ImageGag

Here is a very simple way to create a field of stars with your Paint program. This tutorial is using the free program Paint.net v3.22.

Open your Paint Program and create a new file (Ctrl+N). Choose the size of your image. I am using Width: 800 pixels and Height: 600 pixels. Click OK.

Fill your background black by clicking the paint bucket tool and clicking on the canvas (the default fill color is black).

Click Effects > Noise > Add Noise…

For settings choose Intensity 64, Color Saturation 0, Coverage 5 and click OK.

Now we’ll add a second layer of slightly brighter stars. Click the Duplicate Layer button in the Layers window at the bottom right of the screen.

Double-click on one of the Background boxes (or press F4 on your keyboard, which is the Layers > Layer Properties… command). Rename the layer to “Brighter Stars” and click OK.

Now, with the Brighter Stars layer selected (highlighted in blue), we’ll again use the Effects  > Noise > Add noise… command.

This time put your settings to Intensity 90, Color Saturation 0, Coverage .30, and click OK.

 Good. You now have two different layers of stars.

Since brighter stars in the sky appear to be fewer and less dense than dim stars, we’ll selectively erase some of the brighter stars we just put in. With the Brighter Stars layer still highlighted in blue, click the Eraser tool in the toolbox.

Set your brush width to around 30 and, on the canvas, begin to erase some of the larger stars you just put in. I erase more of the outer stars for better composition but I still try to be random. Again, the goal here is to make a realistic looking sky with several bursts of brighter stars. Your Brighter Stars layer may look something like this when finished

and this is what our star field looks like so far.

Lastly, we’ll manually add in even brighter stars. Select the Paintbrush tool in the toolbox, set brush width to 1, and make your primary color white by simply clicking on the bottom left white square in the Colors toolbox.

Click in the canvas to begin adding stars. Again, try to make clusters of stars but still in random looking patterns. Note that a double-click will make a brighter star than a single click. When finished, make your brush width 2. Now add a couple or few more stars with this width, preferably near your clusters.

 And that’s it! Your star field should look something like this.

When you’re happy with it, save your image by pressing Ctrl+S on your keyboard (the File > Save command). Choose where you want to save it on your computer and select the file type you want to make it. I save mine as a JPEG, as it’s the most common. Type in the name you want to make it next to File name: and click Save.

Admire your work and click OK.

If you save your file as a JPEG, you’ll see this: “Saving in this file format requires that the image is first ‘flattened’, which reduces it to a single layer.” Click Flatten.

You’re done!

This is a very simple star field. If you’d like, play around with the layers and noise settings on your own and see what you come up with. Also, if you want to get a very realistic and detailed effect, check out this incredible star tutorial using Photoshop.

Enjoy and feel free to share your images of stars or share some more tips with us in the comment section below.

Here is how to combine images using your Paint program. This tutorial is using Paint.net v2.5 (free download here). Newer versions of Paint.net can be downloaded for free here. Again, though, this tutorial is specific to v2.5.

I am going to combine these two images.

The goal here is to have the Pillsbury Doughboy dancing with the girls.

First, open your Paint program. Now open your background photo by holding Ctrl and pressing O. When you locate your photo, click Open.

Now we’ll import Doughboy’s image. Click Layers and choose Import from File…

Locate your image and click Open.

Good. We now have both images open. What we need to do now is clean out the background area behind him. To do this, click the Eraser tool on the toolbar

and start erasing the background area not needed. You should zoom in to get as much detail as you can. I usually zoom in 800% and use the brush size of 2.

Continue all the way around the borders of your image. Then finish erasing all unwanted background, adjusting brush size accordingly. Here you will become familiar with the Undo (Ctrl+Z) command when you accidentally erase too much of the image. Important: You cannot save your progress until you have finished erasing entirely.

Good. Now click the Move selected pixel icon at the top right of the toolbar

and click and drag your image in the position you want it in the photo.

Now you can clean up any final edges with your eraser tool or adjust the size of your image by clicking on any of the outside boxes and dragging. This will be the point where I could also change the color of the Pillsbury Doughboy in the Layers, Adjustments command. But this is fine for now.

When happy with your image, save it (Ctrl+S). Choose where you wish to save it and click Save.

Admire your work and click Ok.

Now you’ll be told that saving in this format will flatten the image and discard layers. Proceed? Click Yes.

And that’s it. Now at this point you can add text, import another image, or do anything else.

It’s certainly not a Photoshop masterpiece, but it’s not too shabby for a free Paint program. It takes some playing around with and some practice, but those are the basics. Enjoy!

Feel free to share some of your own tips, tricks, or images in the comment section.

Photo/Image credits: Bmsmusic.org, Pillsbury.com

It is very easy to capture a screenshot off the web to use as a graphic.

First, find the webpage with the image you want to capture.

I want to capture the image of the dancing doughboy. On your keyboard, press the PRINT SCREEN or PRINT SCRN/SYSRQ button.

Now, open your Paint program. If you don’t have Paint, download it for free here.

Hold CTRL and press V (the ‘Paste’ command under ‘Edit’).

When asked to expand canvas to fit pasted image, click YES.

Now you’re asked to change the canvas size. You won’t need to change anything, so just click OK.

And there it is! Now, we’ll cut out the image.

Click the Rectangle Select button in the top left corner of the tool bar

and click and drag a rectangle around the image that you want.

When satisfied with your selection, Hold CTRL and press X (the ‘Cut’ command under ‘Edit’). Your image will be cut out and replaced with a gray checkered box.

Hold CTRL and press N (the ‘New’ command, under ‘Edit’).

When asked if you want to save changes to Untitled, click NO.

You will be prompted to change the pixel and print size. Again, you don’t need to change anything, so just click OK.

You’ll see a blank rectangle in the middle of a gray screen.

Hold CTRL and press V (the ‘Paste’ command).

And there’s that hunkalicious piece of muffin meat! You may have to center him in the white space. You can do that by simply clicking near (or on) him and dragging.

Now we’ll save him on our computer. Hold CTRL and press S (the ‘Save’ command).

Save your image wherever you’d like. I personally just click on ‘My Documents’ and save them in a sub-folder named ‘Images’. Type a name for the image next to ‘File name:’ and choose which type of file next to ‘Save as type:’. I usually just pick JPEG, as it’s the most common. Again, though, that’s up to you. When finished click SAVE.

Admire your work and click OK. You’re done.

You can do many different things with this image now, such as change the color, edit the background, change his expression, put him in a photo (pixel size would matter), put him on a website, etc.

That’ll be for another post though. Enjoy.

Image credit: Pillsbury.com