This is NOT my tutorial, below my tag you will see a link to a tutorial for learning how to use masks..

Below is my try at the tutorial.

Below that are some tips I thought would help the newest of the newbie

taggers. 

NOTE.....If you have trouble with this tutorial please let us know

on general ***

Here is my try at the tutorial

HERE IS THE LINK TO THE TUTORIAL

http://angelwolf.org/Tutorials/easymask/

 THE FOLLOWING ARE TIPS FOR THE TUTORIAL...JUST LOOK AT THE

NUMBER ON THE STEPS OF THE TUTORIAL ANd THEN HERE  TO SEE IF I HAVE GIVEN YOU SOME HELP IN THE NOTES BELOW...

BEFORE YOU START I SUGGEST THAT YOU MAKE

YOURSELF A FOLDER TO UNZIP YOUR SUPPLIES TO. BE

SURE AND PUT THE FOLDER WHERE YOU CAN EASILY

LOCATE IT WHEN YOU GO LOOKING FOR YOUR SUPPLIES.

Clarification on steps:

Step 1:  Be sure and go to "My documents" an() scroll down to "My

PSP Files" click on that folder and scroll to the "Mask"

folder...that is where you are going to put your mask you

download.   When you first download your mask, first save it to

your desktop and then from there you are going to right click on

the mask and click on the word "copy", and then you are going to

"My documents" "My PSP Files" And then you are going to click on the

"mask" folder and then go to edit and paste.

****Note**** for those of you that might have trouble with opening

the mask, just let me know and I will give you instructions on how

to use the mask without putting it into your mask folder***

Step 2:  choose which tube you are going to use and put it on

your workspace and then minimize it so it isn't in the way until

you need it. Do the same with your accents.

Step 3:n/a 

Step 4:  When choosing your colors, you can go to the tool bar on

the left of your workspace and look for the "eye dropper"...click on

it to activate it and now you can run your eye dropper over your

tube until you see a color you like, click once on the tube and

your color will appear in the top square (stroke or outside color

box) now in order to do the same for your bottom square color you

will need to "reverse" the boxes, so look for a little curved double

headed arrow just to the middle left area of your squares, and

click on it, it will reverse your boxes so you can choose the

background (fill) color and then hit the reverse arrow again and

now your two colors are ready to go.

Step 5:  The term Linear Gradient means the "style" box you are

going to use. Underneath your gradient window, you will see there

are 4 little boxes; it is the first little box that is the linear box. Also

make note that you are looking for the "Foreground-background"

gradient, in order for this to work you are going to need to be sure

that you have your top square active (in other words when you

click on the square to bring up your materials window, click on the

top square not the bottom) that way it will give you the proper

gradient mix.

6. Flood filling is the one with the tool on the left that looks like a

paint can. And by image she means the blank 400x400

transparent canvas= new image.

7. When it says go to layers, it is talking about the LAYERS that

you find on the top menu bar of your workspace.

8.  When you go over to the layer palette look for the layer that

has a little picture of a mask beside it that is the layer you want to

delete.  To delete a layer just right click on it an scroll to the word

"delete" an it will delete that layer. You will also see it is the only

layer that is in black an white...that is the layer you want to

delete. This will leave you 2 layers of your mask, it doesn't say to

in the tutorial, but I would suggest that you RIGHT click the top

layer and then scroll to merge and then click on "merge group".

That will leave you with only one layer.

9.  Is just a repeat of step # 4...except you are choosing 2 new

colors...

10.  To get a new raster layer in your layer palette, right click on

your layer palette (layer that has the colored mask) and scroll up

to the words "new raster layer" an click. You will now have a new

transparent layer in your layer palette. You should now have 2

layers, the transparent layer and the colored mask layer.

11.
12.
(Are repeats)

13.  When it says go to Image and resize, it means to go to the menu bar at the top of your workspace an() click on the word IMAGE.  Be sure and make sure the "resize all layers" is NOT CHECKED.

14.  When you go to rotate your image be sure and choose FREE

ROTATE so that you can only rotate the one layer. When you are

in your rotation window be sure to UNCHECK the rotate all layers.

Also be sure to click on the word FREE and then type in 45.

15.  You can do the ungroup thing but I don't think it is necessary

(especially those of you that followed my advice an merged your

group earlier)...as long as at this point, you have only one layer

that is merged flat. 

16.  For those of you that are relatively new to PSP, I would

suggest that you skip step 16 and use the merged layer as

described above.

17. I don't think I would resize mine since it is a good size as it is.

18. (She has 17 twice) In other words she wants you to go to your

tube and copy it (edit/copy= ctrl+C) and then go over to your

canvas that has the colored mask, click to make it active and then

go to edit/paste as a new layer (ctrl+v) and you should now have a

tube layer on top of your mask layer.  And then you resize the

tube layer; I resized my fairy to 75%

19. When putting on a drop shadow, she really uses it heavy and

she also used a shade from her tube.  I changed mine.  Here are

my settings for putting a drop shadow to my tube:
      Vertical= minus 2
      Horizontal= minus 2
      Opacity = 45
      Blur = 6
      Color = black

20.  She made an error on this step...it should be just like when

you copy/pasted your tube onto your canvas: edit/copy the heart

accent and then go to your mask canvas and copy/paste as a

new LAYER not as a new IMAGE as she states.  Also when she

states to move your heart layer underneath your tube layer you

can either click on the layer you want to move (in your layer

palette) and holding down your mouse, drag the layer down under

the tube layer.  Or you can right click on the hearts layer, scroll to

arrange, and choose "move down".    Your mover tool is the one

on the left tool bar that looks like a pair of arrows crossing each

other in a X shape with arrow tips at all four ends.

21.  Use the same setting for this drop shadow as you used for

your tube.  Once you have everything just like you want it. THEN

you can merge flat. 

22.  Now go choose a font that you want to use and add your

name, use the same drop shadow as you have previously.

23. Congratulations you just finished  this tutorial!!

24. BE SURE TO USE PROPER COPYRIGHTS. TO SHOW YOUR TAG HERE AT BAMA YOU HAVE TO HAVE USE ONE OF OUR TUBES.