Redish Stars Header

* This layout tutorial was written in 2009
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In this tutorial I will be teaching you how to make version three of Skylish. I really wanted to step out of the box with this layout as I felt my other layouts had been too simple, so this tutorial will be more complicated than my other layouts. As I made my header go to the side, the header will of course only be small.

To begin, create a new header sized 262 x 221, and fill the background with the this pattern (from ego-box.com). To do this, take the () fill tool, click on the top colour on the pallet box and a box should pop up; click pattern, and choose the pattern from ego-box. Make sure it's already pasted as a separate image on your paint shop pro.

Now, create a new image sized 69 x 221, make sure the background is transparent. Using this () tool, change your settings to match mine:
Feather: 0
Selection type: Point to point
Mode: Replace
Smoothing: 4
Trace a shape like I have traced to the right, the dots should appear around it. Be very careful with how you trace it, you don't want it to look bumpy.

Using the brush tool at an opacity of 100%, colour in that space with the colour #E79804. Press CTRL+D to lock it into place.

Copy this curl (CTRL+C) and paste it back onto your original header as a new layer. You can arange it how you want, here is how I am arranging mine. First I am going to mirror the image (Image > Mirror), then I will use this () tool to move it around. The image on the right shows how mine ended up.

Now take this pattern (originally from ego-box but colour edited) and paste it as a new image. Opening up the image that still has the curl, copy the curl (CTRL+C), and paste it WITHOUT locking it onto the image of your header. You'll use the brush tool, making sure it's selected on the pattern [scroll up if you don't remember how to get patterns up], and you will colour in the curl so that it is now full of the pattern. Then you will copy that curl (CTRL+C), press undo until the curl dissapears, and re paste the curl a new layer.

So now I will re organize this. Firstly, I will rotate it 90 degrees so that it is on its back. I will use this () tool to move it to the left, then I will duplicate that layer twice, and re size each curl so that we can place each next to each other. All of this can be done using this () tool.

Now to add some finishing touches. I'm going to use two scratchy kind of brushes from swimChick.net, and use the paint brush tool on the BOTTOM LAYER to add them behind your image. I'm also going to splash a white splatter brush also from swim chick over the top. Then, I'm going to highlight the top layer, copy it and paste it as an entirely new image - then I'll go to effects > distortion effects > twirl; twirl it by -720 degrees, then copy this twirl and paste it back onto your header as a new layer, put it wherever you like, I also rotated mine a bit. If you're confused to what the hell I'm doing, just check the image on the left.

Next, highlight the second layer from the top, and if your layers are in the right order you can go to layers > merge > merge down, and do this twice allowing your red curls to all be joined as one layer. Duplicate this layer then go to adjust > brightness and contrast > brightness/contast - brighten it at 255. Move that up slightly using this () tool and set that layer to Soft Light at 100%. It should leave a lightened spot at the top.

Now for the stars! Create a new raster layer, highlight the selection tool, select star 1 from the 'selection type' and draw it out, colour it in with the brush tool using #E79804 and #FF7505 on each pallet, to make it a gradient as I am doing on the first pallet click the first dot and change it to the gradient. Colour in your star, then click on this () tool, on the 'mode' setting, select 'shear' and stretch the two bottom points of the star. Go to effects > 3D effects > drop shadow, match your settings to mine:
Vertical: 2
Horizontal: 4
Opacity: 100
Blur: 0
Color: Black
Click OK and set that star to hardlight at 70%. Duplicate this layer, and edit your stars. Pop them anywhere, resize, rotate - whatever, have fun with it.

Almost done! Create a new layer, select the brush tool at a slightly big size but hardness of 0 and click two brushes on the left size. I've used the colours red and yellow. Set that layer to screen at 80%. Now merge all of your layers (layers > merge > merge all).

Now all that's left to do it the title. The text I used for mine is 'round' from Dafont. To get the effect I did, I ofcourse rotated the text on it's side and duplicated the layer that contained the text so that there were two text layers. I moved the bottom layer for the text slightly down and set it to softlight at 100%. I duplicated the soft light layer and SLIGHTLY totated the top layer with the black text.