Cut-outs on Paint

Difficulty: Requirements: MS Paint Writer: Kathrin Importance: This skill is something you should know Special Notes: /

I was quite amazed that I have never seen a site with this absolutely awesome trick. So, of course, I made this short little tutorial for all you Paint people out there. Just taking another excuse for bad graphics.
Turn this (sorry for cut off picture, will be fixed ASAP):

to this:

In less than 20 minutes using nothing other than Paint. And yes I know that sounds like a commercial, I just think this effect is absolutely grand and find it appalling that no one has figured this out yet. Oh, and webmasters, if I start seeing tutorials for this effect everywhere, please just link back. It's not nice otherwise. Sorry, it's just something that's original to Neo-Reality and I want it to stay that way. Thanks.

Preparation
Begin by opening up Paint. Paint is on most computers and can be found under Start >> All programs >> Accessories >> Paint. Open it twice. Open the image you would like to use on both paint windows. Also, press on 'Image' and uncheck Draw Opaque. Now you are ready to get on started.

Getting Started
Now, there are 2 methods of doing this next step, we are going to do both so that you get an idea. Draw a circle using the ellipse tool over one part of the image that you'd like to cut out. Make these in a very bright color that is not in your picture so that you can see them easily. I am going to use a light blue. Here's a screenshot of what your page should look like at this point:

Getting down to the real stuff
That's the first and simpler method. Now, you can search around for different images and shapes to use as well. For example, you can use the image of a Neopet that matches your picture or a shape such as a star. Using the paint bucket, make the part that you want to be see through white. This means you'll have to use the paint bucket to take out all the color. Just make the image, such as the neopet, white. Later, you will be able to see a cut out of the original image in the shape of the Neopet that you whited out. Anything in white will be see through! Hope that's clear.

You can even add white text! Once you have all shapes and cut outs completely white, use the paint bucket to make the rest of the picture a completely different color such as blue. This is the most time consuming stretch, but it's also the final part. There should be absolutely no colors apart from white and whatever other color you chose. Draw white into the insides of the circles and blue or whatever everywhere else. The rest only takes a grand total of 3 minutes. Now, you should have a picture that is not recognizable as your old one: some white circles, text, images and shapes and a different colored background.

Last Stretch
Now, copy the entire image and paste it into the other window of paint that you have open. You will be able to see through the white parts. How cool is that? Make any part that you don't want to see through after all the same color that you have the rest of your covering (in my case blue). For me, some parts that I didn't really want to be see through were seen through, so I just ran over with the blue paint brush there till I was happy.

Once you are done, just use the paint bucket to replace blue with any other color such as a nice old white. Here's my final result (and that's using only Paint!):

~Kathrin