Adobe Creative Suite 4 Master

Put a personal spin on artwork and make your own decals with just a few quick clicks. With a specific technique in mind, such as etching, a variety of computer programs can help create stickers. The Photoshop graphics software from the Adobe Creative Suite offers the ability to transform photographs and drawings into etchings. For a more basic–and free–decal maker, try the Microsoft Paint program, available with the Windows installation, and create simple, cartoonlike etchings.

Using Photoshop

1. Step 1

   Open Photoshop and click “File,” then click “Open” and browse to a photo to use for the etching decal. Double-click it so it appears on the screen.

2. Step 2

   Click the “Filter” menu, then select “Stylize” and choose “Emboss.” The entire picture goes gray.

3. Step 3

   Move the “Height” slider bar to the left to remove all color information from the image, or to the right to have both etching and color detail.

4. Step 4

   Move the “Amount” slider bar to the right to determine how deep the etching goes in the photo.

5. Step 5

   Click the “Angle” circle to change the direction of the etching, flattening some areas and bringing others out more. Click the “OK” button when finished. This results in an etched photo. Move to the next step in this section to create a hand-drawn etched decal.

6. Step 6

   Click “File,” then click “New” and add the dimensions for the decal. Select “CMYK Color” from the “Mode” menu and “Transparent” from the “Contents” section.

7. Step 7

   Click the “Paintbrush” tool from the “Tools” palette on the left side of the screen, then double-click one of the overlapping, square-colored boxes. Choose a paint color, then click “OK.” Choose from the “Brush” menu at the top of the screen, then draw the design.

8. Step 8

   Notice the “Layer 1″ line in the “Layers” palette on the right side of the screen. Double-click it to get the “Layer Style” box. Click through the “Bevel and Emboss,” “Contour” and “Texture” boxes, watching the differences in the etching looks on the drawing. When satisfied, click the “OK” button.

Using Paint

9. Step 1

   Open Paint and click “Image,” then “Attributes.” Set the dimensions of the preferred decal and click the “OK” button. Click “View,” then choose “Zoom” and “Large Size;” this allows more room to draw. Click “Image” and make sure there is no check mark next to “Draw Opaque.” If there is, click the line and it will disappear. This allows for a transparent background for printing on clear decal paper, though it will not look so on the screen.

10. Step 2

    Click the “Paintbrush” tool and select the smallest, square, brush head from the “Tools” palette on the left side of the screen. Click a colored box in the “Color Picker” on the bottom of the screen. Or double-click any colored box for a rainbow of choices.

11. Step 3

    Draw the outline of the decal, then click the “Fill” tool, which looks like a spilling paint can. Click inside the outline and it fills with color.

12. Step 4

    Click the “Paintbrush” again, this time choosing one of the long, slash-mark brush heads. Click the black color box, then drag the cursor around the drawing’s outline to create a black border.

13. Step 5

    Repeat the process with a smaller, slash-mark brush head and a gray paint color, which resembles the outline or crevice seen in etching artwork.