Create the glamorized dahlia used to decorate this page.

This tutorial is an introduction to what I call "shape-shifting," a technique for applying Material attributes to images.  Although written for PhotoImpact 8, it can probably be used with PI 6 on up.  It assumes you have some experience with the program.

Needments here
(dahlia object, reflection, and "remove-all" preset--unzip to a memorable location)


Preliminaries . . .

Although I could have supplied the dahlia object as ready-to-use, I've left it in UFO format to explain how to save it as a true-color transparent PNG suited to this effect.

1.  Set your background color to white, then open the "remove-all.ufo"

2.  Click on the Path Tool, then the Material icon on the Path attribute bar 

3.  In the Material dialog, click Add..., then All, and save the preset the leaf path is wearing to your EP Gallery; close the leaf UFO

4.  Open the dahlia UFO, duplicate (Ctrl+D), then close the original

5.  Format/Expand Canvas (essential!):  expand sides equally by 5 pixels using the white background color of the canvas

6.  Other-click/Deselect All Objects

7.  View/Base Image (hide)

8.  Web/Image Optimizer/PNG Options:  save as true-color PNG with Transparency (the optimizer will already show the right PNG settings; the trick to this is in steps 6 and 7--be sure the object is not selected and the background is "transparent" gray and white checks '-)


To add Material attributes to the image . . .

1.  Click again on the flower to reselect it, then Edit/Crop (important!--canvas will now be the same size as before expansion, 380x483px)

2.  Edit/Trace/Selection Marquee: accept defaults

3.  On the Path Attribute bar: change mode to 2D Object

4.  Open your EP gallery and double-click the "remove-all" preset you saved

5.  On the Path Attribute bar: click the Material icon

6.  In the Material dialog box adjust tabbed variables as follows--and watch what happens to the dialog's thumbnail :-)

Color-Texture:  File - use the dahlia PNG you saved
Bevel:  3D Round; Bevel Joint, rounded
Border/Depth:  Border, 5; Depth, 10; Smooth Spine, unchecked; Type of border, In
Bump:  File - apply the same dahlia PNG you saved; Density, 55%; other options unchecked
Reflection:  File - use "flowers.jpg"; Density, 100%
Transparency:  unchecked
Shadow:  #1; color, #733E29; settings 1,1,41,6 (or whatever floats your boat); Render backface, unchecked
Light:  Leave at 1, Direct; boost Ambient to 54; Rotate light, unchecked
Shading: Metallic/Copper; leave Shininess and Strength at defaults (80 and 70)

7.  Preview.  Amazing eh? And what's even more amazing is that before you click OK to close the Material dialog, you can save this "materialized" image as a preset to your EasyPalette Gallery . . . yup, I said a preset.  Just click Add and leave the Save options at All--it will even resemble itself in the EP's thumbnail (no need to "try" to make a custom thumb '-).  When applied to other path shapes and text the dahlia "shape-shifter" preset will cut itself into them.  You can also store the dahlia path object in the EP Library the same as you would any path object.

8.  Click OK to exit the dialog.  The next time you use the Path Drawing Tool, be sure to reset it first with the "remove-all" preset.


To downsize smoothly . . .

Resizing the resulting path object may alter the reflection and cause "washboarding" of the image's narrowest parts--so to minimize distortion instead do this:

1.  Other-click/Convert Object Type:  From Text/Path to Image
2.  Pick Tool: Drag the dahlia path object off the canvas and drop it in the workspace; close the old working canvas without saving
3.  Double-click the flower to invoke Properties/Position & Size tab:  Keep aspect ratio; Size/Width, key in 300; Unit, Pixels
4.  Format/Focus:  Sharpen, 1
5.  Format/Hue & Saturation:  Saturation, +30 (I like intense color :-))
6.  Format/Brightness & Contrast:  Brightness, +3

And there you have it :-))


To use this effect on other image objects . . .

--It isn't absolutely necessary to use a base shape that fits the contours of your image.  Instead you can crop the object, deselect it, then Select All (that is, select the background) and trace that selection to use a perfectly-sized rectangular path instead.  This method is especially useful if your object has delicate parts that would be lost or compromised by tracing.  You will not, however, be able to make a beveled border on your image because doing so will reflect the contour of the rectangular underlying path shape you've used not the shape the transparent PNG image "cuts" out of it.  So when your base shape is geometric, you need to set the border to 1.  If you want to bevel the edges of your image object, you'll have to use a path shape that matches it--that is, a tracing.

--After you've applied the PNG as a Color/Texture, you can change the "color" from File to Solid or Texture without affecting the shifted shape the PNG applied.  I haven't a clue why--but it sure is nifty '-)

--Always save your image object as a transparent true-color PNG (UFO, JPG, GIF, 256-color PNG, etc. just won't "cut" it '-)) with a surrounding cushion of exactly 5 pixels of empty space.  For some reason unbeknownst to me, the empty space prevents distortion when the PNG is applied as material.

--Be sure to play around with all the settings and options in the Material dialog box, and especially try out lots of reflections.


Other images I've "materialized" . . .



A Windows Metafile and a photo I took of "The Evil PI" each embossed and metalized then made into a seamless border.



Part 2, "Gilding the Lily" coming soon . . . .

Have fun :-))


o d d m e n t s  i n d e x

Feel free to save this tutorial to your
hard drive for off-line use.

Dahlia object from a Dover sample.