Pimp A Myspace Profile Picture

1. Open a new document sized (height:210 width:172 ), now lets start by creating a pimpish background. Open a new layer then Select the 'Elliptical Marquee Tool' and make a circle, position it like the example below: (please not, it may take couple of tryouts to get your circle like mine)

2. We shall add some color.. so select the 'Gradient Tool' (use the settings shown in my example) now click and drag on the document until you get the line (shown in example to)

3. Click Filter > Distort > Ripple, now use these settings: (amount:100% size:medium) and hit enter. You should now have a nice ripple effect

4. Now we need to get that zooming effect, to do this click Filter > Pixelate > Mezzotint, (type: long stokes) - now click Filter > Blur > Radial Blur and use these settings (amount: 100; blur method: zoom; quality: best)

5. Duplicate the layer (Image > Duplicate) now click: edit > transform > flip horizontal.. that should flip the layer, We need to do this again but horizontally: edit > transform > flip horizontal, now move the layer to the bottom right, change mode to 'linear burn' and lastly we need to merge the layer down - to do this we click 'Layer > Merge Down'.

6. Now lets lighten it up little and add a border ... To do this we change the opacity of the layer to 50% and change the mode to 'pin light'. Now make a new layer and select the 'Rectangular Marquee Tool' use it to highlight the entire layer - whilst its highlighted right click anywhere on the document and click 'stroke' change the settings to: (width:4px; location:center; mode:normal; opacity:20%)

7. Right, lets add a nice background grid, so open a new document (width:3; height:6; background contents: transparent) - now zoom in to 1600% (click the magnifying icon) and copy the same pattern as below, once you've done that, we then need to define it as a pattern, so click Edit > Define Pattern, give it a name and click ok. (You will not need this document open anymore)

8. Switch back to our first document.. Now lets add the background, but first we need a new layer for it (shift+ctrl+n) highlight the entire document, click the 'Rectangular Marquee Tool' use it to highlight the entire layer. Once done Right Click > Fill... (select the background pattern we just made in step 7 from the contents box) click ok.

9. Make sure the layer that contains 'step 8' the background grid is selected, now press the shortcut keys 'ctrl+u' this will bring up the hue/saturation menu, change the lightness to +100 and click ok. Lastly change the opacity to 25%.

10. Time to grab your photo!.. do this by loading your photo in a NEW document, then cut around yourself and add it to our document.

11. Before we pimp yourself, lets add a border giving us a glowing effect. Now we need to get the outline shape of yourselves. Do this my holding 'ctrl' and clicking yourself in the layers menu. Now create a new layer (page icon). Now click 'select' > 'modify' > 'expand' enter 5 and click ok. Fill the shape in white. Click filter > blur > gaussian blur, change the radius to: 14. Finally, move that layer behind your actual photo layer.

12. Time to pimp ourselves into a wacky color! Make sure you have yourself selected on the layers menu, when you have press and hole 'ctrl' and 'u' - this will popup a window labeled (hue/saturation) tick the colorize button before you start playing around with the colors. ;) (here's what i got)

13. Ah, if you go right back to your plain white background layer.. select it! now hold and press 'ctrl' and 'u' - this should bring up the 'hue/saturation' menu, change the settings to: (tick the colorize box; hue:254; saturation:100; lightness:+50):

14. Add some text; change it to whatever font you like! There it is.. 13 successfulness steps to a pimpish profile picture!

Using the basic method of this tutorial (changed few things) i also made: