This tutorial is written for those who have a basic understanding of IMAGE MAGICK (IM). 
STEP ONE
Before you begin, find yourself a transparent graphic that you want to use and keep it close by. For convenience, at this point, I also determine what colors I want to use for the background and the border. For this birdhouse card I selected #3E7AAE for the dark color, and #84C7D0 for the light color.
STEP TWO
Take this blank to IM. It is 260x160 and ready to be used for making cards using this tutorial.
STEP THREE
Now change the color of the graphic using one of the colors picked out above. In this case the color is #3E7AAE. Then go to 'decorate' and add a 'raised' 5x5 border around the blank.
STEP FOUR
Go back to 'decorate' and this time add a 20x20 border with the second color that you've chosen to use. In this case the color is #84C7D0.
STEP FIVE
Now take your transparent graphic and 'composite' it onto the card, using the Southeast or Southwest coordinance, whichever you prefer. Leave alittle room around the edges by adjusting your settings.
STEP SIX
In this example above, you can see that the image composited is too large. So that needs to be corrected before we can continue.
STEP SEVEN
To correct this problem I take the card and again resize it based on the size of the graphic I'm trying to add. Likewise, if the graphic is too small you can decrease the size of the card to suit your purpose. There's no formula for this, I just take my best guess and go for it. (I'm sure you can find an easier way to do this.)
STEP EIGHT
After increasing the size, I 'composite' the graphic again.
STEP NINE
To finish off the card I resize it to 310x210. Add a 'raised' 5x5 border AND a 10x10+3+3 frame.
THAT'S ALL THERE IS TO IT! NOW HAVE SOME FUN! :-)
Written by Marvaline May 2003 |