PI8-sigtag

PI Version: 8
Level: Intermediate
Featured tools: Transform Tool, Text Tool
Additional filters: None
Additional files: Tube ... you can choose any tube you want. I used a tube a got from a tube group. You will also need the border mask I used, and you can download it from here.
Tutorial: Copyright © Inge Klement

DESCRIPTION: Make a stylish Sig Tag with PI and a border mask.

Remember to save often!

Before we start with the sig tag, you have to open the mask from the zip file, and store it into your Easy Palette. In case you need to freshen up your memory on how to save a mask into the EP - you can take a look at one of my other tutorials, where I explain a little bit more about how to use a mask in PI. You'll find the tut here.
	New Image: Canvas color: Black and Size: 300x300 Pixels. Open your Easy Palette and find the mask you want to use. Double click the mask (1), choose the Transform Tool (red arrow), click the Selection button (white arrow) and resize the mask to fit the background (red ring).

	Your mask should now look like the one you can see on the screenshot. Keep the Transform Tool (red arrow) and the Selection button (white arrow) activated. Now click the button Flip Horizontally (white hand) on the Rotate & flip menu.

	Right click/Invert (red arrow) or use the command Selection/Invert. Keep the mask activated.

	Edit/Fill/Gradient (white arrow)/Magic Gradient (1). Choose the Mode 10 (white hand) and click the Edit button (red arrow). Find a nice magic gradient you want to use (or make your own!). Here I've chosen palette 006 (2). Click OK (3x) and deselect the mask. (Selection/None or Space bar.)

	Right click your Foreground Color (red arrow), choose Eyedropper and pick a color from the colored part of your mask (red ring).

	Open your tube, and resize it to fit your background. (The size depends on the tube and how you want your taggie to look like!) Effect/All/Duotone Effect. Enable sepia effect colors and range (red arrow), right click the first (black) color box, and choose Foreground Color (white arrow).

	Right click the second (white) color box and choose a light shade of your Foreground Color (red arrow). Click OK, and place the tube on your background as you wish. (Depending, as before on the tube and how you want the taggie to look like!) You might also want to reduce the Transparency of the tube ... I did it with this taggie, right click/Properties/General, and reduce the Transparency as you wish. (Here I used 30%, but it will depend on the tube and on the colour of your background!) Merge All.

	Go to Format/Expand Canvas/Expand sides equally : 3 Pixels , Expand color: White. Right click/All, right click/Border: Border width: 3 (red arrow), Direction: Inward (white arrow), Shape: Box and Soft edge: 0. Click OK and keep the border selected. Edit/Fill/Gradient/Magic Gradient, and use the same fill as you used for the mask. Deselect the border. (Selection/ None or Space bar.)

	Add a name as you wish. If you want to fill the name with the same magic gradient as you used for the mask and the border, you have to convert the text into an image. (Right click/Convert Object Type/From Text/Path to Image ... red arrow). After that, you can use the magic gradient you want to. Merge All, and your taggie is finished! :))

	Your Sig Tag could also look like this one ... you never know when you first started :))

	Or maybe the result could look like this taggie, which was made to me by Freya, a friend of mine. I really adore this taggie :))

That's it! A stylish Sig Tag ... made easily with PI and a border mask. HAVE FUN!!!
If you need any help with this tutorial - or want to make suggestions to improve it - please email me!