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Accelerating the Aging Process.

This month we get to play Father Time. We will create a stucco-covered brick wall. We'll age the stucco adding stains and lichen, knock out a bit of plaster, add a faded, painted advertisement for chewing tobacco, and finally grow some ivy using Xara's awesome custom brush technique.

As usual, I was not sure where this tutorial was heading when I began, but the inspiration for the tutorial came from Paul Söderholm, this month's Guest Tutorial author, who commented that 99% of my tutorials are hard-edged, techno images, and could I not so something a bit softer? Well Paul, this tutorial is for you.

As I have been doing for some time now, the animated preview is courtesy of Xara Modules' Cross Fade effect. These effects are easy as pie to use and to add to your web pages. Xara Modules in essence rents these effects to yo u by the month or by the year.

And Xara Modules has just made this collection of effects more affordable. You can now have access to all 23 effects for one low monthly price of $11.95 US or a lower than low price of $119.00 US per year. Included in this package is Spinning Text, Rollover Buttons and Banners, Smart Photo (instant photo retouching), Droplets, Snow, Shake and Shimmer, Message Presenter and a bunch more. This is a really great deal on some really cool effects.

1. Upload the images you want to use to the Xara Modules site.
2. Select Book Flipper > Create > New.
3. Add the images you want to use and determine which way the images will flip (or use the default setting as I did).
4. Save and Publish.

Xara Modules gives you a line of script which goes into your HTML page, and which plays the JavaScripted action when your visitor visits your web page. I think you can probably think of at least a dozen creative uses for this and some of the other 8 cool effects.

All modules come with a free 15-day trial period. If you don't like the effect, you don't pay for it (of course you can't use it after 15 days if you don't pay for it). Each module runs under $3.00 US per month or $29.00 a year. If you buy the entire package of 9 effects, however, you pay only $4.95 US per month or just $49.00 a year. You save this much not having to pay for these tutorials alone! And, I need not remind you who makes these free tutorials free. Eh?

So do me and yourself a favor and pay a visit to the Xara Modules site. There is some really cool and fun effects that will add spice to your web site.