*** October 12, 2001: There was a change in the newest release of the SinedotsII plug in.  This tutorial was written using the first release of SinedotsII and my original preset would not work in the latest release.  I have adjusted preset and uploaded a new version.  If you have tried this tutorial without the desired effects, please delete the file "cathys_corner.cfg" from your plug in folder and download the new file. ***

(Click on the above graphic for an 
explanation of the FBN skill ratings.)

This tutorial will show you how to make a seamless image like the one I used as the background for this page:

WARNING: The SinedotsII filter is highly addictive!!!

For this tutorial you will need the following:

1. Paint Shop Pro 7 - you can download a 30-day free trial at the Jasc site.

2. Eliminate White - a free plug-in, which you can get here.

3. Simple Filters Quick Tile - a free plug-in, which you can get here. (While you're downloading, why not download all the filters available from the Simple Filters site?)

***Note: if you are using any "Simple" filters for the first time, you will need to convert the files for use with Paint Shop Pro.  You can do this using Plug In Commander Light (PICO).  Ren�e has an excellent tutorial on the use of PICO here.

4. Sinedots II - a free plug in which you can get here.

5. My SinedotsII presets - which you can get here.
(Save the zip file and extract to your SinedotsII folder.  The extracted file will be named "cathys_corner.cfg".  I have included several presets in this file, not just the one you will use for this tutorial.)

If you do not have any of these plug-ins installed, create new folders in your Plug-In directory for each filter and name them accordingly: "SinedotsII", "Eliminate White", and "Simple".  Download and unzip these filters to their respective folders.

For an in depth tutorial on the SinedotsII plug in please visit Moons Designs' SinedotsII tutorial here. Patti has a great tutorial explaining the basic program with lots of tips.

The most important advice I can give you for any tutorial is: SAVE OFTEN!  I'll remind you throughout the tutorial to save your image.

Open a new image, 250 x 250, transparent background, 16 million colors.

Flood fill your image with white.

Save your image in psp format, using a name of your choice.  Now you can save at any time during the tutorial by clicking your Control key and the "s" key together. (Ctrl +S)

Now we'll apply our SinedotsII filter: 

Click on Effects/Plug-in filters/DragonFly/SinedotsII.

If you cannot see the preview panel (mine was hidden behind my control panel), just use your mouse to click and drag your control panel to the left.  Your preview panel should now be visible. 

Click on the "Open" button at the bottom of your screen.  (NOTE: Until the first time you open a preset file your "save" and "delete" buttons will not be active.)  Click on the file named "cathys_corner.cfg" and click open.  Click on the arrow and from the crop down list choose the setting named "cc_floral".

Here's a screen shot of my control panel:

Click on OK. Your image should look like this (I added a border just for definition):

Save your image (Ctrl +S).

Next we'll apply the Eliminate White filter.

Click on Effects/Plug-in filters/Transparency/Eliminate White.
(Your filter may be located in another folder - depending on what you named it.)

Your image should look like this:

Click on Selections/Select All.  Now click on Edit/Copy.  Minimize this image.

Open a new image, 300 x 300, transparent background, 16 million colors.

Double click on your selection tool and enter the following settings, and click OK:

Click on Edit/Paste Into Selection.  Deselect: Selections/Select None. You should now have this:

Save your image (Ctrl +S).

On your layer palette, right click on Layer1 and choose duplicate.
Go to Image/Flip.  You should now have this:

Save your image (Ctrl +S).

Right click on either of your layers and choose Merge/Merge Visible.  Duplicate your merged layer and go to Image/Rotate and choose 60 degrees right, making sure All Layers IS NOT checked. You should now have this:

Save your image (Ctrl +S).

Duplicate your "merged" layer again.  (Your new layer should be the middle layer and be your active layer.)  Go to Image/Rotate and choose 120 degrees right, making sure All Layers IS NOT checked. You should now have this:

Save your image (Ctrl +S).

If you'd like to change the color, you can do that now.  Right click on any of your layers and choose Merge/Merge Visible.  Go to Colors/Colorize and play with the settings until you get a color you are happy with.  Copy your image and you can make several different colors.

Right click on any of your layers and choose Merge/Merge All.

Resize your image to 250x250.  (Make sure Resize All Layers is checked.) Then Effects/Sharpen/Sharpen.

Time for the last step - another plug-in!

Effects/Plug-in filters/Simple/Quick Tile.  There are no settings for this filter, just click OK.  You should now have this:

That's it - save your file as a gif or jpg for use as a background image.

Try playing with your SinedotsII filter - you can make endless backgrounds using the basics from this tutorial.

I sincerely hope you enjoyed this tutorial and learned something from it!