Simply Sandi's making a cake
400 x 400 transparent new image.    Save now and add 4 layers, name them plate, fill, fill2 and cylinder.  Foreground color to black,  background color to FEF1E0.  Make your background null and activate your preset shapes tool, find the cylinder shape, set linewidth at 1, antialias, linestyle 1, solid.  Close your black layer for now so your background is transparent and make the cylinder layer active.  Set your cursor at approximately 50, 150 and pull to 365, 390.  Use the magic wand and select the top oval make fill layer active and floodfill with vanilla color, selections, modify, expand 2 make your fill2 layer active, floodfill with your vanilla color.  Make the cylinder layer active, use the magic wand on the lower section of the cake activate fill layer and floodfill, selections, modify, expand 2, make fill2 layer active, floodfill with your vanilla color.  While your fill2 area is active go to selections, select all, selections float, selections, save to alpha channel.  Fill in the name,click ok and close fill2 layer.  Now would be a good time to save again. Make fill layer active, selections all, selections float, effects, eyecandy3, with these settings.....whirlpool spacing 12, smear length 11, twist 60, streak detail 90, smooth checked, ok.  Make the cylinder layer active, effects, blur, gaussien blur, 5.  Make your black background layer visible.Make your top layer active and add a layer, using your tube tool set to 50% make an icing bead around the oval at the top of the cake.  Add a layer, make a scalloped bead on lower cake.  Add a layer and add your roses and leaves.  You might end up with some hanging over the edges but that is why we saved the shape to alpha channel.  When you finish decorating, go to alpha channel and find the shape you saved and click on it, ok, go to selections, invert.  Now you can activate the layers hanging over the edge that you don't like and click on the scissors or delete key.  Make the plate layer active, set your background color to your vanilla color,  foreground null, using your preset shapes tool make an oval under the cake a little larger than the cake. Go selections, select all, selections modify, contract 15, effects, drop shadow v & h 0, opacity 32, blur 13.6.  Now for the candle.  Add a layer, activate the line tool, set to single line, width 10, use the same eyecandy glass setting you used for the plate.  Add a layer below the candle, set line width to 4, color to 404040 for a wick at the top of your candle.  
If you want to animate your candle, merge layers visible and duplicate 2 times giving yourself 3 copies of the cake.  Add a new layer, set your foreground to bright yellow and your background to bright redorange, make foreground null and make background gradient, foreground-background, repeats 3, angle 270.  Using your preset tool shape teardrop, make a small teardrop at the top of your candle, duplicate this layer twice giving you 3 copies, then using your smude tool set round, size 10, hardness 38, opacity 75, step 1, density 25 (you might find a setting you prefer, I am not good at this) smudge, a little on each going a different direction each time.  You should have 3 cake layers,3 candle layers, and a background.  Close all but 1 cake layer and one flame layer, make the cake layer active and merge visible, close this layer, make the next cake layer active and open flame layer and merge visible, now close this layer.  Make the last cake layer active and open the last flame and merge visible.  Now open all 3 cake layers and save.  I usually save with another name so my layers are preserved for future use.  Now to to animation shop and click the icon below the word "file" use all default settings and find your saved graphic, finish.  Click the 2nd icon fron the left to see your animation.  Click on the first 3 frames, go to animation, frame properties and set to 5, click 2nd frame, animation, frame properties and set to 4, click 3rd frame, animation, frame properties and set to 3. Now click on the animation and see if it looks good, if not go back and change the numbers until you find something you like.  To save your animation, go to file, save as, name it, I like small animations so I use the slider and set it to the 2nd mark from the top.  Just click ok or next and you are done unless you want to play with the settings.


Click on the cake for icing tubes.  I forgot to clean the edges on this cake, the leaf tips should have been clipped  off where they are hanging off the cake.  .
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I hope you have enjoyed this tutorial and I have made it understandable.  Placed here 9-28-2002.
You may use this tutorial as you see fit.
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