
Supplies:
Tube AND Kit: scrapccd_sybileart-package-8
Font: chiangmai-hostel
Mask: Your choice! I am using 524,525, and 526 from package 11.
Please do not use any of the licensed supplies without purchasing them first.
First off, unzip all supplies.
Open the mask you would like to use. You don’t have to use the one I have chosen.
Select > All
Edit > Copy
Select > Edit in Quick Mask Mode
Edit > Paste
Select > Edit in Quick Mask Mode (uncheck)
Layer > Layer Mask > Reveal Selection
Layer > Layer Mask > Apply
Layer > Matting > Remove Black Matte
Right click the layer thumbnail in the layers panel
Select Pixels
Layer > Layer Mask > Reveal Selection
Layer > Layer Mask > Apply
Save this as a .psd on your desktop (or wherever you want)
Open a new canvas. I always use 800×800 pixels. Be sure your resolution is 72 Pixels/Inch. This keeps your tag at web viewing standards.
For this tag, I am going to be using a transparent background, because **gasp** it’s not animated!
You can drag and drop items straight from your file browser into the canvas. This makes it faster to place items.
Browse to the mask that you just saved in your computer’s file browser. Drag it onto your tag. Don’t forget to set the Transformation by double clicking the layer on the canvas, or clicking the checkbox at the top of the window. Or you can just hit enter.
I chose to thicken these masks to make them a little more solid.
Duplicate the layer and merge down. Repeat.
Now the mask is fuller.
Next, choose the paper you would like to use on your mask. Drag the paper onto the canvas above the mask, just like before.
Now you have two layers in your layers panel. (because I totally needed to tell you that)
In your layers panel, right click on the paper layer and choose Create Clipping Mask.

That’s it! How easy is that?
Now, time for the elements! This is where the real magic begins.
Instead of telling you exactly where to put what and what size to use, I am just going to show you a animated image of what I did. This way, you can create your own version of the tag without doing exactly what I have done. No need to copy exactly
When placing your elements, you can transform them again by going to Edit > Free Transform. Just be sure you hold the shift key to constrain the proportions.

As you can see, it is pretty random. I just place the items where I think they might work.
Now, back to the frame element layer. You have a frame, right? If not, you can skip this part. We need to add a fill layer to the picture frame.
Highlight the layer UNDER the frame in your layers panel. Now drop the paper you would like to use onto the canvas.
Grab your selection wand from the tools panel. If you can’t find it, check out the basics page for a better understanding of the tools layout.
The Selection Wand options should look like this at the top of your window:

Click on the center portion of the frame.
In the upper menu of Photoshop, click on Selection > Modify > Expand…
Expand your selection by 2px.
Now highlight your paper layer.
Go to Layer > Layer Mask > Reveal Selection.
Now you have a fill to your frame. Easy Peasy!
We definitely want to add some shadows to our elements. Without shadowing, the tag will just look flat. The secret to a good tag, is a good shadow effect.
Right click (or ctrl+click) a layer and choose “Blending Options.”
I add a drop shadow and an outer glow. The glow enhances the effect a bit.


Now after you have hit OK, right click the layer again and choose “Copy Layer Style.”
Highlight all of your element layers (click the top one, then shift + click the bottom one) and right click again. This time, choose “Paste Layer Style.”
It makes a HUGE difference to add shadows:


As you can see, there is a part of the shadows that hang off at the bottom. Let’s fix that!
Highlight all of your element layers. This includes the frame and the paper layer inside the frame.
Go to Layer > Group Layers.
This adds a group to your layers panel. However, you will need to expand it by clicking on the little arrow beside the group icon.
Now that the group is expanded, let’s continue. Right click the thumbnail of your bottom mask layer and choose “Select Pixels.”

Now right click the middle mask thumbnail and choose “Add Transparency Mask.”
Right click the third mask thumbnail and also choose “Add Transparency Mask.”
As you can see, the marching ants are all around your masks!
You can also use a keyboard shortcut.
Hold Shift and CTRL (cmd on mac) on your keyboard and simply click on the thumbnail of the bottom element layer. Repeat this for all element layers. DO NOT include the paper layer! This will select the entire canvas. We don’t want that.
After you have included all of your element layers in the selection, go back to the paper layer. Hold Shift and CTRL (cmd for mac) and click on the black and white mask thumbnail of your frame.
This will include the inner portion of the frame in your selection.
This is what you should have now:

Highlight the group in your layers panel.
Go to Layer > Layer Mask > Reveal Selection.
This will chop off all of the unnecessary shadows and leave your masks clean in the background.
Now that we have all of that done, time to add the next details. Tube and text. Fun!
Choose the layer you want your main tube to be placed above.
Now drag and drop your tube onto the canvas. Resize and adjust it to your liking. Always make sure you constrain your proportions while resizing. Hold the Shift key while you drag the corners.
Add the same drop shadow you did before.
Don’t forget your copyright text!
I want my name text to be partially hidden behind an element. So I choose the layer behind THAT element to add my text.
Grab your text tool and add the name you would like. Position it just where you want it and add a layer style. This is mine:





And here we have our completed tag! You can now save it as a PNG or a JPG file. I prefer using the Export feature, so I know it is at the proper resolution for web-display.

Here are the settings I used for both JPG and PNG:



In the meantime, here is a wallpaper!

Tags for my Forever List









