Screw it!

My original screw, seen in the corners of my pages, was made using Alien Skinīs Eyecandy. In this tutorial I only use PSP`s built in effects, Drop Shadow and Cutout. However, the final result is almost the same.

Start with a new image, Size 100x100.

Step 1:
Select your Background color and fill the image with it. I used a dark red (R=139, G=43, B=1) for this one. Set Foreground color to yellow (R=254, G=203, B=107) or any color you want for the screw.

Step 2:
Instead of drawing a circle with the Selection tool, I used the small "L" letter (size 44 and 28, bold) in the Wingdings font to make the circle. Be sure to have the Antialias ticked. By doing this youīll get a smother edge. If you donīt have the Wingdings font installed, you can download it here (44kb).

Click on the Text tool and select the Wingdings font, size 44, Bold. Type a small L and click OK. Put the circle in the center of the image. Click on the Flood Fill tool and then fill the selection with the background color. Keep the circle selected.

Step 3:
Now we will create the surrounded "sunken" effect. Keep the circle selected during the whole process.

Choose Selections - Modify - Feather = 10.
Choose Image - Special Effects - Cutout.
Use the following settings: Color = White, Opacity = 100, Blur = 10, Offset = -5, -5.
Do this again but with these settings: Color = Black, Opacity = 100, Blur = 10, Offset = 5, 5.

Step 4:
Letīs make the screw.

Click on the Text tool again and use the same settings except for the font size which should be 28. Put the selected circle in the center of the first one. Keep it selected.

Choose Image - Special Effects - Cutout. Color = White, Opacity = 100, Blur = 20, Offset = 5, 5.
Do this again but change the Color to Black and the Offset to -5, -5.
To define the edge of the screw, choose Image - Special Effects - Add Drop Shadow. Color = Black, Opacity = 200, Blur = 2, Offset = 0, 0.

Deselect the circle.

Use the Zoom tool to make the image larger. Click on the Selection tool and choose Rectangle, Feather = 0. Draw a selection as seen on the image below (size=22x4). Keep it selected.

Step 5:
Choose Image - Special Effects - Cutout. Color = Black, Opacity = 150, Blur = 3, Offset = 3, 3.

Use the Selection tool to select the screw just outside the surrounding area. Press Ctrl+C (copy) and then Ctrl+V (paste). If you want it smaller, use Image - Resample and choose the size. Save the image as a JPG file. Thatīs it...

To optimize your images for best web performance - try WebVise Totality from Auto F/X. Download a demo now and see for yourself.