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Paint Shop Pro
SHSU Technology Tutorials | Paint Shop Pro
Paint Shop Pro
Creating A New File
To create a new file, click on File and select New. You will then see a dialog box appear like the following picture.
Type in the dimensions for your new image and select a background color. The Image Type should be set to 16.7 million colors. When you are done, click OK.
Selecting A Color
To select an color using the Select Color Panel, place your cursor over the color you want to change to. Your cursor should change into the Eyedropper and you should see the color in the Current Color Panel information at the bottom of the palette.
When you have found your color, move the cursor over the color you want to select. To select the foreground color, click with the left mouse button. If you want to change the background, right click on the color. The selected color will appear in the appropriate color box in the Active Colors Panel.
Inserting A Background Color
To insert a color for the background, click on the Flood Fill icon on the Toolbar.
When you are over the image you want filled, the cursor will turn into the Flood Fill cursor. Click on the area with your Flood Fill cursor. You should see the background change to the color you selected.
Tool Palette Toolbar
To access the Tool Palette toolbar, click on the View menu and select Toolbars. Click the checkbox next to the Tool Palette.
The Text Tool
To create a new text graphic, select New from the File menu, and then select OK. From the Color Palette Panel, select a different color from your background. Then, select the text tool from the toolbar. 
After you selected the tool, click the left mouse button over the new image.
You will see the Text Entry dialog box appear. To select a font and size, click on the drop-down box under name and size. You should see a sample of your text in the Sample Text area.
Type your text into the “Enter text here” box. Select whether you want the text boldfaced, italicized or underlined. Then, set the alignment to left, center or right bu clicking on the buttons.
When you are done entering the text, make sure that the Antialias box is checked. (This will provide smoother text than non-antialiased text, which is rougher around the edges.) If you want to add special effects to your text, do so while the text is still selected.
Creating A Drop Shadow
Before you can add a drop shadow, your image’s color must be set to 16.7 million colors. To configure your image, go to the Colors menu and select Increase Color Depth. Select the 16 Million Colors option. If the option isn’t available, then your image already contains the correct color depth.
After you have checked the color settings, select the area or item to which you are adding the drop shadow. Click on the Effects menu, then 3D Effects and choose Drop Shadow. The Drop Shadow dialog box then opens.
When you change your settings, the preview panel on the right will change according to your new settings. Click the “+” or “-“ magnifying glass buttons to zoom in or out. If you need to move around inside the preview area, just drag the image until your desired selection appears.
In the Attributes panel, choose a shadow from the color box below the Opacity and Blur sliders.
Once you have your color set, configure your settings by adjusting the sliders. The Vertical and Horizontal Offset settings deal with the placement of the shadow. The Opacity controls how dark the shadow will be while Blur controls the shadow’s sharpness. You may copy the example settings from the following: Opacity: 150; Blur: 10; Vertical: 4; Horizontal: 4.
Note: As the opacity decreases, the drop shadow fades. As the blur level increases, the drop shadow softens.
Click OK. The dialog box closes and the drop shadow appears behind the item you selected.
The above picture shows what a drop shadow looks like after it has been completed.
Creating A Button
To create a button, you must first select a background color to create a button with colored edges. The color must be utilized as the background color in the image. Then, choose Effects, 3D Effects and Buttonize.
The Buttonize dialog box will appear on the screen. To update the original image as you change the settings, select the Auto Proof button.
Select the solid colored transparent edges option. Paint Shop Pro uses the background color for solid edges. Adjust the height and width of the button’s edges using the Height and Width sliders. Then, set the opacity of the edges. Dragging the slider to the right increases the opacity.
If you did not select the Auto-Proof check box, click the Proof button to see the effect on the image. Click OK to apply these settings.
Opening and Editing a Picture
To open a picture, click on the File menu and select Open.
Select the appropriate location from the Look in box by clicking on the arrow in the dropdown menu.
Then, click on the file you want opened and click the Open button. If you need to double-check a file, click on it and you will see a preview of it in the bottom window of the box.
Editing Images
Click on the Image menu if you want to resize, rotate or add borders or special effect to your image. Select the Colors menu if you want to manipulate the image’s colors, create transparency or merge images.
The Undo command reverses the last edit to the active image. It can remove painting, drawing commands, alterations, text, color alterations, filter effects, etc. To undo, hit Ctrl+Z or select Edit and then Undo.
Converting a file from GIF to JPG
Open the image by selecting Open from the File menu. Then, click on File again and select Save As.
Click the Save As Type drop down menu and select either (*.gif) or (*.jpg). Then, click on the Save button.
Your image will then be saved as the type you selected.
Creating a Transparent Image
To create a transparent image, determine the color you want transparent by doing the following: selecting the color as the background color and locating the color’s palette number from the image palette.
To find the color’s palette number, double click a color on the Active Colors palette. You will see the Color Palette appear.
To begin, click on the Colors menu and choose Set Palette Transparency.
You will see the Set Palette Transparency dialog box open. To undo the transparency of a color, select No Transparency. To view the new selection in an image, click the Proof button. Paint Shop Pro removes the color from the image.
When you are done, click OK. The transparent color will remain visible in the image until you choose the View Palette Transparency command.
Scanning an Image
Note: You must be at a computer connected to a scanner.
Put the image face down on the top, right hand corner of the scanner glass. To access HP Precision Scan Pro through Paint Shop Pro, click on File and then select Import and TWAIN. Then, click on Acquire.
You should see the HP PrecisionScan Pro launch on your screen.
Adjust the scaling to read 50 percent or the picture will be many times larger than its actual size.
When you have changed the scaling, close the Dimensions button. Then, click on the Preview button.
When you see the image scanned in, crop the area by clicking on the area you want. Click on corner of the picture and drag the box diagonally.
Next, save your image by going to the File menu and selecting Place Image.
Your image should appear in Paint Shop Pro for you to edit to your liking. To save your image, click on File and choose Save As. Then choose the format you want the file saved as.
Using the Clone Brush
Use the Clone Brush to copy part of an image to another location. You can use it to copy within an image, between layers or between two images of the same color depth.
To change the configuration options, click on the Clone Brush’s Control Palette.
You can change the shape of the brush as well as the size, hardness, opacity, step and density. To change the size, hardness, opacity, step and density, type in the value or click on the arrows. If you want to change the shape, click on the drop down menu and select your choice.
