Inter-twined Lacy Hearts

Two hearts intertwined! Perfect for a Valentine greeting! It's even dressed up with a lacy trim. You might call it faux rick-rack...but whatever it's called, it is super-easy to make! This Paint Shop Pro X tutorial will show you how to create the trim and the intertwining hearts effect. Use the finished image to create a Valentine, to frame a couple of photos, or maybe make a sig tag. Jump to Step 6 to preview image as a frame and Step 7 for a couple of other ideas.
What you need:

This tutorial was written for Paint Shop Pro version X but any version with vectors can do the job! Actually, with a few more steps, hearts can be created without vector tools...so any version of PSP will do!
You'll also need a Preset Shape in the form of a heart. If I remember correctly, no heart shapes are provided with PSP X. My shapes for all PSP versions are grouped together in the same folder and I can't remember for sure which shapes came with which version. I've included one here for download...just in case! This heart shape was provided by Jasc in a previous version of PSP. Download and unzip into your Preset Shapes folder. This shape is in the new .PspShape format. PSP 7 and older won't recognize this format.

Step 1. Create First Heart Shape

Open new image, 400x400 pixels. Use either a colored raster background or a transparent background, your choice.
Select red for stroke color. Set NONE for the fill color. We'll be creating a heart with nothing in center.

Select the Preset Shape tool. Select the Heart-1 shape from the Tool Options palette shape list. (Heart-1 is the heart you downloaded from above and unzipped into your Preset Shapes folder.) Check 'Create as Vector' and 'anti-alias'. Line style 'solid' with a pixel width of 20.
Draw heart in upper left area of canvas. Size of heart shown here is approximately 200x200.
If you plan on using hearts as photo frame and want to create it larger, consider increasing stroke size in this step and all following steps. If you can't fit 2 larger hearts side by side, you will also have to increase canvas size.
Important: Heart is positioned in upper left quadrant of canvas to leave room for 2nd heart. If your heart is in the middle, move it now. From this step on...do NOT change alignment of the hearts except as described in following steps.

Step 2. Create heart layers

Duplicate layer 2 times for a total of 3 hearts. Layers>Duplicate (twice).
Let's hide visibility of top layer to get it out of our way for now. Click the "eye" button on the layer palette to hide the TOP heart layer (heart #3).
Select the MIDDLE heart layer (heart #2) on Layer palette. Select heart shape with Pick tool. Select Properties from Tool Options.
Change stroke to 3, stroke color to white.
Change line style to 'Opposing Arrowheads Overlap'.
Click OK. You should now have a lacy-looking white pattern in center red as shown in this image.

You may have a gap in 'lace' pattern at top of heart (at the point). We'll need to touch this up using Paintbrush. First, convert this layer to raster layer (Layers>Convert to Raster), then touch up any pattern flaws by adding a few white pixels with a small brush in area outlined in above image. Zoom in on your image to see better.
Next, click the 'eye' button on the layer palette to show the top heart layer (heart #3), Select the top heart with Pick tool. From Tool Options, select Properties. Change stroke width to 7. Click OK.
Note: If the Properties dialog is showing white for stroke color...you forgot to select the top heart first...heart should be red!
Convert this layer to raster layer. Your heart should look like the one shown below (except you won't have any drop shadows yet).

Step 3. Add Some Drop Shadows

Your first heart is complete except for adding a little drop shadow to the lace for a 3D effect.
Select top layer. Add a slight drop shadow with Effects>3D Effects>Drop Shadow. Settings: Horizontal +2, Vertical +2, Opacity 50%, Blur 2, color Black. Leave 'Shadow on new layer' UNchecked.
Note: You may have to adjust settings for drop shadows to get the same effect on a heart that is much larger.
Select layer that is 2nd from top (white heart 'lace'). Apply drop shadow with same settings.
Click the 'eye' button on the layer palette to HIDE the background-color layer (if you have one) and merge all visible layers (Layers>Merge Visible). If you're using a background-color, you can make it visible again after merging heart layers.

Step 4. Intertwine the Hearts

Select the Merged layer. Right click layer button and select Duplicate. This new layer is probably named 'Copy of Merged' by default. Drag the new layer button BELOW the Merged layer. For ease of explanation, the heart on the right should be the bottom heart.
Use the Mover tool or Pick tool to move the copy of heart to the right and down a little from the first heart as shown in all examples.

Make the heart on RIGHT the active layer (Copy of Merged). Use the Magic Wand to create a selection (tolerance 20, anti-alias checked but no feather). With Magic Wand, click the background space around the heart, hold Shift key down and click the interior of the shape.
Invert the selection (Selections>Invert).
Tighten up this selection a bit by selecting: Selections>Modify>Contract. Enter 1, click OK.
Make the heart on LEFT the active layer (Merged layer). The selection marquee should still be around the heart on the RIGHT but the heart on the left is the active layer.
Select Eraser tool. Size 5-10, Hardness 100, Step 10, Density 100, Thickness 100, Rotation 0, Opacity 100.
Erase the part of heart on the LEFT that we want to cross UNDER the other heart. Location of spot to erase is shown in above image.
Selections>Select None.

Step 5. Add Drop Shadow and Valentine Greeting

Hide visibility for background layer if you are using a background. Merge the 2 visible heart layers.
Add Drop Shadow to merged layer with these settings: Horizontal +3 Vertical +3, Opacity 30%, Blur 4, color Black. This time you can CHECK the box to create "Shadow on New Layer" if you want.

That's it. Your hearts are done. Now you can embellish with a Valentine message or frame your photos or create a sig tag!
Valentine greeting: Create a new layer to add text message of your choice. Add a drop shadow to your text to match heart shadow.
The font used above is "Fiolex Girls". The little heart embellishments are part of the font. You can get it at DaFont.
When done, export your creation as an optimized GIF. File>Export>GIF Optimizer.
Save your original .pspimage file with heart and greeting on separate layers so you can easily change the greeting or use hearts for something else.

Step 6. Double Heart Photo Frame

Gather a couple of photos to frame with the intertwined hearts.
Duplicate the .pspimage version of your intertwined hearts and work with a copy of the original file. Window>Duplicate
Copy each of your photos and paste into image as a new layer. Edit>Paste as New Layer.
Create a new layer for EACH photo and place these layers BELOW the heart layer.
Use the Mover tool to move images around until they fit inside heart opening just perfectly! ;-) If you have to Resize photo, don't forget to UNcheck 'all layers'.
You will probably have parts of each photo extending beyond edge of heart. We'll just trim them to fit inside heart. On your Layer Palette, select the Merged layer...the one containing the double heart 'frame'. With the Magic Wand, click in the empty space around outside of the hearts. Enlarge the selection by clicking Selections>Modify>Expand. Expand by 10 pixels. This will hide the 'cut edge' behind the heart shape.
On your Layer Palette, select the layer button for the photo on left side and then Cut.
Next,select the layer button for the photo on right side and Cut.
Selections>Select None.
Merge all layers and export as optimized JPEG. File>Export>JPEG Optimizer.

Step 7. Animations, Sig Tags and other things.

What else can you make with your intertwined hearts? Here's a couple of ideas....an animation and a sig tag!

In above animation, a portion of the hearts were filled with an animated glitter tile. See tutorial 'Hearts-a-Glitter' for how to create animated glitter effect. In the image below, a reduced copy of the intertwined hearts was used with the "Fiolex Girls" font to create a sig tag.

Hope you enjoy making the hearts! I'm sure someone will enjoy receiving the Valentine!