RAK | Creation Cassel

New script – Custom Playing Cards

January 19, 2021February 21, 2014 by Cassel

You can be an Ace, or a King or a Queen all you want with this fun script. Although you could, conceivably have a separate template for all 52 cards of a deck, this script will just do the cards you want without the need to search for the correct template.

You can have four of a kind, or a full house, or a royal flush in hand.

Just pick the value and the suit for the card and the script will create it. Then, open the photo you want to display and the script will take care of resizing it, and will create a mask for you so you can actually SEE what it looks like as you can move, resize or rotate your image in that “space”. If the image is higher than the card, the script will resize it. If your image is in a landscape format, you will get the option to either keep the full height of the image or to use two halves of the central space.

You can get this fun script and create your own Custom Playing Cards in the store.

For a chance to win this script, check outthis thread in the DST forum and add your name to the thread. Also, remember to give me an idea on how you could use this script for something OTHER than a game theme project.

For this week, i decided to give you a template for 4 aces. I am sure you can enjoy havnig 4 aces up your sleeve, right?

Each card is full size, meaning 900 x 1300 pixels and has a separate layer for the center image. Since it is saved in a PSD format, you don’t have to have Paintshop Pro to use it.

What will you display with those cards? Four loves of your life? Four places you have visited? Four children or siblings? Maybe four seasons of the same location? Or four funny faces you have of yourself (or someone else)?

You can use one card or all four too.

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

New script – Custom Directional Tube

January 19, 2021February 14, 2014 by Cassel

Do you know about directional tubes in Paintshop Pro? They are such convenient tools that can work for you in creating unique elements. Unlike “ordinary” tubes, the directional ones will allow you to place a simple tube either following the cursor move, like a line of footsteps, arrows, etc., or in a regular sequence where each individual image would be selected and placed one after the other in the same exact order, to make a repeatable pattern or picked randomly among the numerous images created.

Although it is easy to create your own directional tube, it can be time consuming, especially when you create over 100 images.

This script will do all the tedious work for you, while allowing you much flexibility in the creation of your tube. You can have a series of as few as 9 individual images or as many as 400.

Start with any small image (it would take a lot of resources if you are using a large image to start with, especially if you want a lot of rotated images), answer a few prompts and watch it. You can add an overall bevel or shadow to all the images after they are rotated so it would be all consistent when applied.

You can get this time saving script in my store: Custom Directional Tube.

Do you want to create your own tubes too? Check out the Happy Place thread where you can add your name for a chance to win this script.

As a sampler, i created some simple journaling cards. I simply used the little footsteps directional tube that i created for the preview above and drew a straight line with it. I could have made a curved line that would have shown the rotated steps, but i really felt it was taking too much space on the cards.

You can use those cards for baby milestones, but also for any new step you might be taking in your life, for documenting personal journeys, places you visited, and more.

Each card is 3x4 inch so they would fit in regular pocket page projects if you want.

They are also large enough for you to cut them into tags if you prefer.

You get 5 basic colors.

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

New tubes — Seed Beads 2

January 19, 2021February 7, 2014 by Cassel

This week, i am bringing you some more beads, but this time, they are opaque, and in a softer palette.

You get those bead spills at your fingertip as you can just draw with your mouse and the beads will be spilled along that path. No need to click dozens or hundreds of times to have that many beads on your project.

You get 5 colors: ivory, rose, plum, emerald and aqua. And you get two sets for each: one to spray the beads all around and one to have regular strings of beads. And you also get one set of multicolored bead spray.

Do you want more colors? Keep an eye on the store as more are coming.

You can grab this set of Opaque Seed Beads picture tubes in my store. Sorry PS users, but this is unique to PSP!

As a free sample, this week, i decided to use these tubes in a different way than last week.

I opted to create a locket. How did i do it? Simple:

- i created a vector heart shape and used a gold tile as an outline and no fill. That outline was then converted to a raster and added a bevel.

- with a copy of the same vector shape, i set it for a solid fill and no outline. Once i converted it to a raster, i ran the Colored Acrylic script to give that particular “glass” look (even if i used only the plain one without any color).

- on separate layers, i sprayed pink and read seed beads. I reduced the step value so the beads would be closers, and i used several layers of beads so i could add a drop shadow on each layer.

- i deleted any extra bead that ended up outside the locket.

- finally, i added a chain with the Gold Chains directional tube.

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

New Picture Tubes – Seed Beads 1

January 19, 2021January 31, 2014 by Cassel

Seed beads are a common supplies in many craft projects. Scrapbooking is one of those crafts where you can see those beads, but you can now do the same thing with digital scrapbooking: you can add strings of seed beads or a random spray of those tiny decorative elements.

With Paintshop Pro, you can place those picture tubes easily with the draw of a mouse. Use the directional tubes to create strings of beads in any of the 5 colors, any length you want, in any shape you want. You can place them in straight lines, curved lines or totally freehand shapes.

You also have 6 sets of tubes that will randomly place one of the 100 slightly different beads more or less along the path you will draw with the cursor. Five sets are monochrome (green, red, blue, gold and crystal) and one set includes all the colors for a truly random effect.

You can get this set of 11 picture tubes of silver lined seed beads in my store: Creation Cassel.

Do you want all those tubes too? You can enter the draw to get this set for free, by adding your name to the RAK thread here. What would you do with those randomly placed beads?

For a free sample, i created a couple of simple decorations. I placed the beads along a vector path using the VectorTube script for the flowers, and added a single “bead” in the center which was part of the Chain Beads tubes set. A little touch of colorization to match them a bit better. Then, the stems were just freehand drawn using also the string version of the green seed beads.

Finally, a little bit of multicolored beads were spilled around each element.

You get two decorative flower stems and 3 individual flowers that you can use separately.

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

Did you notice that it says Seed Beads 1 for this product? This means i have plans for several more types of beads tubes. Do you have any suggestion for other beads you would like to see in a picture tube format like this one? Tell me by either commenting below or by sending me an email with a specific bead name or even an image.

News in the Campus

Tomorrow is a big day for many American and Canadian football fans (and their families). Tomorrow is also the day for our next live presentation, on Photo-Graphics with PSP – Part 3.

Join us for this presentation BEFORE the Superbowl (if you are a fan of football) or just for this ordinary Groundhog day.

In the mean time, remember that the video of last month’s presentation is still available to watch (free if you are logged in).

New script – Plaid 2

January 19, 2021January 24, 2014 by Cassel

No more wasting time picking colors, drawing lines, and repeating the process to only get a single plaid pattern.

This script will turn your Paintshop Pro into a plaid pattern generator (and a time saver at the same time). Start with the color palette you want to use, run the script, pick the colors, pick some options like the size of the pattern and the texture, and let the script do the work.

You can see the script randomly picking the colors (it is fun to watch), and then turning all those dots into a fun and unique plaid. With the randomness coded in the script, you will NEVER get the same pattern twice.

You can generate any number of patterns. Keep asking for more as long as you want. Keep the ones you like, discard the others. Since all the tiles would use the same basic color palette, you are sure they will all match together, and with other elements and papers from your kit, or your page.

Grab this time saving script in my store under the name of Plaid 2.

Of you prefer to create a plaid based on an actual picture, so you can match those colors, you can always use the Plaid 1 script.

Do you want this script for free? Head over to the Happy Place, in this thread and add your name to it. How long do you think it would take you to create 10 different plaid patterns using the same color palette?

This week, as a sampler of what can be done with this script, i decided to give you a little teaser too. The February 2014 DST Blog Train will use a palette that includes red, brown, beige and blue. Although i am not participating in the Blog Train, i decided to create 10 tiles that are based on the color palette. Once you get all the pieces from the blog train, you can combine them with these tiles and create something even more fun.

Each tile is 250 x 250 pixels and they are obviously seamless. Use them straight or at a 45 degree angle for even more fun effects.

Some are darker, some are lighter, so have more red, some have less. But you cannot deny that they all match together so imagine how they will look with the papers and elements from the blog train!

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

What do you want in 2014?

The script created this week was suggested by Carolyn who liked the original plaid script but wanted to use her own colors, and more colors than the Stripes 2 would also allow. She suggested this script in the January contest.

What is YOUR suggestion?

You only have a few days left to add your suggestions of scripts, fonts, or tubes for me to create and put in the store. Remember that if you suggest something, and i end up working on it, not only you get to test it, give your input, and ask for various options to be integrated, but you also get it FREE, and before everyone else too!

ADD your suggestion TODAY

It could be an action you saw for Photoshop and you would like the same thing in PSP

It could be an existing script that you would like to have more options, or different effets.

It could be a photo effect you saw in a layout in a gallery and would like to replicate it.

It could be a way to apply some designs to certain surface.

It could be a way to create objects but with your own settings and colors.

It could be a script to create objects but with some randomness to them.

It could be a font that you only dreamed of and does not exist yet.

It could be a tube to draw various types of elements that are nearly impossible by hand.

Com’on, what do you want to see in the store, in 2014?

ADD your suggestion TODAY

Do like Carolyn did!

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.

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.

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!

New Script – Word Frame 3

January 19, 2021December 20, 2013 by Cassel

Journaling cards are very popular lately and scrappers are often looking for some original ways to display theirs. Also, sometimes, a single word would be a fantastic caption for a photo, so why not put that caption as part of the frame?

This script will let you create a frame of various thickness around any image (even a blank one) with the text of your choice, the font of your choice and the color of your choice. You also decide on which side of the frame the word will appear, if you want it aligned left, right or center. If the text is too long, the script will even resize it to fit the available space. You can also have the text butt up to the frame or inside a cut section.

In the end, you will have two separate layers, one for the word and one for the frame, so you can add various textures, change colors, or add effects to one or the other (or both).

You can get this script in the store HERE.

Would you like to get this script for free? This is easy. Simply post your name in this thread, and tell me what would be the word(s) you would use in using this script to create a frame.

This script is the third one of the series. The Word Frame 1 script would give a discrete line frame inside the image with a multitude of options. The Word Frame 2 script would give a frame where the word would be part of a thicker area. They are both create tools to add a caption to a photo or create a journaling card.

As a free sample, i created a set of SPECIAL frames that will match a 4x6 inch journaling card. Of course, you can resize them for 2x3 cards too.

They are in png format, so they can be used by most programs.

Each frame is in greyscale, so you can either colorize them, or flood fill them using the Locked Transparency option (you know about that option, right?).

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

So, who will be the special person, or what will be the special event you will focus on, with these frames?

New script – Whitener

January 19, 2021December 13, 2013 by Cassel

White elements are always useful but not always readily available. You surely have a ton of buttons, ribbons, bows, frames, flowers, and probably in just about all the colors you can imagine, but when you want a white one, you are stumped. You probably like that blue ribbon or the red rose, or the purple button but you wanted them white.

With this script, you can turn just about any element (or even papers) to “shades of whites”. Depending on the starting color, you can even add a manual brightening in the end of the script.

But there is more. This script will play with the brightness of the element with a little randomness to it, meaning that several runs of the script will yield a slightly different white, so all your elements won’t look like you painted them all with the same can of paint!

But that is still not all. You also have the option to keep ONE color intact. In the preview, i kept the green from the buckle and whitened the ribbon. You can also do the same to keep the greenery and whiten the flower. How would you do that?

But again, if you think that is all, you are wrong. The script is coded in a way to allow you to run it in batch mode. This means that you can whiten a whole alpha, or a whole folder full of buttons (hundreds if you want) and the script will save a “white” copy in the same folder while keeping the original intact. You can do that in just a few seconds!

You can grab this great tool here: Whitener script at Creation Cassel.

Do you want a chance to win this script? You can head over to the Happy Place, in this thread and add your name, while telling me how you would, otherwise, turn a red flower to a white one (without removing the greenery).

For the sampler, today, i decided to turn an existing set of digits (the Chipboard digits) and turn them to white. It was simple as i ran the script in batch mode in the digits folder. The script simply saved the individual files with “_White” added to the original filename so there is no risk to overwrite the original files. And since they are saved in the same folder, they are easy to retrieve.

Those would be perfect to add the date of a fun winter event, or a wedding. And of course, you can add various details to them, like little bows, glitters, or hand doodling.

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

If you want the original Chipboard digits, you can grab them here.

New script – Puzzle 5×5

January 19, 2021December 6, 2013 by Cassel

Kids and adults love puzzles. There are different stores that can turn a photo into a real 3D puzzle, which can be a fun present for the holiday, don’t you think?

But not everyone needs or wants a real tangible puzzle, however, it is a fun way to display a photo either as a desktop, a scrapbook layout, etc. You can get puzzle overlays that will give the impression of a finished puzzle, but in order to have “loose” pieces, you would still have to cut them out individually. This can be tedious and not very accurate.

This script for Paintshop Pro, will really turn your photo into a puzzle. Each piece will be on a separate layer so you have all the flexibility needed to move, remove, or rotate any piece you want. This way to display a photo adds a touch of dynamism, don’t you think?

The script will create a 25 pieces puzzle (5x5). It is meant to work on a square photo, but it will work equally well on a rectangular photo, except for the fact that the pieces will be slightly elongated. And it will work on ANY size photo too (although the very small ones might yield some jaggied edges).

You can grab this original Puzzle script in my store: Creation Cassel.

If you want other size, check out the other puzzle scripts:

If you want a chance to win this script, check outthis thread in the Happy Place and add your name to it. Let me know if you ever converted a photo into a puzzle before, and if so, how.

This week, instead of giving you a sample of the puzzle script, i decided to give you a challenge!

I am including a set of matching Card and Envelope, in PSD format that you can use to create a variety of holiday cards. The basic template was made using the Card&Envelope script, and then, i just added various elements to decorate the base. Since everything is on a separate layer, you can really be creative. Use any paper you have. Use elements you have. Move things around. Rearrange elements.

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

I would LOVE to see cards you will make with this template. Did you watch the Stretch-a-Sketch video? It is available in the Campus, here, for free until it is replaced by the Part 2 (which might mean only a couple of days?). So you better hurry.

News from the Campus

Are you still looking for last minute ideas for Holiday projects? Check out this article in the Campus.

Whether you want to create a calendar, embellish a card, make a frame, add sparkles to a project or decorate your room with a fun and unique Subway Art, you have many options at your fingertip.

Check it out HERE.