For our final week we spent time reviewing how to customize our workspace and save it for future use. We also learned about customing our own tool palettes as well as menus. Finally, we learned about scripting. To top the week off we designed an image of our own entirely in PSP 8 without the use of external plugins.

Here is my workspace. I haven't really changed it since I posted it during week 1:

For my PSP 8 graphic I first used the goldfish I had made (all in PSP 8) based on a tutorial written for PSP 7. To my basic goldfish I then added all of the scales using the Point-to-Point Draw tool, and edited the nodes, size and direction as needed. Wherever possible I copied and pasted the scale object. Once my goldfish was completed I saved it as a Preset Shape and then converted the Vector layer to a Raster layer. Then I exported the goldfish as a tube. With that preparation done, I started with the goldfish tube. Then added many layers below the goldfish as well as some above it. Each blade of sea grass is on a separate layer. I used the Mesh Warp tool on the grass as well as the Warp tool on a couple of them. The shells, all on one layer, are from the new PSP 8 tubes that were on the CD. For the sand I used the Ellipse Selection tool with a feather of, hmmm, well, that was a few hours ago and I can't remember! Then I used the sand Pattern to Flood Fill the Selection. Next, I added some Drop Shadows, Flood Filled the Raster Layer at the bottom, then started playing in Balls and Bubbles. First I made some little air bubbles and then copied and pasted the individual bubbles on their own layers. After merging all the visible layers I then went back to Balls and Bubbles and made the large bubble for the image. I then added a Raster Layer at the bottom and flood filled that with the same gradient used for the fish background, but did not flip this one. Noise was added to the background layer. Finally, I added the framing, beveled it, then used Sally's drop shadow scripting preset. And I think that was about all I did with this one.

I really enjoyed participating in the first of the PSP 8 Moving On Up classes with the rest of the group. Thank you Sally and Ron for developing all this material so quickly!