Star Flux - a forum set tutorial with Khuantru

(Click on the tag to see the animation)
This tutorial was written February 5, 2013. I used Corel X3, but it should work in other versions as well.

The supplies you need:
A tube of choice.
I used a tube from Khuantru. This was a FTU tube at the time I wrote this tutorial and you can get it at Indie-Zine.
In my second example at the bottom, I used one of the gorgeous tubes from Barbara Jensen.

Materials you need:
Mura Meister - Copies
Eye Candy 5 - Gradient Glow (Optional)
Font of choice. I used StarbabeHmk. In the second example, I used a font called Bourbon.

Let's get a move on...

Open new 600x250 pick 2 colors from your tube, a light and medium dark color.
Make a foreground/background gradient with these settings:

Floodfill the layer.

Add a new layer and make a custom selection like this:

Floodfill the selection with black, selections - select none.

Image rotate - 35% to the left. 

MuraMeister Copies - Cards with this setting:

Move the black lines a little bit up and towards the right. See my tag for reference.

Add a new layer - choose a preset shape. I used a preset called "abs-stars #10" (I don't remember where I got this from)
but you can use any you want. Center in canvas and convert to raster.

MuraMeister Copies - Tiling with these settings:

Go to the black lines layer. With your magic wand, click on some of the areas, like this for instance:

Expand the seletion by 3. Activate the preset shape layer and hit delete. Deselect.

Duplicate the preset shape layer for a total of 4 layers.The bottom layer is only for dropshadow.
On the 3 preset shape layers, go to Adjust - Add/remove noise - Add noise, Uniform, Monochrome ticket:
preset layer 1 50% noise
preset layer 2 48% noise
preset layer 3 46% noise
Add a dropshadow to the bottom preset shape layer. I used 3,3,50,8 black.

Activate the bottom layer and paste a closeup of your tube.
Move in position.

Activate the black lines again and click on the bottom area with your magic vand.
Expand by 2, invert.

Actiave the closeup again and hit delete.
Change the blendmode to something suitable.
I used Soft Light and lowered the opacity to 50%.

Go to the black lines and add the same dropshadow as mentioned earlier.

Activate the top layer and add your tube again.
Resize it to fit. I resized mine by 50%, but it all depends on the size of the tube.
Add the same dropshadpw as you did in the other layers.

Add a new layer and floodfill it with black. Select all and contract by 5 and hit delete.
Click Invert and contract by 2. Zoom in and floodfill with either of the 2 colors you used for your gradient.
I used the light one. Select none and add a dropshadow: 0,0,100,8 black.


Add your name and add Gradient Glow (Optional) with these settings:

Add the copyright info.

Animate as usual.
I animated mine in Photoshop but you can also animate it in Animation Shop.
You can find a Photoshop tutorial on how to animate at Rebel-dezings. Don't forget to check out some of the other cool stuff that René Kunert has there.

Here is another example, using the gorgeous art by Barbara Jensen:(Click on the tag to see the animation)