In this tutorial, you will take two images and blend them together;  cut the finished image in two and layer them into a cascade; then add them to a background for a background tile for stationery or a web page.  Sample1, Sample2; You will need FMTools for this tutorial.

I will be using these two images which I photographed and cleaned using my 'cleaning' tutorial.
    

Step 1
Open a new image with a transparent background and larger than the biggest of the two or images you intend to blend.

Step 2
Copy/Paste one of the images to the new image and use 'Selection' menu to 'Promote to Layer'.

Step 3
Copy/Paste the second image on top of the first and use 'Selection' menu to 'Promote to Layer'.

Step 4
using the 'Layer palette', activate the lower layer by clicking on it, thereby highlighting the name of that layer.

Step 5
Use 'Selection' menu and choose 'Select all' then again to select 'float'.

Step 6
Using the 'Layer palette', activate the top layer by clicking on it.

Step 7
Using the 'eraser' tool, erase parts of the top layer your choice of part of the front layer to allow the back picture blend through so it looks like it was one picture instead of two.  Compare picture in previous layer to this one to see where I did my erasing.

Step 8
When you're happy with the appearance, use the 'Selection' menu and choose 'Select none', then use the 'Layers' menu to choose 'Merge/Merge visible'.

Step 9
Use the 'Image' menu and choose 'resize' to resize the image to approximately 300 pixels in height, then use the 'Effects' menu in PSP7 or the 'Image' menu in PSP6 and choose 'Sharpen/Sharpen' then click 'OK'. (HEIGHT RATIOS 3:2, flowers=3, background=2; in other words the background should be one-third the height of the flower image you settle on.)

Step 10
Apply a drop shadow using the 'minus' settings to the merged image.  I used Eye Candy's drop shadow but you can use PSP's drop shadow just as easily (about -13 on vertical and horizontal setting and opacity set to around 66.

Step 11
Use the rectangle selection tool and drag a line around the merged image leaving extra space on the right hand side, then use the 'Image' menu to 'Crop to selection'.

Step 12
On the right hand side, use the rectangle selection tool to drag a narrow area all the way down the side of the image.

Step 13
Choose any dark color and the fill tool , then click in the selected area.

Step 14
Use 'File/New' to open a new image, set width to 1025 pixels and height to 200 pixels, disregarding the numbers used in the picture below (all other settings should mirror the selections in the picture).

Step 15
Use the fill tool  to fill the new image with a color, texture or pattern of your choice.

Step 16
Use the rectangle selection tool, starting a 0,0 coordinance, drag a selection half way down the image and all the way across, then use 'Edit' menu and choose 'copy'.  Get your new background image and use 'Edit' menu choosing 'paste/paste as new selection', move the bottom cut line all the way to the bottom of the background, making sure you have it all the way to the bottom of the background, then use the 'Selection' menu and choose 'promote to layer.

Step 17
Go back to the graphic image and use the 'Selection' menu to choose 'invert selection;  use 'Edit' menu to choose 'Paste/paste as new selection.

Step 18
Move the selection so that the straight top edge is at the very top of the border and the dark line is lined up perfectly with the dark like of the other half of the image then use the rectangle 'selection' tool and drag a selection around the dark colored bar - all the way from top to bottom of the color stripe.

Step 19
Hit the delete key to delete the stripe - it was for placement of the two halves to insure proper tiling.

Step 20
Use 'Shift' key and 'D' to duplicate the border, and the 'Layers' menu to choose 'Merge/Merge all'.  Using FMTools' 'roll image' filter, match the setting below then click 'Apply' button.

Step 21
Check the duplicated image to make site the cut line match up and there are is no background showing between the cut lines (this would be caused by not getting the image halves flush to the top or bottom of the background)  If the graphic isn't lined up right or the background is showing a break in the image, use 'undo' to go back and replace the images.  If the graphic is flush together at the cut line and there is no background showing between the halves, close the duplicate without saving.

Step 22
Set you background up as a fill pattern for the fill tool by choosing a pattern as the fill and selecting the background as the pattern.

Step 23
Open a new image with all settings as in the picture below.

Step 24
Change your tool to the fill tool that looks like a bucket.

Step 25
click into the new image to desk-check your tiling.  If the previous desk-checking of the roll of the graphic was right, the desk-check of the border tile should be right also and not be showing any horizontal breaks in the repetition of the tiling.  If the desk-checking shows no problems, you can close the image without saving.

Step 26
You can now add your signature to the left of the page or leave it unsigned as you prefer, then save the background in the jpg format!

Zipped tutorial in pdf format is a 1362KB download.

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