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Guides and How To's [For Paint Shop Pro] paint shop pro
Jun 24, 2008 10:45:42 GMT -5
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Last Added -
Index: (11)
Or maybe you want to submit your own guide?
Whether you are submitting a guide, or want to make a suggestion, please send a PM to Stinky666.
For suggestions that are accepted and a guide is made for, you will be rewarded, via forum credits.
Last Added -
Index: (11)
Adding a Glow to Any Shape
Customizing Keyboard Shortcuts
Customizing Layers (Hide/Show)
Editing/Moving Selections
Hiding Palettes (+ Extra Tips)
Improving Image Quality
[psp1]JPG, GIF and PNG Settings
Making Your Text Vertical (2 Ways)
Removing the BG From a TIFF or TARGA File
[psp1]Saving/Loading to the Alpha Channel/Disk
Watermarking In Paint Shop Pro
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Any copying, altering or redistribution of any is strictly prohibited.
Any copying, altering or redistribution of any is strictly prohibited.
Jun 24, 2008 10:46:06 GMT -5
Tutorial/Guide Compatible with Paint Shop Pro versions: XI & X2
Paint Shop Pro X has One Step Noise Removal, and Edge Preserving Smooth, but does not have Skin Smoothing.
Versions before are unknown.
I will show you a couple of ways how you can improve image quality in PSP.
This will more than likely only work on images of people stocks.
It won't work on signatures/tags and other similar things.
If you do use people stocks in your art, you should hopefully find this usefull.
One Step Noise Removal:
The "One Step Noise Removal" feature is a very very handy one for improving image quality.
This feature is located just above the tool options area. It's in a dropdown called "Enhance Photo".
Click the dropdown, and there it is: Click Here for Preview
For every time you click that, it will "apply the feature" to your image.
You can click it more than once, but just let it finish "applying" each time. You know how much has been "applied" by the "load bar" at the bottom of your Paint Shop Pro: Click Here for Preview
Once that has appeared and disappeared, it means the effect has been applied. Just hit the "One Step Noise Removal" again, and the same process will happen.
What I like to do, so that I can see the difference between the "before" and "after" image, is I duplicate the layer of my stock and do the "One Step Noise Removal" on the duplicated layer. After each time I click the "One Step Noise Removal", and it has been applied, I hide the layer of it, and then quickly unhide it, then hide it again, and keep doing this whilst moving my eyes around looking at the image. This helps you decide whether you want to (or need to) use the feature again.
Ok so lets get started...
So first of all, open up a stock that hasn't got great quality. Make sure it is of a real person.
The stock I am using is this: Click Me
As previously mentioned, I like to duplicate the layer, so right click on the layer and choose "duplicate". Now go to the "Enhance Photo" dropdown and select "One Step Noise Removal".
After the effect has been applied, this is what my image looks like: Click Me
(Note: The bigger your image, the longer the feature will take to finish applying, so just wait.)
As you can see, that is already looking much better than it was.
But if you want it to be better quality, do the step again.
So, duplicate that layer (right click the layer and choose "duplicate") and then go to "Enhance Photo", and select "One Step Noise Removal". This is what mine now looks like: Click Me
And there we go.
When you now resize to fit it into your design, the quality will be even better.
Other Ways of Improving Quality:
Believe it or not, there are other ways of improving image quality, besides the One Step Noise Removal. There are two other ways that I will now show you. They are: Edge Preserving Smooth, and Skin Smoothing.
Skin smoothing is best used on a person stock, which has lots of "skin" colouring. Edge Preserving Smooth can be used on more or less anything, such as gaming characters, people and so forth.
Edge Preserving Smooth:
First off, I will show you the Edge Preserving Smooth.
I will be using the same stock as above: Click Me
For this feature, it's best to have a stock that of which the quality of around the focal (in this case, the woman), isn't of great quality. As you can see, it's quite pixely and just not too great.
So, with your image open, duplicate the layer (right click on the layer and choose "duplicate") and then what we will do is go to Adjust > Add/Remove Noise > Edge Preserving Smooth. Once clicked, a new window should open, which should have one setting, which is "Amount of Smoothing".
I never go above 4. This is because otherwise it messes up the person's hair and so on, which I obviously don't want.
In this case, I have used the amount of 3: Click Me
As you can see, the edges are still not at their best, so we will duplicate the top layer (right click it and choose "duplicate"), and we will go to Adjust > Add/Remove Noise > Edge Preserving Smooth and again, use the same setting as before, which was 3. Posssibly, use only 1 or 2.
Now your image should be better quality. Mine after 3: Click Me
As you can now see though, the hair is slightly weird, so, because you have been duplicating each layer as you add a new Edge Preserving Smooth, we can fix this by using the eraser tool (X).
You should only have a total of 3 layers if you did exactly what I said. Hiide your top layer, by clicking the image that looks like this in the layer palette, next to the layer: Click Me
Now click on your middle layer. Grab your Eraser Tool (X) and use the following settings: Click Me
With a big image such as this, you can use the above settings, but with a smaller image, you might want to adjust the settings slightly. Mostly, you would need to adjust the Size and Hardness. But not by too much.
What we are doing here, is erasing parts of the hair, so the detail of the hair is still great and doesn't look odd. Be carefull not to erase the edges, cos thats what we have been fixing up. After you have erased enough and you are happy with what it is looking like, unhide your top layer and do the same. Then when happy with that, press A on your keyboard to select your Pan Tool, and now right click on your canvas and choose Copy Merged and then press CTRL+L to paste as a new layer.
This is what mine looks like after erasing and pasting: Click Me
Now you can duplicate that and use the Edge Preserving Smooth feature again, and erase etc again, or you can keep what you have. It all depends on what you want.
Skin Smoothing:
Now to show you how to use Skin Smoothing. We will be using the same stock image used previously.
Open up your stock, and then duplicate the layer.
Now, go to Adjust > Skin Smoothing. Now a new window should have opened. The setting I like to use mostly is "80", but anything between 60 and 100 works fine in my experience.
Before Image: Click Me
After Image (Setting: 80): Click Me
As you can see, on the left side of her face, it hasn't been affected by the skin smoothing. And the background of the image is still "noisey" and messy, s, we will now be using One Step and Noise Removal to fix that.
Duplicate your Skin Smoothed layer (right click the layer > duplicate), and now go to Enhance Photo > One Step Noise Removal. Obviously let it "apply/load".
Now, I have it looking like this: Click Me
The beauty of duplicating the layers as you go along, means you can erase parts that you want to just incase bits look over smooth etc.
As you can see, on the above image, the left side of her face is still quite "noisey", so we will simply duplicate that top layer, and then do the One Step Noise Removal again.
Here is what mine looks like after doing it: Click Me
Again, that is much better than before.
Now, I am personally happy with her face, but if you still think it is still too "noisey", duplicate the top layer, and then apply another One Step Noise Removal. Keep doing that untill you are happy with what you have.
If you stopped where I have, then you should have a total of 4 layers.
These layers should be as follows:
- Bottom layer = Original Stock
- Second layer from bottom = Duplicate of Stock + Skin Smoothing
- Second layer from top = Duplicate of Skin Smooth + 1x One Step Noise Removal
- Top layer = Duplicate of Skin Smooth + 2x One Step Noise Removal
If you think that some parts are over smooth, simply do the following few steps:
- Press A on your keyboard
- Right click on your canvas/image and choose Copy Merged
- Press CTRL+L to paste as a new layer
- Hide all layers except the very bottom and very top
- Grab your Eraser Tool (X)
- Start erasing parts you dislike on the Top layer
(If you erase wrong bits: CTRL+Z to go back as many steps as you need)
Although I am happy with what I currently have, teh edges of my stock are slightly messed up. To fix this, I will duplicate my top layer and apply an Edge Preserving Smooth effect. Scroll up to see how to do so.
Keep duplicating and applying this effect until you are reasonably happy. Use the eraser tool to erase bits you dislike.
Here is what my final image looks like: Click Me
I hope this has helped some people.
Questions, comments, broken links, let me know.
Paint Shop Pro X has One Step Noise Removal, and Edge Preserving Smooth, but does not have Skin Smoothing.
Versions before are unknown.
I will show you a couple of ways how you can improve image quality in PSP.
This will more than likely only work on images of people stocks.
It won't work on signatures/tags and other similar things.
If you do use people stocks in your art, you should hopefully find this usefull.
One Step Noise Removal:
The "One Step Noise Removal" feature is a very very handy one for improving image quality.
This feature is located just above the tool options area. It's in a dropdown called "Enhance Photo".
Click the dropdown, and there it is: Click Here for Preview
For every time you click that, it will "apply the feature" to your image.
You can click it more than once, but just let it finish "applying" each time. You know how much has been "applied" by the "load bar" at the bottom of your Paint Shop Pro: Click Here for Preview
Once that has appeared and disappeared, it means the effect has been applied. Just hit the "One Step Noise Removal" again, and the same process will happen.
What I like to do, so that I can see the difference between the "before" and "after" image, is I duplicate the layer of my stock and do the "One Step Noise Removal" on the duplicated layer. After each time I click the "One Step Noise Removal", and it has been applied, I hide the layer of it, and then quickly unhide it, then hide it again, and keep doing this whilst moving my eyes around looking at the image. This helps you decide whether you want to (or need to) use the feature again.
Ok so lets get started...
So first of all, open up a stock that hasn't got great quality. Make sure it is of a real person.
The stock I am using is this: Click Me
As previously mentioned, I like to duplicate the layer, so right click on the layer and choose "duplicate". Now go to the "Enhance Photo" dropdown and select "One Step Noise Removal".
After the effect has been applied, this is what my image looks like: Click Me
(Note: The bigger your image, the longer the feature will take to finish applying, so just wait.)
As you can see, that is already looking much better than it was.
But if you want it to be better quality, do the step again.
So, duplicate that layer (right click the layer and choose "duplicate") and then go to "Enhance Photo", and select "One Step Noise Removal". This is what mine now looks like: Click Me
And there we go.
When you now resize to fit it into your design, the quality will be even better.
Other Ways of Improving Quality:
Believe it or not, there are other ways of improving image quality, besides the One Step Noise Removal. There are two other ways that I will now show you. They are: Edge Preserving Smooth, and Skin Smoothing.
Skin smoothing is best used on a person stock, which has lots of "skin" colouring. Edge Preserving Smooth can be used on more or less anything, such as gaming characters, people and so forth.
Edge Preserving Smooth:
First off, I will show you the Edge Preserving Smooth.
I will be using the same stock as above: Click Me
For this feature, it's best to have a stock that of which the quality of around the focal (in this case, the woman), isn't of great quality. As you can see, it's quite pixely and just not too great.
So, with your image open, duplicate the layer (right click on the layer and choose "duplicate") and then what we will do is go to Adjust > Add/Remove Noise > Edge Preserving Smooth. Once clicked, a new window should open, which should have one setting, which is "Amount of Smoothing".
I never go above 4. This is because otherwise it messes up the person's hair and so on, which I obviously don't want.
In this case, I have used the amount of 3: Click Me
As you can see, the edges are still not at their best, so we will duplicate the top layer (right click it and choose "duplicate"), and we will go to Adjust > Add/Remove Noise > Edge Preserving Smooth and again, use the same setting as before, which was 3. Posssibly, use only 1 or 2.
Now your image should be better quality. Mine after 3: Click Me
As you can now see though, the hair is slightly weird, so, because you have been duplicating each layer as you add a new Edge Preserving Smooth, we can fix this by using the eraser tool (X).
You should only have a total of 3 layers if you did exactly what I said. Hiide your top layer, by clicking the image that looks like this in the layer palette, next to the layer: Click Me
Now click on your middle layer. Grab your Eraser Tool (X) and use the following settings: Click Me
With a big image such as this, you can use the above settings, but with a smaller image, you might want to adjust the settings slightly. Mostly, you would need to adjust the Size and Hardness. But not by too much.
What we are doing here, is erasing parts of the hair, so the detail of the hair is still great and doesn't look odd. Be carefull not to erase the edges, cos thats what we have been fixing up. After you have erased enough and you are happy with what it is looking like, unhide your top layer and do the same. Then when happy with that, press A on your keyboard to select your Pan Tool, and now right click on your canvas and choose Copy Merged and then press CTRL+L to paste as a new layer.
This is what mine looks like after erasing and pasting: Click Me
Now you can duplicate that and use the Edge Preserving Smooth feature again, and erase etc again, or you can keep what you have. It all depends on what you want.
Skin Smoothing:
Now to show you how to use Skin Smoothing. We will be using the same stock image used previously.
Open up your stock, and then duplicate the layer.
Now, go to Adjust > Skin Smoothing. Now a new window should have opened. The setting I like to use mostly is "80", but anything between 60 and 100 works fine in my experience.
Before Image: Click Me
After Image (Setting: 80): Click Me
As you can see, on the left side of her face, it hasn't been affected by the skin smoothing. And the background of the image is still "noisey" and messy, s, we will now be using One Step and Noise Removal to fix that.
Duplicate your Skin Smoothed layer (right click the layer > duplicate), and now go to Enhance Photo > One Step Noise Removal. Obviously let it "apply/load".
Now, I have it looking like this: Click Me
The beauty of duplicating the layers as you go along, means you can erase parts that you want to just incase bits look over smooth etc.
As you can see, on the above image, the left side of her face is still quite "noisey", so we will simply duplicate that top layer, and then do the One Step Noise Removal again.
Here is what mine looks like after doing it: Click Me
Again, that is much better than before.
Now, I am personally happy with her face, but if you still think it is still too "noisey", duplicate the top layer, and then apply another One Step Noise Removal. Keep doing that untill you are happy with what you have.
If you stopped where I have, then you should have a total of 4 layers.
These layers should be as follows:
- Bottom layer = Original Stock
- Second layer from bottom = Duplicate of Stock + Skin Smoothing
- Second layer from top = Duplicate of Skin Smooth + 1x One Step Noise Removal
- Top layer = Duplicate of Skin Smooth + 2x One Step Noise Removal
If you think that some parts are over smooth, simply do the following few steps:
- Press A on your keyboard
- Right click on your canvas/image and choose Copy Merged
- Press CTRL+L to paste as a new layer
- Hide all layers except the very bottom and very top
- Grab your Eraser Tool (X)
- Start erasing parts you dislike on the Top layer
(If you erase wrong bits: CTRL+Z to go back as many steps as you need)
Although I am happy with what I currently have, teh edges of my stock are slightly messed up. To fix this, I will duplicate my top layer and apply an Edge Preserving Smooth effect. Scroll up to see how to do so.
Keep duplicating and applying this effect until you are reasonably happy. Use the eraser tool to erase bits you dislike.
Here is what my final image looks like: Click Me
I hope this has helped some people.
Questions, comments, broken links, let me know.
Jun 24, 2008 10:46:16 GMT -5
Here is a guide on how to add a visible watermark to your artwork in PSP.
This has been tested in the following PSP versions: 8, 9, X, XI & X2.
Out of those, it's only possible in: XI and X2.
If you use deviantART.com then when you upload an image, you can set it to add a watermark automatically, but not everyone uses dA.
There are of course many ways to add your own visible watermark to an image, in any program; make an image (logo, text etc) and then paste it into the image and position it, but this way is much better and easier than the rest after the first time you do it.
If you already have a watermark image ready, then jump straight to the "Adding The Watermark" section.
Making Your Watermark
First of all, you will need to create a logo or text image of some kind. Something that you would like to use as a watermark.
The image can be any size you want. If it's an image, then in my opinion it would be best to make the image pretty big, so when it resizes it will remain as best quality as possible. If you are just adding a text image, like in this tutorial, then it might be best to use a big font size, but I'm only going to use a reasonably small one, because personally, with a watermark I don't want it to be too big on my image.
As just said, in this tutorial I will be using a text image.
So first thing first, lets create the text image..
Make a new image (CTRL+N), use any size you want to. I'm not sure what size I want to do my image, so I simply make any size: 400x125px
In my opinion, it's best to put your image/logo onto a transparent background, so make sure check box for transparent is checked.
Now press T for your Text Tool, click on your canvas and input the text you would like as your watermark. I want to "advertise" my deviantART account through my pieces, so I input my dA url.
Select your font, size and such and once you are happy click "Apply".
I used a solid black for my text and the below settings: Click Me
Now if your image isn't the exact width and height of your canvas, press CTRL+C to copy, and then CTRL+SHIFT+V to paste as a new image.
Now, because of the "tiling" option in the watermark settings, we will need to add a bit of blank space to one or both sides of our text image, otherwise when it tiles, it will all connect onto each other. So, go to Image > Canvas Size and for the width and height, type in your current size. This information can be seen to the bottom right of the PSP screen. My size is 266x20px, so for width I type 266, and height I type 20. Now, I only want to add a few pixels to one side of my image and to the top, maybe 10px. So add an additional 10px to your height AND your width. My new size would be: 276x30px
Because I want to add to only one side and to the top, I will put in a zero (0) for Bottom, and Right: Click here
Click OK and now go save your image as a PNG.
File > Export > PNG Optimizer (16.7million colours + Alpha Channel Transparency).
For the sake of the tutorial, I have only saved it to my Desktop, but save it to wherever you are happy with.
Now, the fun part. Open up the image you would like to add a watermark to, I will be using a Cinema 4D Piece I created: Click Here
Adding The Watermark
Go to Effect > Effect Browser. A new window should appear. Click on the little "plus (+)" sign next to "Presets", then do the same next to "Image" and then again for "Watermarking", now click on "Visible Watermarking". Then click on the icon/image to the right, called "Visible Watermark: Factory Defaults", then click Modify to the right of that.
What you should see/do in Effect Browser: Click Here
What you should see after you have clicked "modify": Click Here
The very first thing you need to do, is load your text watermark image that we created earlier..
So, click the "Browse" button next to "Load Image", located to the left.. Find your image click it, and select "Open".
Now that's loaded in. I always like to be able to preview my outcome so for any effects I check the "Preview on Image" to the top right of the window.
Mess about with your settings to get whatever you want. Use the options to the right to tile, center or place in a corner.
Also use the settings below that to set the opacity and size.
Another way to get to the Visible Watermark would be to go to Image > Watermarking > Visible Watermark.
NOTE: In "Image", you will also see two other options, or at least should do, they are Embed Watermark and Read Watermark, these are not free, they are only available if you pay for them.
TIP: Make a folder for your watermark images if you don't always want to use the same one.
This has been tested in the following PSP versions: 8, 9, X, XI & X2.
Out of those, it's only possible in: XI and X2.
If you use deviantART.com then when you upload an image, you can set it to add a watermark automatically, but not everyone uses dA.
There are of course many ways to add your own visible watermark to an image, in any program; make an image (logo, text etc) and then paste it into the image and position it, but this way is much better and easier than the rest after the first time you do it.
If you already have a watermark image ready, then jump straight to the "Adding The Watermark" section.
Making Your Watermark
First of all, you will need to create a logo or text image of some kind. Something that you would like to use as a watermark.
The image can be any size you want. If it's an image, then in my opinion it would be best to make the image pretty big, so when it resizes it will remain as best quality as possible. If you are just adding a text image, like in this tutorial, then it might be best to use a big font size, but I'm only going to use a reasonably small one, because personally, with a watermark I don't want it to be too big on my image.
As just said, in this tutorial I will be using a text image.
So first thing first, lets create the text image..
Make a new image (CTRL+N), use any size you want to. I'm not sure what size I want to do my image, so I simply make any size: 400x125px
In my opinion, it's best to put your image/logo onto a transparent background, so make sure check box for transparent is checked.
Now press T for your Text Tool, click on your canvas and input the text you would like as your watermark. I want to "advertise" my deviantART account through my pieces, so I input my dA url.
Select your font, size and such and once you are happy click "Apply".
I used a solid black for my text and the below settings: Click Me
Now if your image isn't the exact width and height of your canvas, press CTRL+C to copy, and then CTRL+SHIFT+V to paste as a new image.
Now, because of the "tiling" option in the watermark settings, we will need to add a bit of blank space to one or both sides of our text image, otherwise when it tiles, it will all connect onto each other. So, go to Image > Canvas Size and for the width and height, type in your current size. This information can be seen to the bottom right of the PSP screen. My size is 266x20px, so for width I type 266, and height I type 20. Now, I only want to add a few pixels to one side of my image and to the top, maybe 10px. So add an additional 10px to your height AND your width. My new size would be: 276x30px
Because I want to add to only one side and to the top, I will put in a zero (0) for Bottom, and Right: Click here
Click OK and now go save your image as a PNG.
File > Export > PNG Optimizer (16.7million colours + Alpha Channel Transparency).
For the sake of the tutorial, I have only saved it to my Desktop, but save it to wherever you are happy with.
Now, the fun part. Open up the image you would like to add a watermark to, I will be using a Cinema 4D Piece I created: Click Here
Adding The Watermark
Go to Effect > Effect Browser. A new window should appear. Click on the little "plus (+)" sign next to "Presets", then do the same next to "Image" and then again for "Watermarking", now click on "Visible Watermarking". Then click on the icon/image to the right, called "Visible Watermark: Factory Defaults", then click Modify to the right of that.
What you should see/do in Effect Browser: Click Here
What you should see after you have clicked "modify": Click Here
The very first thing you need to do, is load your text watermark image that we created earlier..
So, click the "Browse" button next to "Load Image", located to the left.. Find your image click it, and select "Open".
Now that's loaded in. I always like to be able to preview my outcome so for any effects I check the "Preview on Image" to the top right of the window.
Mess about with your settings to get whatever you want. Use the options to the right to tile, center or place in a corner.
Also use the settings below that to set the opacity and size.
Another way to get to the Visible Watermark would be to go to Image > Watermarking > Visible Watermark.
NOTE: In "Image", you will also see two other options, or at least should do, they are Embed Watermark and Read Watermark, these are not free, they are only available if you pay for them.
TIP: Make a folder for your watermark images if you don't always want to use the same one.
Jun 24, 2008 10:46:28 GMT -5
I am unsure what versions of Paint Shop Pro can do this.
I have tested this in versions 8 and X2.
It should be possible in all versions above 8, aswell as maybe version 7.
If anyone uses any version besides 8 or X2 and can confirm whether it does or doesn't work, that would be great.
Tiff (.tif) and Targa (.tga) files are common for C4Ds to be saved as.
- Open your TIFF or TARGA file.
- PSP 8: Right click the layer and choose "Promote Background Layer".
- Layers > Load/Save Mask > Load Mask from Alpha Channel
- New window should have opened. Straight away just press "Enter" or click "Load".
- Save using: File > Export > PNG Optimizer
--Make sure that "16.7million Colours (24bit)" is checked under "colors", and under "Transparency" be sure to check "Alpha Channel Transparency"
- Voila. Done. Enjoy.
I have tested this in versions 8 and X2.
It should be possible in all versions above 8, aswell as maybe version 7.
If anyone uses any version besides 8 or X2 and can confirm whether it does or doesn't work, that would be great.
Tiff (.tif) and Targa (.tga) files are common for C4Ds to be saved as.
- Open your TIFF or TARGA file.
- PSP 8: Right click the layer and choose "Promote Background Layer".
- Layers > Load/Save Mask > Load Mask from Alpha Channel
- New window should have opened. Straight away just press "Enter" or click "Load".
- Save using: File > Export > PNG Optimizer
--Make sure that "16.7million Colours (24bit)" is checked under "colors", and under "Transparency" be sure to check "Alpha Channel Transparency"
- Voila. Done. Enjoy.
Jun 24, 2008 10:46:44 GMT -5
Done in Paint Shop Pro X2.
Here is a simple "How To" on hiding individual palettes to free up workspace.
Before We Get Started:
To show a new palette, at the top of your workspace you should see
By default, on each palette you should see the following icon (circled in red): Click Me
All you do, is click this icon on each individual palette to make it hide. When you click it to hide your palette, the above icon should change to: Click Me
I have hidden a few palettes to show an example of what they would look like when hidden: Click Me
If you hide more than one palette, when you unhide them all (starting from the top one), they will unhide next to one another (Click Me) so you will have to manually drag them back to where they were by default.
If you like the palettes to be in a specific order, then note that whichever one you hide first will be at the top, then the next you hide will be below that, and so on.
I like my materials at the very top, so I made sure I clicked the icon to hide that first, then my layers.
When you hover over your hidden palettes (individually), that palette will show for you in an "animation". It will remain viewable until you move your mouse from off of some part of that palette.
Customizing Your Palette Animation
You can customize your animation, and set it to show your palette slowly, or you can simply set it to have no animation at all.
If you want to simply slow or speed up the animation process, simply go to:
View > Customize > Options > Make sure the check box for "Animate Auto Hide" is checked > Then use the scroller for the speed.
If you want no animation at all, and you want the palette to show instantly, uncheck the box for "Animate Auto Hide".
Click close, and voila.
Hover your mouse over a palette to test the speed. Go back into Customize to alter if need be.
TIP - Save Your Workspace
Save your current work space as a new one, so that if you for some reason can't get everything back to how you like, you can change back to your PSP default.
To save your workspace:
(Shift+Alt+S) - File > Workspace > Save
(I have mine saved as "Hidden Palettes")
To switch back to your default workspace just go to:
(Shift+Alt+L) - File > Workspace > Load > PSP X2 Default
Here is an example of my own current workspace with hidden palettes: Click Me
Here is a simple "How To" on hiding individual palettes to free up workspace.
Before We Get Started:
To show a new palette, at the top of your workspace you should see
By default, on each palette you should see the following icon (circled in red): Click Me
All you do, is click this icon on each individual palette to make it hide. When you click it to hide your palette, the above icon should change to: Click Me
I have hidden a few palettes to show an example of what they would look like when hidden: Click Me
If you hide more than one palette, when you unhide them all (starting from the top one), they will unhide next to one another (Click Me) so you will have to manually drag them back to where they were by default.
If you like the palettes to be in a specific order, then note that whichever one you hide first will be at the top, then the next you hide will be below that, and so on.
I like my materials at the very top, so I made sure I clicked the icon to hide that first, then my layers.
When you hover over your hidden palettes (individually), that palette will show for you in an "animation". It will remain viewable until you move your mouse from off of some part of that palette.
Customizing Your Palette Animation
You can customize your animation, and set it to show your palette slowly, or you can simply set it to have no animation at all.
If you want to simply slow or speed up the animation process, simply go to:
View > Customize > Options > Make sure the check box for "Animate Auto Hide" is checked > Then use the scroller for the speed.
If you want no animation at all, and you want the palette to show instantly, uncheck the box for "Animate Auto Hide".
Click close, and voila.
Hover your mouse over a palette to test the speed. Go back into Customize to alter if need be.
TIP - Save Your Workspace
Save your current work space as a new one, so that if you for some reason can't get everything back to how you like, you can change back to your PSP default.
To save your workspace:
(Shift+Alt+S) - File > Workspace > Save
(I have mine saved as "Hidden Palettes")
To switch back to your default workspace just go to:
(Shift+Alt+L) - File > Workspace > Load > PSP X2 Default
Here is an example of my own current workspace with hidden palettes: Click Me
Jun 24, 2008 10:46:53 GMT -5
Done in Paint Shop Pro X2.
I think this should be possible in almost all versions of PSP.
Personally, I think customizing shortcuts on your keyboard is great. I find it great and very useful because there are alot of of tools and such that have no shortcuts at all, such as the Smudge tool and Magic Wand tool.
The above two tools mentioned, aswell as a couple of others, are ones that I have personally added a shortcut for.
Ok so first off, I would suggest having a tool or other feature in mind, that you want to give a shortcut to.
To start off with, I am going to do the Magic Wand Tool.
I use this tool quite alot, so this shortcut will come in very handy.
Go to View > Customize > Keyboard
Now, for "Category", the Magic Wand tool will be under "Tools", so click the drop down menu below "Category" and find "Tools" and click it.
Now below that is another window which has a whole list of tools in. This is in alphabetical order, so that makes it easier to find the tool you would like to customize.
Just click in the box, on any tool, then on your keyboard press "M" and that will take you straight to the tools beginning with that letter. I find this easier and quicker to do rather than scrolling. For this, you don't even have to scroll because the Magic Wand is the first tool under 'M'.
Make sure it's selected, and now below the box with all the tool names in, you should see a little description, and just below that should be a "Current Keys" box, along with "Press New Shortcut Key".
As you can see, in the "Current Keys" box, it should be empty, this means this tool has no shortcut key already.
If a tool or other effect/feature has a shortcut already, then it will tell you what it is in that box.
Click into the "Press New Shortcut Key" input field, and now simply type your new shortcut.
I want something I would easily remember and can just press instantly, I can't use "M" because that is already a key for the "Move" tool, plus, if I type the letter 'M' in the input field, it wouldn't allow me to keep it, because of the fact it's in use already.
I would recommend just trying it so that you will see what happens. It will simply show a new little bit of info above your input field saying "Assigned To: Move".
If you are going to use "Shift" plus a letter, then make sure you keep hold of the shift key when pressing the letter.
I went through a few ideas for what I would like my shortcut to be, and they were all in use, for example: Shift+M, Ctrl+Shift+M
Basically, all the +M's were taken, or the ones I would like at least, so I decided to go with a +W, 'cos that would still associate with the "Magic Wand" tool. I decided to go with: Ctrl+Shift+W
Once you have a shortcut you're happy with, click on "Close".
Now test your new shortcut key. Be sure you have a canvas of some kind open already otherwise it wont work, obviously.
I think this should be possible in almost all versions of PSP.
Personally, I think customizing shortcuts on your keyboard is great. I find it great and very useful because there are alot of of tools and such that have no shortcuts at all, such as the Smudge tool and Magic Wand tool.
The above two tools mentioned, aswell as a couple of others, are ones that I have personally added a shortcut for.
Ok so first off, I would suggest having a tool or other feature in mind, that you want to give a shortcut to.
To start off with, I am going to do the Magic Wand Tool.
I use this tool quite alot, so this shortcut will come in very handy.
Go to View > Customize > Keyboard
Now, for "Category", the Magic Wand tool will be under "Tools", so click the drop down menu below "Category" and find "Tools" and click it.
Now below that is another window which has a whole list of tools in. This is in alphabetical order, so that makes it easier to find the tool you would like to customize.
Just click in the box, on any tool, then on your keyboard press "M" and that will take you straight to the tools beginning with that letter. I find this easier and quicker to do rather than scrolling. For this, you don't even have to scroll because the Magic Wand is the first tool under 'M'.
Make sure it's selected, and now below the box with all the tool names in, you should see a little description, and just below that should be a "Current Keys" box, along with "Press New Shortcut Key".
As you can see, in the "Current Keys" box, it should be empty, this means this tool has no shortcut key already.
If a tool or other effect/feature has a shortcut already, then it will tell you what it is in that box.
Click into the "Press New Shortcut Key" input field, and now simply type your new shortcut.
I want something I would easily remember and can just press instantly, I can't use "M" because that is already a key for the "Move" tool, plus, if I type the letter 'M' in the input field, it wouldn't allow me to keep it, because of the fact it's in use already.
I would recommend just trying it so that you will see what happens. It will simply show a new little bit of info above your input field saying "Assigned To: Move".
If you are going to use "Shift" plus a letter, then make sure you keep hold of the shift key when pressing the letter.
I went through a few ideas for what I would like my shortcut to be, and they were all in use, for example: Shift+M, Ctrl+Shift+M
Basically, all the +M's were taken, or the ones I would like at least, so I decided to go with a +W, 'cos that would still associate with the "Magic Wand" tool. I decided to go with: Ctrl+Shift+W
Once you have a shortcut you're happy with, click on "Close".
Now test your new shortcut key. Be sure you have a canvas of some kind open already otherwise it wont work, obviously.
Jun 24, 2008 10:47:03 GMT -5
Tested in PSP XI and X2.
This kind of thing is very popular in tags/sigs, and can look very great if done nicely.
A little while ago, I was wondering how to do this, a few days later I was messing about in PSP and discovered how to do it.
For the sake of this guide, make a new canvas at any size.
Flood Fill (F) your background with a solid black.
Now, make a new Raster layer, press B for your brush tool.
Choose ANY brush you want (doesn't matter if it's a round one, or a custom made/downloaded one).
On your new layer (which should be empty) using a solid white, click once.
Now open your Layer Properties. (Either double click the layer, or go to Layers > Properties, or right click the layer and choose properties).
In the top right of your properties window, check the box for "Preview on Image".
To the far right you should see a tab for "Layer Styles". (If you don't, then your version doesn't support it). Click that tab, and by default, the only check box selected should be for "Layer".
Check the boxes for "Inner Glow" and Outer Glow".
Leave the settings for them as they are, just for this guide.
Preview of What You Should Have Seen So Far:
Properties Window - Click me
Outer Glow Settings - Click Me
Inner Glow Settings - Click Me
Layer Settings - Click Me
On your canvas, you should now see something similar to: Click Me
In the settings for "Layer", put the Opacity down to 0.
Do this by moving the scroller all the way left.
Now look at your canvas the shape's solid colour has gone.
Click Me
Now just mess about with the settings for the Outer Glow and Inner Glow (including the colour) to get an effect you like.
Note:
Remember: You can do this with absolutely any shape you want. It doesn't have to be a brush, it can be done with the pen tool (although anything with a vector layer, will have to be rasterized).
This kind of thing is very popular in tags/sigs, and can look very great if done nicely.
A little while ago, I was wondering how to do this, a few days later I was messing about in PSP and discovered how to do it.
For the sake of this guide, make a new canvas at any size.
Flood Fill (F) your background with a solid black.
Now, make a new Raster layer, press B for your brush tool.
Choose ANY brush you want (doesn't matter if it's a round one, or a custom made/downloaded one).
On your new layer (which should be empty) using a solid white, click once.
Now open your Layer Properties. (Either double click the layer, or go to Layers > Properties, or right click the layer and choose properties).
In the top right of your properties window, check the box for "Preview on Image".
To the far right you should see a tab for "Layer Styles". (If you don't, then your version doesn't support it). Click that tab, and by default, the only check box selected should be for "Layer".
Check the boxes for "Inner Glow" and Outer Glow".
Leave the settings for them as they are, just for this guide.
Preview of What You Should Have Seen So Far:
Properties Window - Click me
Outer Glow Settings - Click Me
Inner Glow Settings - Click Me
Layer Settings - Click Me
On your canvas, you should now see something similar to: Click Me
In the settings for "Layer", put the Opacity down to 0.
Do this by moving the scroller all the way left.
Now look at your canvas the shape's solid colour has gone.
Click Me
Now just mess about with the settings for the Outer Glow and Inner Glow (including the colour) to get an effect you like.
Note:
1.
Once you have pressed OK after you have chosen your settings, if you delete the shape from your canvas, you can reapply a new shape without having to redo the settings; the settings won't delete unless you delete the layer. Give it a go, press "Delete" on your keyboard, then click anywhere with any shape, and voila, automatically glows.
2.
If you are setting the opacity to 0, then it doesn't matter what colour for your shape you use, 'cos obviously, it won't be visible.
Remember: You can do this with absolutely any shape you want. It doesn't have to be a brush, it can be done with the pen tool (although anything with a vector layer, will have to be rasterized).
Jun 24, 2008 10:47:12 GMT -5
Here's another quick "how to" from me..
I personally find this very useful and it frees up a bit of space and keeps things slightly more organized.. if you disagree or just don't like it, then no probs.
Go to View and then click on Docking Options..
A new window for Preferences should have opened up.
Down the left side, you have several "categories", click Palettes.
On the far right, you should see "Right Pane" with a check box next to it, click the check box and then click OK.
Now you have a hide/show bit for your layers, only for the blend options, transparency, lock transparency, layer effects and layer link toggle.
Click the arrow to hide/show them. Like so:
(click thumbnail for larger image)
I personally find this very useful and it frees up a bit of space and keeps things slightly more organized.. if you disagree or just don't like it, then no probs.
Go to View and then click on Docking Options..
A new window for Preferences should have opened up.
Down the left side, you have several "categories", click Palettes.
On the far right, you should see "Right Pane" with a check box next to it, click the check box and then click OK.
Now you have a hide/show bit for your layers, only for the blend options, transparency, lock transparency, layer effects and layer link toggle.
Click the arrow to hide/show them. Like so:
(click thumbnail for larger image)
Jun 24, 2008 10:47:21 GMT -5
Done in Paint Shop Pro Photo X2.
Ever made a design, needed to make a somewhat difficult/complicated selection, got it all nicely ready to fill with your colour, and BAM, you realise it's a few pixels off from where it should be placed? And obviously, if it's a complicated selection, you dont want to deselect and redo it all, 'cos that is very annoying.
Well, here is a simple solution on how to move your selection.
This is something that is very easy to do, and should be something you should know how to do, thus I am telling you.
Assumably, you have made your selection (if you want, for testing purposes, just make any simple selection).
Now simply go to Selections > Edit Selection, left click.
Now it should have turned a nice colour. For me, in PSPPX2, it has turned a pinky colour.
Press M for your Move Tool, and then move that using your arrow keys on your keyboard (1 click = 1px movement in that direction) or you can obviously use your mouse (it's easier to use the keyboard arrows if you don't need to move it up/down, or if you don't need to move it too much).
Then simply press S (for your selection tool) when you have positioned it how you want it.
Finally, go back into Selections > Edit Selection and left click (notice how this time the "Edit Selection" should have a 'tick' next to it?).
And voila, carry on with what you were doing.
It's that simple.
Ever made a design, needed to make a somewhat difficult/complicated selection, got it all nicely ready to fill with your colour, and BAM, you realise it's a few pixels off from where it should be placed? And obviously, if it's a complicated selection, you dont want to deselect and redo it all, 'cos that is very annoying.
Well, here is a simple solution on how to move your selection.
This is something that is very easy to do, and should be something you should know how to do, thus I am telling you.
Assumably, you have made your selection (if you want, for testing purposes, just make any simple selection).
Now simply go to Selections > Edit Selection, left click.
Now it should have turned a nice colour. For me, in PSPPX2, it has turned a pinky colour.
Press M for your Move Tool, and then move that using your arrow keys on your keyboard (1 click = 1px movement in that direction) or you can obviously use your mouse (it's easier to use the keyboard arrows if you don't need to move it up/down, or if you don't need to move it too much).
Then simply press S (for your selection tool) when you have positioned it how you want it.
Finally, go back into Selections > Edit Selection and left click (notice how this time the "Edit Selection" should have a 'tick' next to it?).
And voila, carry on with what you were doing.
It's that simple.
Jun 24, 2008 10:47:31 GMT -5
Done in Paint Shop Pro Photo X2.
This guide was made assuming you already have a piece of work or a few words for experimenting.
There are 2 ways to interpret "Vertical Text":
imagehustler.com/0408/1213830769.png
Vertical 1:
Step 1: Make the text you want to be displayed and hit apply.
Step 2: Left click and go to edit text. Make sure you have the tool option palette showing. If you don't the font name, size and "direction" won't be showing near the "top" of your program.
If you are not seeing the palette go to View > Palettes and select the Tool Options Palette. I know for a fact in PSP X2 the fast way is F4, but I am not sure for other versions.
Step 2.5: Still Editing the text find the Direction section. It usually comes after "alignment." Select the Downward arrow and your text should appear vertically across your image rather than horizontally.
Your finished product should look something like this:
img261.imageshack.us/img261/7975/hellofinishedyf2.png
Vertical 2:
For the sake of this guide, make a new blank canvas, 400x400pixels, with a white background, press OK.
Press V on your keyboard to select your Pentool.
You don't need much experience with the pentool for this. It's very basic.
I use the following Pentool settings:
imagehustler.com/0408/1213831702.png
In your Materials Palette, set your Foreground colour to pure black (#000000). It doesn't matter what your background colour is, for now. Simply because, we are going to hide the background palette:
imagehustler.com/0408/1213831689.png
Left click the above to hide and unhide it.
Now, with your Pentool still selected, click once in the middle of your canvas, toward the bottom (or there abouts):
imagehustler.com/0408/1213831947.png
Now do this again, but at approximately the same spot, at the top of your canvas:
imagehustler.com/0408/1213832071.png
As you can see, the line isn't a straight vertical one. This means, our text would be slightly at an angle if we left it like this, so, with your pen tool, left click, and holding the button down, drag that top "Node" (the square bit) to the right untill it is straight:
imagehustler.com/0408/1213832372.png
Once you have it straight, click on the "Apply" image on the top, in the Tool Options Palette.
imagehustler.com/0408/1213832572.png
Now for your text. Press T on your keyboard for your Text Tool.
Make sure for your options/settings, you have it set to "Create As: Vector":
imagehustler.com/0408/1213832582.png
Roll your text mouse over the 2pixel line that you just created previously. The mouse should change from just an "A" to an "A" on a curvey/bendy line. When it turns to that, left click once and your text box will appear.
Type in your name.. Oh no, nothing is showing on your canvas.. =O
Fear not, we still have the background material hidden, remember? So, on your materials, simply click the bit you did to hide it. Now, set it's colour to whatever you want (preferably black (#000000)).
imagehustler.com/0408/1213832945.png
Choose the font, size and such you would like for your text, and then press the "Apply" button when done.
(Im using: Arial, 28, Bold, Sharp)
Now, you should be seeing something similar to:
imagehustler.com/0408/1213833107.png
Use the middle grey square to move your text up or down. If you try move it left or right, it won't let you, it will just "bounce" it back to the straight line you made.
Don't forget to go to your layers, and hide the straight line:
imagehustler.com/0408/1213833408.png
If you want to move your text to the left or right, or to anywhere you want, simply click on your "Straight Line" layer (keep it hidden) and using your text tool, move it, and your text will surely follow:
imagehustler.com/0408/1213833434.png
*TIP* When creating your vertical line, by first clicking at the top, and then the bottom, you can have your text be mirrored:
imagehustler.com/0408/1213833623.png
*After Note* There are many things you can still do with your text. For example you can increase the spacing between the characters, or even make it curve vertically.
This guide was made assuming you already have a piece of work or a few words for experimenting.
There are 2 ways to interpret "Vertical Text":
imagehustler.com/0408/1213830769.png
Vertical 1:
Step 1: Make the text you want to be displayed and hit apply.
Step 2: Left click and go to edit text. Make sure you have the tool option palette showing. If you don't the font name, size and "direction" won't be showing near the "top" of your program.
If you are not seeing the palette go to View > Palettes and select the Tool Options Palette. I know for a fact in PSP X2 the fast way is F4, but I am not sure for other versions.
Step 2.5: Still Editing the text find the Direction section. It usually comes after "alignment." Select the Downward arrow and your text should appear vertically across your image rather than horizontally.
Your finished product should look something like this:
img261.imageshack.us/img261/7975/hellofinishedyf2.png
Vertical 2:
For the sake of this guide, make a new blank canvas, 400x400pixels, with a white background, press OK.
Press V on your keyboard to select your Pentool.
You don't need much experience with the pentool for this. It's very basic.
I use the following Pentool settings:
imagehustler.com/0408/1213831702.png
In your Materials Palette, set your Foreground colour to pure black (#000000). It doesn't matter what your background colour is, for now. Simply because, we are going to hide the background palette:
imagehustler.com/0408/1213831689.png
Left click the above to hide and unhide it.
Now, with your Pentool still selected, click once in the middle of your canvas, toward the bottom (or there abouts):
imagehustler.com/0408/1213831947.png
Now do this again, but at approximately the same spot, at the top of your canvas:
imagehustler.com/0408/1213832071.png
As you can see, the line isn't a straight vertical one. This means, our text would be slightly at an angle if we left it like this, so, with your pen tool, left click, and holding the button down, drag that top "Node" (the square bit) to the right untill it is straight:
imagehustler.com/0408/1213832372.png
Once you have it straight, click on the "Apply" image on the top, in the Tool Options Palette.
imagehustler.com/0408/1213832572.png
Now for your text. Press T on your keyboard for your Text Tool.
Make sure for your options/settings, you have it set to "Create As: Vector":
imagehustler.com/0408/1213832582.png
Roll your text mouse over the 2pixel line that you just created previously. The mouse should change from just an "A" to an "A" on a curvey/bendy line. When it turns to that, left click once and your text box will appear.
Type in your name.. Oh no, nothing is showing on your canvas.. =O
Fear not, we still have the background material hidden, remember? So, on your materials, simply click the bit you did to hide it. Now, set it's colour to whatever you want (preferably black (#000000)).
imagehustler.com/0408/1213832945.png
Choose the font, size and such you would like for your text, and then press the "Apply" button when done.
(Im using: Arial, 28, Bold, Sharp)
Now, you should be seeing something similar to:
imagehustler.com/0408/1213833107.png
Use the middle grey square to move your text up or down. If you try move it left or right, it won't let you, it will just "bounce" it back to the straight line you made.
Don't forget to go to your layers, and hide the straight line:
imagehustler.com/0408/1213833408.png
If you want to move your text to the left or right, or to anywhere you want, simply click on your "Straight Line" layer (keep it hidden) and using your text tool, move it, and your text will surely follow:
imagehustler.com/0408/1213833434.png
*TIP* When creating your vertical line, by first clicking at the top, and then the bottom, you can have your text be mirrored:
imagehustler.com/0408/1213833623.png
*After Note* There are many things you can still do with your text. For example you can increase the spacing between the characters, or even make it curve vertically.
Jun 24, 2008 10:47:41 GMT -5
Done in Paint Shop Pro Photo X2.
I think, this should be doable in most other versions of PSP.
Loading and saving selections to your alpha channel, and to your disk is something that everyone should know how to do, because it can save so much time and effort on things you need to use the same selection(s) for. Plus on top of that, it's so easy to do.
The simple difference between loading/saving to an Alpha Channel and to the Disk is, one is permanent (Disk) and one is not (Alpha Channel). Saving to Disk means saving to your PC's hard drive.
We will begin with loading/saving to the alpha channel, then go on to loading/saving to disk.
Saving/Loading to Alpha Channel:
For the sake of this "guide", make a new blank canvas, lets say 400x400px with a white (#FFFFFF) background, on a Raster Layer.
Make a new Raster Layer (Layers > Raster Layer).
Press S on your keyboard for your Selection Tool, and using a Circle selection, with 1 Feather and Anti-alias checked, make a random selection on your layer (close to the middle) and drag outwards.
Then using F Flood fill your selection with a Black (#000000) (do not deselect).
Now go to Selections > Load/Save Selection >Save Selection to Alpha Channel.
For the name, leave it as it is, or name it as "Circle 1", or whatever you want to so you can recognize it.
imagehustler.com/0408/1214162261.png
Click "Save".
(Now we have just saved that selection, and providing you don't close your Paint Shop Pro, that selection will remain in the Alpha Channels. By closing just the tab/window for that "circle", the alpha channel will be lost. However, if you keep that canvas open, and decide to make a brand new canvas of a different size, you can load the selection onto this new canvas.)
Make another new layer (raster), go to Selections > Modify > Contract > 10, and then flood fill the new selection with a pure White (#FFFFFF).
imagehustler.com/0408/1214162493.png
Now go to Selections > Load/Save Selection > Load Selection From Alpha Channel > from the drop down, select "Circle 1" (it should be the only one in there) > Click "Load".
Links/Click: Load Selection / New Circle
And that's basically it. I just showed you on a simple circle, but it is extremely useful on big projects. You can save (to my knowledge) an unlimited amount of selections to the Alpha Channel.
Saving/Loading to Disk:
Saving and loading to disk is a very easy thing to do.
We will just do a couple of simple circles.
So, open up a new canvas. For the sakes of this guide, we will use 400x400px on a white background.
Now, press S for your selection tool, and choose Circle.
Now with your left mouse key click and hold, and then drag outwards on your canvas, (it doesn't matter how big you do it, but make sure you leave enough room to make another circle).
Now press and hold the alt key on your keyboard, and make a second circle somewhere on your canvas, using the left mouse key.
imagehustler.com/0408/1214317922.png
Now simply go to Selections > Load/Save Selection > Save Selection to Disk and name your selection whatever you want. I chose the name "Double Circle 1", and click Save.
imagehustler.com/0408/1214318072.png
Now close that canvas, and don't save it. There is no need to save.
Now, make a new canvas with the same settings as before, or any other settings you wish to. Then go to Selections > Load/Save Selection > Load Selection from Disk, click the arrow/drop down to the left, and find your previously saved selection (the list is in alphabetical order).
imagehustler.com/0408/1214318226.png
Click "Load" and voila, your double circles are "back".
Even if you were to close PSP and reopen it, your selection will still be saved, providing you don't go into your selections folder and delete it.
Deleting From Disk Inside PSP:[/size]
When you go to Selections > Load/Save Selection > Load From Disk and click on the "drop down" on the left side, you should see the following:
img95.imageshack.us/img95/3368/disk4rh3.png
If you click the one with the red tick on (Resource manager), you can then choose what to do: Delete, Rename, Copy, Move:
img71.imageshack.us/img71/8500/disk5ex9.png
If you click "Delete" a new window will open asking if you are sure, click "yes" if you want to delete or "no" if you don't.
For "Rename" a new window should pop up with the name of your selection currently, simply type in whatever you want and save it for a new name.
For "Copy" , it should open a new window for where that selection is saved. If it is a custom one, then it will be in a folder named "Selections". Simply rename it so you have that selection twice. If your selections name is "Circle1" and you copy it, just name it to something such as "Circle1_2".
If you "Move" something, then a window will open and basically ask which folder to save in, if (for example) you choose to save to your Desktop, you will have to "load" that location in to the Disk Selections. Because "Move" literally moves the selections file location.
To Load the folder go to: Selections > Load/Save Selection > Load From Disk and then click the drop down, and instead of clicking on the image/icon with the red tick, choose the one to the right of that, it should be 3 yellow folders cascading:
img71.imageshack.us/img71/4328/disk6dy9.png
Click that and then a new window should open for you.
It should look like the below:
img95.imageshack.us/img95/8489/disk7hx1.png
And notice how the "Selections" location is already highlighted on the left (in blue)?
On the right, click on "Add" and then (if like me you moved that selection to Desktop) click on the Desktop "folder" and click OK, and then click OK again.
NOTE:
I think, this should be doable in most other versions of PSP.
Loading and saving selections to your alpha channel, and to your disk is something that everyone should know how to do, because it can save so much time and effort on things you need to use the same selection(s) for. Plus on top of that, it's so easy to do.
The simple difference between loading/saving to an Alpha Channel and to the Disk is, one is permanent (Disk) and one is not (Alpha Channel). Saving to Disk means saving to your PC's hard drive.
We will begin with loading/saving to the alpha channel, then go on to loading/saving to disk.
Saving/Loading to Alpha Channel:
For the sake of this "guide", make a new blank canvas, lets say 400x400px with a white (#FFFFFF) background, on a Raster Layer.
Make a new Raster Layer (Layers > Raster Layer).
Press S on your keyboard for your Selection Tool, and using a Circle selection, with 1 Feather and Anti-alias checked, make a random selection on your layer (close to the middle) and drag outwards.
Then using F Flood fill your selection with a Black (#000000) (do not deselect).
Now go to Selections > Load/Save Selection >Save Selection to Alpha Channel.
For the name, leave it as it is, or name it as "Circle 1", or whatever you want to so you can recognize it.
imagehustler.com/0408/1214162261.png
Click "Save".
(Now we have just saved that selection, and providing you don't close your Paint Shop Pro, that selection will remain in the Alpha Channels. By closing just the tab/window for that "circle", the alpha channel will be lost. However, if you keep that canvas open, and decide to make a brand new canvas of a different size, you can load the selection onto this new canvas.)
Make another new layer (raster), go to Selections > Modify > Contract > 10, and then flood fill the new selection with a pure White (#FFFFFF).
imagehustler.com/0408/1214162493.png
Now go to Selections > Load/Save Selection > Load Selection From Alpha Channel > from the drop down, select "Circle 1" (it should be the only one in there) > Click "Load".
Links/Click: Load Selection / New Circle
And that's basically it. I just showed you on a simple circle, but it is extremely useful on big projects. You can save (to my knowledge) an unlimited amount of selections to the Alpha Channel.
Saving/Loading to Disk:
Saving and loading to disk is a very easy thing to do.
We will just do a couple of simple circles.
So, open up a new canvas. For the sakes of this guide, we will use 400x400px on a white background.
Now, press S for your selection tool, and choose Circle.
Now with your left mouse key click and hold, and then drag outwards on your canvas, (it doesn't matter how big you do it, but make sure you leave enough room to make another circle).
Now press and hold the alt key on your keyboard, and make a second circle somewhere on your canvas, using the left mouse key.
imagehustler.com/0408/1214317922.png
Now simply go to Selections > Load/Save Selection > Save Selection to Disk and name your selection whatever you want. I chose the name "Double Circle 1", and click Save.
imagehustler.com/0408/1214318072.png
Now close that canvas, and don't save it. There is no need to save.
Now, make a new canvas with the same settings as before, or any other settings you wish to. Then go to Selections > Load/Save Selection > Load Selection from Disk, click the arrow/drop down to the left, and find your previously saved selection (the list is in alphabetical order).
imagehustler.com/0408/1214318226.png
Click "Load" and voila, your double circles are "back".
Even if you were to close PSP and reopen it, your selection will still be saved, providing you don't go into your selections folder and delete it.
Deleting From Disk Inside PSP:[/size]
When you go to Selections > Load/Save Selection > Load From Disk and click on the "drop down" on the left side, you should see the following:
img95.imageshack.us/img95/3368/disk4rh3.png
If you click the one with the red tick on (Resource manager), you can then choose what to do: Delete, Rename, Copy, Move:
img71.imageshack.us/img71/8500/disk5ex9.png
If you click "Delete" a new window will open asking if you are sure, click "yes" if you want to delete or "no" if you don't.
For "Rename" a new window should pop up with the name of your selection currently, simply type in whatever you want and save it for a new name.
For "Copy" , it should open a new window for where that selection is saved. If it is a custom one, then it will be in a folder named "Selections". Simply rename it so you have that selection twice. If your selections name is "Circle1" and you copy it, just name it to something such as "Circle1_2".
If you "Move" something, then a window will open and basically ask which folder to save in, if (for example) you choose to save to your Desktop, you will have to "load" that location in to the Disk Selections. Because "Move" literally moves the selections file location.
To Load the folder go to: Selections > Load/Save Selection > Load From Disk and then click the drop down, and instead of clicking on the image/icon with the red tick, choose the one to the right of that, it should be 3 yellow folders cascading:
img71.imageshack.us/img71/4328/disk6dy9.png
Click that and then a new window should open for you.
It should look like the below:
img95.imageshack.us/img95/8489/disk7hx1.png
And notice how the "Selections" location is already highlighted on the left (in blue)?
On the right, click on "Add" and then (if like me you moved that selection to Desktop) click on the Desktop "folder" and click OK, and then click OK again.
NOTE:
1: Even if you fill your selection(s) with a colour, pattern or gradient etc. and save to disk or alpha channel, when you load it again, the selection won't (or shouldn't be) filled with any colouring at all.
2: If you try load a saved selection onto a canvas that is smaller (or bigger) than that of the original selection, then it wont resize itself to fit the canvas. It will simply stay in the same positions (X, Y) you created it.
Jun 24, 2008 10:52:37 GMT -5
- Exporting your image and using the best settings to save with (Optimizer: GIF / JPG / PNG).
--+ Reducing file size with JPG's
GIF Settings:
When saving your image as a GIF file, go to:
File > Export > JPG Optimizer
The below settings are the best ones (in my opinion) when saving as GIF:
JPG Settings:
When saving your image as a JPG file, go to:
File > Export > JPG Optimizer
Now a new window will have opened, in the section for Quality, use the following settings:
Set Compression Value To: 1
Chroma Subsampling: YCbCr 1x1 1x1 1x1 (None)
Reducing File Size with JPG's Settings:
Set the Compression Value to anything you wish to. The higher you set it, the lower the file size of your image, but beware, the higher you set it, the worse the quality of your image will become. If I ever use it, I never go above 20.
To keep an eye on your file size, look just below the "Before" and "After" windows, to find these bits:
Uncompressed:
Compressed:
PNG Settings:
When saving your image as a PNG file, go to:
File > Export > PNG Optimizer
Use the following settings:
For "Format", I personally like to use: None-Interlaced
--+ Reducing file size with JPG's
GIF Settings:
When saving your image as a GIF file, go to:
File > Export > JPG Optimizer
The below settings are the best ones (in my opinion) when saving as GIF:
JPG Settings:
When saving your image as a JPG file, go to:
File > Export > JPG Optimizer
Now a new window will have opened, in the section for Quality, use the following settings:
Set Compression Value To: 1
Chroma Subsampling: YCbCr 1x1 1x1 1x1 (None)
Reducing File Size with JPG's Settings:
Set the Compression Value to anything you wish to. The higher you set it, the lower the file size of your image, but beware, the higher you set it, the worse the quality of your image will become. If I ever use it, I never go above 20.
To keep an eye on your file size, look just below the "Before" and "After" windows, to find these bits:
Uncompressed:
Compressed:
PNG Settings:
When saving your image as a PNG file, go to:
File > Export > PNG Optimizer
Use the following settings:
For "Format", I personally like to use: None-Interlaced