PSP Tips & Tricks - Version 9!

This list contains little tips and tricks I've learned from tutorial writers, and forums, and classes, and books, and just about anything and everything across the world. I add to this list when I discover a new trick, or remember a trick that has really helped me be more productive using PSP. All adds will be at the bottom of the list.

Last Update: July 10, 2005

If you have any suggestions for additions to this list, please Email me.
Please do not post this page, in whole or in part, in any other location.

PLEASE NOTE:
There is now an index for this document - you can find it HERE.
Topics in the PSP Tips & Tricks have now been numbered.
This will facilitate cross-referencing from the index.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
To find an item in this document, use Find (CTRL + F),
entering a keyword or keywords in the "Find what" box.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

001 Paint Shop Pro File Naming Conventions

Paint Shop Pro supports certain file naming standards for its saved objects. These objects can be stored in user folders made known to Paint Shop Pro through the File...Preferences...File Locations dialog. Upon installation, a folder is created in the My Documents folder, called My PSP Files. The User Preferences are tailored to look in this folder for the associated items, and to write new items to the appropriate subfolders.

PSP 9 can read all files created in PSP 8, and most files created in earlier versions of the program - the exceptions to this are Brushes and Presets from versions before PSP 8. These must be converted to be accessible. There is no need to convert other files, such as tubes and masks and styled lines, etc. - once the folders containing these items have been added in the File Preferences list, PSP 9 can access them.

002 File Locations Dialog and Long File Names

If you're tired of trying to figure out what those file names are in your File Locations because the file names are just too long for the dialog box, try creating a new location for your PSP files directly on your C drive, outside of the My Documents folder. I currently have my PSP files in this location:

C:\PSP\

Within that folder, I have a folder for Tubes, one for Plugins, one for PSP8 files, one for PSP9 files, and one that contains all the goodies from releases of PSP prior to PSP8. Each of these folders contains folders for all those PSP goodies, like Textures and Gradients and Patterns, etc. Now, when I use the File Locations dialog, I can see the entire folder name without having to click on each one.

This takes a bit of reorganization to start out, but it's worth the effort to be able to read the folder names at a glance. And you don't have to separate the PSP8 and PSP9 folders, either - I plan to combine them once the beta test is complete.

You can tell PSP you've done this, too, during the install. When you get that screen listing the components to be installed, highlight the User Files component, click Change, and browse to your new folder - now PSP knows where your user files are to be found. Then if you record a script of yourself adding all the individual folders, you can run this script once you've installed a new beta - or a new release of PSP - and all your resources will be available to you.

003 The New Resource Manager in PSP 9

PSP 9 contains an innovation called the Resource Manager. This facility allows the user to manage resources, such as gradients, tubes, patterns, brushes, etc., directly within PSP, without having to return to the File Locations dialog all the time, or to the PSP Browser or Windows Explorer. You can do many things now right within PSP, such as delete a resource, rename a resource, copy a resource to another location, or move a resource.

This is all made possible through the Resource Manager dialog, which can be activated by clicking on the Resource Manager button:

This button can be found wherever you find a Presets drop-list (such as in the Tool Options palette, or in dialogs), or the visual resource drop-list or "picker" for resources such as Paint Brushes, Gradients, etc.

Note: There are several important things to note about working with the Resource Manager:

1. Resource categories are folders that have been defined using the File Locations dialog. That is the ONLY way to populate the Categories list.
2. Use caution when copying items from one category or folder to another. PSP 9, like PSP 8, does not allow duplicate file names, so if you copy an item from one resource category to another, it will still only be visible from one category. If you want it visible in both categories, you must rename one resource.
3. The Resource Manager only allows you to have one category active at a time. This might not meet your needs.
4. If you need to add another category to the resource list, close the Resource Manager dialog and click the File locations button, available wherever the Resource manager button is found:
   

004 New Tools

PSP 9 includes several new tools, many of which reside on flyout menus

Item	Flyout Menu	Icon
Oil Brush	Oil Brush
Chalk Tool	Oil Brush
Pastel Tool	Oil Brush
Crayon Tool	Oil Brush
Colored Pencil	Oil Brush
Marker Tool	Oil Brush
Palette Knife Tool	Oil Brush
Smear Tool	Oil Brush
Art Eraser Tool	Oil Brush
Rectangle Tool	Rectangle Tool
Ellipse Tool	Rectangle Tool
Symmetric Shape Tool	Rectangle Tool

Two other changes in the Tools arena:

• The icon used to represent the Pan tool has been changed from an arrow to a hand.
• The Preset Shape tool has been moved to the Rectangle Tool flyout, and has a new icon.

  Tool	Old Icon	New Icon
  Pan Tool
  Preset Shape Tool

005 Changes in Menus

Several menu items have been moved in this version of PSP:

Menu	Changed Items
Edit	Command History - moved to the History Palette
Adjust	Automatic Color Balance - moved from Color Balance menu to Adjust menu Automatic Contrast Enhancement - moved from Brightness and Contrast menu to Adjust menu Automatic Saturation Enhancement - moved from Hue and Saturation menu to Adjust menu Barrel Distortion Correction - moved from Lens Correction menu to new Photo Fix menu Fisheye Distortion Correction - moved from Lens Correction menu to new Photo Fix menu Pincushion Distortion Correction - moved from Lens Correction menu to new Photo Fix menu Red Eye Removal - moved from Adjust menu to new Photo Fix menu Negative Image - moved from Adjust menu to Color Balance menu
Help	Online Support and Services - moved from Jasc Software Online menu to Help menu PhotoSharing Web Site - moved from Jasc Software Online menu to Help menu Check for Updates - moved from Jasc Software Online menu to Help menu All other items on Jasc Software Online menu dropped

006 Palette Keyboard Shortcuts

PSP 9 added 2 new palettes - the History palette and the Mixer palette. This necessitated changing the keyboard shortcut for the Script Output palette. Here's the list of keyboard shortcuts to turn palettes on and off in PSP 9:

Palette	PSP 9 Shortcut
Hide/Restore All Floating Palettes	F2
History Palette	F3
Script Output Palette	SHIFT+F3
Tool Options Palette	F4
Materials Palette	F6
Mixer Palette	SHIFT + F6
Histogram Palette	F7
Layers Palette	F8
Overview Palette	F9
Learning Center Palette	F10
Brush Variance Palette	F11

007 Finding the Color/Material You Just Used

When you've replaced a Foreground or Background Color with another color, and you need the previous color again, right-click on the color box and find your color in the Recent Colors dialog box that pops up:

• The top panel of that box contains the 10 most recently used colors.
• The center panel contains 10 common colors, including black, white, and 2 shades of grey.
• The bottom panel contains the Foreground and Background color boxes, and the Other button used to display the Color dialog.

In like manner, when you've replaced a Foreground or Background Material with another material, and you need a previous material, right-click on the material box and find your material in the Recent Materials dialog box that pops up. The top panel of that box contains the 10 most recently used materials; the center and bottom panels are the same as in the Recent Colors dialog box described above, except the Other button is used to display the Material Properties dialog, which lets you choose either a color, gradient, or pattern.

008 Repeating A Command

When you want to repeat the last command you entered, use CTRL + Y.

009 Making Your Shapes Symmetric

PSP 9 has a new Symmetric shape tool which allows you to make symmetric shapes with any number or sides. Shapes made with the other shape tools - Preset Shape tool, Rectangle tool, and Ellipse tool - can also be made symmetric by holding down the SHIFT key while drawing the shape.

010 Drawing Straight Lines

When you want to get a perfectly horizontal or vertical line while using the Pen tool , use the Draw Lines and Polylines mode, and hold down the SHIFT key while drawing the line.

011 Starting Your Shape At Its Center

Getting your starting point to be the center of the shape works differently for the different shape tools:

• Using the Preset Shape tool, click on the right mouse button and drag to draw the shape.
• Using the Rectangle, Ellipse, or Symmetric Shape tools, hold down the CTRL key and drag to draw the shape.

012 Coloring a Sinedots Image

To change the color of a Sinedots image while retaining the shades and diaphanous effect, activate the Sinedots layer, choose Selections...Select All (CTRL + A), and then Selections...Float (CTRL + F). Then use the Flood Fill tool to add a solid color, gradient, or pattern to the Sinedots image.

This method works with other images as well, but is particularly suited to images such as Sinedots images with their filmy, subtle nuances of color.

013 Coloring a Sinedots Image - Another Option

Another way to change the color of a Sinedots image while retaining the shades and diaphanous effect is to activate the Sinedots layer and click the Lock Transparency button (padlock on the far right edge of the layer ). Then use the Flood Fill tool to add a solid color, gradient, or pattern to the image. The Lock Transparency option restricts the editing of raster layers to the pixels that already contain data. Remember to unlock the layer transparency when you have completed the color change.

Note: When transparency is locked, the Lock Transparency button displays . When transparency is not locked, the Lock Transparency button is grey

This method works with other images as well, but is particularly suited to images such as Sinedots images with their filmy, subtle nuances of color.

014 Coloring a Sinedots Image - Option 3

A third way to change the color of a Sinedots image while retaining the shades and diaphanous effect is to choose Adjust...Hue and Saturation...Colorize. Using the Hue and Saturation sliders, you can change the colors easily. My favorite combinations include:

Color	Hue	Saturation
Lilac	170	90
Rose	233	81
Tan	17	71
Green	95	55
Orange	17	178
Blue	155	110
Gold	35	200

Remember, the original color of the image influences the resulting shades when colorizing.

Note: Colorize has changed somewhat in PSP 9 - you may not achieve the same shades as in previous versions of PSP, especially in the yellow/gold ranges.

This method works with other images as well.

015 Coloring a Sinedots image - A Fourth Option

A fourth way I've used to change the color of a Sinedots image while retaining the shades and diaphanous effect is to choose Adjust...Hue and Saturation...Hue/Saturation/Lightness. This one is used to shift all the colors of an image or selection and change their strength and luminance. It takes some practice to use "efficiently".

This method works with other images as well, but is particularly suited to images such as Sinedots images with their filmy, subtle nuances of color.

016 Coloring a Sinedots image - A Fifth Option

A fifth way I've used to change the color of a Sinedots image while retaining the shades and diaphanous effect is to use the Change to Target Brush tool. This method - one of my favorites - changes pixels based on a characteristic of the current color - hue, saturation or lightness. Some pretty shading can be achieved with this method. Adjusting the other values on the Change to Target Brush Tool Options palette adds further variation to the colorizing.

As with all the other colorizing methods, this method also works with other images.

017 Linking Layers

To group layers so that when you move one layer on the image canvas, all layers in the group move together, use their Layer Link buttons on the Layers palette (), changing each layer you want to link to the same number. Left-click to increase the number and right-click to decrease it - by default, this button says "None". Use group linking to have all layers within a layer group move together on the image canvas (see below).

018 Grouping Layers

Create layer groups to group multiple layers together. Layer groups allow you to:

• Organize the Layers palette.
• Select layer properties such as opacity and blend mode for the whole group.
• Apply masks to whole sets of layers rather than just one.
• Limit effect of adjustment layers to those below them in a group rather than in the entire image.
• Move all grouped layers in stacking order together.

By default, grouped layers are also linked (see previous item). The group link button on the Layers palette () shows when the layers are linked - it is grey ()when the group is not linked.

019 Copying A Layer And Keeping Data In Same Location

Usually, when you copy a layer from one image to another, the layer centers itself in the new image. This is because the bounding box of the valid (non-transparent) data in the layer is what counts, and after pasting, this is placed in the center of the image. This might not always be desirable.

To prevent PSP from centering the image, you can force a layer to paste in a way that appears to you as aligned the way it was in the original image. To accomplish this, do the following before copying the layer: using the Paint Brush tool at Opacity 1 and Size 1, left-click each corner pixel of the image/layer. Now copy and paste the image/layer.

This trick makes the bounding box of the layer data equal in size to the image and you can't see pixels of such low transparency as the ones created in the corners of the image.

020 Moving A Layer

In PSP 9, you can now use the arrow keys to move your layer around. Just select the Move tool, and then press the arrow buttons to move the layer up, down, or to the right or left. The arrow keys, or the arrow keys with the CTRL key held down, move the layer 1 pixel at a time. To move the layer 10 pixels at a time, hold the SHIFT key down and use the arrow keys.

021 Adding To A Selection

To add to a selection using the Selection and Freehand Selection tools, press and hold down the SHIFT key while outlining the area you want to add. To add to a selection using the Magic Wand tool , press and hold down the SHIFT key while clicking the area you want to add.

You can also add to a selection using the Add Mode on the Tool options palette. In this mode, there is no need to hold down the SHIFT key while adding - each selection you make is added to the previous selection.

022 Subtracting From A Selection

To subtract from a selection using the Selection and Freehand Selection tools, press and hold down the CTRL key while outlining the area you want to remove. To subtract from a selection using the Magic Wand tool , press and hold down the CTRL key while clicking the area you want to remove.

You can also subtract from a selection using the Subtract Mode on the Tool options palette. In this mode, there is no need to hold down the CTRL key while subtracting - each selection you make is subtracted from the previous selection.

023 Hiding the Selections Marquee

To hide the Selections marquee (the "marching ants") when it becomes distracting, choose Selections...Hide Marquee, or press CTRL+SHIFT+M. Toggle the marquee back on the same way.

Note: The selection remains active even when the marquee is hidden.

024 Showing and Hiding Layers

Use the Visibility buttons on the Layers palette to make layers, layer groups, or vector objects visible or invisible in the image. Hiding layers makes it easier to see or work on the rest of the image - these layers remain in the image, but are hidden from view. When a layer is visible, its layer visibility button displays . When a layer is hidden, its Visibility button displays a red "X" ( ).

To show all layers of an image, right-click on any Layer Name button on the Layers palette, and choose View...All from the pop-up context menu.

To hide a single layer, click on its Visibility button. To hide all layers, right-click on any Layer Name button and choose View...None from the pop-up menu.

To view only the current layer and hide all the rest of the layers, right-click on the Layer Name button of the layer you wish to view and choose View...Current Only from the pop-up menu. Choosing View...Invert hides the layers that were visible, and makes visible all layers that were hidden.

When you are working with several layers and want to merge only a few of them, it is sometimes easier to hide the layers you want to merge, right-click on one of the remaining layers, and choose View...Invert from the pop-up menu. This leaves the layers you want to merge visible, and hides all the other layers.

025 Changing BladePro Presets Into Super BladePro Presets (So You Can See the Preview)

Open the BladePro (q9q) preset, then save it by clicking on the Save Preset button ( ), and it will be saved to the same folder as a Super BladePro preset (q5q), and the preview will be available. Do this to all the presets in a folder - you do not have to apply the preset, just save it. When you are done converting all presets, delete the BladePro presets (all the q9q files) to save space.

026 Making Seamless Tiles

PSP 9 contains a Seamless Tiling effect that rivals the 20/20 program and the Simple Quick Tile filter. It can be found by choosing Effects...Image Effects...Seamless Tiling.

To get a "muted" seamless tile, just add a white layer above your seamless tile and lower the opacity until you get the effect you want. Then merge the 2 layers and save in any format supported by PSP. To make this seamless tile available for all future images, save it in the Patterns folder of My PSP Files - and in whichever format you want, as PSP patterns are now supported in .jpg and .gif formats, as well as .bmp, .psp, and .pspimage formats.

027 Resizing Images

There are several methods for resizing images, but you will get the best results by resizing to either 75%, 50%, or 25%. PSP used complex resizing algorithms that render better results at those sizes. Sometimes using "Bicubic" (when enlarging) or "Bilinear" (when reducing) in the Resample using box eliminates the need to sharpen the resulting image. However, this depends on the image chosen, and you might have better results using "Smart size" - this option lets PSP choose the best algorithm - and sharpening your final image. Here are some additional tips:

• Don’t increase an image’s size more than 25 percent. Increasing the size of an image causes a loss of detail and sharpness.
• Only resize an image once. If your first resize is not correct, undo it and try again.
• Correct and retouch images before resizing.

028 Adding and Selecting Symmetric Borders

Sometimes, when you add a border to an image, and then try to select that border with your Magic Wand tool , you get some of the pixels from the image along with the border. This occurs because those pixels are the same color as the border. To get a clean selection in this case, use this alternate method of selecting the border you just added:

• Choose Selections...Select All (CTRL + A).
• Contract the selection by the same number of pixels as the border you just added by choosing Selections...Modify...Contract.
• Invert the selection by choosing Selections...Invert Selection (CTRL + SHIFT + I).

You should now have ONLY the symmetric border you added selected.

029 Removing the Bands From A Gradient Fill

Sometimes, when you do a gradient fill, the bands of color seem to show up too clearly, and they don't seem to blend well. This is often monitor-dependent, but you CAN get rid of those bands. Just use Adjust...Add/Remove Noise...Add Noise, and use about 3-5% uniform noise. Magically, the bands have disappeared.

030 Adding New Layers Quickly

To add new layers quickly, bypassing the New Layer dialog, press SHIFT while clicking the New Raster Layer button ,the New Vector Layer button , or the New Art Media Layer button .

031 Deleting Layers Quickly

To delete an unwanted layer quickly, do one of the following:

• Drag the Layer Name button to the Delete Layer icon at the top of the Layers palette.
• Right-click on the Layer Name button and choose Delete from the pop-up context menu.
• Highlight the layer you wish to delete and click on the Delete Layer icon.

032 Duplicating Layers Quickly

To duplicate a layer quickly, do one of the following:

• Right-click on the Layer Name button and choose Duplicate from the pop-up menu - the duplicate layer is positioned directly on top of the original image.
• Activate the layer, choose Edit...Copy to copy the layer, and then choose Edit...Paste...As New Layer - the new image will be centered on the screen.

In PSP 8, the Duplicate Layer button was located at the top of the Layers palette, but is not there in the default PSP 9 configuration. However, you can use Customize to place that button on the Layers palette if you want to, which gives you 2 additional ways to duplicate layers:

• Drag the Layer Name button to the Duplicate Layer button at the top of the Layers palette.
• Activate the layer and then click on the Duplicate Layer button .

Using either of these last two methods, the new image is positioned directly on top of the original image. Use the Move tool to reposition it.

033 Copying A Layer From One Image To Another

To copy a layer from one image to another, drag the Layer Name button from the Layers palette of the first image and drop it (release the mouse button) onto the second image.

034 Cropping An Image To Exact Coordinates

If you know the coordinates of the image area you want to crop to, enter those coordinates into the Left, Top, Right, and Bottom fields on the Crop Tool Options palette, and then double-click anywhere within the image, or click on the Apply button . If you have many images to crop to the same coordinates, save the settings as a preset:

• Click on the Preset drop-list .
• Click on the Save Preset button .
• Give the preset a name in the Save Preset dialog box.

035 The Crop Shading Area

In PSP 9, the Crop tool inserts a shaded area around the crop rectangle to help better visualize the area you are cropping. By default, this shading is black with an opacity of 38%. You can change the color or opacity of the crop shading, or disable this feature entirely by choosing File...Preferences, clicking the Transparency and Shading tab, and making the appropriate changes in the Shading panel at the bottom of the dialog.

Note: When crop shading is enabled and you attempt to crop an 8-bit (256 colors) or less image, the area outside the crop rectangle will be black. You may want to disable this option for these images.

036 Selecting An Image By Exact Coordinates

If you know the coordinates of the image area you want to select, left-click on the Selection tool to bring up the Selection Tool Options palette, click on the Custom selection button , and enter the coordinates in the boxes at the top of the dialog.

037 Revert Command

Use the Revert command to remove all changes made to an image since it was last saved. To apply the command, choose File...Revert. This is the same as choosing the Undo command over and over again to remove all changes.

038 Using An Uninstalled Font In PSP

To use an uninstalled font in PSP, browse to the folder where the font is located, open the font, and minimize. This font will now be available to you within PSP.

039 Moving the Selection Marquee

To change the area the selection marquee encloses, you can move the marquee. This is useful if you want to fine-tune the area inside an oval or other selection shape. To move the marquee, use one of the following methods:

• With the current selection tool, place the cursor inside the marquee, hold down the right mouse button, and drag the marquee.

  Note: This method only works if the Mode on the current selection tool is set to Replace.

• Choose the Move tool , place the cursor inside the marquee, hold down the right mouse button and drag the marquee.

040 Using the Guides

Guides are horizontal or vertical lines that you drag onto your image to use for positioning items or aligning brush stokes. While grids place a series of horizontal and vertical lines at certain intervals, you place guides at the locations you want. They are excellent tools for helping you get images right where you want them.

Note: To use the guides, the rulers must be displayed. Choose View...Rulers or press CTRL + ALT + R to display the rulers.

To display the guides, choose View...Guides.

To create individual guides, click on the rulers and drag onto the image. Click the top ruler and drag to create horizontal guides; click the left ruler and drag to create vertical guides.

To move a guide, click the guide handle on the ruler and drag. Note that the position of the guide is reflected on the status bar.

To delete a guide, drag its handle off the image window.

You can change the color or position and delete individual guides using the Guide Properties dialog box. To display this dialog, right-click or double-click the guide handle. Using the Guide Position option, you can place guides precisely where you want them.

You can delete all guides or change the color of them using the Grid, Guide, and Snap Properties dialog. To open this dialog box, double-click the ruler or choose View...Change Grid, Guide, and Snap Properties.

041 Making Proportional Selections

To make selections suitable for "pasting into" other areas, they must be proportional to those areas. In PSP terms, the source selection must have the same aspect ratio as the target area. To ensure this

• If you are making the selection to be copied into, note the aspect ratio on the status bar and use this number when selecting from your source image.
• If you are copying into a selection of unknown proportions, copy the selection to a new image, determine its aspect ratio by viewing the Resize dialog, and use this number when selecting from your source image.
• If you need an image of specific dimensions, make a new image with those dimensions, use the Resize dialog to determine its aspect ratio, use this number when selecting from your source image, and copy the selection directly to this new image.

For a detailed explanation of these methods, visit my Making Proportional Selections (PSP 8 Version) Tutorial.

042 Making Transparent GIFs

To save an image as a transparent GIF, use File...Export...GIF Optimizer, and use the following settings:

• On the Transparency tab, select either Existing image or layer transparency (if your image has no colored background), or Areas that match this color. If you select the latter, be sure the color swatch contains the color you want to be transparent - the color shown will be the last color used in this dialog. Click on the color swatch to select a new color. Adjust the Tolerance setting when the area you want to be transparent contains pixels that are close in color but not exactly the same color.
• On the Partial Transparency tab, I usually select Use full transparency for pixels below 5% opacity, and Yes, blend with the background color. The color swatch here contains the last color used in this dialog. Click on the color box to choose a new color - this should be the dominant color of your page's background. If you want the current foreground or background color, right-click and choose the appropriate color box from the lower left, bottom panel of the dialog.

  Note: This is very important in getting good transparent GIFs - if you don't select this color carefully, you may have a fringe around your image, because part of the transparent GIF process blends the colors from the image into the background color. If you want a transparent GIF image that will look good on various backgrounds, select a neutral background color such as a medium gray.

• On the Colors tab, I usually leave How many colors do you want? set to 256 and How much dithering do you want? set to 100%. For the color selection method, I use either Optimized Median Cut or Optimized Octree, whichever looks better.
• On the Format tab, select Non-interlaced if you want the image to load one line at a time, starting from the top down. Select Interlaced if you want the image to display incrementally in several passes, with detail being added each time. Interlaced is definitely the better option with larger images - the viewer can get an idea of how the image looks while waiting for it to download - but many users use this option with all images.
• The Download Times tab is informational.

The following table illustrates the principles described above. The teddy bear image was saved as a transparent GIF three times - the first time, it was saved with a white background, the second time, with a dark blue background, and the third time, with a medium gray background. The table displays the same image against different backgrounds - white, blue, gray, and various multi-colored backgrounds. As you can see, there is a big difference on the quality of the image depending on how it is saved, and the background it is displayed against.

Notice that none of the GIFs looks good against the last background, which is predominantly red. However, when the bear is saved as a transparent GIF with a background of red specified, the result is much more pleasing:

The further information and greater detail, visit PSP Tutorial Links - the General Information category contains links to several tutorials providing in-depth coverage of the transparent GIF process.

043 Flood Filling Multiple Areas At The Same Time

When using the Flood Fill tool to fill several selected areas at the same time, be sure the Match Mode on the Tool Options palette is set to "None". Then, when you click in one of the areas with your Flood Fill tool, all the areas will be filled. To fill only selected areas, set the Match Mode on the Tool Options - Flood Fill panel to "RGB".

Note: With either option described above, the value entered into the Opacity field determines how opaque the fill will be - higher numbers make the fill more opaque, and lower values make the fill more transparent. The Tolerance setting determines how much of the selected area will be filled, and while it has no relevance with a Match Mode of "None", it does influence the fill with other settings. Higher Tolerance allows more of an area to be filled, whereas a lower Tolerance setting constrains the fill to areas that are similar in color or exactly the same color as where you initially clicked.

044 Protecting PSP Distributed Files From Being Changed

PSP comes with many presets, frames, gradients, masks, etc. pre-installed and ready to use. If you accidentally save a preset, frame, gradient, mask, etc. with the same name as the PSP pre-installed one, you will lose the original settings. Or if you edit the settings of gradients, and then accidentally save those new settings with the same name as the original gradient, you will lose the original settings. If you used the default settings when you installed PSP 9, you have a My PSP Files folder with subfolders for masks, frames, shapes, and all the other possible items you might want to save. These folders should be indicated as the "Save to" path in your preferences, which will help prevent replacing the Jasc-distributed ones.

Note: In PSP 9, if the same filename exists on multiple paths only one of the files will be accessible. So if you have a tube, for instance, with the same name as a Jasc-supplied tube, only one will be available in PSP. This applies to the file name itself, without the extension. Files with names blackborder.bmp, blackborder.gif, and blackborder.jpg are treated as if they have the same name, and if you have all three in your patterns folder, only one of them will be accessible in PSP - I know of no foolproof way to determine which one that will be.

You can prevent the loss of the Jasc pre-installed settings by changing the status of any and/or all of these files to "read-only". This can be done by browsing to the Jasc Paint Shop Pro program folder (on my PC, it's located at C:\Program Files\Jasc Software Inc\Paint Shop Pro 9), opening any folder that contains images you wish to protect, selecting all the files in the folder (CTRL + A), right-clicking, selecting Properties from the pop-up menu, and clicking on the "Read-only" Attribute. This will prevent inadvertent editing of these files, or replacing of these files by others with the same name. This should be repeated for each folder that contains images you wish to protect (frames, gradients, presets, etc.) If you decide you want to create another frame, mask, preset, etc. that is similar to the protected one, just copy it to a new name, right-click on the new file, select Properties from the pop-up menu, and be sure the "Read-only" Attribute is NOT checked.

045 Using the Autosave Function

The Autosave function will automatically save a backup file of the images you are working on at specified time intervals - this will prevent you from losing your work if PSP or your computer shuts down unexpectedly. If a crash should occur, PSP will load the backup files the next time you start the program.

To enable the Autosave function, choose File...Preferences...Autosave Settings. Click the Enable autosave checkbox, select a number from the Minutes box to determine how frequently PSP creates a temporary backup file, and then click the OK button.

By default, temporary files are stored in the Temp file folder of the user who installed PSP - on my XP-Pro system, that folder is C:\Documents and Settings\Suz\Local Settings\Temp\Temp Files. You can see where your system is saving Undo/Temporary files, and/or change this location, by choosing File...Preferences...File Locations, and clicking on the Undo/Temporary Files File type.

046 Deleting An Invalid or Damaged Autosave File

If the Autosave file gets corrupted or damaged, you may receive this message: "The autosave file is invalid or has been damaged". To correct this situation and delete the damaged file, follow the steps listed below - the autosave file will be recreated the next time PSP is started:

• Choose File...Preferences...File Locations.
• In the File Types window, scroll down to and highlight Undo/Temporary files.
• Write down the folder name where these files are stored.
• Shut down PSP.
• Go to the location you noted above - there should be a file in that folder with a PspAutosave extension. There may even be more than one file with this extension.
• Delete the PspAutosave file(s) you found in the previous step.
• Restart PSP.

047 Getting the Cutout or Drop Shadow on Stationery To Tile Nicely

Sometimes, when you are making stationery and add a drop shadow, or use a cutout to achieve a drop shadow effect, the "edges" of the drop shadow are slightly faded:

Unless you use some technique to correct these edges, your stationery won't tile smoothly. If you apply the drop shadow or cutout to a separate layer (just check the Shadow on new layer checkbox in the Drop Shadow dialog), you can use the Deform tool to "stretch" the shadow/cutout beyond the active image area to correct this problem. Just enlarge the image window by pulling up on its top edge (or maximize the image window):

Then use the Deform tool on the shadow, dragging the end nodes outside the image area:

Apply the deformation, and voilá, it tiles perfectly now.

048 Another Drop Shadow Trick

Here's another way to make a drop shadow, without using PSP's Drop Shadow effect. On a separate layer, use a Paintbrush or the Pen tool to make a 4 to 6 pixel line that is just UNDER the item casting the shadow. Leave a small part of the line visible. Now use the Gaussian Blur effect to soften the shadow. Since it's on a separate layer, you can move it around, stretch it, shrink it, and play with it until it's just the way you want it. This trick is especially handy for adding shadows to odd shapes and in small areas where the Drop Shadow effect is not useful.

049 Customizing ToolBars and Menus

As you work in PSP, you will probably find yourself using some commands more often than others. These commands may have toolbar or menu buttons that you can add, remove, and rearrange. By customizing the toolbars and menus, you can access the commands more quickly.

To customize your toolbars and menus, choose View...Customize, or right-click on any tool or menu bar and click Customize on the context menu. The Customize dialog opens - and the possibilities before you are endless. You can even create your own toolbars and menus, and save all of these in your own customized workspace. For a detailed explanation of these methods, visit my Customizing Toolbars in PSP 9 and my Customizing Menus in PSP 9 Tutorials.

You can also put scripts at your fingertips, adding buttons for them to menus and toolbars, so that you can execute them quickly and efficiently. PSP 9 provides 50 icons for this purpose, which can be used multiple times, giving you a limitless supply of bound scripts. For a detailed explanation of how to do this, visit my Using Bound Scripts in PSP 9.

Using these features should make you a lot more productive using PSP.

050 Copying A Menu or Toolbar Item

When you're customizing your toolbars and menus, and you want to copy something from one toolbar or menu to another without removing it from its original location, hold down the CTRL key while dragging it and you'll get a COPY instead of a MOVE.

051 Getting the "Right Name" In the Shapes List for New Shapes

If you make your own presets shapes, you know they have to be VECTOR objects. To get the name you want for that new shape, rename the layer containing the vector shape to the name you want to see in your shapes list before exporting. To do this:

• Activate the Vector Object Selection tool and left-click a shape to select it. Then right-click the shape and select Properties from the menu that appears. In the Name box, type the new name and then click the OK button.

  OR

• Right-click the shape's Layer Name button in the Layers palette and select Rename from the menu that appears. Type the new name on the Layers palette and then press the ENTER key.

  OR

• Double-click the shape's Layer Name button in the Layers palette and type the new name in the Vector Property dialog that appears.

Note that with vector layers, the Layer Name buttons of the vector objects on the vector layer are listed below the vector layer name. To display the buttons of all the vector objects on the layer, click on the plus sign that appears next to the vector layer icon ( ). Find your vector object in the list that appears, and change this name to the one you want to appear in the shapes list.

When you export a shape (File...Export...Shape), the name you enter in the "Enter file name:" box is the library name for the file that will contain the shape you are exporting, NOT the shape name. It's not a bad idea to make this name match the name you want to appear in the shapes list, but it will NOT override the name that appears in the shape's Layer Name box.

052 Hiding and Restoring Palettes and Toolbars

If you have "lost" a palette or toolbar (such as the Layers palette, the Materials palette, or the Tools toolbar) by dragging them off the screen - or you just can't find them, no matter what you try - you can restore them to the center of the Paint Shop Pro window by pressing CTRL + SHIFT + T. This will return all palettes and toolbars to the screen.

Shortcuts for hiding/restoring individual palettes are listed above in the Palette Keyboard Shortcuts article.

053 Getting Rid of That Annoying Splash Screen

Are you still loading the PSP splash screen each time you start PSP - you know, the Jasc Software, Inc. logo screen? Want to get rid of it? It's easy. Just choose File...Preferences...General Preferences, click on the Miscellaneous tab, and UNcheck the Show splash screen when application starts checkbox. It's a thing of the past.

054 Adding A Drop Shadow To A Vector Object

To add a drop shadow to a vector object:

• Choose the Object Selection tool and click the object.
• Choose Selections...From Vector Object.
• Add a new raster layer.
• Choose Effects...3D Effects...Drop Shadow, and apply the drop shadow with the options you'd like.
• Drag the layer with the shadow below the vector object layer in the Layers palette.

Sometimes the edges are much "cleaner" if you contract the selection made from the vector object by 1 pixel before applying the drop shadow effect.

055 Determining the Size of An Image in PSP

When you are working on an image within PSP, there is no way to determine its size within the PSP workspace. The status bar at the bottom of the screen (as well as the information available on the Overview palette) does indicate the image's dimensions, but the "size" information there refers to the amount of memory the image is currently using, not its size on disk. There are several ways, however, to determine the image's size:

• Use PSP's browser (File...Browse ~ or ~ CTRL + B) to locate the folder where the image has been saved, and position the cursor over its thumbnail. A ToolTip displays with the file's name and size (in KBs), dimensions, etc.
• In PSP 9, the PSP browser also indicates the size of the image in the left column, under the Info tab.
• Initiate either the GIF or JPEG optimizer and look at the preview boxes at the top of the Optimizer dialog box - the one on the left gives the original image, and the one on the right shows the changes as you adjust the available settings. Below each preview box is the size of the image in bytes - just drop the 3 RIGHTmost digits, and you'll have its approximate size in kilobytes (KBs).
• Use Windows Explorer to browse to the folder where you saved the image, and single click on it - you'll see the size in the leftmost panel of the screen

056 Resetting Dialog Values

Many dialog boxes contain a Reset button ( ) that restores the settings of the options to their default values. Click the Reset button to return all dialog box settings to their default program values.

To reset the dialog to the settings that displayed when you opened the dialog, select Last Used from the Presets drop-list, or hold down the SHIFT key and click the Reset button.

057 Resetting Tool Options to Default Values

To reset the Tool Options palette for any tool to the default values, click the Presets drop-list and then click the Reset to default button ( ) .

058 Centering Text or Graphics

Often, after creating an image on a layer, you may need to center that image. To do this. cut the image (CTRL + X), and then paste the image as a new layer (CTRL + L). The image will be centered, horizontally and vertically, on the new layer.

For vector objects, PSP provides additional options. Choose Objects...Align:

• Center in Canvas will place the vector object in the center of the canvas.
• Horz. Center in Canvas will center the object between the right and left borders of the image, but will leave it at its current distance from the top and bottom borders.
• Vert. Center in Canvas will center the object between the top and bottom borders of the image, but will leave it at its current distance from the left and right borders.

Alternately, for vector objects, activate the Object Selection tool and choose one of the "Position on canvas" icons:

• - Center in Canvas.
• - Horizontal Center in Canvas.
• - Vertical Center in Canvas.

There is also a script distributed with PSP called CenterLayer. This script will center any layer (vector, raster, art media, etc.). To use this script, find it in the Script toolbar drop-list and click the Run Selected Script button ( ).

059 Changing Grid, Guide and Snap Properties

To change the Grid, Guide and Snap properties, such as the horizontal and vertical spacing of the grid, or color of the grid or guide lines, use one of the following methods:

• Choose View...Change Grid, Guide & Snap Properties.
• Right-click the image window title bar and choose Change Grid, Guide & Snap Properties from the context menu.
• Click the Pan tool on the Tool palette, right-click the image, and choose Change Grid, Guide & Snap Properties from the context menu.
• If the rulers are displayed, double-click on the ruler.

The Default settings group box shows settings for all future grids/guides you display. The Current image settings group box shows settings for the grid/guides in the current image - if you save that image in PSP format, and later open it, the Grid and Guide information will appear as you saved it.

060 Making Soft Edges

To create a "soft edges" effect for an image, use one of the following methods:

• Select and float the image (CTRL + A, and then CTRL + F), and then choose Selections...Modify...Contract to contract the selection by 1 or more pixels. Then choose Selections...Modify...Feather, and use a feather value of about 2. Copy this image (CTRL+C) and paste as a new image (CTRL + V) - with softened edges.
• Select and float the image (CTRL + A, and then CTRL + F), and then choose Selections...Modify...Feather to set the feather value. The larger the number, the softer the edge. Once this is done, invert the selection (CTRL + SHIFT + I), and press DELETE 3 or 4 times - the more you press DELETE, the more of the image gets erased or "softened".

061 Creating Textures From Images

If you have an image that you want to use as a texture, save in any format recognized by PSP into your Textures folder - this includes .psp, .pspimage, .jpg, .bmp, and .gif.

062 Saving Your Settings In Sinedots II

To save the settings for one of your Sinedots "creations" in a cfg file, or Settings File, click on the SAVE button at the bottom of the screen, then type in the name you want for these settings in the "Enter a Setting Name" field of the Save As dialog box that pops up. It will save your settings in whichever cfg file is currently open.

If you want a new cfg or Settings File, first click on the OPEN button at the bottom of the screen. The Open Presets File dialog box will open. Type in the name you want for your new Settings File in the "File Name" box - the system will append the .cfg for you - and click on the OPEN button. Then, click on the SAVE button as outline above, to save your settings.

To load a particular Sinedots Settings file you've saved, click on the OPEN button at the bottom of the screen. A list of Settings Files will appear - just double-click on your Settings File, or the one that contains the settings you want to work with. To find the individual Sinedots setting in that Settings File, click on the small arrow beside the name box at the bottom of the screen - a list of the settings in the currently open Settings File will drop down.

Any time you're not sure which Settings File is open, click the OPEN button - the Open Presets File dialog box will pop up, and the name of the currently open Settings File will appear in the "File Name" box. If that's not the one you want, browse through the list, double-clicking on the one you want.

063 Saving Images in PSP 7 Format

If you want or need to save images in PSP 7 format, for example, for Animation Shop:

• In the Save As dialog, change the .pspimage qualifier to .psp (red box below):
  

• Click on the Options button (green arrow above).
• In the Save Options dialog box, choose "PSP 7 compatible file" in the Version Save As drop-list:
  
• Click OK to close the Save Options dialog.
• Click Save to save the file.

Be sure to reset the Options to "PSP 9 compatible file" when you are done so that future files will be saved in PSP 9 format.

An alternate and easier method of saving files in PSP 7 format is to use the Animation Shop file type in the Save as type of the Save As dialog (circled in red below):

Notice that this format saves the image with a .psp extension (blue arrow above). When this method is used, there is no need to go back and reset the Save As Options to PSP 9, as this method does not change those options.

064 Determining Version Paint Shop Pro Image Saved In

To determine the version in which a PSP image or tube or frame was saved:

• In Paint Shop Pro, choose File...Open.
• Highlight the file and click the Details button.
• Check the version number in the Image format panel:

  

  • If it says 7, it was saved in PSP 9 format.
  • If it says 6, it was saved in PSP 8 format.
  • If it says 5, it was saved in PSP 7 format.
  • If it says 4, it was saved in PSP 6 format.
  • If it says 3, it was saved in PSP 5 format.

Note this is true of all PSP-type files, such as PSP layered images, tubes, frames, and shapes.

065 Animation Tips - Using Layered Images

In my opinion, the best way to create an animation is to create a layered image in Paint Shop Pro and open the PSP file as a multi-framed animation in Animation Shop. With the file saved as a PSP file, you can go back and make any changes, add new layers, rearrange the layers, and so on.

In order for these multilayered PSP files created in PSP 9 to work correctly in Animation Shop, the following must be true:

• The image must be saved in PSP 7 format (no changes were made to Animation Shop for PSP 9, so it only recognizes PSP files saved in PSP 7 format) - see Saving PSP Images in PSP 7 Format above.
• All layers must be visible when you save the image.
• Animation Shop must be configured to keep layers as separate frames.

To configure Animation Shop to keep layers as separate frames, choose File...Preferences...General Program Preferences, and click on the Layered Files tab. Make sure "Keep layers as separate frames" is checked. This feature causes Animation Shop to open a multilayered file and keep each layer as a separate frame. It's a very powerful feature.

Select the "Export frames to Paint Shop Pro as layered images" check box to have Paint Shop Pro create a single multilayered image in which each of the exported frames is turned into a layer. Deselecting this check box will revert to a separate image per exported frame. Finally, check "Preserve overall layer transparency" to retain the transparency level set for each layer.

Now, open your multilayered PSP file in Animation Shop, and click the View Animation button (or choose View...Animation). If the image checks out, you're ready to save the animation.

066 Animation Tips - Saving Images As Transparent Gifs

Animation shop does not do a very good job of saving transparent gifs - there are always some "jaggies" left around the image. There are 3 ways to avoid this problem and keep your animations "clean":

• Use a solid background behind your animation layers. In other words, if you will be using the animation on a white background, when you have completed creating your animation image in Paint Shop Pro, create a white layer, duplicate this layer as many times as you have layers in the animation, and merge one white layer with each animation layer. This makes the white background part of the animation, and there will be no "jaggies".
• If you have already saved the animation with a transparent background, you can still add an opaque background while in Animation Shop:
  • Choose Animation...Animation Properties.
  • On the Canvas Color tab, click Opaque.
  • Left-click inside the color box to display the Color dialog box (or right-click inside this color box to display the Recent Colors dialog box). Select the new canvas color.
  • Click OK to save your changes.
• A third procedure that gives great results is to Customize your animation during the save process. To do this, click on the Customize button on the Animation Quality Versus Output Size screen (first screen in the save dialog after naming your animation):
  • Click on the Colors tab:
    • Choose the number of colors - I usually use 255 colors.
    • In the Create Palette by section, choose Optimized Median Cut.
    • In the Reduce Colors section, choose Error Diffusion.
  • Click on the Optimizations tab:
    • Check Write Minimal Frames.
    • Check Collapse Identical Frames.
    • Check Map Identical Pixels to Transparent.
  • Click on the Partial Transparency tab:
    • Check the first item (Convert pixels less than), and enter a low number in the box - I have 1.
    • In the next section, check the first item (Yes, blend with this color) and then click on the color box to choose a color close to your background - use the exact color for solid backgrounds.

These fields are sticky fields, and your selections should be intact for your next animation, though you may need to change the color in the color box on the Partial Transparency tab.

067 Animation Tips - Adding a Logo or Watermark to All Frames of an Animation

To add a watermark or logo to all frames of an animation:

• Open the animation in Animation Shop.
• Open the logo/watermark you wish to add in Animation Shop.
• Activate the animation to which the watermark is to be added.
• Choose Edit...Select all.
• Choose Edit...Propagate Paste.
• Activate the logo/watermark animation.
• Choose Edit...Copy.
• Activate the animation to which the logo is to be added.
• Choose Edit...Paste...Into Selected Frame.
• Move logo/watermark into desired location, and left-click to fix in place.

068 Blending "Rough" Edges

You can blend "rough" or aliased edges of a pasted-in figure into a background to approximate an anti-aliased effect by using the Soften Brush tool . This also works when trying to blend elements from different layers.

069 Working With Vector Objects

The default node type in new vector objects (other than some vector lines) is Cusp. To evenly round out all the sharp corners of a vector shape, edit the nodes by choosing the Pen tool and selecting Edit Mode:

Then select all nodes (CTRL + A), and change the node type to Symmetric (CTRL + S).

	becomes
	becomes
	becomes
	becomes

To exit node editing, select another tool.

070 Keeping Rounded Corners Round

When you create a rounded square, and later decide you want to extend the rectangle, the rounded corners stretch out, and are no longer rounded like they were when you first created the shape. This tip will show you how to keep those corners perfectly rounded. Of course, your original shape has to be vector.

In this first set of images, the original shape is shown at the left. The center image shows stretching the rectangle by pulling on the right handle of the bounding box. Finally, the rightmost image shows the resulting rectangle. Notice the corners.

This same thing happens when using the rounded rectangle shape to create the rectangle directly - the corners are not evenly rounded at all:

Now let's see how to correct this situation. In the next set of images, the original shape is the same. To make the rectangle, I stretched this image, too, but in a different way:

• First of all, select the Pen tool (V), Edit mode .
• Select all the nodes on the right edge of the rounded square - there are 4 of them. Notice in the middle image that these nodes are solid, indicating they are selected. This can be done either by holding down the SHIFT key while clicking on each node until they're all selected, or drawing a selection rectangle around the 4 corner nodes with the Pen tool.
• Then, by repeatedly pressing the RIGHT ARROW key, the side of the shape is drawn to the right, 1 pixel at a time. To move 10 pixels at a time, hold the CTRL key down while pressing the RIGHT ARROW key.

Take a close look at those corners - isn't the result much neater?

You're not restricted to extending the rectangle in only one direction. You can make it as wide or as tall as you want. Select the side nodes first, extending the rectangle as wide as needed. Then select the bottom nodes (or the top nodes) and extend in that direction until it's the correct size, always with perfectly round corners.

Now you know how to make real rounded corners.

In PSP 9, there is an alternate way to draw rounded rectangles that eliminates the problems with the corners when the rectangle is stretched. Just use the new Rectangle tool, and set the horizontal and vertical radii before you draw your rectangle (larger numbers give more roundness to the corners). Then switch to Edit mode, and drag the sides or top and bottom to enlarge the rectangle. You'll see the corners are maintained exactly the same as you stretch the object.

071 Drawing An Arc

The easiest way I know to draw an arc is to draw a vector circle with the Preset Shape tool (P), and then delete one of the nodes using node edit (choose the Pen tool (V) and select Edit Mode). To change the line style of the arc, right-click it with the Object Selection tool (O), and choose Properties from the context menu to bring up the Vector Property dialog - which includes line style as one of its options.

Here's an arc whose line style was changed to Arrowhead end:

Note: If the new Ellipse tool (Q) is used to draw the circle instead of the Preset Shape tool, the process is slightly different. After the circle is drawn, the object must first be converted to a path (right-click and choose Convert to path from the context menu) before invoking node edit.

072 Drawing A Vector Triangle

To draw a vector triangle, choose the Pen tool (V), Drawing Lines and Polylines mode , and CHECK the Connect Segments check box. Then do the following:

• Click at the first vertex (A).
• Click at the second vertex (B) to set the first edge of the triangle.
• Click at the 3rd vertex (C) to set the second edge of the triangle.
• Click the Close selected open contours button .

The following diagram shows this process - the first side of the triangle is created by clicking at point A and then at point B. The second side of the triangle is created by clicking at point C. The triangle would be completed now by clicking on the Close selected open contours button on the Tool options palette.

073 Maintaining Aspect Ratio When Resizing Vector Images

To maintain the aspect ratio when resizing vector images, select the image, right-click, and drag from a corner.

074 Creating Text On a Curve

Here are a few basic tips for creating text on a path:

• Draw vector objects from top left to bottom right to ensure a clockwise path for the contour. To determine the direction of a contour, choose the Pen tool , select Edit Mode, and select a node on the path:
  • If the node has visible control arms, the arrow points in the direction the path is drawn.
  • If the node does not have control arms then press the SHIFT key and move from node to node using the UP arrow key - the direction you traverse the nodes is the direction of the path.

• To create text on a curved path, enable the Text tool and click on the path when the cursor becomes the Curved Text cursor ( ).

• To adjust the text either above or below the path, use the Offset parameter in the Text Tool Options palette - use positive offset values to place text above the path, and negative offset values to place text below the path.

  Note: Leading no longer has any effect on the position of text relative to a curve. This is new in PSP 9

• To get text to the bottom of a closed curve, select the curve, reverse the contour of the curve, and then enter the text.

• To edit vector text on a curve, hover over the text until the cursor changes to the Edit Curved Text cursor ( ), and then click on the text.

• To get "straight" text on a curved filled vector object, press the ALT key while using the Text tool.

• To fit existing vector text to a path, group the text and path (click on both the text and the path with the Object Selector tool while pressing the SHIFT key), and then choose Objects...Fit Text to Path. Alternately, right-click the vector object group and choose Fit Text to Path from the context menu.

• To make the path invisible before saving curved text image, open the Vector Property dialog box for the path, and clear the Visible box, or click the Visibility button of the curve object so that it appears crossed out on the Layers palette ( ).

• If the bounding box surrounding the curve is in the way when you go to choose the alignment point for the text on the curve, just remove it - use CTRL + D, or right-click and choose Select None from the context menu. Then click on the curve with your Text tool.

For a detailed explanation of creating text on a path, visit my Text On A Path in PSP 9 Tutorial.

075 Moving Text On A Curve

PSP 9 offers a new facility unavailable in previous versions of PSP. You can now move the curved text independently of the line it follows. In PSP 8, if you attached text to a line, you could move the text, but the line would move as well. In PSP 9, if you select only the text, you can move it along the line without moving the line.

Notice the small square icon that moves along the curve as you move the text (see blue arrow in following image) - this icon represents the location where the text will be dropped:

If the text is aligned left, that icon represents the left edge of the text; if the text is aligned center, that icon represents the new center of the text; and if the text is aligned right, that icon represents the right edge of the text.

Of course, if you want to move the text and the line, all you have to do is select both the text and the line, and they will still move together.

076 Another Way to Curve Text

If you're not into creating text on a curve, or you just want to curve some text quickly, try the Mesh Warp tool :

Or the Warp Brush tool :

077 Bezier Lines

To draw Bezier lines in PSP 9, used the Pen tool in Draw Point to Point - Bezier Curves mode:

Click at the beginning of the line, and drag to create the control arms. Then click at the endpoint of the line, and drag again. The shape of the curve is determined by the length and direction of each node's control arms. For more information on creating Bezier curves, visit my Bezier Lines in PSP 9 mini-tutorial.

078 Displaying HTML Color Codes

This tip is especially valuable for tutorial writers. Most of us share colors with our tutorial readers in hexadecimal format, or what we call HTML format - you know, like white is #FFFFFF, and black is #000000. I've always opened the Color dialog to determine the hexadecimal format for colors I wanted to share, until I discovered this tip - just set your preferences up to display colors in hexadecimal format:

• Choose File...Preferences...General Program Preferences.
• Click on the Palettes tab - in the Materials Palette options, mark both the Display colors in RGB format and Hexadecimal display check boxes.

Then, when you need to get the HTML code for a color you're using in a tutorial, all you have to do is hover over the color with the Dropper tool and the hexadecimal/HTML code will display:

The HTML code for the color in the first image is #8EA791, and the code for the second image is #0B562D. If your ToolTips aren't visible, see below.

079 Displaying Color Dropper ToolTips

To display the RGB values for the color under the cursor whenever the Dropper tool is active, choose File...Preferences...General Program Preferences, and click on the Display and Caching tab. In the Presentation options, mark the Display all color dropper ToolTips check box. And remember, the Dropper tool is also available whenever you use any painting or drawing tool if you press the CTRL key.

080 Eraser Tool Tips

Using the right mouse button, you can "unerase" using the Eraser tool . Comes in handy when you're cleaning up an image for a tube and your mouse "slips". No need to hit the undo button and lose everything you've just done - just "unerase" those pixels back in with the right mouse button. That's right, using the Eraser tool on a transparent layer reapplies any paint that was previously removed - even after you close an image and then reopen that image file, as long as the image is saved in PSP format.

Note: If you right-drag the Eraser on a layer, the paint you reapply might look somewhat different than it looked originally. The Eraser's settings for Opacity, Density, or Hardness, and the Textures mode setting can produce different effects from the original.

And here's another note - if you use the Eraser tool on an "unlayered" image, it acts like the Paint Brush in reverse: if you "paint" with the left mouse button, the pixels that you paint over are replaced with the current background color; if you "paint" with the right mouse button, the pixels are replaced with the current foreground color.

Many of the Eraser tool options help erase smoothly. I especially like the effect produced when reducing the Hardness option down near 0. This allows you to erase around the edges of an object, leaving very soft edges, almost like anti-aliasing.

Shortcut: The keyboard "shortcut" to activate the Eraser tool is "X".

081 Color Replacer Tool Tips

The Color Replacer tool uses the foreground and background colors from the Materials palette to replace one color in an image with a new color. You can use brush strokes to replace only those pixels that the brush touches or you can replace all pixels of a certain color in a selection or a layer. You can also set a Tolerance value so that the Color Replacer replaces colors that are similar, not just identical, to the original. As the tolerance value is increased, more colors are replaced. If you set Tolerance to 0, the pixels to be replaced must match the specified color exactly. With a setting of 200, all the pixels are changed.

To replace the background color with the foreground color, double-click the left mouse button anywhere in the image. To replace the foreground color with the background color, double-click the right mouse button anywhere in the image.

To confine the color replacement to a specific area, select the area before painting with the Color Replacer.

To replace colors using brush strokes (rather than all colors in the layer), on the Tool Options palette choose the brush tip, size, opacity, and other options.

082 Painting A Straight Line

To paint a straight line, click once at the beginning point, then press SHIFT and click the end point. To continue the straight line, move to the next point and press Shift and click.

Note: This works using any painting tool, including the Eraser tool.

083 Selection Folders in PSP 9

In PSP 9, if the default installation is followed, there is a Selections subfolder created in the C:\My Documents\My PSP Files folder for the user to place selections. However, unless the Preferences are set up correctly within PSP 9, all selections from all subfolders within that folder, as well as all selections provided by Jasc in the C:\Program Files\Jasc Software Inc\Paint Shop Pro 9\Selections folder, will show up every time you go to load a selection. This could be very confusing. But there is light at the end of the tunnel. Just visit my Using Selection Folders in PSP 8 tutorial for a clear explanation of a good way to organize your tutorial selection folders for both PSP 8 and PSP 9.

084 Mask Files in PSP 9

PSP 9 recognizes many file types as masks - .psp, .pspmask, .pspimage, .jpg, .gif, .bmp, etc. It is not necessary to convert black and white .jpg or .gif files to .msk files in order to use them as masks - just use them as they are. And you get the added benefit of a much smaller file as well - the .jpg or .gif file is much smaller, sometimes in the order of 4 to 5 times smaller.

085 Creating A Mask From a Black and White Image in PSP 9

Masks work the same in PSP 9 as they did in PSP 8 - here's a brief summary of how to create a mask from a black and white image. There are actually 3 parts to this topic - creating a file that can be used as a mask, using an open black and white image as a mask, and creating a PSP 9 mask file, or a .PspMask file, from the black and white image.

Let's start with creating a file that can be used as a mask. Actually, there are several ways you can create a mask from a black and white image. Once you have the black and white image, you can do any of the following:

• Save the image as a .jpg file to your masks folder.
• Save the image as a .gif file to your masks folder.
• Save the image as a .bmp file to your masks folder.
• Save the image as a .psp or .PspImage file to your masks folder.

Then, you can load any of these files as a mask. That's right. PSP 9 recognizes all these file types as masks. It also recognizes .msk files created in earlier versions of PSP as well as its own mask file type, with a .PspMask qualifier. But we'll get to that type in a moment. To use any of the above file types as a mask:

• Open your target image.
• Add a raster layer to the image and flood fill with whatever color or pattern or gradient you want your mask to be.
• Choose Layers...Load/Save Mask...Load Mask from Disk, and select your saved "mask" file from the drop-list.
• When you click OK, a new layer group will be created, containing 2 layers: the new mask layer, and the layer that was active when you loaded the mask.

How about just using that open black and white image as a mask. This can be done in either of 2 ways. One way involves using an alpha channel:

• Activate the black and white image.
• Select all (CTRL + A).
• Save the selection to an alpha channel (Selections...Load/Save Selection...Save Selection to Alpha Channel).
• Activate your target image.
• Add a raster layer to the image and flood fill with whatever color or pattern or gradient you want your mask to be.
• Choose Layers...Load/Save Mask...Load Mask from Alpha Channel, and select your saved "mask" file from the drop-list.
• Just as before, when you click OK, a new layer group will be created, containing 2 layers: the new mask layer, and the layer that was active when you created the mask layer.

The second way of using an open black and white image as a mask involves creating a mask layer directly from the black and white image:

• Activate the target image.
• Add a raster layer to the image and flood fill with whatever color or pattern or gradient you want your mask to be.
• Add a mask layer by choosing Layers...New Mask Layer...From Image.
• On the Add Mask from Image dialog, select Source opacity in the Create mask from option. You may want to select Invert Mask Data, depending on your source image, but you can invert the mask later.
• When you click OK, a new layer group will be created, containing 2 layers: the new mask layer, and the layer that was active when you created the mask layer.

Note: In PSP 8 and PSP 9, transparent pixels produce full masking, whereas in PSP 7, transparent pixels produced transparency. Therefore, to achieve the same results using an image with transparency as a mask in PSP 8 or PSP 9 that you achieved with Source luminance in PSP 7, you must use Source opacity.

Lastly, how do you save the mask as a .PspMask file? Once you have created the mask layer by ANY of the above methods:

• Activate the mask layer.
• Choose Layers...Load/Save Mask...Save Mask to Disk.
• In the Save Mask to Disk dialog, enter the new mask name into the File Name box.
• When you click Save, the mask will be saved to your default Masks directory, as defined in File...Preferences...File Locations, with the new name you entered, and a .PspMask extension.

Note: A word of caution - if you're going to save an image as a mask, it's a good idea to save the mask from an image that has the same shape as the source image. In other words, if you have created a square black and white image, and you use it as a mask in a rectangular image, it could become skewed, or a bit distorted. It's probably best to save the mask from another square image.

Final note - if you can achieve the same results with a .jpg file that you do with a .msk or .PspMask file, and the .jpg file is less than half the size of the mask file, than why go to all the bother of creating the mask?

086 Basic Mask Editing

Edit a mask the same way you edit any greyscale raster layer. Select a mask layer on the Layers palette, and then use the painting tools or the effects commands to modify the mask. When you edit a mask, you change either the areas or the degree of masking. For example, painting over an object to mask it changes the area, while applying a gradient fill edits the degree of masking.

If you want to see the mask while you are editing it, choose Layers...View Overlay. By default, the mask overlay displays red semi-transparent pixels (50% opacity) to show the mask on the image. If a different color or opacity would make the overlay easier to see on an image, change the color or opacity for the mask layer using the Layer Properties dialog (right-click on the mask's Layer Name button and choose Properties).

087 Using PSP 7 Presets in PSP 9

Presets created in any previous version of PSP MUST BE CONVERTED to work in PSP 8 or PSP 9. Fortunately, Gary Barton has written a wonderful script that does the job for you. Gary's PSP 7 Preset Converter can be found HERE.

088 Using Custom Brushes in PSP 9

To use custom brushes created in versions prior to PSP 8 in PSP 8 or PSP 9, they must be converted to the PSP 8/9 format. To do this:

• Choose File...Import...Custom Brush
• On the Import Custom Brush dialog, click Open, and browse to the folder that contains the custom brush. This will open the brush file, and you'll see all the brushes in that file in the left hand window.
• Click the Add All button - all the brushes will move to the right window.
• Click the OK button, and the brushes will be added to the "save to folder" designated in your Preferences...File Locations.

Custom brushes have 2 parts - a PspBrush file, which contains an image defining the shape of the custom brush, and a PspScript file, which defines the settings in the Tool Options and Variance palettes for the brush. These files are in the following format:

BrushTip_xxxxxx.PspScript
xxxxxx.PspBrush

where xxxxxx is the name the user chose for the brush.

Both parts are essential to using a brush in PSP 8 and PSP 9. Occasionally, one of these 2 parts gets lost, with these results:

• If the PspScript file gets lost, the brush will not appear in the list of brushes. You can recreate the script file by moving the PspBrush file out of the Brushes paths as defined in File Locations and importing the brush again.
• If the PspBrush file gets lost, the brush will appear in the list of brushes as a big blob. If you cannot find the associated PspBrush file, you will need to delete the PspScript file and re-import the brush from the original .jbr file.

089 Editing Selections

In PSP 9, as in PSP 8, selections are fully editable. This means you can do any of the following, and more, to your selection:

• Resize it - use the Deformation tool.
• Paint on it - painting with white adds to the selection, and painting with black removes areas from the selection.
• Erase part of it - erasing with white removes from the selection, while erasing with black adds to the selection.
• Rotate it - use Image...Rotate, or use the Deformation tool..
• Move it - use the Deformation tool, or the Move tool.
• Warp it - with the Mesh Warp Brush tool or the Warp Brush tool.
• Tile it seamlessly - use Effects...Image Effects...Seamless Tiling.
• Clone parts of it using the Clone Brush tool.
• And even apply effects to it - use any filter that works on a greyscale image. For example, Gaussian Blur feathers the selection; the wave effect can produce some neat edge masks.
• You can even add a tube to a selection.

To do all this cool stuff, once you've made a selection, enter into edit selection mode by choosing Selections...Edit Selection (ALT + S) or clicking on the Edit Selection button () on the Layers palette. A new Selection layer is added to the image:

and a ruby overlay replaces the selection.

Do whatever you want to that ruby overlay, using any of the tools and available PSP effects. When you are finished editing the selection, choose Selections...Edit Selection (ALT + S) again to display the selection marquee, or just click on any layer in the Layers palette. Then do what you want with your selection.

Note: You can also enter Edit Selection without having a previous selection, and then use the painting tools to create the selection.

Here are some examples of what you can do. I started with a 100-pixel square selection. In each row, I've included the edited selection and a brief explanation of what I did to the selection. Finally, I included another image showing what the selection looked like after I exited selection edit and flood filled the selection with black:

	Paint Brush Tool Clicked with round paintbrush once along top right edge with black (left-click), then once along bottom right edge with white (right-click).
	Eraser Tool Clicked with square eraser once along top right edge with black (left-click), then once along bottom right edge with white (right-click).
	Fine Leather Texture Applied Effects...Texture Effects...Fine Leather, Crackle preset.
	Gaussian Blur Applied Gaussian Blur with a radius of 3.00.
	Mesh Warp Brush Tool Used the Mesh Warp Brush tool to change the shape of the selection.
	Wave Effect Applied wave effect, both amplitudes = 1, both wavelengths = 4.
	Added Picture Tube Added a tube of one of my hibiscus blossoms.

You might find it helpful to add the Edit Selections icon to a toolbar to make it more accessible. I have mine on the Tools toolbar, right next to the Selection tool. For more information about adding items to PSP toolbars, see Customizing ToolBars and Menus above.

090 Making Sure Nothing Is Selected

Did you ever go to do something, and find you can't? Like you try to draw a line, and nothing happens, or you add a new layer, and go to flood fill it, and nothing happens, or you try to apply an effect, and it appears nothing changed? Sometimes this is because you inadvertently created a tiny selection, usually only a few pixels in size, which is not noticeable. Or perhaps you've hidden the selection marquee, and then made a selection, and forgot you did that.

It would be nice if there were some way to "remind" us if there's an active selection. Well, guess what? There is. There's an icon you can add to a toolbar that will serve to remind you if you have an active selection. It's the Select None icon, and it looks like this when there is an active selection , and like this where there are no selections . Add this icon to your toolbar (see Customizing ToolBars and Menus above). Then, the next time you're trying to do something, and no matter what you try, it doesn't seem to work, glance at your Select None icon - if it's "lit up", you've got a selection somewhere. Deselect (CTRL + D), and I'll bet you can do what you were trying to do.

091 Moving the Current Layer

Here's something you might want to do sometime - move an entire layer by clicking and dragging on its transparency. If you try that, clicking with the Move tool on the transparent area of one layer, and there's something under your cursor on a layer below, the Move tool will grab hold of what's on that lower layer and move it instead of the layer you were trying to move. Here's the secret to moving the active layer - just hold down the SHIFT key while you're using the Move tool, and you'll always move the active layer. Works every time.

092 Fading An Image Into the Background

When you want to merge the edges of your image into the background, follow these 6 easy steps:

• Set your background material to Color, and set the Background (Fill) Color to the color of the background you want to merge into.
• Select the image (Selections...Select All, or CTRL + A).
• Contract the selection by 10-15 pixels (Selections...Modify...Contract).
• Feather the selection by 10-15 pixels (Selections...Modify...Feather).
• Invert selection (Selections...Invert or CTRL + SHIFT + I).
• Hit the delete key, repeating if necessary.

Here are a few other ways to fade the edges of an image into the background:

• Use the eraser tool with a very soft, large, round brush on the edges. If you make a mistake, you can unerase with the right mouse button.
• Apply a simple Gaussian blur.
• Use a black and white gradient mask.
• Use a large, soft Airbrush loaded with the color of the background - apply this color on a new layer.
• Select the edge you want to fade into the background and apply an inside/outside feather to it. Then copy, deselect, and paste to a new layer. Move the faded edge into place, and you have a neat feathered edge.

093 Merging Layers Down

This powerful command introduced in PSP 8 allows the user to merge 2 layers without hiding all the other layers. To merge the current layer with the layer immediately below it in the Layers palette, choose Layers...Merge Down. The resulting layer will be:

• A raster layer if either layer is a raster layer.
• A vector layer, if both layers are vector layers.
• A mask layer, if both layers are mask layers.
• A background layer, if the layer to be merged with is a background layer.

Alternate method: Right-click on topmost of the 2 layers to be merged and select Merge...Merge Down from the context menu.

Note: If the merge you attempt is not legal, the Merge Down command will be greyed out. One such illegal merge I have found is trying to merge a raster layer into a vector layer - that won't work. However, you can merge a vector layer down into a raster layer with no problem.

And here's another important item - the merged layer will take its name from the name of the layer merged into, the bottom of the 2 layers. So if you name your layers wisely, you won't lose the layer names.

I use this new command often - so often I've added it to a toolbar , so it's always there handy and ready to use. See Customizing ToolBars and Menus above for more information on how to do this.

094 Using PSP 9 Files in Previous Versions of PSP

Many files created and saved in PSP 9 can be used in PSP 8. Exceptions to this are Picture Tube files and regular PSP image files. Picture Tubes created in PSP 9 save Scale information, which was not done in previous versions. Therefore, these files cannot be read by other versions of PSP. Images saved as PSP files (with the pspimage extension) cannot be read in previous versions of PSP either - due to the extensive changes implemented in PSP 9, like the new Art Media layers. However, images can be saved in PSP 8 or prior format by clicking the Options button in the Save/Save As dialog and selecting the version desired. Be aware that any information exclusive to PSP 9 will be lost in images saved in an earlier format. Some files saved in PSP 9 can even be used in PSP 7 merely by renaming them with the appropriate PSP 7 extension. These include frames (rename from *.PspFrame to *.pfr) and gradients (rename from *.PspGradient to *.jgd).

PSP 9 masks that have been saved in OS/2 or Windows bitmap format can also be used in PSP 7 if renamed from *.PspMask to *.msk. However, images that are created and saved as masks in PSP 9 are formatted as PSP 8 files, and as such can be used in PSP 8, but not in PSP 7. To check the format of a mask file:

• Browse to the mask folder.
• Select the mask file.
• Click the Details button - the Image Format panel will list the format the file was saved in.

You can, however, share PSP 9 masks with PSP 7 users if you save them as .bmp files first. To do this:

• Open the *.PspMask file in PSP 9.
• Save it as a Windows or OS/2 Bitmap (*.bmp) file, changing the options to Format = Windows and Encoding = Run length encoding.
• The resulting *.bmp file can be used directly as a mask in PSP 7, or can be renamed as a *.msk files using the PSP Browser or Windows Explorer.

095 Adding or Removing Colors From A Selection

Another feature introduced in PSP 8 is Select Color Range, which is on the Modify menu. This feature allows you to add or remove any color from a selection. The color you choose is either added or removed from the selection, and the selection border changes. If you copy and paste the selection, the pasted area has the color added or removed. The Select Color Range, used in combination with invert and delete, makes the transparency filters (Remove Black and Remove White) unnecessary. Here's how to use this feature to remove a color, such as black or white, from an image:

• Select all.
• Choose Selection...Modify...Select Color Range.
• Select the Subtract color range option.
• Choose the color you want removed.
• Click OK when you have the settings as you want them.
• Invert the selection and delete.

This new facility does a lot more than the Remove Black and Remove White filters, because it works on any color, and it allows you to specify a color tolerance, and the amount of softness for the referenced color. As a Jasc PSP guru once said, "Select Color Range is your friend."

096 Warping Text to Match Curve

Want your text to be warped to match the curve you're writing it on? If so, select the Warp Text check box on the Text tool Tool Options palette.

097 Filling Text With Patterns Or Gradients

In PSP 9 (as in PSP 8), text is filled from left to right with whatever pattern or gradient you have set in the Materials palette, unlike in PSP 7, where each letter was individually filled with the pattern or gradient. To fill each letter individually in PSP 9, create vector text and convert the text to curves by selecting Objects...Convert Text to Curves...As Character Shapes:

Gradient Text as created in PSP9	Gradient Text after Convert Text to Curves

098 Making Brush Strokes Darker

Are you trying to make your brush strokes a little darker? Try increasing the Impressions per step value on the Brush Variance palette (F11) - but just a little, as it will slow everything down greatly if it's too high:

099 Using the PSP Extension

If you would like to change the default extension for PSP images permanently from the new *.PspImage extension to the former *.psp extension, do the following:

• Choose File...Preferences...File Format Associations.
• In the File Type window, scroll down to and highlight "Paint Shop Pro Image".
• Click the Extension button (lower right hand side of panel) to open the Extensions dialog. The preferred extension (the one PSP is currently using to save files) is at the top of the list.
• To make psp the preferred extension, select psp in the list and click the Preferred button. The psp extension will move to the top of the list.
• Click OK to save your changes.
• In the File Format Associations dialog, click OK to save all changes made, or Cancel to close the dialog without saving any changes.

100 Background Eraser Tips

The Background Eraser tool is one of the most fascinating of the PSP 8 innovations. There were loads of posts to the beta newsgroup about this animal, and I've collected what I thought were the best of them to pass on to you as tips. But first, just a bit about how the Background Eraser tool works.

The background eraser allows you to selectively erase pixels from the background while leaving an image intact. Its purpose is to erase background you don't want that lies around an object you want to keep. Place the center of the brush on the background you want to remove and overlap the edge of the brush onto the object you want to keep. Now trace around your object.

The Background Eraser performs its magic by erasing pixels similar to those under the brush, while leaving the other pixels unchanged. It constantly samples the pixels under its center, and uses complex algorithms to erase similar pixels in the surrounding area defined by the brush. In this way, you can easily isolate a puppy from the grass, or a balloon from the sky. The key is to keep the center of the brush away from the graphic you are trying to isolate. The edges of the brush can (and should) overlap the graphic as you erase, but the center of the brush always remains outside the graphic.

While you are in the Background Eraser tool, left-mouse will erase based on the definition of the background and right-mouse will unerase based on that same definition, but not completely. Holding down the Spacebar and using left-mouse will erase unconditionally, just as the regular Eraser does. Additionally, holding down the Spacebar and using right-mouse unconditionally unerases. For the lifetime of the tool the original image colors are remembered in the transparent areas, even though actual colors in these areas are changing. So, you want to stay in the BGEraser tool until you are done.

Here are some specific tips shared with the beta testers by the "masters":

• For the most part, use the default settings for the brush - these seldom need to be changed.
  

• You will find if very helpful to enable Show brush outlines on the Display and Caching tab, General Program Preferences.
• When you have an image with internal holes containing background, use Discontiguous Limits rather than Contiguous.
• If you have trouble preserving edges use Find Edges for Limits.
• If the brush seems to consistently bite into your object, increase the Sharpness setting slightly to 80 or maybe 90.
• For preserving subtle edges, setting Limits to Contiguous is better than Discontiguous, and setting Find Edges is even better then Contiguous.
• You can get a better differentiation of object and background by increasing the Sharpness setting - do this in a restricted fashion since it is a very sensitive control.
• When either your object is vividly colored but your background is unsaturated, or when you have a rather unsaturated object on a brilliantly colored background, consider checking Ignore Lightness.
• For very careful detail work, switch off Auto Tolerance and manually set the Tolerance. It is difficult to do this better than the tool does itself, especially with a background and/or object where colors vary a lot.
• Always unconditionally erase with the spacebar. Otherwise you will lose remembered data in case you need to unerase, and you might get some truly psychedelic data on unerase.
• Keep the brush center away from the subject you are preserving.

101 Spatter Brush Effect

To get a "spatter brush" effect using the Airbrush tool, use a round brush tip with Hardness, Step, and Density set at about 25, Opacity about 50, and Blend Mode set to Dissolve.

102 Saving A Tutorial To Your Hard Drive

To save a tutorial from the internet to your hard drive to work offline, open the tutorial, and choose File...Save As. In the Save Web Page dialog, browse to the folder where you want to 'store' the saved tutorial, or create a new folder if you wish, and click the Save button. The tutorial will download in 2 parts:

• A file having the name of the tutorial, with an .htm or .html extension.
• A folder having the same name with '_files' appended, which contains all the images used in the tutorial.

For example, if the title of the tutorial is Mosaic Tile Background, after saving the tutorial to your hard drive, the 2 parts will look like this (highlighted in green):

103 Drop Shadows and Perspective Shadows The Easy Way - With No Plug-Ins

Here's a neat way to get drop shadows and perspective shadows without the use of plugins:

1. Activate the layer you want to create the drop shadow for.
2. Duplicate this layer, renaming the duplicate layer "Shadow".
3. With the "Shadow" layer active, choose Adjust...Brightness and Contrast...Brightness/Contrast, and set the Brightness all the way down to -255 (negative 255), which will turn the image black.
4. Using the Mover tool, drag this image slightly to whichever side you want the shadow on.
5. Move the "Shadow" layer below the original layer in the Layers palette.
6. Apply a blur to the shadow using Adjust...Blur...Gaussian Blur. The radius of the blur depends on how you want the shadow to look, but something in the range of 7.00 - 15.00 works well.
7. Lower the opacity of the "Shadow" layer, as needed. Sometimes, it helps to change the Blend Mode to Hard Light.
8. If you want a perspective shadow instead of a drop shadow, use the Deformation tool to skew the image left or right, depending on where your light is coming from. If you want your shadow to fall in front of the object instead of behind it, flip the shadow before skewing it and move it into place.

This method gives you a tremendous amount of control over the position, thickness, blur, and opacity of your drop and perspective shadows. It's a great alternative to the Drop Shadow effect, and is much easier to use than the Eye Candy perspective shadows.

104 Adding Extrusions to Text or Objects

Here's a quick way to add extrusions to text or objects. Once you have your text or object created, choose Effects...3D Effects...Drop Shadow, and using Horizontal and Vertical Offsets of 1, Opacity of 100, and Blur of 0, add a shadow. Repeat several times until you get the effect you want. Here are a few variations:

To see the extrusion fall down and to the right, set both Horizontal and Vertical Offsets to 1.
To see the extrusion fall up and to the right, set the Vertical Offset to -1 (negative 1) and the Horizontal Offset to 1.
To see the extrusion fall down and to the left, set the Vertical Offset to 1 and the Horizontal Offset to -1 (negative 1) .
To see the extrusion fall up and to the left, set both Vertical and Horizontal Offsets to -1 (negative 1).

Use a contrasting color for interesting extrusions. Check the Shadow on new layer check box if you want to manipulate the shadows.

To apply the repeated drop shadows without revisiting the Drop Shadow dialog each time, press the SHIFT key while clicking on the REPEAT icon . I have this icon on my standard toolbar for easy access.

Here's some gradient text with an extrusion out to the left. For this one, I used a Vertical Offset of 0 and a Horizontal Offset of 1, repeating the shadow 5 times:

105 Scripting - What's It All About?

Scripting is one of the wonderful new features introduced in PSP 8. It's a wonderful tool to automate tasks that you want repeated on multiple images. It saves you the trouble of doing all the steps by hand every time. Nearly everything you do in PSP can be recorded into a script and played back later. For further information, visit my Recording a Simple Script in PSP 9 Tutorial.

106 Running Scripts in Batch Mode

Say you've written a script that makes some modification to an image, and you want to apply that same modification to many images, even hundreds of images. Can that be done? Sure can. Just use the File...Batch...Batch Process command. In the Batch Process dialog, you'll be able to choose the files you want processed, the script you want to run against them, how you want them saved, the folder to place the processed files in, and even the name to give the processed files. This is a very powerful command.

Depending on your settings in the Batch Process dialog, this command can also be used to make copies of files or convert files from one format to another.

107 Batch Rename Process

There's also a Batch Rename process available by choosing the File...Batch...Rename Process command. This command lets you rename groups of files, choosing the original name and/or several qualifiers, such as date (9 formats), time (4 formats), sequence number (you choose starting number), and custom text. Using this command, you can rename an entire batch of photos, giving them meaningful names. DCP_4901.jpg through DCP_4980.jpg can become flowers01_05262003.jpg through flowers80_05262003.jpg.

108 Gridmaker Script

The Gridmaker script provided with PSP allows you to add a new layer to your image which contains a grid at the pixel specify using the foreground material for the grid. Unlike grids and guides that are only temporary, this grid can become a permanent part of your image.

109 Prompting the User for Materials In A Script

Many times, when you're creating a script, you want to prompt the user for materials during that script. To do this, insert this code at the beginning of the script:

This code causes a Message Box to pop up - the text in the Message Box is highlighted in yellow above. The 'true' at the end of the line highlighted in pink makes this the foreground material. The name given to this material, Material1 (which will be used later in the script) is highlighted in blue.

Similar code can be inserted for obtaining the background material:

The text that will appear in the message box is highlighted in yellow. Note the line highlighted in pink - the 'false' at the end of this line ensures this will be the background material. Again, the name given to this material, Material2, is highlighted in blue.

In the code where the material is to be used, i