I use Photoshop 5 with some great plug-ins (which can be found at psptips.com). For animations, I use Animation Shop, the animations program that comes with Paint Shop Pro. If you cannot afford Photoshop, I would recommend PSP 5. I also write all of the HTML for my sites myself on NotePad and I would encourage everyone reading this to learn HTML, it is very useful and will be invaluable if you ever get into computers.

This month I decided to explain seamless backgrounds. I've gotten the most questions about seamless backgrounds and you will never run out of uses for them.

1. You need Photoshop 5. (Click here to find out how to make them with PSP.)

2. Choose an image and lasso around it with 5-8 feathering. Copy and paste it onto a new, blank image. Duplicate the layer and select the lower layer.

3. Go to Filter | Other | Offset. You need it on "wrap-around".

4. Save it and view it on your desktop or in on an HTML document to make sure it looks right.

Doesn't look right? Here are some possiblities:
> You didn't have Offset on "wrap around".
> You moved the layer at some point. It is VERY, VERY important that you do not move the layer by hand. If you need to move it, use Offset.
> The image is larger than your document. The pictures you use cannot be any larger than the image or it is not going to wrap around properly.
> If you see that there are visible edges there's a possiblity that you cut too close to the edge with feathering. When you make final works you are going to want to plan it so you won't need to cut too closely to the edge.

You can make seamless backgrounds!

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Seamless backgrounds with Paint Shop Pro

1. Open up a 400x400 image.
2. Make a collage of pictures you want on it.
3. Use the transparent tool to blend pictures into each other
4. Go to layers, merge, merge all (flatten)
5. Get out a 600x600 image that had the same background color as the first one.
6. Paste the 400x400 (with collage on it) onto the 600x600 blank image.
7. Select a portion of the collage using the selection tool.
8. Go under the selections menu, and click convert to a seamless pattern.