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In this tutorial, we'll see how to create a locket in which you can save your favorite picture. In the image below, the locket is made of many elements. It is not difficult to do but I don't think it's a 10 minutes job either. The following pages will also show you how to apply a tint of sepia to a color picture. If you're a beginner with PI, you'll learn many tricks so you have full control over the colors and effects used. You will eventually want to avoid using the presets every time, create your own effects and save them for future use. What are we waiting for?

As a starter let's enumerate each piece so that you know what's ahead:

• The locket itself. A simple elliptical shape.
• The pearl border around the locket. To do this, you need PI 5 or 6.
• The image comes from the People album available in PI 5 and 6.
• A cover. The cover is the most challenging part of this project. Not difficult, just challenging so that it looks just right. You will also note the little clip on the right of the locket to lock the cover.
• On the cover, a symbol appears. It comes from a font called Whirlygigs. You can use any symbol you want.
• Finally, the chain is made using PI 5 or 6.

If you're intimidated by the pearl border and the chain, you might want to do the Necklace tutorial first. This will teach you some important techniques used in this tutorial.

Let's start with the locket.

• Create a new image of 600 x 400 with a white background
• Choose Path Drawing Tool then click Select drawing shape on the toolbar to select the Ellipse.
• Click and drag in the canvas to draw an ellipse of about 200 Wide by 225 High (look at at the left end of the status bar to see the dimensions of the shape).
• Click the Material button. In the color/Texture tab, select Gradient Color and click in the color sample to open the Gradient Fill dialog. Make sure Multiple Colors is selected and click in the sample just beneath to open the Palette Ramp Editor.
• The Palette Ramp Editor allows you to choose, edit and create new color blends. Click on a sample on the right and edit it using the controls on the left. To remove or to change a color from the ramp, right-click on the node and choose the appropriate command (as shown on the right). Each node can be dragged around the ramp to change the distance with other nodes. This will affect how each node blends with the neighbouring nodes. 

  When you right-click on a color and choose Change Color, you can pick the color you want or write the RGB setting for any color near the bottom right of the Color Picker. The pale brown is color R:209, G:163, B:148 and the darker one is R:165, G:106, B:78. Use any color in this range to produce the same color as mine.

• You can use the Hue shift palette to control the tint used in the ramp. Using this tool, you can shift all the colors to a new set of blended colors.
• The Ring tool is very useful. Use it to rotate the color ramp. This will allow you to have a better control on where the different colors appear in the shape. For instance, if a pale color is too close to the edge of a shape, rotating the ramp will move it toward the middle.
• If you like your creation, you can add it to the thumbnail by clicking Add, it will be added to the end. To rename your newly created color ramp, right-click on it and choose Rename. When you save a color ramp, it will be available in other commands in PI where the palette ramps are available (for instance the gradient fill tools commands.)
• The ramp on the right is the one I used for the project. The pale areas will add glare to the locket.
• After you choose the gradient fill, click OK. You will return to the Gradient Fill dialog box. There, choose the 45° fill type.

• Click OK to return to the Material dialog box.
• In the Bevel tab, choose the first option in the 3D Custom section.
• In the Border/Depth tab, set the Border to a value of 3 or 4. Set the Depth to a value of your choice. Click Preview to see if you like the settings. Note: Try a negative value of about -8 for the Depth, you might like what you see.
• When you're done click OK. You image should resemble the following image:

Now, we need to create the original pearl that will be user around the locket.

• Choose Path Drawing Tool then click Select drawing shape on the toolbar to select the Circle.
• In the image draw a circular shape of about 12 x 12. The size is displayed on the left end of the status bar.
• Set the Mode to 3D Round, Border to a value between 5 and 7 and the Depth to a value between 25 and 30. If you cannot reach some of these values, click on Material and click the Border/Depth tab. Use the two spin buttons to set the value there. You want to have a spherical shape.
• Open the Easy Palette, in the Galleries section, open the Material Gallery and click on the Metallic group.
• Find and double-click Steel 3. Hint: You can modify a material from the gallery by right clicking on it then choosing Modify Properties and Apply. The material Steel 3 uses a bump map. Say you like the color and the reflection but don't want to apply the bump map. Right-click on the Steel 3 thumbnail, choose Modify Properties and Apply, in the Bump tab, uncheck Bump map. If you want, you can click on Add below the preview image to save the new setting under another name. The new preset will be saved in the My Gallery group at the bottom of the Galleries list. When you click OK the modified material will be applied to the selected shape.

Let's create the elliptical pearl border. PI 6 added a Fit Together command that duplicates a path along another path in just a few seconds. In PI 5, you can do the same thing manually, but it will take a few minutes of hard work. If you have PI 6, you can skip this section and go to the next one where I show you how to copy the pearl along an elliptical shape.

PI 5 method

• Select the pearl and open the Easy Palette's Wrap Gallery. Choose Path Repeat (Deform) then double-click on Repeat Oval.
• Now to cultivate your patience and skills, you need to edit the path along which the pearl was copied so that it fits well around the locket. Move the border on top of the locket and zoom in by hitting the + on the numeric keypad.
• While the border is selected, click Path Edit Tool then click the elliptical shape. Four nodes appear along the border. You need to move each nodes on the edge of the locket. Move the nodes at the four quadrants of the locket.

  Then click each node to stretch its handle until the border starts to have the same shape as the locket. The following image illustrate what I mean. Note: Make sure that the Non-free edit mode button is pressed in in the toolbar. You want the border to overlap with the locket a little. If it does not touch the locket, the border will seem to be separated from the locket.

• It takes a while but it can be done. Below is my image.

PI 6 method

• Those of you who have PI 6 will be happy for this tutorial. We can achieve the same result is just a few seconds without a headache. Click on Pick Tool and while you hold Ctrl, drag the locket somewhere in your image. This will create a duplicate.
• Hold Shift and click on the small pearl so that the locket AND the pearl are selected.
• Right-click in your image and choose Wrap/Fit Together. There you go, done!
• Now hold Shift and select the locket. When the locket and the border are selected, click on Center Both in the toolbar. That was easy, wasn't it?

In part 2 of this tutorial, we'll add the picture, the cover and the chain.

[ Part 2 ]