This is a continuance of the King of the Castle tutorial found here.

This tag is done using a Balls and Bubbles Effect preset as well as Vector Text - on a reverse path.

Skill level - Intermediate.

Supplies Needed:
PaintShop Pro. I used PSP9. This can be done in PSP8 and above.
Alien Skin Eye Candy 5 - IMPACT


I included the Balls and Bubbles Effect preset and the three images used in my preset.
You can use any image that you want. Choose one with a clearly defined subject in the center of the image, such as the lady and the lion in this one. If you use another image or font, you will need to adjust the feather and font sizes accordingly. I prefer to work with a large image and scale it down after I am done.

Materials list:
Right click on any of the resources and select Save Target As:
Download the rar file for the bubble preset here. BBpreset.rar
There is a readme file in this package explaining where to move each file to. I can almost guarantee you will get confused if you do not read that file first!
King of the Castle image or one of your own.
Font: Algerian - Can be downloaded HERE.
bluebrick.jpg - optional if you wish to copy my text
makstile.jpg - optional if you wish to copy my text

If you don't have Algerian font installed, open it in your font viewer before starting the project.

Let's get started:

Open PSP.
If you don't have your layer palette open, press F8 to open it.
Open your image in PSP. Right click on Background in your layer palette. Promote Background Layer
Selection tool > Ellipse Mode: Replace, Feather 10, Anti-Alias checked.

Start in the center of your image and draw a large ellipse around your subject, but leave space between the ellipse and the edges of your graphic. The feathering will expand your ellipse, so adjust your selection accordingly. If it's not right, simply right click in the image and it will deselect for you.

Right click on Raster 1 in your layer palette and Promote Selection to Layer.
Duplicate your selected layer. You will have 3 layers... background, promoted, and duplicate.

Make sure the top layer is selected.

Effects > Artistic Effects > Balls and Bubbles. Apply the kingofthecastle preset to the selection.

Here are the screenshots of the tabs under balls and bubbles to verify that your settings are correct.

Select > None

Lower the opacity of the balls layer to 60%.

Highlight the bottom (Raster 1 layer)

Adjust > Brightness and Contrast > Brightness/Contrast
Brightness 88 Contrast 52

Highlight the top layer in the layer palette.
Close your background swatch in the material palette.

Preset Shapes Tool > Ellipse with these settings
Mode - Ellipse, Show Nodes Anti-Alias Checked.
Line Style: Straight line Width 1

Start from the top left of where you want your ellipse to be and drag the tool down to the right until you have a single circle around the inside of the dark part of the picture.
Click on the Object Selection tool to bring up a box around the circle you made and grab one of the corner nodes and drag it inward until it is a good distance from the edge of the dark circle below it. See the examples below.

Objects > Align > Horizontal Center of Canvas

TEXT
If you are using my settings, open BlueBrick.jpg and makstile.jpg in PSP and minimise them both.
Set your foreground to bluebrick.jpg and your background to makstile.jpg in your material palette.

Choose your Text tool with the settings below. Hover your mouse over the top center part of the line until the cursor turns into a + with a rocking A in the lower right angle. Click once to bring up a text box. (See example below.) Type whatever it is you want and the text will follow the outside curve of your ellipse. Click Apply.

Right Click on Vector 1 in the layer palette and choose Duplicate.
Click the + sign next to vector 1 to open the submenu. Hide the Layer named New Ellipse, but do not hide the Text Layer. Make sure it is the selected layer in the Palette.

Objects > Align > Horz. Center in Canvas. That will put the text in the center of the canvas still on the curve.


Right click on Vector 1 again and choose: Convert to Raster Layer.

Inside the bottom curve text.

Click the + sign next to Copy of Vector 1 to expand the layer tree.
Right click on the Text layer and select CLEAR.

Use your pen tool and right click on the line or one of the nodes in the circle and choose CONVERT to PATH.

Right click again and choose  Edit > Reverse Path

Choose your text tool again, same settings.

Again, near the bottom middle of the circle, hover your mouse over the line until it turns to the text marker, and click once to bring up the text box. Type the rest of your text in the box. This time, the text will follow the curve on the inside of the circle. Apply.

Objects > Align > Horz. Center in Canvas.

Hide the New Ellipse layer and right click on Copy of Vector 1. Convert to Raster Layer.

If you want to move your text up or down to better fit the dark ellipse, use the mover tool,.  Click once on the text layer you want to move and tap the up or down arrow keys until it is where you want the text to be. Dragging the text with your mouse can 'un-center' your text.

In my example, I want to put the word "to" below Welcome, but it does not need to be on a path like Welcome and Pspuremagic. I select my text tool again, reduce the size of my font and click where I want 'to' to be. I align the text to horizontal center again and convert it to a raster layer. I align it vertically using the up/down arrow keys again.

Hide the bottom three layers so that only your text is visible. Make sure that one of the text layers is selected, right click and choose Merge > Merge visible.

Layers > Duplicate. Make sure the top layer is selected.

Effects > Plugins > Alien Skin Candy 5 > Impact > Gradient Glow
Under Settings, choose Subtle white glow. Click the Basic tab and use the settings below.

Lower the opacity on this layer to 50.

Right click on the layer and choose Arrange > Move down until Copy of Merged is below the balls layer.

Layers > Merge Visible

Drag a guide from the top ruler down to a few pixels below the bubble area of the image and one to a few pixels above, equi-distant from the ellipes. Do the same to the left and right so you have a rectangle surrounding your bubble.

Use the rectangle selection tool to draw a selection on the guides.

Image > Crop to Selection.

Add your watermark or signature to your work.

Resize if necessary. Export as a jpg with a compression no more than 8.

Enjoy your new magical tag.

vetch