How To Create An Alpha

If you have any questions or requests please e-mail me here:

psp.alphagirl@gmail.com

*This tutorial will work with PSP 10 and lower. 

*You will need to download a free font program like 

AMP Font Viewer 

There are other font programs but AMP is compatible with PSP.

Before you start out on your journey of creating alphas, you should know that my 

way of creating alphas is not the only way. There are many ways that people do 

this and some of them might even be easier, than the way I am showing you here. 

Once you do this a few times, you may discover a few tricks along the way that 

will surprise you and make the process of creating alphas more enjoyable. 

The more you play with PSP the more you learn.

Some of the new things that you learn, will be from the mistakes you make.

So don't panic.  If you make a mistake, just go to the top of your toolbar and 

click Edit and Undo.

This tutorial is for creating a .png alpha. The reason for this is that the .png

format leaves your letters looking just the way you made them, and also your 

alphas can remain transparent.

If you want to create an animated alpha, you will have to save your alphas in

Animation Shop, which means that you will also have to deal with the Gif 

Optimizer Tool and this can be a pain.

The Gif Optimizer has been known to take your pretty letters and turn them

into letters with jagged and fuzzy edges.

I want your alpha creating experience to be fun, so this tutorial is for a .png

alpha. Once you get the hang of it, and build up some self-confidence, you can 

try out the Gif Optimizer Tool with your animated alpha.

Choose the graphic you would like to use for your alpha. Keep in mind, that

people use alphas to create name tags or extras. If the graphic and/or the font 

is too large, and there are a lot of letters in the person's name, the finished tag 

will be enormous.

I am using a tube from the PSP Tube Depot.

The artist is Billy and the name of the tube is AHalloGirl.

You can find his tubes here

Before you get started it's a good idea to create a folder for your alpha.

You can name it anything you like. I usually choose the name of the alpha and 

the date I created it.

When you have your tube opened up in PSP choose the colors that you want to use.

I am using black #000000 for the foreground (the outline color)

and orange #d1550b for the background (the fill color)

Deciding which font to use can be tricky. You'll want to use a font that compliments

your graphic and if possible, one that has both upper and lowercase.

I am using the Yataghan font and it can be found here:

Yataghan font

~STEP 1~

Open your Font Viewer and keep it minimized.
It's a good idea to have an idea which font you would like to use.

When I first started to create alphas, my letters were small,
and the font size was usually around 48 and I was able to
put both my upper and lowercase letters on one  600 x 600 sheet.
As the years went by my letters gradually became larger and now my 
font size is around 85 and my uppercase and lowercase letters each have 
their own 900 x 800 sheet.  

Click on File and then New. You will need plenty of room for your letters.

When I first started making alphas, my workspace was pretty small compared

to the size it is now, and the font size I picked was usually around 48.

Now it seems that I've doubled everything.

These are the settings I use:

Width 900 Pixels
Height 800 Pixels
Raster Background
16 Million Colors (24bit)
Transparent Checked 

This is what your workspace should look like:

~STEP 2~

Open your AMP Font Viewer and find the font you want to use and then
highlight it like the example below.

It will show up in your drop down menu in PSP when you click on the Text Tool.

The Text Tool is on your side tool bar and looks like the capital A.

The font size is important. You don't want your letters to be too large or too small.

For this font I chose size 48. 

~Step 3~

I usually create both Uppercase and Lowercase letters and save them.
You never know if you're going to get interrupted.

We will start with the Uppercase letters first.
Set your Caps Lock button and type in each letter of the alphabet. 
I keep a Notepad file handy with all the letters because it's so easy to miss a 
letter or two.  It saves you a lot of time and all you have to do is Copy and Paste. 
Your Text Tool settings should look like this:
(click on the image to view full size)

Make sure that you leave enough room in between each letter so that you will
not have to use the Eraser Tool. Once you are finished typing in your letters it 
should look something like this:

Click on the Apply button and now you have dancing ants around each letter.

~Step 4~

Now you will want to add an Inner Bevel to give your letters a finished or
polished look.

There are many different effects that you can give your letters. You can use a
simple effect like Inner Bevel that automatically comes with PSP, or you can 
use various plugins like SuperBlade Pro.

At the top of your toolbar Click on Effects-3D Effects-Inner Bevel

You do not have to use these settings.
Keep in mind that the font you use will determine what your results
will look like.  Some settings will make your letters look puffy in all the 
wrong places, so feel free to play around with the different bevels, etc.

Click OK. Go to Selections and Select None.
Your letters should look something like this:

Click on File and Save As "alpha-A-Z.psp".

If your PSP crashes, or if you have to take a break and come back to this later,
your letters are safe.

You can even use them for another alpha.

Now, let's make your Lowercase letters.

Click on File and New with the same settings and type in your Lowercase letters.

Add the Inner Bevel using the same settings for your Uppercase letters.

Click on File and Save As "alpha-aa-zz.psp" and then minimize this for later.

~Step 5~

Now comes the fun part. Your letters are ready to be "cut", "copied" and "saved".

With this long and drawn out process you will do a lot of Right-Clicking,
copying and saving.

At first, it will seem tedious and nerve-wracking but once you get used to it,
you'll be amazed at how quickly you can finish an alpha. If you make a mistake 
just click Edit and Undo.

This is your Selection Tool. It looks like a rectangle with dancing ants.

Once you have clicked on your Selection Tool, go around the Letter A like this:

Right-Click and choose Copy.

Now click on Selections at the top of your toolbar and choose Select None

This prepares your canvas for the next letter.

~Step 6~

Right-Click inside your workspace.
Not the space where your letters are, and choose

Paste As New Image

This is what your letter A should look like.

Click on File and Save As.
Name it A.png and make sure the file format says .png.

If your file name says .png but your file format says .psp,
you will not be able to use it.

It's been my experience that when I've forgotten to change the format
from .psp to .png I was not able to re-open that file in PSP to correct it.

~Step 7~

Right-Click on the Letter A and choose Copy. Close out the original.

Go to your side toolbar and choose your Mover Tool. It sits right above
the Selection Tool.

You need to do this so you can place and move your Letter A onto the graphic.

Now you're ready to add the copy of your Letter A to your graphic.

Right-Click on the title bar of your graphic and choose Paste As New Layer

Your letter will automatically be placed in the center of your graphic. 
As a result, sometimes when you try to move the letter, your graphic will move 
instead of the letter. Don't panic.

If you should happen to move your graphic instead of the letter just click
Edit and Undo.

When you move your Letter A to a suitable place on your graphic, remember,
that your alpha will most likely be used for a name tag, so place it towards the 
right of your graphic.

When you are happy with it, save it as A1.png.

Here is what mine looks like:

~Step 8~

Once you have saved your A1.png go up to Edit and Undo Paste New Layer.

If you placed your Letter A, then changed your mind and moved it again,

you may have to Undo Move a few times before you get to
Undo Paste New Layer.

~Step 9~

Now it's time for the Letter B. Follow the same steps (5-7).

1.Go around the Letter B with your Selection Tool.

2. Right-Click and Copy

3.Go to the top of your toolbar-Selections--Select None.

4.Right-Click inside your workspace and Paste As New Image

5.Save as B.png then Right-Click and Copy. Close out original letter.

6.Click on your Mover Tool

7.Right-Click on title of your graphic and Paste As New Layer

8.Place your letter and save as B1.png

9.Go to Edit and Undo Move until you Undo Paste New Layer

Do this for all of your uppercase letters. C and C1; D and D1 etc.

Now you are ready for the lowercase letters.

~Step 10~

Open your Lowercase letters and choose your Selection Tool.

The lowercase letters can be done rather quickly, compared to your
uppercase letters as you are not pasting them into your graphic.

Following the same steps as with your uppercase letters, surround the
letter "a" Right-Click and Copy

Click on Selections and Select None.

Right-Click and Paste As New Image

Save As aa.png, bb.png, cc.png etc.

Do this with all of your lowercase letters.

~Step 11~

Now that you've finished your alpha it's time to make your Made By tag.

Go back to your graphic. At the top of your toolbar click on Layers. 
Add New Raster Layer

Go to your Text Tool and type in Alpha by "and the name you want to use".

Save as Alpha-by-your-name.png