Ipod People
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You've seen those really cool commercials for Ipods or maybe you've seen the Apple website? Or maybe you just remember the popular silohette images or the hot colors from the '70s? Whatever it might be, I'll show you an easy way to make those great Ipod People.
Resources- PSP 8 or 9. You can download a demo of v9 HERE.
- Any funky image that will make a great silohette. You can download the one I have used HERE. Unzip it to your harddrive then open in PSP. The image is by a great photographer Xpsi whose work can be found at Stock xhange.
Let's get started
*Please note: If you install this tutorial as a quick guide you may get a script error when trying to view the images, just click "yes" at the prompt and the images will show properly. Don't know how to install quick guides? then check out the tutorial found HERE.Since you will be working with the pen tool and vector nodes it will be best to make a custom toolbar for this project. (you can always delete it later). So let's go ahead and make one. You can skip this step if your workspace/toolbars are ergonomically efficient and you are comfortable with them.
Making a Custom toolbar for this project- Right click on any of your toolbars to bring up a flyout. Choose "Customize".
- Click on the toolbars tab then on New. Give your new toolbar any name you wish then click OK.
- Now click on the Command tab and select "Node Edit Context Menu" in the left pane. Then drag each of the following from the right pane onto the newly created toolbar. Select All, Select None, Smooth, Curve Before, Curve After. Then close.
Your toolbar should look like this 
. Just drag your new toolbar to a comfortable spot in your workspace.
- Open the image and Shift+D to duplicate it then close the original.
- Set the foreground color to black and the background color to nil (none). Get the pen tool
set to create as vector, drawing mode, point to point, line width 1, anti-alias checked. Now just begin to click around the outside of the person in your image.
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- Once you reach your starting point click the close contour button
on the tool options palette to close the silohette. - Take note of which way you click (either to the left or to the right). This is the path and determines which side of the node to make the curve. This is my path.
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Ok so now we have to knock off some of the edges, (like at his hand and elbows). This is where the curve before and after buttons comes in. Take a look at the image of his elbow below. See how there needs to be a curve before and after the node indicated?
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- Click on that node then click on the
button on your toolbar. The node will turn blue and a handle will form. Pull or push to handle to get the shape of the curve you need. Then while the same node is active select the 
and pull the handle to form the curve on that side of the node. - Continue in manner around your image on any node you think needs to be curved. If you think the curve needs to be less sharp try selecting both curve before, curve after then the smooth button to round out the curve a little more.
- Once you have all the nodes shaped the way you want, click on the plus sign by the vector layer on the layer palette. Then double click on "New Shape". Then check the "fill" box and change the color to black. This makes the silohette.
- Convert the vector layer to a raster layer by going to Layers->Convert to Raster Layer.
- Now click on the background layer then add a new raster layer. Now fill the layer with a bright color of your choice, I chose #DB15F9.
- Now go to Layers->Merge->Merge Visible.
- Change the foreground color to white and the background color to nil and get the pen tool again and draw the cord for the Ipod. (To get a curved line click and drag the first node then click the second node then go back to the first node and pull the handle). To draw the rectangle use the preset shape tool set to rounded rectangle.
- Convert the layer to a raster layer then merge all and your done.
I hope you have enjoyed this tutorial and found it easy to follow. If you have any comments or questions please feel free to .
