Corel PaintShop Pro - 8.0 User Manual

Paint Shop Pro User Guide

Copyright Information

Copyright © 2003 by Jasc Software, Inc. All rights reserved. No portion of the contents of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without the express written permission of Jasc Software, Inc.

Trademark Information

Animation Shop, ImageCommander, Media Center Plus, Paint Shop and the Jasc orbit logo are trademarks of Jasc Software, Inc. Jasc, Paint Shop Pro, and The Power to Create are registered trademarks of Jasc Software, Inc. Acrobat, PostScript, Photoshop, Photoshop Elements are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Adobe Systems Incorporated. The Postscript language is copyrighted by Adobe Systems Incorporated. Macintosh is a registered trademark of Apple Computer, Inc. Autodesk is a registered trademark of Autodesk, Inc. MacPaint is a product and trademark of Claris Corporation. GIF is a service mark property and Graphic Interchange Format is copyright property of CompuServe Inc. CorelDRAW, Ventura Publisher, WordPerfect are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Corel Corporation. GEM, GEM Paint are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Digital Research Inc. Digimarc is a registered trademark of Digimarc Corporation. Deluxe Paint is a registered trademark of Electronic Arts. Kodak Photo CD is registered trademark of Eastman Kodak Company. OS/2, Lotus 1-2-3 are registered trademarks of International Business Machines Corporation. Dr. Halo is a registered trademark of Media Cybernetics. Micrografx Draw is registered trademark of Micrografx, Inc. Microsoft, Windows, Microsoft Paint, Microsoft Word, Video For Windows are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. CT is a registered trademark of Scitex Corporation. ZSoft Paintbrush is a registered trademark of ZSoft Corporation. All other trademarks or registered trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

We have done our best to ensure that the material found in this publication is both useful and accurate. However, please be aware that errors may exist in this publication, and that neither the authors nor Jasc Software, Inc. make any guarantees concerning the accuracy of the information found here or in the use to which it may be put.

Printed in the United States of America 2003

Contents

Chapter 1 Getting Started . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Chapter 2 Getting to Know The Program . . . . . . . . . . 11

What’s New in Version 8 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

System Requirements. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Installing the Software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Learning Paint Shop Pro. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Getting Help. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Starting and Exiting Paint Shop Pro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Exploring the User Interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Using Toolbars and Palettes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Viewing Images . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

Viewing Image Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

Working with Dialogs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

Using Shortcut and Function Keys. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

Chapter 3 Getting Images into Paint Shop Pro . . . . . . 29

Opening Existing Images . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

Creating Images . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

Importing Images from Digital Cameras and Scanners. . . . . . . . 38

Capturing Images from the Computer Screen. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

Using the Paint Shop Pro Browser . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

Saving Image Files. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47

Contents

Chapter 4 Improving Photographs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51

Basic Steps in Improving Photographs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52

How to Approach Color, Contrast, and Saturation Adjustments . 53

Improving Colors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54

Improving Contrast . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60

Improving Saturation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61

Removing Source Defects. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62

Removing Image Defects and Noise . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65

Correcting Image Distortions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69

Retouching Photographs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72

Improving Image Clarity. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79

Chapter 5 Working with Colors and Materials . . . . . . . 81

Using the Materials Palette . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82

Understanding Color and Color Models . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103

How Monitor and Print Colors Differ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106

Working with Color Channels. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107

Understanding Color Depth. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108

Working with Image Palettes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117

Making a Palette Color Transparent . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120

Chapter 6 Editing Images . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123

Cutting, Copying, and Pasting. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124

Deleting Images . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127

Using Undo/Redo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127

Repeating Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129

Using Rulers, Grids, and Guides. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129

Cropping Images. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134

Resizing Images . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137

Changing Canvas Size. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139

Rotating Images . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140

Scaling and Transforming Images. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143

Correcting Image Perspective . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145

Warping Images . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146

Adding Borders to Images. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150

Flipping and Mirroring Images . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151

Combining Two Images . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151

Contents

Chapter 7 Making Selections in Images . . . . . . . . . . 153

Using the Selection Tools. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154

Using Edit Selection. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164

Working with Standard and Floating Selections. . . . . . . . . . . . 165

Adjusting Selection Borders. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166

Modifying Selections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167

Moving Selections within an Image . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174

Converting a Selection into a Layer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175

Creating Custom Patterns from Selections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175

Saving and Loading Selections. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176

Chapter 8 Making Color and Tonal Corrections . . . . 181

Key Points to Know Before Making Corrections . . . . . . . . . . . 182

How Corrections Relate to Color Depth. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183

Adjusting the Color Balance. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184

Adjusting Brightness and Contrast . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190

Replacing Colors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 196

Reducing or Removing Colors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 198

Using the Histogram to Analyze Images . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 201

iii

Chapter 9 Painting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 207

Painting with the Paint Brush or Airbrush . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 208

Creating Brush Tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 209

Setting Brush and Paint Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 211

Warping Images . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215

Erasing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 216

Cloning Parts of Images . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 219

Retouching Images. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 220

Filling Areas with Colors, Gradients, Patterns, or Textures . . . 222

Replacing Colors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 223

Painting with Picture Tubes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 224

Contents

Chapter 10 Drawing and Editing Objects. . . . . . . . . . . 227

About Objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 228

Drawing Objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 229

Creating New Preset Shapes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 234

Creating Custom Line Styles. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 235

Editing Vector Object Properties. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 237

Aligning and Arranging Vector Objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 239

Resizing and Reshaping Vector Objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 243

Editing Paths and Contours. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 245

Adding and Closing Contours . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 246

Editing Nodes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 251

Chapter 11 Working with Layers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 259

About Layers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 260

Using the Layer palette . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 265

Adding New Layers to Images . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 267

Editing Layer Properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 270

Modifying Layers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 279

Using Adjustment Layers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 283

Chapter 12 Working with Masks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 287

About Masks. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 288

Creating Masks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 289

Editing Masks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 294

Saving Masks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 297

Loading Masks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 298

Deleting Masks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 301

Chapter 13 Working with Text . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 303

Creating Text . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 304

Formatting Text . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 306

Moving Text . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 307

Editing Text . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 308

Scaling and Transforming Text. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 309

Applying Effects to Text. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 309

Creating Text with Image Patterns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 310

Creating Text on Object Paths. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 310

Converting Text to Curves . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 313

Contents

Chapter 14 Applying Effects. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 315

Choosing Effects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 316

Adding Noise . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 321

Adding Picture Frames. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 322

Mathematically Combining Two Images . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 323

Creating Your Own Effects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 325

Chapter 15 Using the Web Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 327

Sending Images via E-Mail . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 328

Uploading Images to a Photo Sharing Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . 328

Previewing Images in a Web Browser . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 330

Mapping Images. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 331

Creating Image Rollovers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 336

Slicing Images . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 337

Saving Images for the Web . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 341

Using Digital Watermarks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 351

Chapter 16 Printing Images . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 355

Before Printing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 356

Choosing Printing Setup Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 357

Printing a Single Image . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 359

Printing Multiple Images on a Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 360

Printing Images Using a Template . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 366

Printing Images from the Browser . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 369

Printing with CMYK Color Separations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 371

Chapter 17 Automating Tasks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 377

Scripting Basics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 378

Recording and Saving a Script . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 380

Running a Saved Script . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 380

Stopping or Undoing a Script. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 381

About BoundScripts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 381

About Protected Script Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 382

Editing Scripts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 384

Using and Creating Presets. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 386

Processing Multiple Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 388

Renaming Multiple Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 391

Contents

Chapter 18 Customizing Paint Shop Pro . . . . . . . . . . . 393

Setting General Program Preferences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 394

Resetting Application Preferences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 401

Using Custom Workspaces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 401

Setting File Locations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 403

Setting File Format Associations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 407

Setting Autosave Preferences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 409

Setting File Format Preferences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 410

Customizing Toolbars and Menus. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 412

Setting Other View Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 416

Adjusting Monitor Display Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 418

Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 421

CHAPTER 1

Getting Started

Jasc Paint Shop Pro 8 is the most complete, easy-to- use software for professional digital imaging results. Combining a unique set of automatic and precision photo editing and graphic design tools with an integrated learning system, Paint Shop Pro helps you deliver superior results with power and ease. It’s your complete solution for print and Web.

Contents

What’s New in Version 8 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

System Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Installing the Software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Learning Paint Shop Pro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Getting Help . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Chapter 1: Getting Started

What’s New in Version 8

Paint Shop Pro version 8 includes many new and improved features to make photo enhancements and image editing easier and more powerful.

Enhanced User Interface

A New Look Paint Shop Pro includes new icons, palettes, and menu

displays to make using the software more intuitive. Enhanced Tool options The Tool Options palette is now fully

dockable, streamlined, and much more intuitive. Enhanced Materials The Materials palette (formerly the Color

palette) includes easy-to-use controls for selecting colors, patterns, gradients, and textures.

Enhanced Tools toolbar The tools on the Tools toolbar are grouped into related categories organized on flyouts.

Enhanced Layer palette The Layer palette allows you to better manage and view image data.

Integrated Learning Tools

Learning Center Window Get started quickly with the new Lear n i n g

Cente r window that guides you around Paint Shop Pro. Try out new Quick Guides that lead you through a variety of common projects to help you get up and running fast.

Product Tour Familiarize yourself with Paint Shop Pro by viewing the all-new Product Tour. Nearly 50 topics show you the many results you can achieve using Paint Shop Pro for all of your photo and graphics projects.

Chapter 1: Getting Started

New Tools to Create Professional Results

Background Eraser Brush Use the new Background Eraser brush to

select a colored area of the image and replace it with transparency. Warp Brush Create fun or dramatic effects by altering your photos.

Stretch, pull, push, tug, or swirl to create unlimited effects. Straighten Tool Align crooked photos. Simply draw a horizontal or

vertical line specifying the direction in which to align the image. Enhanced Deform Tool The new handles are easier to use. Use the

tool to scale, shear, distort, rotate, and apply perspective to images. Enhanced Painting Engine Enjoy better photo retouching with

greater precision and smoother blending of brush strokes. Enhanced Retouch Brushes All of the retouch brushes that were

formerly part of the Retouch tool are now separate brushes. For example, use the Dodge brush to lighten images and bring out details, use the Burn brush to darken areas of images, or use the Saturation brush to increase or decrease the saturation.

Enhanced Crop Tool Choose from preset crop sizes, such as 4 x 6 or 8 x 10. This tool now also provides aspect ratio control to make it even easier to achieve the perfect crop.

Enhanced Selections New Edge Seeker mode adds more

intelligence as the Freehand Selection tool automatically seeks an edge between mouse click points along an object. You also have a wide choice of ways to modify selections, such as removing holes and specks and adding an inside feather.

Versatile Tablet Options Explore your freedom and creativity with additional options for pen tablets—vary the color, density, opacity, rotation, size, and thickness of brush strokes based on pressure, tilt, altitude, and more.

Layer Groups Place layers in layer groups to organize the Layer palette, apply settings (such as opacity) to all layers within a group, and have mask and adjustment layers affect only layers within the group (rather than all underlying layers).

Mask Layers Masks are now separate layers rather than attributes of other layers. Mask layers mask all image data below them at the same level.

Chapter 1: Getting Started

New Filters and Special Effects

Black and White Points Feature Set the overall tonal range of

photographs and bring out image detail without losing information. Lens Distortion Correction Quickly correct images that have

pincushion, barrel, or fisheye distortions. Balls and Bubbles Have fun creating realistic transparent bubbles

with full control over the reflection.

Halftone Create a trendy dot representation of a photograph. Soft Focus Create your own “glamorous shot.” Magnifying Lens Draw focus to an area of the image. This effect

simulates placing a lens on the image. Enjoy full control over lighting, reflection, optical distortions, and magnification strength.

Lens Distortion Simulate many lens distortion effects, such as fisheye, barrel, or pincushion.

Offset Precisely define where an image wraps when creating seamless patterns.

Seamless Tiling Professionally prepare high-quality seamless patterns and tiled images.

Share Images with Others

Enhanced Print Layout Use a variety of preset printing templates

designed to offer common page layouts and commercial papers, such as 3 x 5’s, 4 x 6’s, and business cards. Create and save your own custom templates to reuse or share with others.

More File Types Now Paint Shop Pro supports even more file types, such as new JPEG 2000 and PDF, as well as Wireless Bitmap (WBMP).

EXIF Photo Information View detailed EXIF photo information from digital cameras, including date, time, resolution, f-stop, ISO speed, and more. Information is preserved when you save the images in Paint Shop Pro (.PspImage), JPEG, and TIFF file formats.

Windows Image Architecture (WIA) Support Easily import images directly from many digital cameras and scanners using the WIA interface (available only when using Windows ME or XP).

Chapter 1: Getting Started

Automated Productivity

Presets Create and save custom presets for all filters and effects.

Use the presets to recreate a specific look or to share with others. Brush Presets Paint with creative brush effects such as crayon,

charcoal, pencil, and more, designed to provide realistic painting effects. Choose from many artistic presets or create, save, and share your own.

Scripts Use the new scripts feature to repeat any series of commands or steps on any image. Choose from dozens of preset scripts or record your own custom series of steps to save and replay or share with others. Modify your scripts using a text editor.

Enhanced Batch Processing Save time and maximize your processing power with many new enhancements to Batch Processing, such as the ability to rename files and apply a script to a series of images in a folder.

New File Extensions Many of Paint Shop Pro’s native formats have new file extensions that make them easier to recognize. Images are .PspImage files; gradients are .PspGradient files; masks are .PspMask files, and so on. Paint Shop Pro version 8 also reads file formats from previous versions of the software.

Dynamic Personalization

Customizing the User Interface Adapt your workspace to the way

you work. Drag and drop any feature, special effect, filter, and tool anywhere on the interface - wherever you want. Place menu items and tools you frequently use on a floating or docked toolbar that you create. You can also create your own keyboard shortcuts, and customize the menus.

Enhanced Workspaces Once you have everything set up just the way you like it, save your workspace - or multiple workspaces. This is perfect if you share a computer with others because each person can have their own personalized workspace that loads instantly and saves time otherwise spent moving things around.

Chapter 1: Getting Started

System Requirements

Before you install this program, make sure that your computer meets or exceeds these requirements:

 Windows® 98 / NT4 SP6a / 2000 / ME / XP  Pentium® or comparable processor  128 MB RAM  200 MB free disk space  16-bit display adapter at 800 x 600 resolution  Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.0 or later

Installing the Software

Before you install the program, close any programs or applications that you have running on your computer.

To install the software:

1 Insert the Paint Shop Pro CD in your CD-ROM drive. The

installation program starts automatically.

Note: If the installation program does not start automatically, double-click the My Computer icon, and then double-click on the CD-ROM icon. When the window opens displaying the contents of the CD-ROM, double-click Setup.exe.

2 Follow the prompts to install the program.

Learning Paint Shop Pro

Learn Paint Shop Pro in a variety of ways: follow the Quick Guides, view the Product Tour, or use the Help system.

Using the Quick Guides to Learn Common Tasks

Quick Guides are short, fast tutorials that guide you through new tasks and projects using your own image. Perform each step yourself, or have the program show you where to find the tools needed to complete the task.

To use Quick Guides:

1 Choose View > Palettes > Learning Center or press F10 to open the

Learning Center window.

2 Click the title of a Quick Guide to view the selected topic.

Chapter 1: Getting Started

Viewing the Product Tour

Watch the movies in the Product Tour to see the new tools and features in action. The product tour even links to the Help file and the Quick Guides.

To view the Product Tour:

1 In the Windows desktop, click the Start button and choose

Programs. The Programs pop-out menu appears to the right.

2 Choose Jasc Software - Jasc Paint Shop Pro to open Paint Shop

Pro.

3 Choose Help > Product Tour.

When you are finished viewing the Product Tour, click Start Using Paint Shop Pro to return to the main program window.

Chapter 1: Getting Started

Using the Jasc Software Learning Center

The Jasc Software Learning Center shows you how to use Paint Shop Pro’s features to create amazing photographic enhancements and sophisticated graphics. Jasc and third-party tutorials walk you through the steps for everything from restoring old photographs to creating metallic text.

To access the Jasc Software Learning Center, browse to www.jasc.com/learncenter.asp. Or, go to Jasc.com, click the

Support tab and select Learning Center.

Getting in Touch with Other Paint Shop Pro Users

Millions of people use and love Paint Shop Pro. There are many independent (non-Jasc) Paint Shop Pro communities where users share tips and tricks, ask questions, and get answers about Paint Shop Pro. There are Websites, newsgroups, and chatrooms devoted to Paint Shop Pro. As a starting point, search online for “Paint Shop Pro.”

Getting Help

One popular newsgroup is the Usenet newsgroup, comp.graphics.apps.paint-shop-pro, which you can access using your favorite news reader.

With Paint Shop Pro, you have many options for getting help with the software: you can use the Help system, contact Jasc Technical Support, check out our web-based resources, or refer to the README.html file that was installed with Paint Shop Pro for the latest information about the software.

Using the Help System

Paint Shop Pro’s Help system complements this user guide. To use help, choose Help > Contents and Index or press F1.

Most dialogs also have a Help button; click it to display contextsensitive help.

Chapter 1: Getting Started

Accessing Free Technical Support

When you buy Paint Shop Pro, you have free access to Jasc’s staf f of technical support personnel. Contact us to get assistance in any of the following ways:

US / Canada Contact Method Address or Number

Call Technical Support 952-930-9171

Technical Support on the Web www.jasc.com/custcare/support.asp

Fax Technical Support 952-930-9172

Call Customer Service

Go to the Jasc Website www.jasc.com

International Contact Method

Find your local country contact details on the Web

International e-mail intl@jasc.com

Call International Customer Service (English Only)

Fax International Customer Service

800-622-2793 (8am - 5pm CST, Monday - Friday)

Address or Number

www.jasc.com/world

+1- 952-930-9800 (8am - 5pm GMT-6:00, Monday - Friday)

+1- 952-930-9172

Chapter 1: Getting Started

Using Web-Based Resources

On the Help menu of Paint Shop Pro, you can access a number of Website pages dedicated to support issues. Choose Help > Jasc

Software Online and select one of the following Website links: Jasc Software Website Visit www.jasc.com to preview or buy the

latest Jasc products, access the Learning Center or the Support Center, and find answers to your questions.

Support Center Access the Jasc Customer Care Center to search for answers in our Knowledge Base, submit questions to Technical Support, or give us feedback.

Check for Updates Check the Jasc.com Website for updates to Paint Shop Pro.

E-mail Technical Support Send an e-mail message to Technical Support.

CHAPTER 2

Getting to Know The Program

The Paint Shop Pro workspace includes menus, tools, and palettes that you can use to create and edit images. Navigate this workspace to accomplish your painting, drawing, and photo editing tasks.

Contents

Starting and Exiting Paint Shop Pro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Exploring the User Interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Using Toolbars and Palettes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Viewing Images. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

Viewing Image Information. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

Working with Dialogs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

Using Shortcut and Function Keys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

Chapter 2: Getting to Know The Program

Starting and Exiting Paint Shop Pro

To start Paint Shop Pro:

 If you chose to place the Paint Shop Pro icon on your desktop

during installation, you can start the program by double-clicking this icon.

 If you chose not to place the Paint Shop Pro icon on your

desktop, start the program by clicking the Start button and choosing Programs > Jasc Software > Jasc Paint Shop Pro 8.

The first time you start Paint Shop Pro, the program displays the File Format Associations dialog. This dialog lets you assign file formats to the program so that your computer always uses Paint Shop Pro to open files in those formats. You can change associations at any time by choosing the File > Preferences > File Format Associations menu commands. For more information, see “Setting File Format Associations” on page 407.

To exit paint Shop Pro:

 Click the close button in the upper right-hand corner of the

program window.

 Click the Paint Shop Pro icon in the upper left-hand corner of the

title bar and choose Close.

Note: If you have any images that need to be saved, Paint Shop

Pro displays a messages asking if you want to save the images before closing the program.

Exploring the User Interface

When you open Paint Shop Pro, it displays the main program window. This window is your work area. It contains the commands and tools used to create, edit, print, and export your images.

The Paint Shop Pro workspace includes the following components: Menu bar The menu bar displays commands for performing tasks.

Menus are organized by topic. For example, the Effects menu contains commands for applying effects to images.

Chapter 2: Getting to Know The Program

Save time by saving workspaces

Did you know that you can save entire workspaces, not just images? The workspace includes open images and their magnifications and screen positions, as well as positions and preferences of palettes, toolbars, dialogs, and windows.

For more information, see “Using Custom Workspaces” on page 401.

Toolbars The toolbars display buttons for common commands. See “Using Toolbars” on page 15.

Palettes The palettes display information and help you select tools, modify options, manage layers, select colors, and perform other editing tasks. See “Using Palettes” on page 16.

Status bar The Status bar displays text about the selected tool or menu command as well as image information, including the dimensions and color depth. See “Viewing Image Information” on page 24.

Browser Displays thumbnail previews of image files. You can open, delete, copy, and perform other file commands in the Browser. For more information, see “Using the Paint Shop Pro Browser” on page 43.

Print Layout window Displays a page on which you can arrange and size multiple images, and then print the images. For more information, see “Printing Multiple Images on a Page” on page 360.

Tools toolbar

Title bar

Standard toolbar

Menu bar

Image

Script toolbar

Tool Options palette

Browser (minimized)

Status bar

Overview palette

Materials palette

Learning Center palette

Layer palette

Script Output palette

Chapter 2: Getting to Know The Program

Using Toolbars and Palettes

You can dock, float, move and resize both palettes and toolbars.

Docked and floating Materials palette

To dock a toolbar or palette:

 Drag its title bar to one edge of the workspace. The toolbar or

palette snaps into place.

 Double-click its title bar.

To float a toolbar or palette:

 Drag the handle to move the toolbar or palette away from the

edge of the workspace.

Note: The drag handle size and position will vary depending on the size of the palette and whether the palette is vertical or horizontal.

 Double-click its title bar.

To move an undocked toolbar or palette:

Drag its title bar to a new position.

To resize a toolbar or palette:

Click and drag the sides or corners of a toolbar or palette to change its size.

To display all toolbars and palettes:

Press Ctrl + Shift +T. Note

 To hide a specific palette, click the close button on its title bar.  Press and hold Ctrl while dragging a palette to prevent it from

docking.

Chapter 2: Getting to Know The Program

Using Toolbars

The toolbars display buttons for the most common tasks. Position the cursor over a button to display a ToolTip with its name. The Status bar displays more information about the command.

Status bar

The Status bar displays text about the selected tool or menu command, as well as image information including the dimensions, color depth, and cursor position. For more information, see “Viewing Image Information” on page 24.

Customizing toolbars

You can add and remove buttons from toolbars and create your own toolbars. For more information, see “Customizing Toolbars and Menus” on page 412.

Display or hide toolbars, or arrange them on the workspace. Dock a toolbar to snap it into place at an edge of a workspace, or to float it to move it anywhere on the screen.

Paint Shop Pro contains these toolbars: Standard toolbar Displays the most common commands, such as

saving images, undoing a command, and cutting items. Paint Shop Pro automatically displays this toolbar when you first run the program.

Tools toolbar Crop, paint, draw, type, and perform other image editing tasks. See “Using the Tools” on page 18.

Browser toolbar Displays commands for using the Paint Shop Pro Browser.

Effects toolbar Displays commands for applying effects to your images.

Photo toolbar Displays commands for enhancing photos. Script toolbar Displays commands for creating and running scripts. Web toolbar Displays commands for creating and saving images for

the Web.

To execute a toolbar command:

Click the command button. If the button is greyed out, it is not available.

Flyout menu displaying toolbars

To display or hide a toolbar:

Do either of the following:

 Choose View > Toolbars and choose the toolbar from the menu.  Right-click any toolbar or palette, choose Toolbars, and then

choose the toolbar from the context menu.

Note: To hide a specific toolbar or the palette, click the close button on its title bar.

Chapter 2: Getting to Know The Program

Using Palettes

Use palettes to choose tools and tool options, select colors, and manage layers. Display or hide palettes, or arrange them on the workspace. Dock a palette to snap it into place at an edge of a workspace, or to float it to move it anywhere on the screen.

Paint Shop Pro contains these palettes: Materials palette Select colors and materials for painting, drawing,

filling, and retouching. See “Using the Materials Palette” on page 82.

Tool Options palette Modify options for the currently selected tool. See “Setting Tool Options” on page 18.

Layers palette View, organize, and edit image layers. See “About Layers” on page 260.

Learning Center palette Displays tutorials for common tasks. See “Using the Quick Guides to Learn Common Tasks” on page 7.

Histogram palette Displays a graph of the distribution of red, green, blue, greyscale, hue, saturation, and lightness values in an image. Analyze the distribution of detail in the shadows, midtones, and highlights to decide how to make corrections. See “Using the Histogram to Analyze Images” on page 201.

Overview palette Displays a thumbnail view of the active image, as well as information about the image. See “Using the Overview Palette” on page 19.

Script Output palette Displays actions you take and the results of running scripts. See “About the Script Output Window” on page 379.

Brush Variance palette Sets additional brush options. This palette is particularly useful if you have a 4D mouse or a pressure-sensitive tablet. For example, you can vary the opacity of a brush stroke by applying pressure with the stylus. You can use some options with a mouse.

Flyout menu displaying pallets

Overview palette rolled-up

Chapter 2: Getting to Know The Program

To display or hide a palette:

Do one of the following:

 Choose View > Palette and choose the palette name.  Type the palette’s shortcut key (listed to the right of the name).  Right-click any palette and choose the palette name from the

context menu.

To set palette roll up options:

On a palette:

 Click to allow the palette to automatically roll-up.  Click to lock the palette open.

For information about setting palette locking preferences, see “Palettes Preferences” on page 396.

To set the docking preference of palettes:

Choose File > Preferences > General Program Preferences and click the Palettes tab of the dialog. In the Allow docking of group box, mark the check boxes of the palettes you want Paint Shop Pro to dock automatically when you drag them to the edge of the workspace.

Note

You can also open the Palettes tab of the Paint Shop Pro 8 Preferences dialog by right-clicking any toolbar or palette and choose Docking Options or by choosing View > Docking Options.

To resize a palette:

Click and drag a corner or an edge, or use the Minimize and Maximize buttons in the upper right corner.

Chapter 2: Getting to Know The Program

Using the Tools

Flyout menu displaying tools

Why some tools are inactive (greyed out)

Some tools work only on raster or vector layers. For example, the Paint Brush and Clone Brush work only on raster layers; the Object Selection tool works only on vector layers.

For information on raster and vector layers, see “About Layers” on page 260.

Use the Paint Shop Pro tools to crop, paint, draw, add text, and perform other image editing tasks. Select a tool by clicking its button on the Tools toolbar. A tool button with a small arrow on the right side includes several tools. Click the down-arrow to display a flyout menu, and then choose a tool.

T o view information about a tool, pause the cursor over it. A ToolT ip displays the tool name and shortcut key, and the Status bar displays hints for using the tool.

To use a tool:

1 Click its button on the Tools toolbar. For tools that share a flyout

with other tools, click the down-arrow next to the tool and select the tool.

2 Specify options using the Tool Options palette. See “Setting Tool

Options” below.

3 Use the tool on the image.

For information on moving, hiding, and displaying the T ools toolbar , see “Using Toolbars” on page 15.

Setting Tool Options

After you select a tool from the Tools toolbar, set its options in the T ool Options palette. Options include such settings as brush size and shape for painting tools and line width for drawing tools. By default, the palette is underneath the standard toolbar. The palette displays options grouped into bands, which you can minimize and drag within the palette. To display a minimized band, click its handle or right-facing arrow.

Here is an example of an un-docked Tool Options palette for the Paint Brush tool:

Set the options before you use the tool. You cannot edit settings in the Tool Options palette for brush strokes or objects you have already created.

Chapter 2: Getting to Know The Program

Although the items in the Tool Options palette depend upon the active tool, here are the common features:

Presets Scripts that save specific settings for a tool. For more information, see “Using and Creating Presets” on page 386.

Down-Arrow button Shows or hides additional options for the tool.

For information on moving, hiding, and displaying the Tool Options palette, see “Using Palettes” on page 16.

Using the Overview Palette

The Overview palette

A context menu on the Layer palette

Display the Overview palette to preview the entire active image or to view image information. The Overview palette displays a rectangle over the part of the image visible in the image window. To show other areas of the image, click and drag this rectangle.

The Overview palette contains two tabs: Preview Displays the image preview. The image updates after you

complete an action. Transparent areas of the image appear as white. Info Displays image status information including height and width,

color depth, memory used, cursor position, rotation, and other information.

Using Context Menus

Context menus provide quick access to commands specific to the active tool, selection, or palette.

Note

For a complete list of Context menus, choose View > Customize to open the Customize dialog. Click the Menu tab, and select a context menu from the Select context menu drop-down list.

To use a context menu:

1 Position the cursor over an image, an empty area of a palette, a

layer name on the Layers palette, a thumbnail in the Browser, or a toolbar.

2 Right-click to display the context menu. 3 Choose a command from the menu.

Chapter 2: Getting to Know The Program

Viewing Images

An image window

Does the image have a watermark?

If the image has an embedded watermark, a copyright symbol is displayed in front of its name. For more information on watermarks, see “Using Digital Watermarks” on page 351.

The image window displays your image. You can move or size the image window or open the same image in multiple image windows (for example, to see the image at different magnifications).

The title bar at the top of the image window shows the file name and the magnification percentage. An asterisk after the filename indicates the image has been modified since you last saved it.

T o see a thumbnail of the entire image, display the Overview palette. See “Using the Overview Palette” on page 19.

To move an image window:

Click and drag the title bar to move an image to a new position in the workspace.

To resize an image window:

Click an edge or a corner of the image window and drag it to a new position.

If the image is larger than the window, use the scrollbars to view another area of the image.

Note

When you resize an image window, you are changing the window only, not the image itself. To resize the image (make it larger or smaller), see “Resizing Images” on page 137.

Save time by saving workspaces

Did you know that you can save entire workspaces, not just images? The workspace includes open images, their magnifications and screen positions, as well as the positions of palettes, toolbars, and windows.

For more information, see “Using Custom Workspaces” on page 401.

To open multiple views of the same image:

Choose Window > New Window or press Shift + W. A new window opens with another view of the active image. When

you make changes in one window, the other is updated.

To arrange multiple windows:

Do either of the following:

 Choose Window > Cascade to display windows stacked and

cascading from the upper left to the lower right of the workspace.

 Choose Window > Tile Vertically or Window > Tile Horizontally to

display windows side by side vertically or horizontally. Windows are resized to fit within the workspace.

Chapter 2: Getting to Know The Program

To close an image window:

Do either of the following:

 T o close an active window, choose File > Close or click the Close

button on the title bar of the image.

 To close all windows, choose Window > Close All.

If there are any unsaved changes in the images, you will be prompted to save the files.

To see a list of all open windows:

Choose Window. All open windows display at the bottom of the Window menu in the order they were last viewed.

Navigating the View Area

When an image is too large to fit within its window, scroll bars appear on the bottom and right sides of the image.

To view another area of the image:

Do one of the following:

 On the Tools toolbar, choose the Pan tool , and then click and

drag in the image.

 Click and drag the horizontal or vertical scroll bar.  Press the arrow keys to move the image by small increments.  Display the Overview palette (choose View > Palettes >

Overview), and then drag the preview rectangle to a new position.

To fit the window to the image:

Choose Window > Fit to Image or press Ctrl + W.

Chapter 2: Getting to Know The Program

Magnifying and Reducing the View

Zooming in and out

Automatic resizing

By default, when you zoom in or out the image window is automatically resized to fit the image. To change this preference setting, see “View Preferences” on page 394.

Magnify the view of an image (zoom in) to view and edit image details or reduce the view (zoom out) to see the overall image. The title bar of the image window displays the zoom percentage.

To zoom in:

Do one of the following:

 Zoom with the mouse wheel, roll the optional wheel on your

mouse to zoom in or out quickly.

 On the T ools toolbar choose the Zoom tool (if necessary , click

the down-arrow next to the Pan tool), and then left-click the area you want to magnify. The view magnifies to the next preset percentage with each click, up to the maximum magnification of 5000%.

 Choose the Zoom tool or the Pan tool, and then in the Tool

Options palette select a zoom percentage or click the Zoom In By 1 Step or Zoom in by 5 Steps buttons.

 Choose View > Zoom In By 1 Step to magnify the view to the next

preset percentage.

 Choose View > Zoom In by 5 Steps to magnify the view by five

preset percentages.

To zoom out:

Do one of the following:

 On the T ools toolbar, select the Zoom tool (if necessary, click

the down-arrow next to the Pan tool) and then right-click the area you want to reduce. The view reduces to the previous preset percentage with each click, down to a minimum magnification of 1%.

 Choose the Zoom tool or the Pan tool, and then in the Tool

Options palette select a zoom percentage or click the Zoom Out By 1 Step or Zoom Out by 5 Steps buttons.

 Choose View > Zoom Out By 1 Step to reduce the view to the next

preset percentage.

 Choose View > Zoom Out by 5 Steps to reduce the view by five

preset percentages.

Chapter 2: Getting to Know The Program

To magnify a specific area:

1 Choose View > Magnifier, or press Ctrl + Alt + M to display the

magnifier.

2 Click and drag over the part of the image you want to magnify.

The selected area is displayed at the highest percentage that will fit within the window.

Previewing and Editing Using the Full Screen

Previewing on the full screen

Editing using the full screen

Use the Full Screen Preview command to preview an image without any of the menus, toolbars, or palettes visible.

Use the Full Screen Edit command to expand the entire workspace, giving you the largest possible space for displaying and editing images. The palettes and toolbars are visible but the menus, Paint Shop Pro title bar, and Status bar are hidden.

To preview an image on the full screen:

1 Choose View > Full Screen Preview or press Ctrl + Shift +A. The

workspace disappears and the image displays at its current magnification.

2 To return to the Paint Shop Pro workspace, press any key.

To edit using the full screen:

1 Choose View > Full Screen Edit or press Shift + A. The menu bar

and status bar disappear. To select from a menu when using the full screen, move the

cursor to the top of the screen and left-click. The menus appear as you move the mouse along the top.

2 To return the window to its previous size, press Shift + A.

Chapter 2: Getting to Know The Program

Viewing Image Information

As you work with an image, you may want to view information about it.

To view general image information:

 Look at the Status bar (at the bottom of the Paint Shop Pro

workspace) to see the cursor position, image height and width in pixels, and the color depth.

 Display the Info tab of the Overview palette to view information

about the image. Choose View > Palettes > Overview, and then click the Info tab. The information displayed depends on what tool is selected.

To view image color information:

Choose Image > Count Image Colors to display the number of unique colors in the image.

To view detailed image information:

1 Choose Image > Image Information, or press Shift + I. 2 Do one of the following:

 Click the Image Information tab to view the file name and

format, image dimensions, resolution, and color depth, modification status, number of layers and alpha channels, and the amount of RAM and disk space used for the image as well as its selections, masks, alpha channels, and undo storage.

 Click the Creator Information tab to view or edit the image

title, artist name, copyright, description, date created, and date modified.

 Click the EXIF Information tab to view information for images

taken with digital cameras. In the Section group box, mark the check boxes for the information you want to display: Input Device, Artist, Date, Image, Shot Conditions, and GPS.

Working with Dialogs

Chapter 2: Getting to Know The Program

The Average dialog

Dialogs are windows that open when you choose certain Paint Shop Pro commands. Use them to select and preview command options. All dialogs remember where you last positioned them on the screen and re-open in the same location.

Most dialogs have the following features in common: Preview windows Zoom and navigate to see before and after views

of changes. See “Using Preview Windows” on page 26. Presets Default settings and commonly used options that you have

saved as a script. See “Using and Creating Presets” on page 386. Numeric edit controls The controls that you use to select a value. See

“Editing Numerical Values” on page 27. Color boxes The box you click to select a color. See “Using Color

Boxes” on page 27. Randomize parameters button A button you click to try out random

settings in the dialog. See “Randomizing Parameters” on page 28. Resize Handle A handle in the lower right corner of the dialog used

to change the size of the dialog. See “Resizing a Dialog” on page 28.

Chapter 2: Getting to Know The Program

Using Preview Windows

The preview windows

Size the dialog

In each Paint Shop Pro dialog with preview windows, you can size the dialog by clicking and dragging a corner. Expand a dialog when you want the preview windows to be large enough to see detailed changes. You can also doubleclick the dialog title bar to maximize the dialog.

Exceptions to panning in the left preview window

In a few dialogs, the left preview window is used for making selections (such as selecting a red eye in the Red Eye Removal dialog). In these dialogs, the cursor does not change to a hand over the left preview window. Use the right preview window for panning instead.

Most dialogs that correct images, apply effects, or modify selections have two preview windows that show the image before and after changes are applied. Use the window controls to zoom the preview in or out, pan it, or proof changes on the actual image.

You can show or hide the preview windows. When you hide previews, use the main image window to proof changes.

To display or hide preview windows:

Click the Show/Hide Previews button .

To zoom the image preview:

Click the Zoom In or Zoom Out buttons. The zoom percentage displays next to the Zoom buttons.

To pan the image:

Do either of the following:

 Move the cursor over either preview window (the cursor changes

to a hand), and then click and drag the image.

 Click and hold the Navigate button , and then center the

selection rectangle over the part of the image you want to display.

To proof changes in the main image window:

Click the Proof button . All settings in the dialog are applied to the main image window. Each time you change settings, click the Proof button to view the changes in the main image window.

To set automatic proofing:

Click the Autoproof button . Paint Shop Pro automatically applies all dialog settings to the main

image window each time you change a setting.

Chapter 2: Getting to Know The Program

Using Preset Settings

Presets in a dialog

Numeric edit controls

Edit box

Meter bar

Using sliders to select values

Spin controls

Slider button

Presets are saved settings, or scripts, that you can use to make quick changes to images. Use the presets that come with Paint Shop Pro or create your own. For more information on creating and using presets, please refer to “Using and Creating Presets” on page 386.

Editing Numerical Values

To edit numbers in Paint Shop Pro dialogs, you use the Jasc numeric edit controls, which provide an easy way to edit numbers and change settings.

To edit numbers:

Do one of the following:

 To enter a specific value, click the edit box, use the Delete or

Backspace key to delete the number as needed, and then type a new value. You can also double-click the number to highlight it, and then type a new value.

Note: If you type a value in the edit box that is out of range for the control, the box turns red.

 To increase or decrease the number by one, click the up or down

arrow of the spin controls.

 To choose an approximate value, click once at a position on the

meter bar.

The color box in the New Image dialog.

 To choose from the range of possible settings, click and hold the

mouse button down on the meter bar or the slider button, drag to select a desired setting, and release the mouse.

Using Color Boxes

In some dialogs, a color box displays the currently selected color. When you move the cursor over the color box, the cursor changes to a dropper and displays the RGB values. Click the color box to select another color:

 Left-click the color box to select from the Color dialog.  Right-click the color box to select from recently used colors.

For more information, see “Choosing Colors” on page 86.

Chapter 2: Getting to Know The Program

Randomizing Parameters

Many correction and effect dialogs have a Randomize parameters button. Click this button to update all dialog settings with random values. To try out a variety of settings, click the button multiple times.

To randomize settings within a dialog:

Click the Randomize parameters button .

Resizing a Dialog

All dialogs contain a Resize Handle in the lower right corner of the dialog. Click and drag the handle to resize the dialog.

Using Shortcut and Function Keys

To work quickly and easily in Paint Shop Pro, learn the shortcut and function keys for common tasks. Key combinations like Ctrl + Z (Undo) and Ctrl + C (Copy) become second nature as you work, and they save time over using the mouse.

Customizing Shortcut Keys

If you don’t like the assigned function keys, you can customize the function keys to suit your needs. See “Assigning Shortcut Keys” on page 416.

To view all assigned keys, including custom shortcuts, choose Help > Keyboard Map.

Here are the ways you can use shortcut and function keys in Paint Shop Pro:

 Use shortcut keys to execute menu commands, display palettes,

edit nodes on vector objects, and execute Browser commands. All menu commands list their shortcut keys on the menu. Shortcut keys for palettes are listed on the View > Palettes menu.

 Use shortcut keys to select tools. Move the cursor over a tool to

display a ToolTip with its shortcut key in parentheses.

 Use function keys to display a menu by pressing Alt plus the

underlined letter of the menu name (for example, press Alt + F for the File menu). Then, press the underlined letter of a menu command or scroll through menus using the arrow keys. Press ESC to return to your image without executing a command.

To display all default shortcut keys, choose Help > Keyboard Map.

CHAPTER 3

Getting Images into Paint Shop Pro

You can get images into Paint Shop Pro in a variety of ways: import images (from a digital camera, card reader, or scanner), capture images from the computer screen, duplicate an existing image or layer, or create a new raster or vector image.

Contents

Opening Existing Images . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

Creating Images . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

Importing Images from Digital Cameras and Scanners. . . . . . . . . 38

Capturing Images from the Computer Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

Using the Paint Shop Pro Browser . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

Saving Image Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47

Chapter 3: Getting Images into Paint Shop Pro

Opening Existing Images

You can open images in a variety of file formats. The list of formats you can open in Paint Shop Pro appears in the Open dialog.

You can select which formats Paint Shop Pro displays as available to open. See “Setting File Format Associations” on page 407.

You can open a file using the Open dialog or the Browser or by choosing a recently used file from the File > Recent Files menu. With the Open dialog, you can view a preview of each image file that you select. With the Browser, you can view previews of all image files within a folder. When you open a file via the Browser, the Browser window stays open until you close it.

To open an image file using the Open dialog:

1 Do one of the following:

 Choose File > Open.  Click the Open button .

From open to browse

While opening a file from the Open dialog, you may decide you want to preview all files in a folder. Click the Browse button to open the Browser.

 Press Ctrl + O.

2 In the Look in drop-down list, select the folder where the file is

stored.

3 Click the name of the file you want to open. To select multiple

files, press Ctrl and click each name.

4 To view information or a preview of the image, choose an option:

Details Click this button to open a pop-up that displays

information about the selected image. Click OK to close this popup.

Show preview Mark this check box to display the selected image in the preview area. If you have selected multiple files, no preview is displayed; use the Browse window instead.

5 Click Open.

To open an image file using the Browser:

1 Do one of the following:

 Choose File > Browse.  Click the Browse button .  Press Ctrl + B.

Chapter 3: Getting Images into Paint Shop Pro

The Browse window opens. Note that the main menu displays commands specific to the Browse window. The Browse menu is active until you open a new file or click an open image.

2 In the left panel of the Browse window, select the folder that

contains the file you want to open. The right panel displays thumbnails of image files located in the selected folder.

Explore the Browser

For more information on using the Browser, see “Using the Paint Shop Pro Browser” on page 43.

3 Select files using one of these methods:

 Click a thumbnail image.  To select more than one file, press Ctrl and click each file.  To select sequential files, click the first file, press Shift, and

click the last file.

Note: To deselect a file, press Ctrl and click its thumbnail.

4 Open the selected file(s) using one of these methods:

 Double-click a single file’s thumbnail or Ctrl + double-click

one thumbnail when multiple files are selected.

 Select a file or multiple files and then drag them onto a blank

part of the work space.

 Press Enter.  Right-click and select Open from the context menu.  Choose Image File > Open.

After the file or files open, you can close the Browse window by clicking its Close button or leave the Browse window open in the work space.

To open a recently used file:

Choose File > Recent Files and then choose the file name. By default, the Recent Files menu lists four recently used files. You

can include up to 10 files. For more information, see “Miscellaneous Preferences” on page 400.

Chapter 3: Getting Images into Paint Shop Pro

Creating Images

About Raster and Vector Graphics

Computer graphics are of two types: raster (also called bitmap) or vector. With Paint Shop Pro, you create both raster and vector images. You can also create an image with both raster and vector layers. It’s important to understand the differences between the two data types.

Raster Images

Raster images are composed of individual elements, called pixels, arranged in a grid. Each pixel has a specific location and color. If you magnify raster data, you can see the individual pixels as squares of colors.

An object in a raster image is defined by its pixels. For example, the front door in an image of a house is made up of a mosaic of pixels at certain locations in the image. In bitmap images you edit pixels rather than objects or shapes.

Raster images can display subtle changes in tones and colors, so they are most often used for images like photographs and digital artwork. Raster images contain a fixed number of pixels, so when you magnify the image you are magnifying the display size of the pixels. As a result, raster images can display jagged rather than smooth edges if magnified on screen or printed at a large magnification.

Vector Graphics

Vector graphics or images use geometric characteristics—lines, curves, and their locations—to define objects. For example, a door in a graphic of a house is made up of a rectangle with a certain width and height at a specific location and filled with a certain color. In vector images you edit objects or shapes rather than pixels.

Vector graphics do not lose clarity or detail when scaled to any size or printed at any resolution. They work well for technical illustrations or corporate logos.

Chapter 3: Getting Images into Paint Shop Pro

Choosing Raster or Vector

In Paint Shop Pro, you create and edit raster and vector data on separate layers. With some tools you create raster data (like brush strokes with the Paint tool) and with other tools (like the Text and Preset Shapes tools) you can choose whether you want to create raster or vector data.

In general, use vector objects when you’ll need to edit the object as an element separate from other parts of the image. For example, if you add a star to an image, you may want to change its size, color or location. This is easier if the star is a vector object. You can create raster data on separate layers so you can easily edit or move them.

To apply tools or commands to vector objects that work only on raster data (such as the painting tools or the effects commands), you can create a raster selection of a vector object. Then, paste the selection to a new raster layer.

About Image Size, Resolution, and Color

Depth

Before you create a new image, think about how you will use it. For example, will you display the image on a Web site, send it as an email attachment, or print it? How you use the image helps you determine the image’s size, resolution, and color depth. All three elements also contribute to the file size of the image.

Image Size The physical dimensions of the image. In Paint Shop Pro you define image height and width in pixels, inches, or centimeters.

 For printed images for which you know the size you need, use

inches or centimeters. By starting with the final image dimensions, you can produce an image that will fit the page.

 For printed images that you will import into another software

package (such as a word processor) and resize as needed, use whichever unit is easiest for you.

 For images to be displayed on screen, use pixels.

You can resize an image after you have created it, but doing so may result in loss of image data. For more information, see “Resizing Images” on page 137.

Chapter 3: Getting Images into Paint Shop Pro

Image Resolution The number of pixels per inch (ppi) or pixels per

centimeter in images. It is important to select an appropriate resolution. Too low a resolution causes pixelation, or large pixels that produce coarse output. Too high a resolution adds to an image’s memory requirements without producing a proportional increase in its quality.

Typical image resolutions are as follows:

 For images displayed on Web pages, use 72 ppi.  For images printed to a high-quality printer, set the image

resolution to one-half to one-quarter of the actual printer resolution. For example, for a laser printer with a resolution of 600 dots per inch (dpi), use an image resolution of 150 to 300 ppi.

Color Depth The number of colors that a pixel can display. Each pixel’s color information is stored in a certain number of computer bits—from 1 bit to 24 bits. In a 1-bit image, each pixel can display only one of two colors (black or white). In a 24-bit image, each pixel can display one of 16 million colors. Images with a color depth of 16 million colors look best because they contain the most colors, but they also require the most memory to store and edit. Not all computer monitors can display 16 million colors, so some file formats limit the number of supported colors. For example, GIF images, a popular format for the W eb, contain up to 256 colors (8-bit depth).

Many of Paint Shop Pro’s effect and correction commands work on 16 million color images only. Therefore, its best to create most images using 16 million colors. When you have finished working on the image, you can decrease its color depth and save it in another format.

For more information, see “Understanding Color Depth” on page 108.

Chapter 3: Getting Images into Paint Shop Pro

Creating an Image

You can create a new image by creating a blank image or by using another image as a starting point.

For information on using other images, see “Creating New Images from Existing Images” on page 36.

When you create a new blank image, you select the image size and resolution, along with the color depth and background color and material. It’s important to choose a size and resolution that fits with your desired output type and output quality. For more information, see “About Image Size, Resolution, and Color Depth” on page 33.

To create a new image:

1 Do one of the following to open the New Image dialog:

 Choose File > New.  Press Ctrl + N.  Click the New Image button on the toolbar.

2 Choose the image dimensions:

 To select a preset size for the new image, in the Presets drop-

down list choose a standard size for print materials (such as 4” x 6” or letter) or computer screens (such as 640 x 480 pixels). The Presets list defaults to the Last Used option, which specifies the settings that were used the last time you created a new image.

 To create an image using specific dimensions, in the Image

Dimensions group box, set the following options:

Units The units of the dimensions (pixels, inches, or

centimeters).

Width The width of the new image. Height The height of the new image. Resolution The resolution of the new image. Specify the

resolution units (pixels/inch or pixels/cm) in the drop-down list.

3 In the Image Characteristics group box, select from these

options:

Chapter 3: Getting Images into Paint Shop Pro

Raster Background or Vector Background. The type of the

bottom layer: raster or vector. Choose a raster background for most photographic applications. Choose a vector layer if you are creating vector graphics.

Color depth The color depth, or number of bits per pixel, of the image. For more information on color depth, see “About Image Size, Resolution, and Color Depth” on page 33.

Background The background color or material.

 For raster images, click the color box to select from the

Material dialog (for 16 million color images) or the image palette (for images of all other color depths). To choose a transparent background (for greyscale or 16 million color images only), mark the Transparent check box. For more information on choosing colors or materials, see “Using the Materials Palette” on page 82.

 For vector images, you only need to choose the color depth.

Vector images start with a transparent vector layer. Note: The Memory Required field displays the amount of

memory required for the image. Your computer should have at least two to three times this amount of RAM. To reduce the memory requirement, reduce the resolution or the dimensions of the image.

4 Click OK. The new image opens in the work space.

Creating New Images from Existing Images

You can use a copy of an existing image or a layer to create a new image. You can also create an image from any graphic data copied to the Windows clipboard from Paint Shop Pro.

To duplicate an entire image:

1 Open the image you want to duplicate. 2 Choose Window > Duplicate or press Shift + D. A new window

containing the image opens in the work space.

To create a new image from a layer of another image:

1 On the Layer palette, click the layer you want to copy. 2 Choose Edit > Copy.

Chapter 3: Getting Images into Paint Shop Pro

Note: If you use the Cut or Copy commands, the current selection or layer is placed on the clipboard.

3 Choose Edit > Paste > As New Image. A new image window

opens in the work space. The layer you copied is now the background of the new image.

To create a new image from a layered image:

1 On the Layer palette, click a layer. 2 Choose Edit > Copy Merged.

Note: All layers are merged into one layer and placed on the

clipboard.

3 Choose Edit > Paste > As New Image. A new image window

opens in the work space. The new image contains all layers merged into one raster layer.

To create a new image from clipboard data:

1 Cut or copy a selection or layer of an image, or an item from

another program.

2 Choose Edit > Paste > As New Image. The clipboard data is

pasted as a new image. If this command is greyed out, then the data you have copied to the clipboard cannot be pasted as a Paint Shop Pro image.

Note: A dialog may appear requesting additional information such as width and height of the new image window. You can change your preferences so that Paint Shop Pro does not prompt for size and options when you paste data. See “Setting File Format Preferences” on page 410.

Chapter 3: Getting Images into Paint Shop Pro

Importing Images from Digital Cameras and Scanners

Running scanning software

In addition to running the scanning software from Paint Shop Pro, you can also run the software from the Windows Start menu. After you perform the scan, you then need to run Paint Shop Pro.

With Paint Shop Pro you can access and manage your images while they are in your digital camera. You can also load the images directly into Paint Shop Pro.

Before you can view and download images from a digital camera, card reader, or scanner you must install the special software (called drivers) that enables your computer to connect to the camera, card reader, or scanner. You must install this software before connecting the camera, card reader, or scanner to the computer. Refer to the documentation supplied with your camera, card reader, or scanner for more information about this software.

Determine which type of connection your camera, card reader, or scanner uses:

 WIA The default for WIA compatible computers running the

Windows XP and ME operating systems. Your camera, card reader, or scanner must support WIA.

 Mounted Drive The default for non-WIA computers, and the most

common type of connection. Some cameras and scanners, and most card readers are viewed as an additional disk drive when they are connected to the USB port of your computer.

 TWAIN Most cameras and scanners are TWAIN-compliant. Use

this setting if your camera, scanner, or card reader is TWAINcompliant.

Chapter 3: Getting Images into Paint Shop Pro

Downloading Images Using Windows XP, ME and a USB Cable

Paint Shop Pro supports the WIA connection protocol. If your computer has the Windows XP or ME operating system, your camera or scanner uses the WIA connection system, and you connect your camera or scanner to the computer using a USB cable, then Paint Shop Pro and Windows XP or ME will automatically detect when you have connected your camera to your computer.

To download from a WIA camera or scanner with Windows XP or ME:

1 Connect the camera, card reader, or scanner to the computer using

the USB cable.

2 Choose File > Import > From Scanner or Camera to download the

images to your computer.

Downloading Images From a Mounted

Viewing EXIF Data

EXIF stands for Exchangeable Image File Format. If your camera supports this standard, it will record the time & date the image was taken, exposure information (ISO, shutter, aperture) and other camera details in the header of each image file. To view EXIF data, choose Image > Image Information to open the Current Image Information dialog, and then click the EXIF Information tab.

Drive

Some cameras, card readers, and scanners display as a separate drive (assigned a drive letter) on your computer. For example, your camera may display as My Computer\Removable Disk (G:).

To download from a camera, card reader, or scanner that appears as a mounted drive:

1 Choose File > Open to open the Open dialog. Or choose File >

Browse and use the browser to locate the images on the mounted

drive.

2 Navigate to the drive for your camera, card reader, or scanner. 3 Locate the images that you want to download in a folder or sub-

folder of that drive.

4 Select the images that you want to download and click Open to

open the images in Paint Shop Pro.

Chapter 3: Getting Images into Paint Shop Pro

Importing Images Using the TWAIN Interface

To import images using the TWAIN interface:

1 Choose File > Import > TWAIN > Select Source. The Select Source

dialog lists the TWAIN-compliant devices connected to your computer.

What does your image need?

Here are some edits your digital photograph may need:

 Crop the image. Cropping

reduces the amount of memory the image uses and eliminates extra areas of color, which may allow you to make better color corrections. See “Cropping Images” on page 134.

 Correct colors or retouch parts of

the image. See “Basic Steps in Improving Photographs” on page 52.

Note: You only need to select the source the first time you connect to the camera, card reader, or scanner.

2 Click the name of the device, then click Select. 3 Choose File > Import > TWAIN > Acquire to run the device’s

software.

4 Do one of the following:

 For scanners, perform the scan using the device’s software.

(Refer to the scanner manufacturer’s documentation for details.)

 For digital cameras, an Import dialog displays. Select the

images that you want to download, and then click Download.

When the device and software finish processing the image, the image is sent to Paint Shop Pro and placed in an image window. The software remains open so you can continue to acquire images or close the software.

5 Click the Paint Shop Pro icon in the Windows task bar to display

Paint Shop Pro and your image.

6 Choose File > Save As to save the image.

Chapter 3: Getting Images into Paint Shop Pro

Capturing Images from the Computer Screen

You can take a picture, called a screen capture, of all or part of the computer screen. You can then edit and save the screen capture in Paint Shop Pro. Before you capture screens you should configure the screen capture options.

Setting Screen Capture Options

Use the Capture Setup dialog to select how you want to capture, how

Add the capture icons to a toolbar

If you frequently capture screens, you may want to create a new toolbar containing the icons for the screen capture command, see “Creating a New Toolbar” on page 415.

you activate the screen capture, and to set other options.

To set screen capture options:

1 Choose File > Import > Screen Capture > Setup to open the

Capture Setup dialog.

2 In the Capture group box, select the type of capture:

Area Captures an area of the screen that you select by clicking

once at one corner of the area and clicking again at the opposite corner.

Full screen Captures the entire computer screen. Client area Captures the contents of the active program. Window Captures the active window. If a dialog is open, this

option captures the dialog. If no dialog is open, this option captures the active application.

Object Captures an object within a program, such as a menu bar, toolbar, icon, or a document window. When you initiate the capture, you move the cursor over an object and it is highlighted with a rectangle.

3 In the Activate capture using group box, select the method for

activating the screen capture:

Right mouse click A right mouse click activates a capture. Hot key A key (such as F11) or key combination (such as Shift +

F1) activates a capture. Select the option, then click the dropdown list to select a key or key combination.

Delay timer The screen capture is taken a certain number of seconds after you start the screen capture.

Chapter 3: Getting Images into Paint Shop Pro

Note: These options select the method for activating the capture

after you have started the screen capture feature. To start the screen capture, you click the Capture Now button on this dialog, or at the Paint Shop Pro work space press Shift + C or choose

File > Import > Screen Capture > Start.

4 In the Options group box, select from the following options:

Include cursor Mark this check box to include the cursor in

screen captures. This check box is not available for area captures. Multiple captures Mark this check box when you want to take

multiple captures one after the other. S tart the screen capture, and then press the hot key to activate it multiple times. Clear this check box to have Paint Shop Pro display after you take one screen capture.

5 Do one of the following:

 To start the screen capture feature immediately, click Capture

Now. Screen capture settings are saved and Paint Shop Pro

minimizes to the task bar. Use the hot key to activate the screen capture. See “Capturing Images from the Computer Screen” on page 41.

How do I capture a Paint Shop Pro screen?

Open two copies of Paint Shop Pro. In one copy, set up the screen capture options and start the capture feature (press Shift + C), which minimizes the software. Display the other Paint Shop Pro and press the hot key to activate the capture.

 To save the settings, click OK.

Capturing a Screen

Once you have configured the screen capture settings, you can begin capturing screens.

When you are finished, you can edit the screen captures as needed and save the image in Paint Shop Pro. For information about saving images, see “Saving Image Files” on page 47.

To capture a screen:

1 Open or display Paint Shop Pro. 2 To start the screen capture feature, do one of the following:

 Choose File > Import > Screen Capture > Start.  Press Shift + C.

Paint Shop Pro minimizes to the Windows task bar.

3 Open or display the image or window that you want to capture.

Chapter 3: Getting Images into Paint Shop Pro

4 To activate the screen capture, right-click or press the hot key

(such as F10) you chose during setup. If you chose Full Screen, Client Area, or Window during setup,

the screen, area, or window is captured.

5 For Area and Object captures, select the area or object to capture:

 For Area captures, click at the top corner of the area you want

to capture, then move the cursor to the bottom corner and click again. As you move the cursor a rectangle displays the selection area.

 For Object captures, move the cursor until the area you want

is highlighted (with a black rectangle around it), then click to activate the capture.

6 If you selected to take multiple captures during setup, you can

now take another capture. Right-click or press the hot key for each screen capture. When you are finished, click the Paint Shop Pro button in the Windows task bar.

Using the Paint Shop Pro Browser

With the Paint Shop Pro Browser, you can view, open, and manage your files.

When you open the Browse window, you have a variety of options for selecting files to open and for renaming, moving, copying, and deleting the image files. You can use the Browse window just as you would Windows Explorer—with the additional help of being able to see the image files you are managing.

To open the Browser:

Choose File > Browse or press Ctrl + B.

To select all files in a folder:

On the Browser menu, choose Edit > Select All or press Ctrl + A.

To deselect all files in a folder:

On the Browser menu, choose Edit > Select None or press Ctrl + D .

Chapter 3: Getting Images into Paint Shop Pro

To select files by file characteristics:

1 On the Browser menu, choose File > Select.

In the Select dialog, you can select files that have specific file or image attributes, such as name, file extension, size, width, bits per pixel, and date.

2 Select the file and image attributes, then click OK.

To change the order of thumbnails:

Click the file’s thumbnail and drag it to a new position within the same folder.

To sort thumbnails by file characteristics:

1 Choose File > Sort to open the Thumbnail Sort dialog. 2 On the Primary Sort tab, select the primary sort criteria for

thumbnails.

3 To add additional sort criteria, click the Secondary Sort tab, and

select additional criteria.

4 Click OK.

Note

Sorting thumbnails is a one-time operation. The thumbnails will not remain sorted if you add new images or change the properties of the existing files. New images are always added to the end of the list.

To invert which files are selected:

Choose Edit > Invert Selection. All selected thumbnails are deselected and all unselected thumbnails are selected.

To rename files:

1 Press Ctrl + R or right-click the thumbnail and select Rename from

the context menu.

2 Type the new filename. The Browser does not automatically add

an extension.

3 Click OK.

Chapter 3: Getting Images into Paint Shop Pro

To copy files:

1 Press Ctrl + Y or right-click the thumbnail and select Copy To from

the context menu.

2 Select the folder to copy the file to. 3 Click OK.

Copying one image into another image

You can copy the layers of one image into another image. See “Cutting, Copying, and Pasting” on page 124.

To paste files to other applications that support OLE functions:

Press Alt and click the file’s thumbnail, drag it to the application’s button in the Window task bar until the application opens, then move the cursor to the application and release the mouse button.

You can paste images into any applications that support meta files, DIBs, and BMPs, such as Microsoft Word. If the image has more than one layer, all layers are automatically merged.

To move files:

Do one of the following:

 Click the file’s thumbnail and drag it to a different folder in the

left pane of the Browse window. You can also select several thumbnails and drag them to a new folder.

 Select the file or files, then press Ctrl + M or right-click the

thumbnail and choose Move To from the context menu. At the Browse for Folder dialog, select the desired folder and click OK.

To delete files:

1 Select the file or files you want to delete. 2 Press Ctrl + Delete or right-click the file’s thumbnail and select

Delete from the context menu.

To find files:

1 Choose File > Find Name to open the Find dialog. 2 Enter the search criterial and click Find Next or Find All to

display the search results in the Browser window.

To rotate files:

1 Select the files that you want to rotate. 2 Choose ImageFile > JPEG Lossless Rotation, and then choose an

option to rotate the selected files.

Chapter 3: Getting Images into Paint Shop Pro

Updating Thumbnails

When you open a folder in the Browser, Paint Shop Pro creates thumbnails for all supported graphic images and stores them in a file called PspBrwse.jbf. Every folder you have opened in the Browser has a copy of this thumbnail file. Paint Shop Pro uses this file to display thumbnails more quickly each time you open a folder.

The default preference setting is to have the thumbnails file update automatically every time you open the folder. To change this preference, see “Browser Preferences” on page 397.

Occasionally you may want to update the thumbnails with the Update Thumbnails command. For example, if you have used Windows Explorer to delete or add a file in a folder, you can choose File > Update Thumbnails, or press F5 to update the thumbnails file. (You can also open the folder again in the Browser for Paint Shop Pro to update it automatically.)

After a thumbnail file is created, new files are appended to the end of the thumbnails list. To sort the list alphabetically or by other characteristics, choose File > Sort.

Saving Image Files

Paint Shop Pro has a native .PspImage format that supports layers, alpha channels, and other features you use to create images. You will find it convenient to save an image in this format while you are working on it and then convert it to a different format after you have finished.

Using Autosave

You can use the Autosave feature to save your files automatically at specified intervals. This can prevent you from losing your work if your computer shuts down unexpectedly. For more information, please refer to “Setting Autosave Preferences” on page 409.

Compressing a .PspImage File

Chapter 3: Getting Images into Paint Shop Pro

Always save a .PspImage version of your file

To be able to use all Paint Shop Pro features, we recommend you save and edit your files in .PspImage format with a color depth of 16 million colors. You can then use the Save As or Export command to save a copy of the file in the desired output format. Your original image stays intact in case you need to make changes to it later.

An image file in the .PspImage format can be saved without compression, or it can be compressed to save space. Both of the compression methods that Paint Shop Pro uses are lossless, and reduce the file size without losing any image information. Saving a file without compressing it is the quicker method, but it requires more hard disk space.

Paint Shop Pro uses two compression methods:

 Run length encoding (RLE), which is fast and compresses most

multi-layered images to about 75% of their original sizes. It works well with images that contain large areas of the same color.

 LZ77 compression, which is slower than RLE, but can compress

an image to a smaller size than RLE. It works well with photorealistic images.

Choose a compression option by clicking the Options button in the various save dialogs.

Chapter 3: Getting Images into Paint Shop Pro

Saving an Image

You can easily save an image with the same file name and location. Note that this will overwrite the original image with the modified image. To save the image using a different name or file format, choose File > Save As.

To save an image:

To automatically save the image with the same file name and location (overwriting the original image with the modified image):

 Choose File > Save.  Press Ctrl + S .  Click the Save button on the toolbar.

Saving a New Image File

The first time you save an image, Paint Shop Pro automatically opens the Save As dialog, where you select a location, name, and format for the image. After this, Paint Shop Pro saves changes to the original image without opening the dialog.

To save a new image:

1 Choose File > Save, press Ctrl + S, or click the Save button on

the toolbar to open the Save As dialog.

2 Use the Save In drop-down list to navigate to the folder in which

you want to save the image file. If you frequently save files to the same folder, click the Favorites folder and select a folder from the list.

3 In the File Name field, type a name for the file. 4 To save the file in a new format, select the format from the Save

As Type list.

5 If the file format has save options, click the Options button to

open the Save Options dialog. Select new settings, if appropriate. If you are unsure of the settings, use the default values. Click OK to return to the Save As dialog.

6 Click Save to close the dialog and save the file.

You can have Paint Shop Pro display the last used file type when opening this dialog. Select this option in the Dialogs and Palettes Preferences tab of the General Program Preferences dialog.

Chapter 3: Getting Images into Paint Shop Pro

Saving an Image File in its Original Format

When you save an image and then edit it, the image title bar displays a Modified tag (an asterisk) after the file’s name to indicate the file has been modified. This tag disappears each time you save the file; it reappears when you again edit the image.

Saving an Image in a New File Format

If you want to save a file in another format, use the Save As command.

To save a file:

1 Choose File > Save As or press F12 to open the Save As dialog. 2 Navigate to and open the folder in which you want to save the

image file.

3 To rename the image file, type a new name in the File name field.

4 In the Save as type drop-down list, select a new format. 5 If the file format has save options, click the Options button to

open the Save Options dialog. Select new settings, if appropriate. If you are unsure of the settings, use the default values. Click OK to return to the Save As dialog.

6 Click Save to save the image file and close the dialog.

Chapter 3: Getting Images into Paint Shop Pro

Saving a Copy of an Image

When you save an image using the Save Copy As command, you are copying the original file, not saving it. Use this command to save a version of a file without affecting the original. The dialog contains all the same features as the Save As dialog.

Note

When using the Save Copy As command:

 The modifier tag is not affected. It does not disappear from the

title bar.

 The file name does not change. The copy is titled “Image Name.”  Paint Shop Pro saves the copy to the same directory and in the

same format that was last used with the Save Copy As command (not the Save As command).

To save a copy of an image:

1 Choose the File > Save Copy As or press Ctrl + F12 to open the

Save Copy As dialog.

2 Use the Save In drop-down list to navigate to a new folder if you

want to save the copy in a different folder. If necessary, use the Up One Level button to help navigate, or the Create New Folder button to create a new folder.

3 In the File Name box, type a name for the file. 4 To save the file in a different format, select the format from the

Save As Type drop-down list.

5 If the file format has save options, click the Options button to

open the Save Options dialog. Select new settings, if appropriate. If you are unsure of the settings, use the default values. Click OK to return to the Save As dialog.

6 Click Save to save a copy of the file.

Note

 For information about saving several images in a new file format

see, “Processing Multiple Files” on page 388.

 For information about optimizing images for the Web, see

“Saving Images for the Web” on page 341.

CHAPTER 4

Improving Photographs

Once you have photos in Paint Shop Pro, the next step is to correct any problems with the images. Sometimes the problems are obvious, such as when the subject is too dark. Sometimes, you know that the picture could look better, but you don’t know what to fix. This chapter will help you determine what needs improvement in a photo and show you how to improve it.

Contents

Note

All commands mentioned in this chapter work on 16 million color and greyscale images only. To increase the color depth of an image, see “Increasing the Color Depth of an Image” on page 109.

Basic Steps in Improving Photographs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52

How to Approach Color, Contrast, and Saturation Adjustments . . 53

Improving Colors. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54

Improving Contrast . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60

Improving Saturation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61

Removing Source Defects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62

Removing Image Defects and Noise . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65

Correcting Image Distortions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69

Retouching Photographs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72

Improving Image Clarity. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79

Chapter 4: Improving Photographs

Basic Steps in Improving Photographs

Paint Shop Pro contains many features you can use to enhance your photos. Whenever you work on photos, you should follow the same basic steps in a specific order to get the best results. This is necessary because some later actions remove image data that is needed to successfully complete earlier steps.

To improve photographs:

1 Calibrate your monitor to ensure that screen and print images

match as closely as possible and that colors are consistent from image to image. For more information, see “Calibrating Your Monitor” on page 418.

Analyzing images using the histogram

For image editing professionals, the histogram and its accompanying adjustment features are powerful tools for understanding and correcting images—especially those with contrast or brightness problems.

For casual users, getting familiar with the histogram may not be necessary because Paint Shop Pro offers many simpler ways to adjust images. For information about using the histogram to analyze your photos, see “Using the Histogram to Analyze Images” on page 201.

2 Improve colors, contrast, and saturation. Use Paint Shop Pro’s

automatic adjustment commands or use the manual adjustments to make initial corrections to your images. See “How to Approach Color, Contrast, and Saturation Adjustments” on page 53.

3 Correct defects caused by the image source, including unwanted

patterns on scanned images and undesirable lines on video frames. See “Removing Source Defects” on page 62.

4 Correct image defects, such as black or white specks, and image

distortions caused by camera lenses. See “Removing Image Defects and Noise” on page 65 and “Correcting Image Distortions” on page 69.

5 Retouch photos, including removing scratches and red-eye

effects on people and animals. During this step you can also remove unwanted highlights and objects from your photos. See “Retouching Photographs” on page 72.

6 Clarify and sharpen images. See “Improving Image Clarity” on

page 79.

Chapter 4: Improving Photographs

How to Approach Color, Contrast, and Saturation Adjustments

The color, contrast, and saturation have the most influence on our perception of a photograph’s quality. If the colors are washed out or the contrast is low, the photo doesn’t look right.

Curious about color?

For more information about the qualities of color, see “Understanding Color and Color Models” on page 103.

Adjusting greyscale images

Because greyscale and black-andwhite photos have no color, you can adjust only the contrast. See “Improving Contrast” on page 60.

Paint Shop Pro’s adjustments modify the basic components of color: hue, saturation, and lightness. Hue is the color (such as red or yellow). Saturation is the vividness of the color. Lightness is the intensity of light in the color.

Make adjustments in this order:

 For most photos, first adjust the color and then adjust the

contrast. (Contrast adjustment can result in a loss of image information that is needed for color adjustments.)

 For images that are extremely dark or light, first adjust the

contrast to make the colors more visible, then adjust the color. If necessary, adjust the contrast again.

 Always adjust the saturation last.

Each color, contrast, and saturation adjustment can be made automatically or manually. For automatic adjustments, you choose a few settings and Paint Shop Pro does the rest. For manual adjustments, you analyze the photo and decide what adjustments it needs.

Note

When correcting color photographs, start with the automatic adjustments, and see if you like the result. If the photo still isn’t right, use the manual adjustments.

Fixing Photos in One Step

Use the One Step Photo Fix command to automatically adjust the color balance, contrast,

clarity, saturation, smooth edges, and sharpen an image.

To fix a photo in one step:

On the Photo toolbar, choose One Step Quick Fix to automatically fix a photo.

Note: Note: To view the Photo toolbar, choose View > Toolbars > Photo.

Chapter 4: Improving Photographs

Improving Colors

To improve your photographs, start by adjusting the colors. Different types of lighting, photographic equipment, and photo processing can cause incorrect coloring in images. In addition, scanned images or digital camera images can have unnatural color casts.

Note

The Automatic Color Balance and Fade Correction commands work on 16 million color images only. To increase the color depth of an image, see “Increasing the Color Depth of an Image” on page 109.

Automatically Balancing Colors

To create natural-looking colors and remove any color cast in your image, use the Automatic Color Balance command. This command works best for correcting images with several colors rather than images with variations of one color. You can apply the command to a selection or an entire image.

To balance colors automatically:

1 Choose Adjust > Color Balance > Automatic Color Balance. 2 In the preview window, center an important part of the image

(such as a face). Pan the image by clicking and dragging in the preview window; zoom in or out as necessary.

3 Set the Strength of correction for the image, from 1 (the least) to

100 (the most). Start with 30 and then adjust the strength until the image looks the most natural.

4 If there is a strong color cast to the image (a particular color

added to all colors in the image), mark the Remove color cast check box to remove it.

5 In the Illuminant temperature group box, adjust the image’s

illuminant temperature from warmer tones (oranges) to cooler tones (blues). Type a value or drag the slider. The default setting is 6500K, which gives the effect of a photo taken in typical daylight. Photos taken indoors tend to look more orange, while photos taken in bright sunlight tend to look more blue. Adjust the value to achieve the desired effect or until the colors look natural. If colors do not improve, you may not need to make this adjustment.

6 Click OK.

Chapter 4: Improving Photographs

Using Source and Target Colors to Correct Colors Manually

When it is particularly important to get a certain color right, use the Manual Color Correction command. Select a color in the image that needs to be corrected (the source color), and then select the color you want it to be (the target color). For the target color, choose from preset color options, a specific color, or a color from another image. Paint Shop Pro then adjusts all colors in the selection or image based on the shift from the source color to the target color.

Use this command when the image has skin tones that need to be corrected or when you want to get a specific color exactly right. This adjustment also works well for images with grossly incorrect colors.

You can apply the command to a selection or an entire image.

To use the Manual Color Correction dialog:

1 Choose Adjust > Color Balance > Manual Color Correction. 2 In the right preview window, center the area with the source

color. Pan the image by clicking and dragging in the preview window; zoom in or out as necessary.

Note: You must use the right preview window for panning the

image because you select the source color in the left preview window.

3 Define the Source color in the left preview window using one of

these methods:

 Click once to select a single pixel. Zoom in to make sure you

select the correct color.

 Click and drag to select a rectangular area.  To select an irregularly shaped area, mark the Freehand check

box, then click and drag over the image.

To change your selection, click the Clear button or make another selection.

Choose an area that is mostly one color. You do not have to be overly precise with the selection area because pixels in the selection are averaged to determine the source color.

When you select the source color, the Source color box displays the selected color.

Chapter 4: Improving Photographs

The Source and Target color boxes

Select target colors manually by entering Hue, Saturation, and Lightness values

Preserving lightness and saturation

If you mark Preserve Lightness and Preserve Saturation, and the source and target colors are similar hues, you may not notice much change in the adjusted image. Try clearing one or both options.

To match the target color exactly, clear Preserve Lightness and Preserve Saturation.

4 Choose the Target color using one of these methods:

 To choose from a preset color category, select the Preset

colors option, choose a color category from the list, and then

choose a color from within the category.

See “Choosing Color

Categories” on page 56.

 To choose from the Color dialog, left-click the Target color

box. See “Choosing Colors” on page 86.

 To choose from recently used colors, right-click the Target

color box.

 To choose from any open image, move the cursor over the

image until it changes into a dropper and then click the color.

 To choose a color based on its hue, saturation, and lightness

(HSL) values, select the Manual option, and then enter the values.

When you select the color, the Target color box displays the target color.

5 If you are using the Preset colors option or have selected a

source color from the Target color box, choose from the following options:

Preserve Lightness Mark this check box to preserve the lightness of the source color in the corrected image. Clear this check box to match the lightness of the corrected image to the target color’s lightness.

Preserve Saturation Mark this check box to preserve the saturation of the source color in the corrected image. Clear this check box to match the saturation of the corrected image to the target color’s saturation.

6 Click OK.

Choosing Color Categories

The preset color categories of the Manual Color Correction dialog consist of a variety of frequently occurring colors. Most of these categories are called memory colors because people remember them particularly well and notice when they don’t look natural. Typical examples are skin tones and sky colors. Memory color categories in the Color Category list are Beverage, Foliage, Fruits, Grasses, Grays, Hair Colors, Metals, Skintones, Sky, Various Foods, Vegetables, Water, and Woods.

Chapter 4: Improving Photographs

There are other categories that you may find helpful when defining the target colors for your photographs:

Pure Colors The main colors on the color wheel (example, red, orange, yellow).

Standard A set of colors designed to let you make very subtle changes in hue. When you select a source color, the Nearest preset color field above the list displays a number for the color that is the closest match in the Standard category.

To correct an image using Standard Colors:

1 Choose Adjust > Color Balance > Manual Color Correction. 2 Click in the left preview window to select a source color. 3 Select the Preset colors option. 4 In the list underneath, choose Standard.

The Nearest preset color area above the list box displays the Standard color that is the closest match to the source color. Click the Color box to the right of the list and scroll to view the color.

5 Modify the target color using one of the following options:

 To shift all hues in the image slightly, choose a color from the

Preset colors list that is similar to the current color.

 To shift all hues in the image drastically, choose a color from

the Preset colors list that is quite different from the current color.

 Preserve Lightness Mark this check box to preserve the

lightness of the source color in the corrected image. Clear this check box to match the lightness of the corrected image to the target color’s lightness.

 Preserve Saturation Mark this check box to preserve the

saturation of the source color in the corrected image. Clear this check box to match the saturation of the corrected image to the target color’s saturation.

Chapter 4: Improving Photographs

Using Grey World to Adjust Colors

Like the Automatic Color Balance command, the Grey World Color Balance command corrects image colors, but it uses a different mathematical algorithm.

If you average all the colors in a complex, outdoor photograph, the average color turns out to be grey. Grey World color correction uses this fact to determine what a photograph needs to have better looking colors.

As with any of Paint Shop Pro’s color correction commands, the best approach is to try the Grey World command and see if you like its results. You can apply this command to a selection or an entire image.

When not to use Grey World color correction

This color correction may not work well for:

 Very simple scenes with few

colors

 Images with a limited range of

hues (such as mostly blues)

 Simple computer-generated

graphics

To correct colors using the Grey World dialog:

1 Choose Adjust > Color Balance > Grey World Color Balance.

The right preview window shows the image colors automatically corrected with the Grey World algorithm.

2 In the preview window, center an important part of the image

(such as a face). Pan the image by clicking and dragging in the preview window; zoom in or out as necessary.

3 In the Illuminant Temperature group box, type a value or drag the

slider to change the image’s illuminant temperature from warmer tones (oranges) to cooler tones (blues). The default setting is 6500K, which gives the effect of a photo taken in typical daylight. Photos taken indoors tend to look more orange, while photos taken in bright sunlight tend to look more blue. Adjust the value to achieve the desired effect or until the colors look the most natural.

4 Click OK.

Chapter 4: Improving Photographs

Correcting Faded Images

Color depth

The Fade Correction command works on 16 million color images only. To increase the color depth of an image, see “Increasing the Color Depth of an Image” on page 109.

Have a faded black-andwhite photo?

Black-and-white photos have no colors to correct. Instead, use the Automatic Contrast Enhancement command to restore the photograph. See “Automatically Enhancing Contrast” on page 60.

With time and exposure to the elements, especially light, the dyes in a photograph fade. Colors become less vivid, the image acquires an undesirable color cast, and contrast is lost. Use the Fade Correction command to restore color and contrast to faded photographic images. You can apply the command to a selection or an entire image.

The Fade Correction command is a simple, one-step adjustment that corrects both color and contrast. If the resulting image doesn’t look as good as you would like, the image may need different adjustments. Instead, try applying the three automatic adjustments from the submenus of the Adjust menu in this order: Automatic Color Balance, Automatic Contrast Enhancement, Automatic Saturation Enhancement.

To use fade correction:

1 Choose Adjust > Color Balance > Fade Correction. 2 In the preview window, center an important part of the image

(such as a face). Pan the image by clicking and dragging in the preview window; zoom in or out as necessary.

3 For Amount of correction, start with 45 and adjust the value until

the image looks the most natural.

Note: Use the minimum value that produces a good correction. If you apply too much correction, highlight and shadow areas may lose detail and objects may blend together.

4 Click OK.

Chapter 4: Improving Photographs

Improving Contrast

Contrast is the variation of dark and light intensities within an image. To look its best, an image must have the proper balance between highlights, midtones, and shadows.

Brightness is a term often associated with contrast. Brightness is the overall lightness of an image. If the image has a high brightness, all colors are bright. If the image has a low brightness, all colors are dark. Several of Paint Shop Pro’s contrast adjustments also af fect the brightness of images.

Note

The Automatic Contrast Enhancement command works on 16 million color and greyscale images only. To increase the color depth of an image, see “Increasing the Color Depth of an Image” on page 109.

Automatically Enhancing Contrast

To adjust an image’s overall lightness and intensity and to balance its highlights, midtones, and shadows, use the Automatic Contrast Enhancement command. You can apply the command to a selection or an entire image.

Note: If you apply this command to a selection on an image, the contrast adjustment may not be as effective because all the image information is not available.

To automatically adjust contrast:

1 Choose Adjust > Brightness and Contrast > Automatic Contrast

Enhancement.

2 In the preview window; center an important part of the image.

Pan the image by clicking and dragging in the preview window; zoom in or out as necessary.

3 Adjust the Bias (the brightness) of the correction: Lighter,

Neutral, or Darker.

4 Adjust the Strength of correction: Normal or Mild. 5 Adjust the Appearance of the correction:

Flat (a slight difference between light and dark areas)

Natural (an average difference between light and dark areas)

Bold (a striking difference between light and dark areas).

6 Click OK.

Improving Saturation

After you have corrected the color balance and contrast of your image, adjust the saturation. Saturation is the vividness of colors that results from the amount of grey in each color. Saturated colors, such as fire-engine red, appear bright and brilliant. Desaturated colors, such as pastels, appear subdued or washed-out.

Automatically Enhancing Saturation

To adjust the overall color saturation of your image automatically, use the Automatic Saturation Enhancement command. You can apply the command to a selection or an entire layer.

Note

 This command works on 16 million color and greyscale images

only. To increase the color depth of an image, see “Increasing the Color Depth of an Image” on page 109.

 If you apply this command to a selection (rather than the entire

image), the saturation adjustment may not be as effective because all image information is not available.

 This command has no effect on greyscale images because they

have no color, it can be used on sepia or duotone images.

Chapter 4: Improving Photographs

To automatically enhance saturation:

1 Choose Adjust > Hue and Saturation > Automatic Saturation

Enhancement.

2 In the preview window, center an important part of the image

(such as a face). Pan the image by clicking and dragging in the preview window; zoom in or out as necessary.

3 Adjust the Bias (the vividness) of the corrected colors:

Less colorful, Normal, or More colorful.

4 Adjust the Strength of correction: Weak, Normal, or Strong. 5 Mark the Skintones present check box if significant amounts of

skintones are present in the selection or image. Marking this

check box gives people more natural coloring. Clear the check

box if the image has few or no skintones.

6 Click OK.

Chapter 4: Improving Photographs

Removing Source Defects

Images can contain defects that come from the process of scanning or capturing them

Note

These commands work on 16 million color and greyscale images only. To increase the color depth of an image, see “Increasing the Color Depth of an Image” on page 109.

Fixing Line Problems in Video Images

Video images can contain visible scan lines. In these images, lines can be missing or out of alignment with other lines. The resulting image looks excessively blurry.

Use the Deinterlace command to eliminate missing or misaligned lines from your image and to reconstruct missing information. If the image contains noise, it may become more visible after removing scan lines. For information on removing noise, see “Removing Image Defects and Noise” on page 65.

Note: Apply the Deinterlace command before you resize the image. Resizing adds or removes pixels from the image, which makes it more difficult to determine scan lines.

If your image has already been resized, you must return it to as close to the original size as possible so that each scan line is one pixel high. Zoom in until you can see individual pixels to determine how many pixels make up one scan line, and then resize the image so that each scan line is one pixel. For example, if the enlarged image has scan lines that are two pixels high, you would resize it by 50 percent. Keep in mind that the image loses clarity when you resize it.

To deinterlace an image:

1 Make sure the image has no selections. If necessary, choose

Selections > Select None. The Deinterlace command is not

available if the image contains a selection.

2 Choose Adjust > Add/Remove Noise > Deinterlace. 3 In the preview window, center the area of the image where the

scan lines are most apparent.

4 For Scanlines to retain, select either Odd or Even to determine

whether the odd-numbered or even-numbered scan lines are kept.

5 Click OK.

Chapter 4: Improving Photographs

Removing Artifacts from JPEG Images

When you save a file to the JPEG format from any software package (such as scanning software), the file information is compressed to create a smaller file. The compression produces artifacts—unwanted image problems—that can appear as halos or color leakage beyond the edges of objects, checkerboard problems on smooth backgrounds, or blocky-looking areas in an image.

Use Paint Shop Pro’s JPEG Artifact Removal command to restore a JPEG image to its original appearance.

Note

Because JPEG compression discards image information, there are limits to how well the image can be restored.

What if my file is not in JPEG format?

You can apply the JPEG Artifact Removal command to a file in any format. For example, if you have saved a JPEG file as a Paint Shop Pro (.PspImage) file, you can still apply the command.

To remove JPEG artifacts:

1 Make sure the image has no selections. If necessary, choose

Selections > Select None. The JPEG Artifact Removal command

is not available if the image contains a selection.

2 Choose Adjust > Add/Remove Noise > JPEG Artifact Removal. 3 In the preview window, center the area of the image where the

artifacts are most apparent.

4 In the Strength group box, set the strength of correction to Low,

Normal, High, or Maximum. For best results, try each option and

examine all areas of the image to see which strength setting

works best.

5 Set the Crispness to determine the amount of detail that is

restored, from 0 (the least) to 100 (the most). Start with 50 and

adjust the value until the image looks the most natural. This

option determines how much fine-detail information the artifact

removal attempts to create. The recreated information can only

be a guess since the original information is lost. Excessive

crispness may produce fine dots in the image.

6 Click OK.

Chapter 4: Improving Photographs

Removing Undesirable Patterns in Scanned Images

Scanning printed images can produce undesirable patterns called Moiré patterns. Other patterns may come from scanning photographs printed on textured paper. Paint Shop Pro’s Moiré Pattern Removal command removes these patterns from your images. You can apply the command to a selection or an entire layer.

To remove moiré patterns:

1 Choose Adjust > Add/Remove Noise > Moiré Pattern Removal. 2 Magnify the image in the preview window until you can see the

fine patterns clearly.

3 For Fine details, select a value to remove fine patterns. Change

the value one number at a time until the pattern just disappears. Higher values may blur the image, so use the lowest value that removes the pattern.

4 Reduce the image magnification until you can see bands or color

blotches clearly in the preview window. Bands or blotches may be visible when the image is at 100%, but may be easier to see at smaller percentages.

5 For Remove bands, change the value one number at a time until

any color bands or blotches are less visible (they may not disappear completely). Use the lowest value possible to avoid desaturation of small objects.

6 Click OK.

Note

After you have removed the Moiré pattern, you may be able to use the Sharpen commands to restore detail and remove blurriness without reintroducing the pattern. This approach works best when you choose a Fine Details setting in the Moiré Pattern Removal dialog that is slightly higher than needed to remove the pattern. For more information on the Sharpen commands, see “Clarifying Images” on page 79.

Removing Image Defects and Noise

Sometimes images have defects that are called noise—black, white, or colored specks ranging in size from very tiny to relatively large or all-over noise that gives surfaces a grainy look. You can use Paint Shop Pro’s Noise commands to remove noise from images. Before you decide which command to use, determine the type of noise that your image contains.

Note

All Noise commands work on 16 million color and greyscale images only. To increase the color depth of an image, see “Increasing the Color Depth of an Image” on page 109.

Removing Single-Pixel Specks

Use the Despeckle command to remove single-pixel specks that are mostly white or black. This command analyzes the brightness of each pixel and compares it to the surrounding pixels to determine if it should be removed.

Chapter 4: Improving Photographs

To remove single-pixel specks in an image:

1 Select the area that contains the specks. See “Using the Selection

Tools” on page 154.

2 Choose Adjust > Add/Remove Noise > Despeckle. The selection

is despeckled.

Removing Multiple-Pixel Black or White Specks

Use the Salt and Pepper Filter command to remove multiple-pixel black or white specks, such as those caused by dust on film or video. This command compares an area of pixels to the surrounding pixels and adjusts an area that is a speck to match those surrounding pixels.

To remove multiple-pixel specks:

1 Select the area that contains the specks. See “Using the Selection

Tools” on page 154.

2 Choose Adjust > Add/Remove Noise > Salt And Pepper Filter.

Chapter 4: Improving Photographs

3 Define the adjustment using the following options:

Speck size The minimum size, in pixels, of the largest speck that

can be completely removed. The value is always an odd number. Sensitivity to specks How different an area must be from its

surrounding pixels to be considered a speck.

4 Mark the Include all lower speck sizes check box to have Paint

Shop Pro remove all lower speck sizes. Results are usually better if you mark this check box.

5 Mark or clear the Aggressive action check box to set whether the

strength of correction is normal (if the check box is cleared) or aggressive (if the check box is marked).

6 Click OK.

Removing Noise While Preserving Edge Details

Should I make a selection first?

You can apply the Edge Preserving Smooth command to a selection or an image. It is faster and more effective when applied to a selection.

Use the Edge Preserving Smooth command to remove noise in an image without losing edge details. This command finds details such as object edges and preserves them, while smoothing the areas between the edges. For example, you can preserve the edges of facial features while removing a blotchy complexion.

You can also use the Edge Preserving Smooth command to minimize film grain.

To remove noise while preserving edge details:

1 Select the area that contains the noise. See “Using the Selection

Tools” on page 154.

2 Choose Adjust > Add/Remove Noise > Edge Preserving Smooth. 3 For Amount of smoothing, change the value until you are

satisfied with the adjustment. Choose the smallest amount of smoothing that removes the specks while retaining image detail.

4 Click OK.

Chapter 4: Improving Photographs

Removing Small Areas of Noise

Use the Median Filter command to remove small random specks or areas of noise that are distinctly different from the surrounding area. You can also use the command to remove single-pixel colored specks.

The Median Filter command adjusts the intensity of each pixel in the image to the median intensity of surrounding pixels. The median intensity is the middle value (not the average) in the range of values.

T o preserve object edges, the Median Filter command adjusts a pixel that is very different from surrounding pixels more than a pixel that is similar to surrounding pixels. You can choose the number of surrounding pixels to use in the calculation. If you choose a large number, more noise is removed and so more detail is lost.

To remove small areas of noise:

1 Select the area that contains the noise. See “Using the Selection

Tools” on page 154.

2 Choose Adjust > Add/Remove Noise > Median Filter. 3 For Filter Aperture, choose the number of surrounding pixels to

include in determining the median intensity of each pixel. The

filter is always an odd number of pixels. To preserve image

details, choose the smallest filter that removes the noise.

For single-pixel colored specks, set the filter to 3.

4 Click OK.

Chapter 4: Improving Photographs

Removing Noise While Keeping Texture Details

Should I make a selection first?

You can apply the Texture Preserving Smooth command to a selection or an image. The command is faster and more effective when applied to a selection.

Use the Texture Preserving Smooth command to remove noise or specks in an image while preserving texture details. This command analyze’s an image’s pixels to determine if they display textured or smooth areas. Textured areas are preserved (few noise adjustments are made) and smooth areas are adjusted to remove noise. For example, textures in clothing may be preserved while noise from another area (such as a person’s face) is removed.

To remove noise while keeping texture details:

1 Select the area that contains the noise. See “Using the Selection

Tools” on page 154.

2 Choose Adjust > Add/ Remove Noise > Texture Preserving

Smooth.

3 For Amount of correction, set a value to choose the strength of

the correction. At lower values, a small amount of noise is removed but textured areas are preserved. At higher values, more noise is removed but textured areas may not be fully preserved.

4 Click OK.

Softening the Image

The three Softness commands are Soft Focus, Soften, Soften More. Soften applies a uniform blur to your image. Soften More applies the Soften command with more intensity. The Soft Focus command makes the image look as though it was taken with a camera using a soft focus filter.

To use the Soften and Soften More commands, choose Adjust >

Softness and either the Soften or Soften More command.

To use the Soft Focus command:

1 Choose Adjust > Softness > Soft Focus to open the dialog. 2 In the preview window, center the important part of the image.

Pan the image by clicking and dragging in the preview window; zoom in or out as necessary.

Chapter 4: Improving Photographs

3 For Softness, set a percentage value to choose the strength of the

correction. At lower values, the image is softened only a small

amount. At higher values, the image appears to have a blurred

effect.

4 For Edge importance, set a percentage value to choose the

strength of the correction. At lower values, the edges of the

image are softened. At higher values, the detail of the edges are

retained.

5 Mark the Include scattered light check box if you want bright

areas in the background of the image to be softened.

6 For Amount, set a percentage value to choose the strength of the

halo effect. At lower values, the halo is added to only very bright

areas in the image. At higher values, a halo effect is created

around bright areas.

7 For Halo size, set a percentage value to choose the size of the

halo. At lower values, the halo is small. At higher values, the

halo effect is large.

8 For Halo visibility, set a percentage value to choose the strength

of the halo visibility. At lower values, the halo ef fect is subtle. At

higher values, the halo effect is more obvious.

9 Click OK.

Correcting Image Distortions

Camera lenses can create distortions in photographs. You see these distortions most often in wide-angle photographs, in close-up photographs taken with cameras with fixed focal ranges, and in cameras with inexpensive lenses (such as disposable cameras).

Note

 The Barrel and Fisheye Distortion Correction commands work

on 16 million color and greyscale images only. To increase the

color depth of an image, see page 109.

 You must correct lens distortions before cropping the image. For

distortion corrections to work properly, the axis of the camera

lens must coincide with the center of the image.

Chapter 4: Improving Photographs

Correcting Barrel Distortions

If your image has a barrel distortion, it looks pushed out at the center. Lines that should be straight are curved.

To correct a barrel distortion:

1 Choose Adjust > Lens Correction > Barrel Distortion Correction. 2 Set the Strength of the correction. Adjust this value until the

distortion disappears. Look for lines in the image that are curved and adjust the Strength Value until they become straight. The image is resized as you adjust this value.

3 Preserve central scale Whether the scale of the center of the

picture remains the same or is adjusted. If you mark this check box, pixels are either added to, or removed from the image. Clear this check box if you do not want to change the size of the image or layer.

Note: If the Preserve central scale check box is marked, the size changes to the original image display in the Result size group box.

4 Click OK.

Correcting Fisheye Distortions

If your image has a fisheye distortion, it looks as though it has been pasted onto a sphere or blown up like a balloon. Lines that should be straight are curved and the edges of the image look compressed.

To correct a fisheye distortion:

1 Choose Adjust > Lens Correction > Fisheye Distortion

Correction.

2 Adjust the image using the following options:

Field of View The strength of the correction. Adjust this value

until the distortion disappears. Preserve central scale Whether the scale of the center of the

Chapter 4: Improving Photographs

Note: If the Preserve central scale check box is marked, the size changes to the original image display in the Result size group box.

Correcting Pincushion Distortions

If your image has a pincushion distortion, it looks pushed in at the center. Lines that should be straight are curved.

To correct a pincushion distortion:

1 Choose Adjust > Lens Correction > Pincushion Distortion

Correction.

2 Adjust the image using the following options:

Strength of the correction. Adjust this value until the distortion

disappears. Look for lines in the image that are curved and adjust

the Strength value until they become straight. The image is

resized as you adjust this value.

Preserve central scale Whether the scale of the center of the

picture remains the same or is adjusted. If you mark this check

box, pixels are either added to, or removed from the image. Clear

this check box if you do not want to change the size of the image

or layer.

Note: If the Preserve central scale check box is marked, the

size changes to the original image display in the Result size group box.

3 Click OK.

Chapter 4: Improving Photographs

Retouching Photographs

Paint Shop Pro offers many options for retouching your photos. You can remove red eyes from people, or the green eyes of animals using the Red-Eye Removal command. If there are scratches, cracks, and other unwanted defects on a relatively smooth background, use the Scratch Remover tool. If there are many small scratches or creases, use the Automatic Small Scratch Remover command. If there are elements you want to remove, use the Clone Brush tool. Use the retouch tools to lighten, darken, emboss, change colors, and apply other retouches to parts of the image.

Note

The Red-Eye and Small Scratch Removal commands work on 16 million color images only. To increase the color depth of an image, see “Increasing the Color Depth of an Image” on page 109

Removing Red Eyes

When you take a flash picture of people, sometimes their eyes look red—the result of the flash’s light reflecting of f the retina of the eye. Use the Red-Eye Removal command to return eyes to natural colors. You can also use this command to enhance or change eye colors.

To use the Red-Eye Removal command:

1 Make sure the image has no selections. If necessary, choose

Selections > Select None. The Red-Eye Removal command is not

available if the image contains a selection.

2 Choose Adjust > Red-Eye Removal. 3 In the right preview window, center the red eyes of the subject.

Pan the image by clicking and dragging in the preview window; zoom in or out as necessary.

Note: You must use the right preview window for panning the image because you select the subject’s eyes in the left preview window.

Chapter 4: Improving Photographs

So you always wanted blue eyes...

To use the Red-Eye Removal command to enhance or change eye colors, follow the same steps for correcting red eyes with these special instructions:

 Select the new eye color.  Select the entire eye (pupil and

iris).

 Adjust the Iris Size setting until

the pupil and iris look natural.

 Use the Feather and Blur

settings to make the new eyes look more natural.

About manual eye correction methods

For both the Pupil Outline methods, select the pupil (the small dark circle at the eye’s center), not the entire eye. These methods correct red pupils on humans and animals, but do not correct human irises (you’ll notice the Hue option for setting the iris hue is not available).

Typically, red-eye effect is confined to the pupil, so with these manual methods you can correct the red pupil.

4 From the Method drop-down list, select a correction method:

Auto Human Eye Automatically selects the correction area using

a circular selection and chooses settings appropriate to a human

eye. If you are correcting human eyes (even partially obscured

ones), try this method first.

Auto Animal Eye Automatically selects the correction area using

a circular or elliptical selection area and chooses settings

appropriate to an animal eye. You can also rotate the selection

with this method. If you are correcting animal eyes, try this

method first.

Freehand Pupil Outline Manually select the correction area on

human or animal eyes using a Freehand Selection tool. Use this

method for difficult situations, such as a partially obscured pupil.

Point-to-Point Pupil Outline Manually select the correction area

on human or animal eyes using a Point-to-Point Selection tool.

Use this method for difficult situations, such as a partially

obscured pupil.

5 In the left preview window, select the first eye to correct:

 For the Auto Human Eye or Auto Animal Eye method, click

anywhere inside the red area of the eye to select the eye automatically. You can also click and drag from the center of the eye to the outside edge of the red area.

 For the Freehand Pupil Outline method, click and drag the

cursor around the edge of the red area of the pupil. Release the mouse button when you reach the beginning point of the selection.

 For the Point-to-Point Pupil Outline method, left-click at

points a few pixels apart around the edge of the red area of the pupil. (Right-click to reverse a click.) When you reach the beginning point, double-click.

Note: To remove a selection, click Delete.

After you select the eye, a circle appears around the selected area

and a control box for making adjustments encloses the circle. The

right preview window displays the corrected eye.

Chapter 4: Improving Photographs

6 Make sure the selection is positioned and sized properly over the

red area of the eye:

 To move the selection, drag it to a new location.  For the Auto Animal Eye method, drag the center rotation

handle to rotate the selection. You can also reshape the eye from a circle to an ellipse by dragging its side handles.

7 Fine-tune the eye correction by adjusting the pupil size and

lightness, glint, iris size, and feathering and blurring of the iris. Refer to the fine-tuning steps later in this section.

Need to change a setting?

To make further corrections on any eye you have selected, click the circle surrounding the eye. You can change any of the settings except Method. To change the correction method, remove the selection (click Delete), select the method, and then select the eye again.

8 To correct other red eyes, repeat the previous steps. The settings

from the first eye are retained, so the subsequent corrections should be much quicker.

9 Click OK.

To fine-tune the eye correction on the Red-Eye Removal dialog:

1 For a human eye, look at the corrected eye to see if you need to

adjust the iris area around the pupil. (An animal eye usually does not show an iris.) Sometimes the red eye area covers the iris. If needed, adjust the iris with the following options:

Iris Size The size of the iris. Increasing the iris size decreases the pupil size.

Hue The color of the iris (such as blue, brown, or green). This option is not available for the Freehand Pupil Outline and Pointto-Point Pupil Outline methods because these methods select the pupil, rather than the pupil and iris.

Color The color variation of the iris (such as light blue or deep blue).

2 For Pupil lightness, adjust the value so that the corrected eye

appears the appropriate shade and matches your perception of the natural color.

3 Examine the glint in the eye. A glint makes the eye look natural

and lively; without it the eye looks “dead.” Adjust the glint using the following options:

Glint size The size of the glint. Glint lightness The lightness of the glint. Lower values darken

the glint; higher values lighten it. Center glint Mark the check box to move the glint to the center of

the pupil. Clear it to leave the glint at its original position.

Chapter 4: Improving Photographs

Correcting obscured human eyes

If a human eye is partially obscured, select the Auto Human Eye method, and then use the Refine setting to adjust the correction area.

Smooth vs. textured background

The Scratch Remover tool uses the background image details to create new information to replace the scratch. If the background is relatively smooth, the result is usually satisfying.

To remove scratches from a textured background, the Clone tool may be more effective. See “Cloning Parts of Images” on page 219.

4 Use Refine when the eye is partially obscured in the original

image. For example, if the eyelid covers part of the original eye,

it should cover it in the corrected eye. Use the Refine Slider to

reduce the correction. Slowly drag the slider to the left to reduce

the correction and minimize its overlap with the surrounding

skin.

5 To blend the corrected eye with the rest of the image, set the

following options:

Feather Adjusts the edges of the corrected eye. Smaller values

make the edges more defined; larger values blend the edges to

the surrounding image areas.

Blur Blends the eye with surrounding pixels when the photo has a

grainy appearance. Increase the setting one unit at a time until the

eye blends naturally with the rest of the image.

Removing Scratches with the Scratch Remover Tool

The Scratch Remover tool is one way to remove scratches, cracks, and other defects from your images. Use the tool to enclose the area with the scratch and erase it. The tool works best for scratches on relatively smooth backgrounds.

Note

This tool can be used only on backgrounds; it is not available when you are working on layers.

If there are many small scratches in the image, use the Automatic Small Scratch Remover command. See “Removing Scratches with the Automatic Small Scratch Removal Command” on page 77.

To use the Scratch Remover tool:

1 If necessary, click the background layer on the Layer palette. 2 To limit the correction to a specific area, make a selection. (See

“Using the Selection Tools” on page 154.) This step works well

when you need to be careful not to remove important details near

the scratch.

3 Select the Scratch Remover tool .

Chapter 4: Improving Photographs

4 On the To ol Options palette, set the following options:

Width The width, in pixels, of the tool. Choose a width that is

about 3 or 4 pixels wider than the scratch. If the width is considerably larger than the scratch, you will lose image detail.

Selection boxes The shape of the Scratch Remover tool. Select the flat-end option to correct scratches that are perpendicular to object edges in the image or are in an open area (the background is similar and has no objects in it). Select the pointed-end option to correct scratches at an angle to object edges in the image (with this option, you can place the tool closer to the edges).

Achieving the best results

If the scratch background is highly textured or contains many image variations (say, a flower, a face, and a wall), the result may not be as satisfying.

Try these tips to get the best results:

 Before using the tool, select the

area that contains the scratch.

 Use a tool width about 3 or 4

pixels wider than the scratch itself.

 For scratches over several

different backgrounds, try removing the scratch a section at a time.

 Consider using the Clone Tool

instead.

5 Center the cursor just outside one end of the scratch, then click

and drag the bounding box over the scratch:

 If the tool width is 10 or fewer pixels, the box is single-sided.

Position the box so that the edges surround, but do not touch, the scratch.

 If the tool width is more than 10 pixels, the box is double-

sided. Position the box so that the inner edges surround, but do not touch, the scratch.

6 With the mouse button still pressed, you can adjust the size and

position of the rectangle:

 Press the Arrow keys to move the starting point of the

bounding box by 1 pixel.

 Press PageUp or PageDown to increase or decrease the width

of the box by 1 pixel.

7 When the rectangle properly encloses the scratch, release the

mouse button. The scratch is removed.

If you are not satisfied with the result, click Undo to undo the scratch removal, then try selecting the scratch again (perhaps varying the width of the tool).

Chapter 4: Improving Photographs

Removing Scratches with the Automatic Small Scratch Removal Command

Color depth

The Automatic Small Scratch Removal command works on 16 million color or greyscale images only. To increase the color depth of an image, see page 109.

The Automatic Small Scratch Remover command finds and eliminates small, line-shaped defects that are either lighter or darker than the surrounding area.

To use the Automatic Small Scratch Removal command:

1 To limit the correction to a specific area, make a selection. (See

“Using the Selection Tools” on page 154.) The command works

best on a selection rather than the entire image.

2 Choose Adjust > Add/Remove Noise > Automatic Small Scratch

Removal.

3 Mark the check box of the type of scratches to remove (you must

choose at least one option):

Remove dark scratches Mark this check box to remove scratches

that are darker than their background.

Remove light scratches Mark this check box to remove scratches

that are lighter than their background.

4 Specify how scratches are removed with the options in these two

group boxes:

Local contrast limits The difference in contrast between a scratch

and its background. Use a value that sets the limits to where they

achieve the best results. Start with the Lower limit at 0 and the

Upper limit at 50. If scratches remain, the Automatic Small

Scratch Removal command is unable to remove them. If

scratches disappear, then adjust the limits to minimize loss of

image detail. Adjust the Lower limit up to the setting just below

where scratches reappear. Adjust the Upper limit down to the

setting just above where the scratches reappear.

Strength The strength of the scratch removal: Mild, Normal, or

Aggressive. Select the lowest setting that removes scratches.

Look at all areas of the image to make sure important details are

not lost.

5 Click OK.

Chapter 4: Improving Photographs

Blurring Images

Use Blur to soften a selection or an image. Blur images for photo retouching or to remove noise in the image. The Blur commands smooth transitions and decrease contrast by averaging the pixels near edges and areas of significant color transitions.

To increase the effect of any of the Blur effects, apply them multiple times to the same image.

Note

 These commands work on greyscale and 16 million color (24-bit)

images only. To increase the color depth of an image, see page 109.

 For descriptions and visual examples all the blur commands,

refer to the Help system.

Applying the Motion Blur effect

Select from the following blur commands: Average Removes noise that occurs throughout an image by

adjusting the intensity of each pixel to the average intensity of its surrounding pixels. Also removes color dithering that results from increasing the color depth of an image from paletted to 24 bit.

Blur and Blur More Remove noise by applying smooth transitions and decreasing the contrast in your image. The Blur More effect applies the Blur effect with more intensity. Use either effect to reduce graininess in your image.

Gaussian Blurs an image by an adjustable amount. Blends a specific number of pixels incrementally, following a bell-shaped curve. The blurring is dense in the center and feathers at the edges.

Motion Blur Blurs in a particular direction (from 0 to 359 degrees) and at a particular strength (from 1 to 100). Use this effect to simulate taking a picture of a moving object using a fixed exposure time.

To apply a Blur effect:

1 On the Layer palette, click the layer containing the area you want to

blur.

2 To limit the blur to a specific area, make a selection in the image.

3 Choose Adjust > Blur, then choose a effect.

 For the Blur and Blur More effects, the effect is applied to the

image or selection.

 For the Average, Gaussian, and Motion effects, a dialog

opens. Choose from the options, then click OK. The effect is applied to the image or selection.

Improving Image Clarity

Chapter 4: Improving Photographs

Accentuating Edges and Contrast Areas

Use Edge effects to accentuate edges and contrast areas in your image. For more information on Edge effects, see “Applying Edge Effects” on page 318.

Improving image clarity is the final step in image correction. Use the Clarify and Sharpen commands to clarify and sharpen your images.

Note

The Clarify and Sharpen Edge commands work on 16 million color or greyscale images only. To increase the color depth of an image, see “Increasing the Color Depth of an Image” on page 109.

Clarifying Images

Use the Clarify command to give your image a crisp, focused look so objects stand out. This command adds a sense of depth and clarity to the image. It can also make hazy, foggy, or slightly out of focus images look clearer.

To clarify images:

1 Make sure the image has no selections. If necessary, choose

Selections > Select None. The Clarify command is not available if

the image contains a selection.

2 Choose Adjust > Brightness/Contrast > Clarify. 3 In the preview window, center an important part of the image

(such as a face). Pan the image by clicking and dragging in the

preview window; zoom in or out as necessary.

4 For Strength of effect, use the smallest value that gives a

satisfying result.

5 Click OK.

Chapter 4: Improving Photographs

Sharpening Images

Paint Shop Pro contains several commands that sharpen your image by increasing the contrast of adjacent pixels:

Sharpen and Sharpen More Focus the image and improve its clarity by increasing the contrast between adjacent pixels where there are significant color contrasts, usually at the edges of objects. The Sharpen More command sharpens with a stronger effect than the Sharpen command. Both commands are automatically applied to the image.

Unsharp Mask Sharpens the mid- to high-contrast edges in the image without enhancing noise. This command locates adjacent pixels that have a difference in lightness values that you specify and increases their contrast by an amount you specify. This command is typically used in professional color corrections.

To use the Sharpen or Sharpen More command:

Choose Adjust > Sharpness > Sharpen or Adjust > Sharpness > Sharpen More.

To use the Unsharp Mask dialog:

1 Choose Adjust > Sharpness > Unsharp Mask. 2 In the preview window, center an important part of the image

(such as a face). Pan the image by clicking and dragging in the preview window; zoom in or out as necessary.

3 Sharpen the image with the following options:

Radius The number of pixels to adjust around each edge. A value

between 0.5 and 2 works best, depending on the image. A lower value sharpens only the edge pixels, while a higher value sharpens a wider band of pixels. The effect is much less noticeable in print than on-screen because a small radius (for example, 1 pixel) represents a smaller area in a high-resolution printed image. Therefore, use lower values for on-screen images and higher values for high resolution printed images.

Strength The amount of contrast to increase in the image’s pixels. Start with a low value and increase it gradually.

Clipping The difference in lightness values that adjacent pixels must have before they are sharpened.

4 Click OK.

CHAPTER 5

Working with Colors and Materials

Whether you are applying color to an image or adjusting photographic colors, it’s important to understand how Paint Shop Pro works with color. This chapter describes how to choose colors and materials that you can use to paint, draw, or fill. It also discusses the basics of color—how it is displayed on screen and printed—as well as image color depth.

Contents

Using the Materials Palette . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82

Understanding Color and Color Models. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103

How Monitor and Print Colors Differ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106

Working with Color Channels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107

Understanding Color Depth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108

Working with Image Palettes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117

Making a Palette Color Transparent . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120

Chapter 5: Working with Colors and Materials

Using the Materials Palette

Color basics

For information on color—how it is perceived, displayed, and printed— see “Understanding Color and Color Models” on page 103.

About the relationship between the Material and Color boxes

Since you can select colors by clicking the Material boxes, you may wonder why the Materials palette includes Color boxes too.

With the Foreground or Background Color box, you can select a new color even when the Material box displays a gradient or a pattern. The Color boxes provide a quick way to change colors without changing the other parts of the material.

With Paint Shop Pro you can paint, draw, and fill with a variety of colors, styles, and materials. A style is the color, gradient, or pattern. A material is the style plus the optional texture. You select materials on the Materials palette.

In general you use foreground materials for brushstrokes and background materials for fills. When you paint with a brush, rightclicking the brush paints with the background material, and for fill tools, left-clicking fills with the foreground material. For text and preset shapes, the foreground color is the stroke (or outline) of the text or shape and the background color is the fill of the text or shape.

In general, it’s best to select the tool you want to use, select the material on the Materials palette, and then apply the tool. The Materials palette is shown below.

Colors tab

Available Colors panel

Foreground Material box

Background Material box

Swatches tab

Foreground Color box

Background Color box

Style buttons

Transparenc

Color

button

Texture button

Here are the main components of the Materials palette: Colors tab Displays the Available Colors panel, where you can click

to select a color. At the bottom of the tab you can click to select white, black, or three shades of grey.

Swatches tab Displays swatches, which are materials you can save to use again. For more information, see “W orking with Swatches” on page 96.

Chapter 5: Working with Colors and Materials

Foreground and Background Color boxes Display the current foreground or background color.

You can reverse the foreground and background color or material

Swap Colors

wap Materials

Foreground and Background Material boxes Display the current foreground or background material (the style—color, gradient, or pattern—plus the texture).

Style button Specifies which style is currently selected: color , gradient , or pattern . To change between the most recently selected color, gradient, or pattern: click the Style button and select a new style. To define a new color, gradient, or pattern, click a Material box.

Texture button Turns the current texture on or off. To choose a new texture, click the Foreground Material or Background Material boxes.

Transparency button Specifies whether the foreground or background material is transparent (in other words, it has no style or texture). You use a transparent material primarily with vector objects and text—a transparent foreground has no outline (the objects or letters are filled only) and a transparent background has no fill (the objects or letters are outlined only). This button is unavailable for tools that require a foreground or background color.

All Tools If the check box is marked, the selected foreground and background materials apply to all tools. If the check box is cleared, the selected materials apply only to the active tool (such as the Paintbrush tool or the Preset Shapes tool).

Note

The All Tools check box does not apply to the Edit Text command.

Chapter 5: Working with Colors and Materials

Basics of Using the Materials palette

The Materials palette offers a variety of ways to choose colors, styles, and materials.

To display or hide the Materials palette:

Choose View > Materials palette or press F6. To close the palette you can click the Close button .

To choose a foreground or background solid color:

1 On the Materials palette, do one of the following:

 To choose a foreground color, click the

Foreground Color box.

 To choose a background color, click the

Background Color box.

The Color dialog opens.

Note: You can also click the Foreground Material box or the Background Material box to display the Material dialog, and then click the Color tab.

The Material dialog

2 Choose a color from the Jasc Color Picker or the image palette.

(See “Choosing Colors” on page 86.)

To choose a foreground or background material (color, gradient, pattern, or texture):

1 On the Materials palette, do one of the following:

 To choose a foreground material, click the

Foreground Material box.

 To choose a background material, click the

Background Material box.

The Material dialog opens. In this dialog, you can choose from all of Paint Shop Pro’s colors, gradients, patterns, and textures.

2 To choose the style, click the Color, Gradient, or Pattern tab and

select the appropriate settings. For more information, see “Choosing Colors” on page 86, “Choosing Gradients” on page 91, or “Choosing Patterns” on page 93.

3 To choose a texture, mark the Texture check box and select a

texture. For more information, see “Choosing Textures” on page 94.

4 Click OK.

Chapter 5: Working with Colors and Materials

k, y,

Recent Materials dialog

The Available Colors panel of the Materials palette

Choose a colo

Or choose blac a shade of gre or white

To choose from recently used materials:

On the Materials palette, right-click a Color or Material box to display the Recent Materials dialog, and then choose a material.

On the Recent Materials dialog you can click the Other button to display the Material dialog and choose or create a material from all of Paint Shop Pro’s colors, gradients, patterns, and textures.

To choose a color from the Available Colors panel:

1 On the Materials palette, click the Colors tab . 2 Move the cursor over the Available Colors panel. A ToolTip

displays the color value.

3 Do one of the following:

 To choose the foreground color, left-click in the Available

Colors panel.

 To choose the background color, right-click in the Available

Colors panel.

The Foreground or Background Color box displays the selected

color. If the Style button is set to Gradient or Pattern ,

change it to Color so that the material is updated with the

color.

You can reverse the foreground and background color or material

On the Materials palette, mark the All tools check box. If you clear this check box, the current materials are applied to the

active tool only.

To apply the current materials to all tools:

Swap Colors

To reverse the foreground and background colors:

wap Materials

Click the Swap Colors icon .

To reverse the foreground and background materials:

Click the Swap Materials icon .

Chapter 5: Working with Colors and Materials

Choosing Colors

When you edit images in Paint Shop Pro, you often need to choose a color—before you paint, when making manual color corrections, or when choosing a background for a new image. You choose colors as follows:

 For images with 16 million colors, choose from the Jasc Color

Picker. See “Choosing Colors from the Jasc Color Picker” on page 86.

 With images with 2 to 256 colors, choose from the image palette.

See “Choosing Colors from the Image Palette” on page 89.

 For all images, you can choose a color from an open image or

from any displayed color. See “Choosing Colors from an Image or the Desktop” on page 90.

 Choose a color from the Av ailable Colors panel of the Materials

palette—left-click to choose the foreground color or right-click to choose the background color.

The Jasc Color Picker

Color whee Saturation/

Lightness box

Basic Colors panel

Choosing Colors from the Jasc Color Picker

The Jasc Color Picker displays when you click a Color or Material box on the Materials palette. You also choose from this color picker when you click a Color box in some Paint Shop Pro dialogs.

The Jasc Color Picker offers a variety of ways to select colors:

 Select from the Color wheel and Saturation/Lightness box, which

offer a visual way to select a color based on its hue, saturation, and lightness.

 Select from the Basic Colors panel, which displays commonly

used colors.

 Select RGB or HSL values to choose a color based on its red,

green, and blue values or its hue, saturation, and lightness values.

 Enter an HTML color code.  Select a color from the active image.

Note

If the active image has a color depth less than 24-bit (16 million colors), you must select colors from a palette rather than the Jasc Color Picker. See “Choosing Colors from the Image Palette” on page 89.

Chapter 5: Working with Colors and Materials

To display the Jasc Color Picker:

On the Materials palette, do one of the following:

 To choose the foreground color, click the Foreground Material

box or Foreground Color box.

 To choose the background color, click the Background Material

box or Background Color box.

If you clicked a Material box, the Material dialog opens (here you can choose colors, gradients, patterns, and textures); click the Color tab to display the Jasc Color Picker.

If you clicked a Color box, the Color dialog opens and displays the Jasc Color Picker; here you can choose colors only.

The selection rings show which color is selected

Color wheel

Saturation/ Lightness box

The Basic Colors panel displays commonly used colors

Use the numeric edit controls to choose a color using its RGB or HSL value

To choose a color using the Color wheel:

1 On the Color wheel, click the approximate color or drag the

selection ring around the color wheel to select the color.

The Color wheel represents the hue—notice that the Hue edit box

updates with a value between 0 and 255 as you go around the

wheel.

2 On the Saturation/Lightness box, click to choose a color variation

or drag the selection ring. Move from left to right to increase the

saturation. Move from top to bottom to increase the lightness.

To choose a color from the Basic Colors panel:

1 Move the cursor over the Basic Colors panel. A ToolTip displays

the color value.

2 Click the color you want. Notice that the RGB and HSL values

update with the current color values and the selection rings on

the Color wheel and the Saturation/Lightness box move to the

selected color.

To choose a color using its RGB or HSL value:

For each value you want to change, do one of the following:

 Click the slider button and drag the slider to a new position.  Drag the meter bar to a new position.  Click the edit box and type a new value.  To change the value by one, click the up or down arrows .

Chapter 5: Working with Colors and Materials

Hexadecimal symbol

Note: Clear the Link Colors check box to have the sliders visually

represent only their selected value (such as just the hue).

To choose a color from the active image:

1 Make sure the Jasc Color Picker is displayed. See “To display the

Jasc Color Picker:” on page 87.

2 Move the cursor over the active image. The cursor turns into a

dropper and a ToolTip displays the color values.

3 Click the part of the image that has the color you want. The Jasc

Color Picker updates with that color.

Note: You can also choose a color from an image using the Dropper tool or a special feature of Color or Material boxes. See “Choosing Colors from an Image or the Desktop” on page 90.

Specifying HTML Code for Colors

With the Jasc Color Picker, you can view the HTML (Hypertext Markup Language) code for each color you select. You can also specify a color by entering the HTML code.

The HTML code for the color true red (RGB 255, 0, 0) in the Jasc Color Picker

Red

Green

Blue

Note

By default, Paint Shop Pro displays decimal (base 10) numbers in the Jasc Color Picker. You can also display hexadecimal (base 16) numbers—the format of HTML color codes. For more information, see “Display and Caching Preferences” on page 395.

To specify or view HTML code for colors:

1 Display the Jasc Color Picker. See “To display the Jasc Color

Picker:” on page 87.

2 Do one of the following:

 To specify a color using its HTML code, type the code in the

HTML edit box.

 To view the HTML code of a particular color, choose a color

by other methods (such as entering RGB values or selecting from the color wheel), and then view the number in HTML edit box.

Selecting colors from the image palette

Chapter 5: Working with Colors and Materials

Choosing Colors from the Image Palette

Images that have a color depth less than 24-bit (16 million colors) are called paletted images—the available colors are a subset of all the colors your computer can display. The palette varies from 2 to 256 colors, depending upon the color depth of your image. With these images, you must choose foreground and background colors from the palette rather than from the Jasc Color Picker.

Note

If you select the Rainbow Picker as your preference setting, the Av ailable Colors panel of the Materials palette shows all colors for both paletted and non-paletted (16 million color) images. For paletted images, when you select a color on the Available Colors panel Paint Shop Pro chooses the nearest color in the palette. For more information on the Rainbow Picker, see “Display and Caching Preferences” on page 395.

To choose colors from the palette:

1 On the Materials palette, do one of the following:

 To choose the foreground color , click the Foreground Color or

Foreground Material box.

 To choose the background color, click the Background Color

or Background Material box.

Clicking a Color box opens the Color dialog and displays the

palette. Clicking a Material box opens the Material dialog; click

the Color tab to display the palette.

2 In the Sort order drop-down list, select the way the colors are

sorted: Palette (in order by the way the palette stores the colors),

Hue (in order by color) or Luminance (in order by lightness).

3 Click the desired color. The color’s index number within the

palette, color value (RGB or HSL), and HTML code are

displayed.

4 Click OK.

Chapter 5: Working with Colors and Materials

When should I choose a color from the desktop?

You can choose a foreground or background color from the desktop when you particularly like an icon color, or when you want to match the Windows desktop colors.

Choosing Colors from an Image or the Desktop

Use the Dropper tool to choose a foreground or background color from any open image. Or use a special feature of Color and Material boxes to select from any color within Paint Shop Pro (such as a color on a toolbar). If you have Windows 2000 or later, you can choose a color from other applications (such as a color displayed in a word processor).

Note

You can also use the Jasc Color Picker to choose a color from any open image. See “To choose a color from the active image:” on page 88.

To use the Dropper tool to choose a color:

1 On the Tools toolbar, choose the Dropper tool . The tool may be

hidden under the Color Replacer tool.

2 Position the cursor over the color in the image. 3 Left-click to make the color the foreground color or right-click to

make it the background color.

Material and Color boxes on the Materials palette (left) and a Color box on a Paint Shop Pro dialog (right).

To choose a color from the active image:

1 Position the cursor over the active image.

Note: This applies to the Brush, Eraser, and Picture Tube tools.

2 Hold down the Ctrl key and left-click to choose the color as the

foreground color or right-click to choose the color as the background color.

To choose a color from an image or the desktop:

1 Make sure the color you want to choose is displayed on the screen. 2 Position the cursor over a Color or Material box (on the Materials

palette or in a dialog).

Note: On the Materials palette, you must assign the foreground and background color separately. Position the cursor over one or the other, follow the steps, and then start over for the other color.

3 Hold down the Ctrl key and continue to hold it down until you’ve

completed the following steps.

Chapter 5: Working with Colors and Materials

4 Move the cursor over the area of the desktop that has the color

you want to choose. The cursor is a dropper over any area

that you can choose from. For Windows 2000 or later systems,

the cursor remains a dropper when you move off Paint Shop Pro

onto another application.

5 Left-click to select the color. The Color box or Material box

updates with the color.

6 To change the color selection, continue to hold the Ctrl key and

click on different parts of the desktop.

7 Release the Ctrl key.

Choosing Gradients

Color depth

Gradients are available for greyscale and 16 million color images only. To increase the color depth of an image, see page 109.

Example applications of gradients

Gradients are gradual blends between two or more colors. You can paint, draw, or fill with gradients to create interesting effects or helpful color transitions. Use gradients to create Web buttons with shadows and highlights, to make objects look shiny or glowing, or to add dimension to objects. Use gradients to fade Web page graphics into other content or use a black-to-white gradient as a mask.

You choose gradients on the Gradient tab of the Material dialog.

To choose a foreground or background gradient:

1 On the Materials palette, do one of the following

 To choose a foreground gradient, click the

Foreground Material box.

 To choose a background gradient, click the

Background Material box.

The Material dialog opens.

2 Click the Gradient tab. 3 Click the Gradient Type drop-down list and select a gradient.

Note: The first three gradients (#1 Foreground-Background, #2

Fading Foreground, #3 Fading Background) use the current foreground and background colors. The other types use custom colors. You can edit the colors of all gradient types (see “Editing Gradients” on page 98).

Chapter 5: Working with Colors and Materials

C F

The Gradient tab of the Material dialog

Gradient Type

Get gradient ideas from preset shapes!

Several of Paint Shop Pro’s preset shapes use gradients to create highlights and shadows. You can use these shapes as resources for your gradient applications. For more information on preset shapes, see “Drawing Preset Shapes” on page 231.

4 Select the options for the gradient:

Style The style for the gradient: Linear , Rectangular ,

Sunburst , and Radial . Angle (Linear, rectangular, and radial gradients only) The angle

or direction of the gradient, from 0 to 359 degrees. Repeats The number of times (from 0 to 100) to repeat the

gradient pattern.

Invert Mark to invert the colors of the gradient. Center Point (Rectangular, sunburst, and radial gradients only)

The horizontal and vertical coordinates of the point from which the gradient disperses or radiates. The distance is measured as a percentage of the fill area’s width. Change the center point to create fills in circles or other shapes where the center of the gradient is not at the center of the object.

Focal Point (Rectangular and sunburst gradients only) The horizontal and vertical coordinates of the point where the foreground color of the gradient begins. The distance is measured as a percentage of the fill area’s width. Change the focal point to create fills in circles or other shapes where the effective light source is not at the center of the object. This option is available only when the Link Center and Focal Points check box is cleared.

The examples below show the effect of varying the center point and the focal point.

30, 30

50, 50

Location of coordinates

enter: 50, 50

ocal: 50, 50

enter: 50, 50

ocal: 30, 30

enter: 30, 30

ocal: 50, 50

enter: 30, 30

ocal: 30, 30

Link center and focal points (Rectangular and sunburst gradients) Mark this check box to have the center and focal points be the same values. Clear the check box to edit the focal point separately from the center point.

Note: You can also move the center point by dragging the control needle or cross-hairs in the Gradient Type drop-down list. If you clear the Link Center and Focal Points check box, you can move the focal point by dragging the cross-hairs on the gradient.

Corel PaintShop Pro - 8.0 User Manual

Specifications and Main Features

Frequently Asked Questions

User Manual

Copyright Information

Trademark Information

Getting Started

What’s New in Version 8

Enhanced User Interface

Integrated Learning Tools

New Tools to Create Professional Results

New Filters and Special Effects

Share Images with Others

Automated Productivity

Dynamic Personalization

System Requirements

Installing the Software

To install the software:

2 Follow the prompts to install the program.

Learning Paint Shop Pro

Using the Quick Guides to Learn Common Tasks

To use Quick Guides:

2 Click the title of a Quick Guide to view the selected topic.

Viewing the Product Tour

To view the Product Tour:

3 Choose Help > Product Tour.

Using the Jasc Software Learning Center

Getting in Touch with Other Paint Shop Pro Users

Getting Help

Using the Help System

Accessing Free Technical Support

Using Web-Based Resources

Getting to Know The Program

Starting and Exiting Paint Shop Pro

To start Paint Shop Pro:

To exit paint Shop Pro:

Exploring the User Interface

Save time by saving workspaces

Using Toolbars and Palettes

To dock a toolbar or palette:

To float a toolbar or palette:

To move an undocked toolbar or palette:

To resize a toolbar or palette:

To display all toolbars and palettes:

Using Toolbars

Status bar

Customizing toolbars

To execute a toolbar command:

To display or hide a toolbar:

Using Palettes

To display or hide a palette:

To set palette roll up options:

To set the docking preference of palettes:

Note

To resize a palette:

Using the Tools

Why some tools are inactive (greyed out)

To use a tool:

3 Use the tool on the image.

Setting Tool Options

Using the Overview Palette

Using Context Menus

Note

To use a context menu:

2 Right-click to display the context menu. 3 Choose a command from the menu.

Viewing Images

Does the image have a watermark?

To move an image window:

To resize an image window:

Note

Save time by saving workspaces

To open multiple views of the same image:

To arrange multiple windows:

To close an image window:

To see a list of all open windows:

Navigating the View Area

To view another area of the image:

To fit the window to the image:

Magnifying and Reducing the View

Automatic resizing