Description: Make a beautiful plate with PhotoImpact 8 or XL
Author: Wouter Démoet.
Terms of Use: Please read
Skill Level: Beginner. I assume you know where the tools are in PhotoImpact.
Additional Files: An object of your choice or you may use mine. Please download the materials for this tutorial.

NOTE: Save your work often. I suggest you read the entire tutorial, before you start. Where it reads "Rc" in this tutorial, it means right click. And if you need help, or if you have any suggestions, please don't hesitate to contact me at: this page.

Open a new white image of 450 x 450 pixels. Pick up your Outline Drawing Tool from your Tool Panel and use these settings: Shape: Circle. Color: Any for now. Mode: 3D Round.


In your Path Panel use these settings: Border: 3. Depth: 15.


Draw a circle of about 400 x 400 pixels. Rc: Align - Center Both. Open your EasyPalette - Galleries - Material Attribute Gallery - Metallic and double click on the Copper 3 preset.
In the Menu bar: Format - Brightness & Contrast. Set the Brightness box to 24 and click OK. Deselect.

Change to the Magic Wand Tool :


and in the Attribute Toolbar use these settings:


Click inside the circle, then Rc: Expand/Shrink: Expand the selection with 2 pixels:


Rc: Convert to Object. RC again: Duplicate.
Format: Image Size - Apply to the Selected Object checked. Resize to 75%, Ratio aspect box: checked like this:


Rc: Align - Center Both. Rc: Shadow with these settings:


Keep selected. Pick up your Airbrush from your Tool Panel


and use these settings: Color is black.


Keep selected. Go to Effect in the Menu bar: All - Paint on Edges. This command wil create some depth on your plate. Deselect.

In your Layer Manager: Select the middle layer with the golden border.


Rc: Shadow. This time use these settings:


At this point your plate should look similar to this:


Nice plate, but a bit plain, dont you think so? Open the rose ufo that you downloaded earlier and drag the rose onto your plate. Center it on the plate. That looks a bit better ;-). Rc: Shadow - use these settings:


Menu bar: Web - Button Designer - Any Shape with these settings:


Rc: Select all Objects. Rc: Merge as a Single Object. Keep selected. You may want to save this plate to your EasyPalette for later use. Rc: Shadow:


Keep selected. With the Arrow keys on your keyboard move the plate a bit to the left, so that the whole shadow is on your canvas. Rc: Split Shadow. Rc: Shadow, this time with these settings:


Deselect. You are done!. Add a background of your choice. Then Rc: Merge All. Optimize and save your work.



That is all, I hope you have enjoyed this tutorial as much as I liked writing it for you.