Standard Embossment (for PSP 5.X)

Standard embossment is powerful and allow you to create any embossment effects on any images without changing the original texture or pattern, but its procedure is also complex for beginner. If you are not familiar with PSP, you may encounter many problems.

Target

STEP 1

Prepare a image which you decide to apply embossment effect to. In this case, I create the image 'Target' to do this. It's dimension is 64x64 pixels.

If the image is of 256 colors, use Colors/Increase Color Depths/16 Million Colors (24 bit) to transfer the image to be of true color mode.

Source

STEP 2

Create a new image of 24 bits Color or 256 Greys Mode. It's dimension must be the same with 'Target'. Then use Text or any painting tools to draw the pattern with black color. For example, I print a letter 'J' and a dot in the image 'Source'.

Source

STEP 3

Select the image 'Source'. Choose Image/Blur/Blur, and you will get the image with Blurred edge.

Source

STEP 4

Select the image 'Source'. Choose Image/Other/Emboss. The result is like the left image. If you don't blur your image in step 3, The image will have very hard edge. You can use Image/Blur/Soften in step 3 to get a sharper image than Blur or re-apply these filters several times to get a smoother one.

Source

copy

Mask1

STEP 5

Select 'Source', and choose Edit/Copy and then choose Edit/Paste/As New Image to make a copy of 'Source'. The new image is called 'Mask1'.

Select 'Mask1'. Choose Colors/Adjust/Highlight/Midtone/Shadow and set each parameter as the following table.

% Highlight	100
% Midtone	50
% Shadow	50

Increasing the value of Shadow parameter from zero to 50 changes all midtone colors to black.

STEP 6

Select 'Target'. Choose Masks/New/From Image and then select the image 'Mask1' in the Source window listbox. In fact, the image 'Mask1' is named the other name, for example, 'Image3', in PSP. You have to find the correct image name you've generated in step 5.

The following procedure is the difference between version 5.X and 4.X
After defining the mask, choose Selections/From Mask to tranfer the mask to the selection we indeed need. Now the mask we defined before is no use for us and choose Mask/Delete to delete it. Then click the No button in its dialog box.

Target

STEP 7

Select 'Target'. Choose Colors/Adjust/Brightness/Contrast. Increase the Brightness parameter to +50 and don't change the Contrast parameter (set it to zero). Press OK and you will see that part of the image brightened.

Source

copy

Mask2

STEP 8

Select 'Source' again and choose Edit/Copy and then choose Edit/Paste/As New Image to make a copy of 'Source'. The new image is called 'Mask2'.

Select 'Mask2'. Choose Colors/Negative Image to inverse image color.

Mask2

STEP 9

Select 'Mask2'. Choose Colors/Adjust/Highlight/Midtone/Shadow and set each parameter the same with step 5.

Select 'Target'. Repeat step 6 and at this time choose 'Mask2' in the Source window listbox.

Target

STEP 10

Select 'Target'. Choose Colors/Adjust/Brightness/Contrast. Decrease the Brightness parameter to -50. Now all necessary steps have been done and you can see the result.

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