Contest | Creation Cassel

Suggestion box

November 7, 2015November 7, 2015 by Cassel

Did you ever envy Photoshop users because they have actions that do not have anything similar for Paintshop?

Did you ever see something in a kit or element pack and wish you could do something similar with a script?

Do you find yourself creating some elements manually and wish you could have a script to help you do them faster and more efficiently?

Well, this is the perfect time to make your suggestions. As part of the Digital Scrapbook Day events, you can actually win $$ for suggesting your ideas. Post a description of your "dream tool" in the comments below and i will draw a winner among all the suggestions received until Saturday November 14th (the draw will take place on Sunday morning).

The winner of the draw will get a $25 coupon for my store, but that is not all. If i manage to create a script following your suggestion, you will be allowed to get most beta versions, test it, give feedback for added options, and you will also get the final script FREE. So what are you waiting for? If you want to link to a picture, or preview of something you would like to do, it would be great!

One entry per person, but you can list as many ideas as you want! The more ideas you suggest, the more chances you have that i will make one of yours!

Put on your thinking cap and send me your ideas.

Digital Scrapbook Day 2015

November 7, 2015November 7, 2015 by Cassel

DSD is on the first Saturday of November, and it has been the case since 2007. For the occasion, I got several activities going on, for you. Let's have a look at them.

1- Storewide sale

Everything in the store will be discounted by 25%, for Saturday and Sunday. Did you ever fill a wishlist in the store? Now it is time to stock up and get those products you want to get to complete your projects faster or create new kits for your store.

Start shopping!

2- FREE tutorials

In the Campus, there is a dedicated page where you will see 12 unique tutorials rotate, one by one, each hour. For 48 hours, you will have the possibility to view video tutorials that are normally reserved for enrolled students. The list of the 12 tutorials is this:

Brick wall texture

License plate
Ghost text
Paper clip (2) (not the ordinary ones)
Reflection
Wired Ribbon
Gold Element
Coffee stain
Folded Edge
Accordion
Separator tab
Flair button

Which ones will you catch? Come back often.

Check out the tutorials

3- Show off contest (with prizes to win)

In order to promote digital scrapbooking using Paintshop Pro, there is a show off contest in the Campus. There are prizes to win too:

One copy of Paintshop Pro X8 Ultimate (value: $99.99)
Two Master Classes of your choice (value: $39.98)
The new 12 Cards for Christmas (value: $9.99)

And what do you have to do? Simple: show off a scrapbook project you made using Paintshop Pro. But, there is a little twist to this: you have to use ANY ONE OF THE FOLLOWING:

a technique you learned in the Campus
a free element you picked from this blog (there are lots of those)
or a product you purchased from the store (or one of mine in the Discovery Center)

Once you have something to show off, you can post it in the Campus forum, while browsing through the other members' submissions. The winner will be picked AT RANDOM, NEXT WEEK, on November 14th (next Saturday). This will give you a chance to pick some freebies from this blog, or view new tutorials in the Campus, or grab a new product in the store, and complete up to THREE projects to enter.

Check the Campus forum

4- 101 super easy tricks to work faster with Paintshop Pro

On Amazon.com, there is a countdown deal for this Kindle ebook that offers 101 tips. Since it is a countdown deal, it is now $0.99 but tomorrow, it will be up to $1.99 and then, Monday night, it will be back to its regular price of $2.99. Don't delay.

You don't have a Kindle? No problem. You can download the free app to view any Kindle book on your computer (how cool is that?). Although the deal is only available on amazon.com (in the U.S.), since it is a digital download, you are still able to get it: there is no added shipping fees!

That is 101 tips that where shared through years of newsletter, but they are all in one handy document, just for your convenience.

Grab your copy of this book

I would greatly appreciate a review of this book, when you have a chance. I am sure you will learn SOMEthing from it.

So what will you be doing this weekend??

New script – Knot #12

January 19, 2021October 23, 2015 by Cassel

How you would use knots if you had a traditional ribbon can vary from day to day. You would have options to tie that ribbon in multiple manners, attach different objects, wrap that ribbon around all kinds of things. This is why, in digital scrapbooking, there are so many different knots available.

This script for Paintshop Pro will allow you to "tie" a ribbon into a simple knot, but unlike other scripts where you can only choose the color or pattern and everything looks like it is "flood filled" with that pattern, this script will use your own straight ribbon. This is perfect to have a match if you are using the other ribbon in the project, whether it is left straight, or tied into a different knot or bow created with another script.

Grab this script in the store: Knot #12.

For a chance to win this script, tell me how you would customize a knot for your project otherwise. Do you colorize greyscale ribbons? Do you manually create a knot with your ribbon? Do you use a script that asks you for the color to use? Leave a comment below and i'll announce the winner in the newsletter, next week. Not a subscriber yet? Not a problem. You can register here and it is free (and you only get one email per week).

This week, i created three straight ribbons (from greyscale ones) and ran the script to end up with three simple knots. Each one is left in unmerged layers so you can put them around any object or insert something in the middle of the knot.

I had fun with colorizing those ribbons with a gradient instead of a solid color. I think that gives a different kind of look to the knot that makes it more interesting (at least, that is what i think).

I also included the straight ribbons so you can use them with other scripts, or as is on your project to match. Or you can insert the straight ribbon directly in the knot too. Why not?

Remember to show off what you used this knot for. What project did you create using it?

You need to be logged in to download this sample. You can either login, or register on the top of this page.

Corel Paintshop Pro Challenge

Check out this week's #CorelChallenge. It is about using text on your project. Well, if you are a scrapbooker, you surely have text on your projects! It could be a fun journaling display, or an unusual title. Or how about a nice Subway art design? We can do so much with Paintshop Pro. Show off what you can do (or just what you have done already).

Post your project on their thread or tag it with #CorelChallenge

Did you see the one i posted on their thread?

News in the Campus

As part of the Corel Challenge, i created a text inside a silhouette. I thought it was a great way to use the new text wrapping tool from PSP X8.

I also made a short tutorial on how to create this result. Read it HERE.

New Script – Worn & Glow

January 19, 2021January 17, 2014 by Cassel

Everyone likes a little distressed look on some project once in a while. The proof is that there are lots of filters one can purchase to create that look. With this script in Paintshop Pro, you can create a distressed look on any line drawing with just a few clicks. You get to choose if you want a little bit of distress, or a lot or something in-between. In addition, since there is a random feature integrated inside the code, you will get a slightly different distressed pattern for every run.

Many years ago, i bought a kind of a gel pen (probably among the first kinds) and the ink seemed to include some “oil” that would seep out of the ink giving a colored glow around where i would draw. Kind of a neat effect that i added to this script, as an option.

So you can get the distressed look with or without a colored glow around and if you want the glow, you also pick the color.

Although the script works best with line drawing, you can definitely apply it to a photo or another element like a drawn embellishment.

Don’t waste your time trying to use the eraser tool all over your design, grab this time saving Worn & Glow script.

Do you want a chance to win this script? I am sure you do! Simply answer the simple question in the Happy Place thread HERE and one winner will be picked next week.

cass-Worn&Glow-sample-Days What would you want to get this week, as a sampler? I thought you might be tired of alphas (although that was my first idea when i was thinking of a sample), so i created some labels. Whether you are doing a project 365 or not, sometimes, you might want to add the days of the week to your layout. That is why i created those day tags. I just used the distressed part of the script and didn’t add any glow. I am also including a blank tag so you can add a date or something else (even unrelated to the days of the week).

Each tag is about 750 pixels wide so they are large enough to be used in full size layout, but they are also easy to size down if you want them more discrete on your project.

You can use them on chore charts, calendar, to-do lists, etc.

You need to be logged in to download this sample. You can either login, or register on the top of this page.

Did you grab the set of digits as a free sampler last week? You can still go get it in the post right below this one. And there is the matching LOWERCASE alpha that was available in the newsletter last week. Did you get it? This week, the matching UPPERCASE alpha will be linked, FREE, in the newsletter.

Subscribe to the store newsletter HERE to get it (and you can always go back one issue to grab the matching lowercase alpha too… shhh).

How about a coupon for the store? Are you interested? Give me your suggestions for future products in the store (scripts, fonts, tubes, etc.) in THIS BLOGPOST. I got several emails with suggestions, but if you post them in the comments of that blog post, those suggestions will count as entries for the random draw. That means, the more suggestions you give, the more entries you get. Who doesn’t like a coupon for a free product?

And while you are there, click on the FB Like button so you can share with your friends. They might have good ideas too. And remember, if they add suggestions, it means there will be more coupons drawn, which will increase your chance to win too!

New Script – Alpha Tags 2

January 19, 2021January 10, 2014 by Cassel

Everyone loves interesting alphas or digit sets. Every designer seems to like to add them with their kits but creating unique ones that offer some variations is really time consuming. As a scrapper, you might find a nice kit that does not include an alpha or you need special characters that are not in the set.

This script will speed up the process, both for the designers who want to add an alpha set, or the scrapper who wants to create a unique title.

You can type anything you want and the script will generate one tag per character in your text. You get to choose one of four shapes, the text, the font, the colors (even the texture) and whether you will have those additional colors or not. And you can also include blank tags that you can use for other purposes like a whole date, a name, etc.

You can grab this time saving script in my store: Alpha-Tags 2 script.

And for a chance to win this script for free, check out this thread in the Happy Place. Add your name and answer the question about how you could use the resulting tags and i will be back next week with the name of a winner.

cass-AlphaTags2-Digits

As a sample of what can be done with this script, i created a series of digit tags, in simple square shape, with basic textured colors (i changed the angle of the texture in the Material Palette for each color for more interesting look) and used the Britannic Bold font.

Each tag is 250 pixels wide in PNG format, and you can easily size it down if it is too big for your need.

If you like this set of digits, the whole matching alpha will be included in the newsletter, so it is always time to subscribe to it.

You need to be logged in to download this sample. You can either login, or register on the top of this page.

Do you like this set? Are you going to use it? Show me. Link in the comment below.

What do you want in 2014?

I cannot promise you a sports car, or a dream vacation, but if you give me some suggestions of products you would like to see in the store, i can certainly look into it.

Remember that the more suggestions you offer, the more chances you have to win a $6 coupon. And if you have MANY suggestions, you can even win more than once. And the more suggestions there are, the more coupons i will give out. So tell your friends, post in your favorite forum, send emails to your customers. Send everyone to post their suggestions in the comments of THIS POST.

You still have until January 31st to add as many suggestions as you want!

What do you wish for in 2014?

January 2, 2014 by Cassel

Happy New Year

to all my regular customers,

occasional customers

and just the visitors in general.

I have been very happy to offer you various products and services in 2013 and i would like this new year to be just as good if not better.

In order to serve you better, i want to know what type of products you would like to see added to the store in 2014.

Can you think of a task you would like to see accomplished by a script?
Can you think of a specific element you would like to see created by a script to be done faster or more accurately?
Can you think of an effect you have seen in a layout that you would love to be able to do too?
Can you think of a specific type of font you would like to see available?
Can you think of a tube that you have been looking for and wish it were in the store?
Can you think of an existing tool for another program that you would like to see in PSP?

Although i can never promise to make your wish come true, i can always try. I have surprised myself in the past too. And if YOU suggest it, then i know YOU want it. There is no point in working hard to create a product that nobody wants, right?

So now is the time for you to post your ideas and suggestions. I will also give you a chance to win coupons for the store. How many? I don’t know. For every 10 suggestions posted in the comments below, i will give one $6 coupon (which is enough for one product, in general). You can suggest as many ideas as you want BUT, you have to make those suggestions DIFFERENT from others, and you have to NUMBER them in your comments like 1- suggestion 1, 2- suggestion 2, and so on. This will just make it easier for me to count how many suggestions you offer. Each suggestion will count as ONE entry to the random draw. Remember to read other suggestions so you don’t duplicate them.

Try to be specific also, because a “bow” can mean many types of scripts! You can have a tiny flat velvet bow, or a long silky bow. If you have a particular idea, and you can have an image to illustrate it, that is even better (i am a very visual person after all).

Go browse the store for ideas. Browse galleries. Browse your current supplies. Look at your traditional paper supplies too. Ideas can come from anywhere, at any time.

I will tally all the suggestions by January 31st and will draw on Saturday, Feb 1st.

Go ahead, tell me what YOU want to see appear in the store in 2014!

Father’s Day Card Contest–Winners announced

June 27, 2013 by Cassel

Thank you all for participating in either submitting a card for the contest or voting to determine the winner.

Congratulations to Mary who created the winning card which was this one.

This card got 58% of the public vote, so it was obvious that everyone loved it. Mary earned herself a coupon worth $15

Then, thanks to Corel, we also had a random draw of a copy of Paintshop Pro X5, and the winner was Sgt Ynot. He was really happy to win as he was considering purchasing that version of PSP since he was working with version X4.

Keep in touch and keep an eye on this blog (or the newsletter) so you know when the next contest comes up.

See you around and again, congratulations to the winners!

Father’s Day Card Contest – You vote!

June 17, 2013 by Cassel

Although there were not many entries in the contest (i am sure everyone was busy celebrating with their Dad), those that were sent are beautiful!!!

Now it is time for you, the public, to vote.

The system only allows you to vote ONCE (it makes it more fair, don’t you think?)

Check out all the entries, and scroll down to the poll.

The winners will be announced Sunday, June 23rd.

Click on the thumbnails to see a larger version.

A big thanks to all those who sent their entries.

It is now, time to vote. You have a say in who will win the $15 coupon to the store.

At the end of the poll, a random draw will be done to determine who will win the copy of PSP X5.

[poll id="3"]

Although you do not have to disclose your vote (you can if you want), if you want to add specific comments or praises about some cards, simply type in the comment box below and indicate who it is for; I will point the creator to this post.

Father’s Day Card Contest

June 1, 2013 by Cassel

Father’s Day Contest

Whether you have purchased the Card & Envelope script, or not, you can enter this contest. You just have to create a fun Father’s Day card with matching envelope. It’s that easy.

If you have the script on hand, you can obviously create a card with a different size or shape. If not, use the template HERE. It is available for free and is layered so you can use it even if you are using PS or PSE.

Each PERSON entering the contest will get a $3 coupon to the store. You can enter as many times as you want (but you still get only one coupon).

Enter by emailing me a preview of the card and envelope at cassel AT creationcassel DOT com.

Entries will be accepted until June 9th. After that, the entries will be posted for a public voting, and the winning card will bring an additional $15 coupon to its creator.

Be creative. Add unique designs, borders, layers, texture. Have designs on the flap of the envelope, add some cutout to the card, etc. Get your entries in. The more cards you have in the contest, the better your chances are. And tell your friends to enter too!

Share this with everyone you can!