Cloudy Topper Tutorial
By JoD

This tutorial is strictly my own work.  Any resemblance to other tuts is coincidental.

Level - Advanced Beginner to Intermediate

All settings will remain the same unless otherwise specified.

Needed

Tube of your choice.  A wider than taller tube works best.  My tube is 400 x 210.
Topper-Selection.pspimage This appears blank but contains my selections.
jd-cloud2-lining.jpg
Cloud-Swatch2.jpg
Zip file contains all the above files.

Preparation

Open tube, Cloud-Swatch2.jpg and Topper-Selection in PSP
Duplicate (Shift + D) Topper-Selection and your tube.  Close originals.
Minimize tube.  Move color swatch out of your way.

Save jd-cloud2-lining.jpg in Both PSP Patterns and PSP Textures folders.
Using the color swatch, set material palette foreground to the light grey and
white in the background.

You can create your own color swatch using the colors you will use for the background.
Open new image 100 x 100.
Choose the colors you will use in the material palette.  Use a light color in the foreground
And a medium color in the background.  Paint half the tile with each color.  This is helpful
When changing colors, gradients or patterns frequently.

Set the Material palette foreground to gradient
Be sure your colors are set at grey and white.

Sunburst, Repeats 0, H & V 50, Invert checked

Set the Material Palette background to pattern

Choose jd-cloud2-lining.jpg
Angle 0, Scale 100

Header (working on Selection image)

1 - Selections > Load/Save Selection > Load Selection from Alpha Channel
Choose selection # 1, Load

2 - Fill with the gradient you set up before.
Deselect

3 - Adjust > Blur > Gaussian Blur

Radius 15

4 - Selections > Load/Save Selection > Load Selection from Alpha Channel
Choose selection # 2, Load

5 - Fill with the pattern you set up before.
Deselect

6 - Adjust > Blur > Gaussian Blur

7 - Maximize your tube.  Edit > Copy your tube.  Paste as new layer onto cloud image.
Resize image as desired.  Adjust > Sharpness > Sharpen if desired.
Position as desired.

8 - Change the material palette to the colors of your choice.

9 - Layers . New Raster Layer

10 - Layers > Arrange - Send to bottom

11 - Fill with your medium color

12 - Effects > Texture Effects > Texture

Choose jd-cloud2-lining, size 100, 4, 1, 0, 0, white, 315, 50, 30

13 - Remain on this layer.  Effects > Image Effects > Seamless Tiling
Default setting

14 - Save as optimized jpg (I use 25%)

Background

15 - Open New image 120 x 350

16 - With Selection Tool at Rectangle, click Custom selection

Left 40, Top 0, Right 85, Bottom 350

17 - Fill with your light color.

18 - Effects > Texture Effects > Texture

19 - Deselect

20 - Drop Shadow

5, 5, 50, 5.00 Be sure Shadow in new layer is checked.

21 - Highlight Raster layer 1 and repeat drop shadow using minus 5 V & H

22 - Close raster 1.  Merge both shadow layers.

23 - Deformation Tool.  Using the top and bottom nodes, pull the edge up and down
To create a seamless effect.

24 - Open raster 1

25 - Image > Canvas Size

1280 x 350, Click center left square.

26 - Layers . New Raster Layer

27 - Layers > Arrange - Send to bottom

28 - Fill with your medium color

29 - Effects > Texture Effects > Texture

30 - Remain on this layer.  Effects > Image Effects > Seamless Tiling
Default setting

33 - Add accents to side bar as desired.

34 - Layers > Merge > Merge Visible

35 - Save as optimized jpg (I use 25%)

Assemble in Letter Creator

Place Background in body tab.  Be sue to Tile.
Adjust your left margin as desired.
To best adjust the left margin, be sure "Show sample text" is checked.

Place Topper in Header tab.  Be sure to center.

Add footer as desired.

Tut located here: http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/hobotuts
And here: http://www.irish-cream.com/CloudyTopper.html