selection to Layer.
Selections - Select None.

Duplicate the promoted layer, twice.

On each promoted layer, DSB Flux - Bright Noise using Intensity - 48, clicking the Mix button each time.

Add your tube, placing it where you wish.

Add a drop shadow (I used Eye Candy 5 Impact - Perspective Shadow using the Blurry preset).

Add a 2 pixel Selections border using dark color.

Add your name and any necessary copyright information.

Animate as usual.

For the avatar:

Duplicate your tag (Shift + D).

Remove all layers except the promoted layers and the background.

Crop to 150x150.

Add a 2 pixel Selections border using the darker color.

Add your name or initial.

Animate as usual.

Here is another example, using the work of Maxine Gadd: