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1.  Create a new image, 400x400 pixels,
with a transparent background. Select whatever colour you want your balloon to
be as a foreground colour - for this tutorial, I used #ED4A46. Choose the Shape tool, make the Shape
Type a circle, Style filled, Line Width 1 and tick both
the Create as Vector and Antialias boxes. Draw a circle in
the centre of your canvas. |
2. Hold down the CTRL button and
click on the bottom left hand square. A four pointed arrow with a little
image of a "roof-shaped" rectangle should appear. Drag the
square towards the right until it's about halfway between it's starting position & the
middle square. Let go of the CTRL button. You should now have a nice balloon shape. |
3. In the Layer Palette, right-click on your vector layer and choose Convert to Raster from the drop down menu. |
4. Decrease the opacity of this layer to 68%. Double click on the layer and name it Balloon. |
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5. Right-click on your Balloon layer again and choose Duplicate from the drop down menu. Double click on Copy of Balloon and rename it Right Shadows. Make the Opacity of this layer 80%. |
6. Go to Image/Effects/Cutout. Make Fill Interior with Color UNticked, Shadow a darker shade of your balloon - I used #670D0D, Opacity60, Blur 60, Verical 10 and Horizontal -20. Apply the cutout. |
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7. Right-click on the layer called Balloon again and choose Duplicate. Name this new layer Left Shadow. Make the Opacity of this layer 80% too. |
8. Go to Image/Effects/Cutout. Make Fill Interior with Color UNticked, keep Shadow the same colour, Opacity50, Blur 60, Verical -10 and Horizontal 20. Apply the cutout. |
9. Create a new raster layer  above all your other layers. Name this layer Highlight. |
10. Make your Forground Color white. Click on the  Line Tool. Make Type Freehand, Style Stroked, Width 20, Antialias ticked, Create as Vector and Close Path UNticked. Click on the second tab of the Tool Palette and use the settings as shown. |
11. On your canvas, draw two lines as shown in the image adjacent.
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12. Choose the  Freehand Selection Tool. Make Selction Type Freehand, Feather 0 and Antialias ticked. Use the tool to make a triangular selection at the top end of the first highlight, then press delete. This will just make the highlight look a little better. |
| 13.
Go to Image/Effects/Blur/Gaussian Blur and set the radius to 3. Apply the blur. |
14. Make your Foreground Colour a darker shade of your balloon colour. Choose the Shape Tool. Make Shape Type Triangle, Style Filled, Line Width 1, Antialias ticked and Create as Vector ticked. Use the tool to make a triangle at the bottom of your balloon. |
15. Zoom in on your triangle. Click on the  Vector Object Selection Tool. Right click on the triangle and choose Node Edit from the drop down menu. Right click on the little square on the bottom left hand side and choose Node Type/Curve before |
16. Click on the "handle" that appears and drag it outwards to make the bottom of the triangle curve. |
17. Right click on the node again and choose Node Type/Curve After. Click on the triangle of the handle that now appears and drag it to the right to make the left-hand side of the triangle curve inwards. |
18. Right click on the little square on the bottom right hand side and choose Node Type/Curve Before. Click on the triangle of the handle that now appears and drag it to the right to make the right-hand side of the triangle curve inwards. |
19. Click on the node at the top point on the triangle and press CTRL+S. 2 handles now appear. Click on one an drag outwards - you will see that the point becomes more rounded. Click on the node again and drag it downwards so that it rests just on the bottom point of the balloon. |
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20. Right click on your reformed triangle and choose Quit Node Editing |
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21. On the Layer Palette, right click on the vector layer and choose Convert to Raster. Drop the opacity of this layer down to 80%. |
22. Click on the Line Tool. Keep the same settings as before, only change the Width to 2. Draw a curved line on the tie of the balloon as shown, to add some depth. |
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23. In the Layer Palette, right click on on of the layers and choose Merge/Merge Visible. You now have a transparent balloon ready to be tubes. You could always use the Rope tube or the Line Tool to add some string to your balloon. |
| Your Balloon is
complete! |
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