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 If you'd
like to make collages, but you're not good with masks,
you're going to b/imagese crazy about the new PI 5.0
Fadeout feature. To perform a gradual transparency,
just choose Edit, Fadeout. Select a two color or multiple
color gradient mask and you're on your way!
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Full Size
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In this tutorial I'm going to
show you how to make a fadeout flower collage. We'll
blend 3 flower images into a textured background using
Fadeout. Then we'll edit each flower's Merge method,
transparency and soft edge in the Properties box.
For the
collage background, I wanted a dense texture that would
go well with the green, blue and pink of the flower
image. One of my favorite sources for textures is the
bonus CD that came with PI 4.2. Put it in your computer
and navigate with File, Visual Open to the Textures
folder, Abstract 2, and open up 120111.jpg.
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| The background texture is a huge
file, 816 X 1056 pixels. To make it the right size for
the collage, right click and select All. Right click and
convert to object. Select the Transform tool. In the Attributes
toolbar, choose Freely Transform. Hold down on the Shift
key while dragging on a control point to resize the texture
to about half its original size. Copy the smaller texture
into the Clipboard.
Choose
File, New and create a new file 400 wide X 300 pixels
high. Click the Paste button or hit Ctrl+V to paste
the Clipboard contents into the new image. It will be
way too big, and you'll be able to move it around. Position
the texture so that it looks like the one shown below.
Close out the large textured
image, since we don't need it anymore. Now do File,
Visual Open and navigate to the PI 5.0 Samples folder
on your hard drive. Open up Lotus. Make a selection
around the image and Edit, Crop to get rid of the narrow
black "border" on the image. Choose Format, Dimensions,
and enter 50%. Make sure that "Keep aspect ratio" is
selected.
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Copy
the flower image into the Clipboard, then Paste
it into the textured image. Choose Web, Frame Designer,
Edge Frame Gallery. Select the frame shown at left
and click OK. Use the selection tool to position
the flower in the upper left corner of the image. |
Choose Edit,
Fadeout. In the Fadeout box, click in the Multiple
colors box. When the Palette Ramp Editor opens, select
Palette 7, and the fill type from left to right.
Click OK.
You
will see that the left and right edges of the flower
image fade. The dark colors in the gradient make that
part of the image transparent, while the white in
the gradient has little effect on its transparency.
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Paste
another copy of the flower image into the textured
background. Choose Web, Frame Designer, Edge Frame
Gallery. Select the frame shown at left and click
OK. Use the selection tool to position the flower
in the middle of the image. |
Choose
Edit, Fadeout. In the Fadeout box, click in the Multiple
colors box. When the Palette Ramp Editor opens, select
Palette 8. Choose the radial fill type and click OK.
You
will see that the flower looks like a circular ripple
on the surface of water. Again, the light and dark parts
of the gradient affect transparency.
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Paste
a third copy of the flower image into the textured
background. Choose Web, Frame Designer, Edge Frame
Gallery. Select the frame shown at left and click
OK. Use the selection tool to position the flower
in the lower right corner of the image. |
Choose Edit, Fadeout.
In the Fadeout box, click in the Multiple colors box.
When the Palette Ramp Editor opens, select Palette 6.
Choose the left to right fill type and click OK.
Similar
to the effect for the first flower (this gradient is
only slightly different), you will see that the left
and right edges of the flower image fade.
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