Lesson 7
Feathered Edges

by Maureen Williams

In this lesson we will be using the Selection Tool 
and working with feathering to create an image with a faded edge. 

Requirements: 
Paint Shop Pro - download a free 30-day trial from Jasc Software
(I am using PSP 7.04 but these instructions should also work with other versions)

An image of your choice or use the one provided.

Remember to save frequently!

Feathering edges on an image is a pre-requisite for creating blended images, which we will learn in the next lesson. The technique softens the edge and allows the image to blend into a background.

 Note: Images in the tutorial have been reduced to speed up download time.
 Your images will be larger and clearer than what they appear here.

Step One

Open an image of your choice or is you wish to use these tulips, which I took on a visit to the Tulip Festival at Monitor in Oregon, click on the picture for a larger image. Right click on the larger image and either save to your hard drive or copy and paste into PSP.

Step Two

   Duplicate the image (SHIFT+D) and then close the original.

Important Tip - never work on the original of an image as you may want to use it again later for something else. Always work on a copy.

Step Three

Click on the Selection Tool and enter the following settings.

I have chosen an ellipse for the tutorial but feel free to experiment with other shapes and feather settings in the selection tool properties, depending on the shape of the focal point you wish to select..

Step Four

When using the ellipse or circle selections start from the centre point of the desired area.  If using a rectangle or square start from the top left hand corner of the area.

Left click in the centre of your area, hold down the left mouse key and draw out an ellipse  slightly larger than your focal point. When you release the mouse button the marching ants will enlarge the selection by the number of pixels chosen in the Feather box.

Step Five

Edit, Copy (CTRL+C) and then Edit, Paste as New Image (CTRL+V)

This will now give you a resized version of your selection without the remainder of the background.

Step Six

Create a new layer and drag down below the image layer
or go to Layers, Arrange, Send to Bottom.

Step Seven

Use the Eye Dropper to select a colour from your image or
 Flood Fill the new layer with a colour of your choice.
If desired, add a border to your finished image.

Step Eight

Resize and save your image.

Practice Session

Experiment with other images of your choice and different selection shapes.

If you have any problems with this tutorial email me for help.

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