What are Environmental Maps and Bump Maps?
(The Balls and Bubbles Feature Explained)

PSP8 introduces several new features that will be unfamiliar to most people. However if you're familiar with using plugin filters such as Blade Pro and Super Blade Pro, understanding how the new Balls and Bubbles filter works should be a snap. Similar to Blade Pro, PSP8 now lets you choose both environmental maps (separate jpg images which provide colour and detail to your final image) and bump maps (greyscale images which provide surface texture and pattern) to render your images with. When used in conjunction with each other inside the Balls and Bubbles tool, you can get some impressive results with rendering images to show defined surface areas, such as metallic-looking orbs.

(Please note, this tut is based on a Beta version of PSP8, so your results may vary slightly from mine....please don't worry if that happens - the basics will still be the same).

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1.  Open a new image with the below settings, 200 x 200. Right-click on the colour square, and choose black as the background fill, then hit OK (see below). Next choose red as the foreground colour.

            

2.  Now we need to open up the Balls and Bubbles dialogue box (see below) Effects>Artistic Effects>Balls and Bubbles.

3.  Let's take a minute to check out it out:

The dialogue box you are now looking at is the Shape tab. Before we do anything else, click on the 'Reset to Default' icon (the curved arrow) in the top right corner. Now click on the 'Surface' tab, right-click on the Material box and change the colour to red as I've already done. You don't have to worry about changing anything else while you're there, just the Material box. When you've done that, click on the 'Shape' tab to come back. It's o.k......you can take your time......I can wait........;-)

For the moment, all we need to know is that at its basic level, Balls and Bubbles let us create round objects (such as opalescent bubbles) so let's create some right now.