Creating Selections
by Maureen Williams

In this tutorial I will show you how to create selections from a scanned image. I am using a selection of scrolls but the same principle applies to any image used.  These scrolls can be used to create many different openings for dioramas or as decorations on any type of egg design.

You will need:

Paint Shop Pro 7.04 - you can download a free trial HERE.
A suitable black & white line art image.
If you want to use the scrolls I'm using you can download the zip file HERE. 

Suitable Sources for Images

• Children's colouring books

• Pergamano pattern books

• Stained glass pattern books

• Cake decorating templates

• Dingbats

Scanning Tips

• Select images with clear outlines.

• Scan at 300 dpi resolution - this creates a large image and file size but this will be resized later. 

• Depending on the scanner, choose the Colour setting rather than Line Art. If possible choose a Custom setting and save a new setting in colour at 300 dpi for egg scans.

These scrolls are from an old photocopy I've had for many years. I'm unaware of where I originally got them from.  The only indication is the heading "Cartouches - Generic Variations". If anyone knows where they are from please let me know so  I can give the appropriate recognition.

OK - let's get started!

Step 1
Scan your image into PSP.
If you haven't already set your scanner up in PSP click on 
File, Import, Twain, Select Source
From the box that opens choose your scanner. 

Once you have your scanner set up to talk to PSP to scan an image, place your desired hard copy in the scanner 
and go to File, Import, Twain, Acquire.
Close the scanner window once you have your image in PSP.

Step 2
In the Colour Palette set the foreground colour to white
 and the background to black.
In the Layer palette right click on the background layer
 and Promote to Layer.

Note: if you have scanned your image using a black & white setting you will need to go to Colours, Increase Colour Depth, 16 Million Colours. If you are unable to select this option the image is already in 16 million colours.

Step 3
Click on the Lasso tool and use the mouse to outline the required portion of the scanned image. 
Right click in the centre of the of the selected area.  This will give the "marching ants" around the selected area.

Step 4
Copy the selected area using Edit, Copy (CTRL+C)
and the Edit,  Paste as a New Image (CTRL+V).

Step 5
If necessary resize the image and save in .psp format.

Step 6
Go to Window, Duplicate (SHIFT+D) to make a duplicate of the image. Close the original image.

Step 7
Click on the Lasso tool. In the Tool Options box set the
 Selection Type to Point to Point, Feather = 0 and Antialias ticked.
Use small steps with the mouse to outline or trace around one of the scrolls . If you make a mistake hit the Delete key. 
This will undo the last step.

Step 8
When you have finished outlining the scroll Right click with the mouse. This will give the "marching ants" around the selected scroll.

Step 9
Go to Selections, Save to Disk. Give the selection an appropriate name and in the Save In box locate the folder where you want to save the file. Click on Save.  Deselect (CTRL+D).

Note: I would suggest creating a new sub-folder in your Selections folder to store
 any selections you create yourself, so you can locate them easily.

Testing the Selection

Open a new image choosing at least the dimensions of your working image.
Go to Selections, Load from Disk. Locate your new selection and then click OK.
Flood fill the selection with black. Check the outline to see if any modifications are needed.

Modifying a Selection

If you find a selection is not quite right it's easy to fix it. On the above example you will notice on the large end of the scroll it's a bit flat on one side.

Note: if you are making selections to form a complete picture or pattern it is important to maintain the same size background when testing,  as the selections are positioned in the same place in a new image as they were originally when first created.

For the purpose of this exercise we can crop the original image as we will be using the selection to make different patterns.

Step 1
Use the Selection tool to draw a rectangle around the scroll.
Go to Image, Crop to Selection.

Step 2
Select  the Zoom tool and then click on the image
and enlarge to 2:1 ratio.

Step 3
Use the Lasso tool with the same settings as before and  trace around the area you wish to reshape. Flood fill the image with black.

Step 4
When you are happy with your re-shaped selection, click on the shape using the Magic Wand.
 This will put the "marching ants" around the outside of the image

Step 5

Resave the selection (Selection, Save to Disk) and say Yes to overwrite the existing file.

Resizing a Selection

If you feel a scanned image is not the right thickness, this can be easily modified.

Select the Magic Wand and click on the image to select the outline

Go to Selections, Modify, Expand, by 2 pixels.  This will increase the size of the selection by 2 pixels on either side of the image.

To reduce the size of an image go to Selections, Modify, Contract, by 2 pixels. The number of pixels can be amended depending on your individual sizing requirements.

To make an Outline

Step 1
Select the Magic Wand and click on the image to select the outline.

Step 2
Click on the Flood Fill tool and flood fill the image with white.

Step 3
Go to Selections, Modify, Expand by 2 pixels. 

Step 4
Create a new layer and drag below the image layer.
Layers, Arrange, Send to Bottom.

Step 5
Flood fill the new layer with black. This will give a black outline around the image.

Step 6
In the Layer Palette, click on Merge Visible.

Step 7
Go to Selections, Modify, Contract by 2 pixels. Hit Delete. This will delete the inside of the image leaving just the black outline.

Step 8
Save your file in .psp format or as a tube.

Saving the File as a Tube.

Step 1
Click on File, Export, Picture Tube

Step 2
In the Step size box enter the Cell width figure. Give the tube a name and then click OK.

Note: I also created a tube using a a combination of this scroll and a mirror image, which I then merged together. See the original image to see what I mean.

On the next page I will give you some examples of combinations of the scrolls in the zip file. These would all be suitable for openings on eggs. Experiment and have fun.