Blogs on Paint
Before we start with the tutorial, I want to make it clear that you will need Microsoft Word in order to complete this tutorial. You will not be able to do this tutorial without Word, unless you have another program which enables you to make semi-transparent boxes. The reason that this is in the Paint section even though you need Word is simple: both Paint and Word are supplied by Microsoft. Hence, over 90% of all computers that have Paint also have Word. That, and Word happens to be one of the most used programs out there. So hopefully you have it.
Setting up
This first part is truly the easiest. Open up one window of Paint and one of Microsoft Word. Then go to Google or any other search engine and find a picture that you would like to use for your blog. I am using this image:
Copy this image into Paint. Use the selection tool to select the part of the image that you want to use in your blog. Go to Edit >> Copy (or press CTRL and C together). Re-size the canvas (you can do this by going to Image >> Attributes and making both height and width to 1). Then press Ctrl and V together, or go to Edit >> paste. You should now have only the part of the picture that you want to use in your blog on the canvas. Add a border to the entire image by using the eyedropper tool to select one of the darkest and strongest colors in the picture, then using the rectangle outline tool to make the actual border. Now your picture should look something like the image to your right.
The Transparent Box
That was nice and easy but now we get down to the good stuff. Open up the Word window. Go to View >> Toolbars. Make sure that 'Drawing' is checked. The toolbar should appear on the bottom part of your window (below the actual document) if you have one of the newer versions and haven't manipulated it too much. The toolbar has 'Draw' and 'Auto Shapes' among its first options which make it easier to recognize. Once you have found it, switch back to the Paint window. Now, copy your entire image onto word (select the entire picture and press ctrl - C to copy and ctrl - v to paste). Press on the rectangle that you see in the drawing toolbar. Ignore the little box with the 'Create your drawing here' text that pops up. Instead, left click anywhere on the document. A little white box should pop up. Drag this onto your image and resize it to fit the way you would like your transparent part to be. Right click on it and select 'Format AutoShape...'
Set your settings similar or the same as mine. The higher you make the percentage, the more 'transparent' or lighter will your blog become.
Press the Print screen button (this can be found to the right of the F12 button on your keyboard and takes a picture of your entire screen). Copy this to Paint. Use the selection tool to select your blog (and your blog only!). Press Ctrl-C or copy manually. Then re-size the image to 1 by 1 pixel again (press ctrl and E; put height and width to 1). Now press Ctrl and V to copy your blog again. This is the only way that your blog won't lose its quality. This is what my blog looks like at this point:
Little Details
Now we come to the point were you need to add text. Before you do this, make sure you have an outline font. This means you have a font which, unlike on like Ariel, doesn't just write the letters, but outlines them. Should you not have one, click Here for the outline font I used, Cheri Liney. And Click Here for my Downloading Fonts tutorial.
Re-size your canvas size to be about twice as large as before. Then use the text tool to make your blog text: DO THIS ON THE WHITE AREA. Not on your blog, but on the white part. I know I am repeating myself, but I bet that some will still do it wrong o.O. Now, make the text using an outline font on the white part of the canvas. Use one of the darkest shades in your image. Then switch to a much lighter shade (use the eyedropper). Go to Image >> Draw Opaque and make sure that its unchecked. That's imported too. Now switch to the paint bucket tool, and use it to fill in the white on the insides of the outlines of your text. Now you will have some pretty cool outlined text. There, now you can use the selection tool to move your text onto your blog and ta da, you're done! Congrats!
~Kathrin