Making Backgrounds using Brushes in PSP

Author: spiritwolf

Tools Needed

• Paint Shop Pro or
• Photoshop

This tutorial shows you how to make nice backgrounds using Paint Shop Pro using brushes. The basic concepts of using an alpha channel to separate an image from the blank background, using multiple layers, and varying opacities and layer effects to add interest to the final image apply in Photoshop as well though the steps are a little different.

Save your Poser or D|S render as a .PSD or .tif file then open it up in PSP. Use the Alpha Channel to remove the background.

Add a new layer, name it background and flood fill it with a color that complements your render. I usually use a light color but you can choose a dark color if you would like.

Move the flood filled layer to the bottom -Menu: Layers/Arrange/Send to Bottom.

Add a new layer above this one name it Brushes 1. Make sure the new layer is selected.

Select your Paint Brush. Choice a brush that you would like to use on your background. This can be hearts, stars - anything you would like that complements your image. (The brushes will vary depending on what you have loaded in Paint Shop Pro.) For my first brush I have chosen one that is an star shape. You also want to either darken the color that you used for your background or choose another color. Stamp this on your background where you would like it to appear. Don't forget you can also adjust your layer's opacity to make the colors lighter or to blend in more.

From here I just add various layers with different shaped brushes until I get something I like. Adjust the Opacity on different layers and brushes and experiment with different colors and effects. Don't forget, you can also use different Blend Modes for various effects. I ended with a total of 7 layers.

I add a drop shadow to my render to make it stand out more.

Last but not least I added a small border around the whole image to finish it up.