Continued:

With the History Brush (snapshot highlighted) carefully make the edge pieces into proper edge pieces removing unwanted joins.

Zoom in to one piece of the puzzle and use the Magnetic Lasso tool to select a piece (taking care to get the shadows on the right side).

Ctrl X (copy)

Ctrl V (paste onto New Layer)

Click the Eye icon on the Layers Palette next to the Background & the Picture layers to turn visibility of these off.

You are left with the piece on an Opaque layer. Click the Lock Opacity icon at the top of the Layers Palette.

Using a small Air Brush (Colour black, Opacity 50%) Go round the edges of the piece to give it darker edge. This gives it depth when viewed.

Click the 'F' icon at the bottom of the Layers Palette and give it a Drop Shadow.

Click the Eye icon to turn back on you Background and Picture layers.

Highlight the Piece layer and got to Edit - Transform - Rotate and rotate to suit.

Move it into a position you like.

(Repeat for as many pieces as you want to remove.)

Highlight the Picture layer and add a Drop Shadow.

Make a Duplicate image and save it with all the layers.

[See Attached Screen Shot]

Flatten your image and save for the web.

It sounds a lot more complicated than it is, give it a try.

Message edited on: 09/02/2005 04:34

And every one said, 'If we only live,
We too will go to sea in a Sieve,---
To the hills of the Chankly Bore!'
Far and few, far and few, Are the lands where the Jumblies live;
Their heads are green, and their hands are blue, And they went to sea in a Sieve.

Edward Lear
http://www.nonsenselit.org/Lear/ns/jumblies.html