This tutorial was written by me on May 16, 2021. The results are of my own imagination.  Any resemblance to another tutorial is purely coincidental.  

Please DO NOT claim this tutorial as your own.

This was written assuming you have a working knowledge of PS.

Please keep in mind that I write the tutorial as I am creating it.

Sometimes I may not explain properly where to place things so please see my example if you are ever in doubt :)

Supplies needed

I am using Adobe Photoshop 2021 but this tutorial should work with any version.

You can download the 7 day trial of PS here.

PTU Tube:  I am using Attila's beautiful tube "Amphitrite".  Please do not use this tube without a proper license. You can purchase this beauty here.

I am using the extended license tube for this tutorial.

PTU Kit:  I am using a gorgeous matching kit called "Song to the Siren" created by Atelier de Minja.  You can purchase her beautiful kit here.

PTU Animation:  I am using Rebel Dezigns awesome animation 1820 from pack 605.  You can purchase her awesome animations here.

Mask: 931 by Vivienne's Paintbox.  You can download it from her blog here.  Thank you for your awesome masks.  I'm using the png version for this tutorial.

Please see Rene's Animation How-to for PS here.  

Font of choice for your name. 

Plug in: None

Drop shadow of choice.

Please read all the Artist's/Designer's TOU.

To open an image, I click on the element or paper in the file folder and drag it into PS.

To transfer an element or paper in PS to my tag, I left click and drag it into my working canvas.  

The other way is to left click and drag the element from the folder right onto your tag. 

Either way you will get the same results but the resizing will be different :).  I will be using the both method for this tutorial.

For resizing and rotating I use the Ctrl+T command.

To mirror or Flip go to Edit>Transform>Flip Horizontal (mirror) or Flip vertical (Flip).

Remember to save often.

Let's get started.

Open a new 800x800 transparent image.  We will resize later.

Go to layers, New fill layer, solid color.  When the pop up window appears type in FFFFFF and click ok.

Drag Vivienne's mask into the tag.  Resize 23% and move to the top right of the canvas.

Drag paper 5 into the tag.  Click the check mark.  Standing on the paper layer, right click and create a clipping mask.

Drag paper 6 into the tag.  Resize 17.17% and move over the mask.  Right click and create a clipping mask.  Change the blend mode to Linear Burn.

Drag Vivienne's mask into the tag.  Resize 29%, mirror and move to the bottom left of the canvas.

Drag paper 4 into the tag. Resize 25.53% and move over the mask.  Standing on the paper layer, right click and create a clipping mask.

Drag Spray 5 into the tag.  Resize 28.40% and move to the top right of the upper mask. 

Drag element 68 into the tag.  Resize 35.90% and move to the center of the tag.

Drag element 77 into the tag.  Resize 20.91% and move to the lower right of the upper mask.  Duplicate, mirror and move to the top left of the upper mask.

Select element 68 and copy it.  Drag the layer to the top.  Resize 19.29% and move to lower right of the upper mask.

Select Spray 5 layer and copy it.  Move to the bottom right center of the tag.

Drag element 81 into the tag.  Resize 15.31% and move to the top of the upper mask.

Drag element 5 into the tag.  Resize 15.42% and move to the top left of the lower mask.

Drag element 71 into the tag.  Resize 5.57% and move to the lower right of the skull rocks.

Drag element 26 into the tag.  Resize 5.31% and move to the upper right of the skull rocks.

Drag element 13 into the tag.  Resize 10.59% and move to the lower left of the fish.

Drag element 34 into the tag.  Resize 6.87% and move to the bottom of element 13.

Drag element 7 into the tag.  Resize 8.66% and move to the bottom of element 34.

Drag element 17 into the tag.  Resize 7.61% and move to the bottom right of element 7.

Drag element 8 into the tag.  Resize 12.25% and move to the bottom of element 17.

Drag element 39 into the tag.  Resize 3.72% and move to the bottom of the barrels.

Drag element 6 into the tag.  Resize 13.88% and move to the bottom center of the elements.  See mine for placement.

Drag element 3 into the tag.  Resize 8.44% and move to the top left of the ship.

Drag cluster 1 into the tag.  Resize 11.10% and move to the bottom right of the ship.

Drag element 36 into the tag.  Resize 12.79% and move to the center of the ship.

Drag element 52 into the tag.  Resize 9.27% and move to the bottom center of the ship.

Drag element 46 into the tag.  Resize 18.07% and move to the bottom right of the ship.

Drag element 35 into the tag.  Resize 9.66% and move to the bottom right of the rocks.

Drag element 18 into the tag.  Resize 7.28% and move to the over the rocks.

Drag element 22 into the tag.  Resize 8.12% and move to the bottom right of the broken sails.

Drag element 31 into the tag.  Resize 6.93% and move to the bottom right of the rocks.

Drag element 41 into the tag.  Resize 7.43%, mirror and move to the upper left of the ship.

Drag element 82 into the tag.  Resize 7.72% and move to the top left of element 41.

Drag element 80 into the tag.  Resize 8.63% and move to the top left of element 82.

Drag element 30 into the tag.  Resize 12.71% and move to over the rocks.

Drag element 61 into the tag.  Resize 9.06% and move to the left of the rocks.

Drag element 69 into the tag.  Resize 10.08% and move to the bottom of element 30.

Drag element 70 into the tag.  Resize 13.99% and move to the right of element 69.

Drag element 29 into the tag.  Resize 10.44% and move to the left of element 70.

Drag element 77 into the tag.  Resize 20.91%, mirror and move to the far lower left of the elements.  See mine for placement.

Drag element 85 into the tag.  Resize 6.52% and move to the left of the water splash on the right of the tag.

Drag spray 4 into the tag.  Resize 23.90% and move to the bottom of the elements on the left.

Drag element 33 into the tag.  Resize 13.12% and move to the bottom of the broken planks.

Drag element 62 into the tag.  Resize 29.04% and move to the bottom left of the mask.

Drag element 4 into the tag.  Resize 12.25% and move just below the swordfish.

Drag element 41 into the tag.  Resize 7.43% and move to the bottom of the ship wheel.

Drag element 14 into the tag.  Resize 10.30% and move to the bottom right of the ship wheel.

Drag element 75 into the tag.  Resize 14.17% and move to the bottom rocks by the wood planks.

Drag cluster 2 into the tag.  Resize 10.35% and move to the bottom of element 41 on the sand.

Drag element 77 into the tag.  Resize 20.91% and move to the bottom left of the sand.

Drag the main tube into PS.  Unhide the layers you would like to use for your tag by clicking on the eyeball on the left side of the layer.

Now hold down the Ctrl key and clicking on each of the visible layers.  Go to Layers>Group layers or hit Ctrl + G on the keyboard.

Drag the group into the tag.  Right click on the group and Convert to Smart Object.  Resize 17% and move onto the sand so her tail is on the water.

Drag element 15 into the tag.  Resize 4.92% and move to the bottom of cluster 2.

Drag Wordart1 into the tag.  Resize 13.66% and move over the lower part of the tube.

Drag element 16 into the tag.  Resize 6.27% and move over the tail.

Drag element 38 into the tag.  Resize 5.02% and move to the bottom left of the sand castle.

Drag element 57 into the tag.  Resize 5.25% and move to the right of the crown.

Drag element 56 into the tag.  Resize 7.73% and move to the bottom of the comb.

Drag element 78 into the tag.  Resize 5.46% and move to the top left of the shells.

Drag element 50 into the tag.  Resize 7.19% and move to the bottom of the fish.

Drag element 24 into the tag.  Resize 9.60% and move to the bottom between the two rocks.

Drag element 32 into the tag.  Resize 4..08% and move to the lower part of the mermaid.

Add any other elements you like and make any adjustments to the layers.

Crop away any extra space.  

Image, Image Size and resize 650 on the longest side.  

Oh almost forgot we need to drop shadow all of our elements.  I actually do the drop shadow at the end :)

Select the element on the bottom of your tag in the layer pallet and double click it.

A layer style window will pop up.  Click on Drop shadow. and use the following settings.

Now right click on the layer you just applied the drop shadow.  Click copy layer style.

Now click on the layer above and hold down the shift key, select the  top layer.  Right click and paste layer styles.  Drop shadow complete :)

Add your copyright and name.

If you do not want to animate.  Hide the white background layer Save your tag and export as png.

Might want to grab a coffee :)

Select the tube layer, right click and duplicate.

Standing on the duplicate layer, right click and clear layer style.  Go to Filter, Blur, Gaussian Blur and type in 3.  Click ok.  Change the blend mode to soft light.

Open Rebel Dezigns psd file in PS.  You will notice that there is 25 layers in this animation and it does not have the group layer.  

We need to group all odd the layers.  Starting from layer 25, hold down your control key and select each odd layer so the next one will be 23 then 21 etc.  Once all the odd layers are selected (the layers will be highlighted in blue) we need to group them.  All odd layers selected? 

Next we need to group these layers.  Go to Layers, Group layers or Ctrl + G on the Keyboard.  You will see group 1 folder at the top.  Make sure Group 1 is selected.

Select the layer you would like the animation to be placed.  I selected element 75 layer.

Back to the animation.  Click on Group 1 and drag it into your tag.  Ctrl+T and resize 35%.  Move behind the mermaid.  

Close the original animation and don't save changes.

Click on the little white arrow beside Group 1 to expand it.  Click on the eyeball of each layer to hide it but leave frame layer 1 visible.  Click on the arrow beside group one to hide it as we do not want to accidentally make any changes.

Next make sure your Timeline viewer is open on the bottom of PS.  I you do not see a row that has Timeline on the bottom, go to Windows, Timeline.

In the center of the Timeline viewer you will see a drop down box.  On the drop down select Create Frame Animations.

Next is animating.

Click on the little icon (four white lines) at the right end of the animation screen then select make frames from layers.

You are going to see a big mess in the animation window but we are going to fix this.

Click on the first frame and click on the trash can in the animation window.  Repeat this until you reach the first frame of the animation.  

Now you should be at the first frame of the animation.  Click on frame 14 and hit the trash can.  Repeat for all the remaining frames.  You should be left with 13 frames in the animation window.  This is the amount of frames for our animation.

This next step is very important.  Any changes you do from here you must be on frame 1 in the Timeline viewer. It will be highlighted in blue.

Go to the bottom of your tag in the layers pallet.  Make sure you have animation frame 1 selected.

Click on the eyeball beside each layer to make it visible.  For the white base layer you may have to click on the eyeball a couple of times to make it visible in all the animation frames.  It's a Photoshop thing.  Do not touch the group layer.

Next, I want to slow down the animation.  With the first frame selected, hold down the shift key and click on frame 13.  This will select all the frames.

Next, click on the little black arrow beside the 0 sec as we want to change the speed.  A pop up window will appear.  

I selected 0.2 Sec.  Now click on the play button to view the animation.  Click on it again to stop it.

Click frame 1 again so we don't accidentally make any changes.

Now to save our tag as a gif.

Go to File>Export>Save for Web(Legacy).

A new pop up window will appear.  Change the settings to my screen shot below.  Click on the image to enlarge it if needed.  Click save.  My screen shot will look different but the settings are the same.

I hope you have enjoyed my tutorial.  I would love to see your results.