GRAVESTONE MEMORIAL PLAQUE

Paint Shop Pro Tutorials by Karen

When I was making memorial pages for my personal website, I was looking for some graphics to use. I couldn`t find anything so decided to see if I could make my own. I thought a gravestone style plaque would be nice, as they can be made in different textures to resemble real ones ( stone, marbled etc) and can be personalised with any wording/pictures you want to use, as a memorial to a loved one. As I found no suitable graphics for this type of page, it made me think that perhaps others had the same problem, so decided to write a tutorial on how I made mine. I would like to thank GINA for very kindly helping me with a screenshot problem I was experiencing,  with her help I can now do these and make proper illustrations for my tutorials! ( I will update my older tutorials as soon as I can and add some screenshots!). Here`s how I make my gravestones... ( Important... Don`t forget to save your work as you go! ) Start a new image as in fig 1

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Flood fill the image with any solid colour Now go to effects/texture effects/sculpture, select a marble or stone tile for best effect ( I will include some for your use at the bottom of this tutorial if you need any) when you have selected the effect click OK. Click on the selections tool, right click it and select tool options make your settings as illustration shows (fig 2)

Drag the selection tool inside the canvas - drawing a rectangle, then left click inside the rectangle. Go to edit/copy/edit/paste as new image. Click on the deformation tool and drag the corners to resize/reshape your rectangle so you have some blank canvas round it, as in fig 3

Click on the freehand tool, drag the pointer round the top left corner, left clicking as you go, to create a rounded off corner. Then click on the cutting tool (scissors) and click it several more times to smooth the corner ( fig 4 & 5 ) then right click on blank part of canvas to deselect.

Go back to the selections tool, drag the pointer to draw a rectangle over the right hand half of your graphic, then click inside the selected half (fig 6) then click the cutting tool to remove the selected half.

With the selections tool, drag the pointer around the remaining half and then click inside the selected area (fig 7)

Next go to edit/copy/edit/paste as new layer (fig 8) then go to image/mirror Drag the new half over to the right hand side of the original half (see fig 8 again)

Join the two halves together, then go to selections / select none / layers / merge visible (fig 9)

Using the magic wand click on blank part of canvas the go selections/invert. Click inside the graphic to select it then go effects / 3D effects / inner bevel and make settings as fig 10. Click OK, you should now have a basic gravestone shape (fig 11)

Right click on blank part of canvas to deselect graphic, click on text tool then click on image. Make your settings as fig 12

( NOTE: If your graphic is a light or medium colour, select a dark grey or black for text, if the graphic is a dark colour select a goldy or lighter colour text. You will be able to see it better to work with, and it will look more authentic when finished. If you don`t have this font select a similar one if possible, an engraved style font will look more realistic.) Next, type in your verse using capital letters for best effect, then click OK (fig 13) then move the text into position but don`t deselect (fig 14)

Go to effects/texture effects/emboss, right click to deselect text. ( fig 15)

You can add more verses, varying the font size if you like. why not add a "photo" like you see on some real gravestones, or even add a vase tube or a cross etc...(fig 16 & 17)

Click blank part of canvas with magic wand, go to selections / invert / edit / copy / edit / paste as new image ( fig 18)

Now your image is ready to save. It is better as a transparent gif ( this way it can be used on it`s own, or pasted on a picture background /photo.) Go to file / export transparent gif / gif optimiser, make settings as fig 19 then click OK.

Select a directory to save it in ( I use my documents then move it later) Give your graphic a name then click save. This is your gravestone memorial plaque. You could initially just make some blank ones and tube them to personalise later. Here is one I made using a black marble effect for my dad`s memorial page.

If you don`t have any marble/stone effects, here are a few you can take. Right click and save on your computer. To use, open in psp and minimise (click the minus sign at the top) They will then be temporarily available to use from your patterns pallette.

I hope you enjoyed this tutorial which was written for pspv7 but should adapt for other versions