Need Help Duplicating An Old Project

[Muriel]

Good Evening..

Way back in 2013 I made a New Year card using a brief little tutorial which unhappily has vanished into cyberspace forever.. This year I tried to duplicate it just from my recollections.. As you can see, I didn't nail it. I am using Version X9 on Windows 10 or 10.1. I don't remember how I managed to make the 'shadow' gradient since the drop shadow supports solid colour only. For this project I used the Magic Wand to select the 'shadow' and flooded it with the gradient.

I recall that the shadow had to be made in 1 pixel increments ten times or so, rather than once at 10 pixels. In the original 2013 project the images are crisp, the edges sharp, while in the current one they are blurred. (I don't remember which version I was using back then, but it was likely Version 10 or so.) I am currently using Version X9.

So, what am I missing?

Thank-you so much for any suggestions..

Muriel!

PS: I made it a smidgen more smooth by adjusting the shadow settings to -1, -1, Opacity: 0, Blur: 0.

[Muriel]

Muriel Again..

The internet is giving me grief this evening.. It is excruciatingly slow on both my computers..

Only one file loaded..

Many thanks for your time and attention and given that it is 2:10AM, I shall bid you a fond Good Night!

Muriel!

[Muriel]

Good Evening..

I am more or less happy with the finished 2018 project, but I would still appreciate any hints as to how to make the 2018 version as professional and smooth as the 2013 version. How do I do this without the black demarcation line between the numeral and the depth (top and sides) made with the shadow tool?

Wish I could find the old tutorial, but hours of searching turned up nothing.. I know there are an answer and a solution. Any suggestions are most welcome.

Many thanks for any comments..

Muriel!

[Muriel]

Good Afternoon..

I am disappointed that no one has responded. While I have searched, I could not find a forum to compare with this one. Perhaps someone could suggest a link that I may have missed? The Corel folks do not offer this kind of help and they need my credit card number before they will even talk to me.

Many thanks..

Muriel!

[Jean-Luc]

I am disappointed that no one has responded. !

We are users here and not Corel employees. During Christmas and Newyear time, I think many people have familial occupations.

On my side, I have read your messages but I cannot help because you don't give enough informations (size of image, your precise steps, tool settings screen capture,...).

[hartpaul]

As well you are not making it clear what you want / like and what you don't want / like. I gather it is something abpout the 2018 compared with the 2013 but they both look good to me, so if I cannot see a problem I cannot venture an answer.

[Kathy_9]

I can't help you with a web page or tutorial. I can only tell you the differences I see.

In the 2013 image the clock is larger and all the way to the right and down slightly behind the number 3. There is a ribbon decoration on the far right hand side that is missing in the 2018 image. And 2013 looks well-anchored and on less of an angle whereas 2018 is on an uphill angle.

[Muriel]

Good Afternoon, and Happy New Year!

Oh my goodness.. Thank-you for the comments, everyone! I had thought for one reason or another this thread was inappropriate and fretted about what the problem could have been! I can appreciate that during the Christmas Season everyone's lives, mine included, become more and more hectic. And I appreciate that this is a bit of a puzzle.

Thank-you for your comments, Kathy_9. The images are 604 X 377 pixels. The clock is bigger in the 2013 image because happily I had saved the image from all those years ago in the PSP format, so I simply snagged all the graphics to use in the 2018 image. The clock is downsized to accommodate the spot where it belonged.

I was wondering if the resolution may be a factor? I shall experiment with that. In any case, thank-you so much again for the comments.

Muriel!