Square Pop - forum set tutorial

This tutorial was written February 20, 2012. I used Corel X3, but it should work in other versions as well.

The supplies you need:
A tube of choice.
I have used an exclusive tube from Zebrush at Pics For Design. You have to be in PFD's exclusive club to purchase this. At least it was like this at the time of writing this tutorial.
For the second example at the bottom of the tutorial I used a tube from Francisco Rivera. You need a written permission to be able to use his art. 

Plugins:
Mura Meister - Copies
Xero - Fritillary
Eye Candy 5 - Extrude (Optional) (Other option mentioned)
Eye Candy 5 Impact - Perspective Shadow (Optional)

Font of choice. I used "Menuet Script".

Open a new image 650x250 and floodfill with white.
Make a gradient with a light and medium dark colour from your tube:

Make a new layer and floodfill with the gradient.
Duplicate this layer and on the bottom gradient layer, add Xero Fritillary at default  settings. Change the opacity to about 50% on this layer. Go to Effects - Edge Effects and add Edge Enhance.
Change the layer properties to multiply on the top layer.

Change your background colour the medium dark colour from your tube.
Use your rectangle tool and draw out a small square. 
Rotate the square with these settings: 

Center in canvas and convert to Raster.
Add Mura Meister Copies with these settings: 

With your selection tool, remove enough columns of squares on each side so that you only got the 3 centre ones left. See my tag for reference.
Go to Eye Candy 5 Extrude and add these settings to the rectangle layer: 

If you don't have Extrude you can duplicate the rectangle layer, change the colour  to white on the bottom rectangle layer and move it a little bit to the left. You will get a similar effect then. Add a drop 
shadow of choice. I used  2,2,60,8, Black on the white rectangles.

Add your tube and place it on the right side. Move it below the rectangles and change the layer properties to Multiply, or another one. Which ever works best for your tube. Change the opacity to 70%.
Activate your top layer and paste a close up of your tube on the left side and add a blurry drop shadow. I used Eye Candy - Impact - Perspective Shadow with the blurry preset.

Crop your tag.
Add a new layer and floodfill with a dark colour from your tube. Select all and contract selection by 1. Click delete and deselect.
Add your name. I used the Extrude with the same settings as earlier and added a drop shadow to it.

Add your copyright and save the tag as jpeg if you don't want to animate.

ANIMATION:
Now you got 2 options, depending on if you used Extrude on the rectangles or not:

1.If you used Extrude:
With your magic wand, make it so that all dark rectangles are selected. Promote this selection to layer and duplicate it twice, so that you have 3 layers in total.

2. If you didn't use Extrude on the rectangles:
Duplicate the dark rectangle layer so you have 3 in total.

Either way, on the top layer, add dsb flux - Bright Noise with 28 as intensity and on mix.
For the middle layer, add the same setting but click on Mix once. Do the same for the bottom rectangle layer but click Mix again.

Animate as usual and save as gif.

AVATAR:
In PSP, duplicate your tag and remove the tube layers, © layer, name and border.
Crop it to 150x150.
Add a new layer and floodfill with your dark colour. Select all, contract selection by 1 and click delete. Deselect.
Add your initial with the same font you used earlier.
If you want to, you can animate this like you did with the tag and save as gif.
And here is another sample: