Making Preset Shapes
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This tutorial will teach you how to make preset shapes from .wmf (Windows Meta Files) ClipArt. Remember that using your own .wmf images may require a lot of patience to complete as there are many many objects in most images. You will see what I mean later, but for now just know that I have chosen an image that shouldn't take too long and will give you a good understanding of how to make a .wmf file usable plus make a preset shape from it.
If you have completed the tutorial "Making ClipArt Look Good" skip to the section entitled Making the Preset.
Resources
- PSP 8 or 9. You can download a demo of version 9 HERE.
- Any clipart .wmf (Windows Meta File) image. You can download the one I used in this tutorial HERE. Unzip it to your harddrive. Opening the image will be explained in the first step below.
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.- Bring up your browser and browse to the folder you unzipped the image into. Double click on the image and the first thing you will see is this:
Change the dimensions to 363w x 251h. Maintain aspect ratio checked (always best). Shift+D to duplicate then close the original. You must make a duplicate because any changes you make to the .wmf file will not be saved..
- Click on the plus sign on the layers palette as shown below:
and you will see this:
Each of these "polygons", called objects, contain parts of the image and each one needs to be changed in some way, whether it's for smoothing or for a color change. Some .wmf images can have hundreds of these objects and is why I said patience is needed (a definite consideration when choosing an image!).
- Double click on the first polygon (object) at the top of the list and this is what you will see:
Obviously, this is going to be a grape, since there are only two colors in the image (in some images you won't be able to tell and will have to use the object selector tool to determine what object you are manipulating).
- Check the Anti-alias box and watch your image. Notice the smoothing that was done to the grape? In other images you may not wish to change anything else but you will always want to check anti-alias.
- Now double click on the fill color to bring up the color picker and choose #FF0000 (or any other color you wish). If you want to outline the grape check mark the stroke then choose a color, but for the purpose of this tutorial just leave it unchecked. Click ok
- Repeat for the remaining objects (polygons). When you come to the leaves (greenish color) change the color to #079B07.
- First of all for the purpose of this tutorial we will create a new preset shapes folder and point PSP to it. You may delete it later. So Go to File->Preferences->File Locations. In the left pane click on Preset Shapes. Click on the empty space in the right pane then click Add then Browse. Browse to your My PSP 8(9) Files then click on Preset Shapes and add a folder called "Mine" and click ok. When the file locations box comes back up tick the "save to file" option next to the folder you just created. Next delete any other folders you have PSP pointed to. This will insure that the shape gets saved in the proper folder (mine). Click OK. Click on the preset shapes tool and check your list, you should not have any shapes listed yet.
- Now back with your image. Ctrl +A (select all) to select all of the objects (polygons)
- Then go to Objects->Group. This groups all of the objects. If you were to skip this part when you tried to export the shape you would get a "duplicate items detected Not all of the objects would be available" error. This is what you would have in your preset shapes list and be exactly what you would get when you drew the shape and obviously this is not what we want:
- Once you have them grouped this is what your layer palette should look like:
- Double Click on the "Group 1" layer and rename it "Grapes". This is the name that will show up in your preset shapes list and must be a unique name for every preset shape you make.
- Go to File->Export->Shape. Give it a name. This name can be different from the one that will show up on your list. This is the name that will be listed, along with the path to it when you hover your cursor over the preset in your list.
That's it for making the preset shape! So now you can throw the image away, convert to a raster layer and export it as a tube, give it a background and save it or you can give it some character detailed below.
Adding Character- Select all. Float. Defloat. Contract the selection by 1 (All under the Selections Menu).
- Add a new raster layer
- Change the foreground color to #880404 for the grapes then to #054F05 for the leaves (or a darker shade of your chosen grape and leaves color). Get the airbrush tool size 11, hardness density and opacity all set to 100, blend mode normal, rotation and rate 0, and paint around the outside as shown below. When you paint the veins on the big leaf change the brush size to 3
- Give it a gaussian blur radius 3.50. (Adjust->Blur->Gaussian Blur)
- Select none. Merge the layer down (or merge visible).
To recap:
- Open .wmf image to the size you want
- Check mark anti-alias on each object (polygon) layer. Change color if desired also
- Select all and group the objects
- Name the grouped objects
- Export as a shape
- Tube it, save it or throw it away
I hope you have enjoyed this tutorial and found it useful and easy to follow. If you have any comments or questions please feel free to .
