PSP 7 Tips and Tricks
There are many tips and tricks that I have learned in PSP and I thought I would share some of those with you. So many times I have thought “If I know this then everybody does” LOL I am finding out that is not the case. As I am doing tutorials I am finding that I am mentioning things that I thought were second nature and the users are replying “thanks for mentioning that, I never knew...” This is how PSP Tips and Tricks came about plus I’m adding a few other things that I do.
Tips and Tricks Updated September 7, 2002 9:15 AM
- Sharpen your images! Anytime you do anything to your images they seem to get a slight blur. Most of the time it is not even noticeable but if you continue to manipulate your images that blur will get worse and worse. So, try to keep this in mind anytime you resize your image go to Effects-->Sharpen-->Sharpen. This also applies to anytime you use the deformation tool and also when you rotate, flip or mirror your image. And don’t forget when you are using tubes! When you reduce the scale from 100 to whatever will fit in your image you must Sharpen your tube for it to be effective.
- Resizing your image for sending to your groups. Reducing the KB size by optimizing the JPG or GIF is important but it’s not the only important thing when sending to your group. The size of the image (width x height) is also very important. If you need to resize your final work go to Images-->Resize. Here is something you need to know about resizing. One of the tricks you should use to squeeze the absolute best out of a resized image is to always try to resize to exactly three-quarters (75%), one-half (50%), or one-quarter (25%) the original image size. The mathematical reasons this works the best are beyond what I could explain in this little tip; but trust me--it works. Basically, Paint Shop Pro uses a complex algorithm to figure out which pixels to keep and which ones to throw out. Using a standard resize value lets PSP work at its optimal levels.
- Tube all of your creations BEFORE adding a background and saving to jpeg or gif. There are many things that you make that you want to use again and again. Especially when you start making scenes and settings. PSP7 has a wonderful feature ~~ it’s called the UNDO **giggle** When you are done with your creation, before adding your background, make all layers visible. Go to layers-->merge-->merge visible. It’s okay we can undo it when we’re done, trust me! Now go to File-->Export-->Picture tube and give your tube a unique name. At the beginning of all of my names I use the initials MD (for Moon’s Designs of course **giggle**) and then a – and the name I want it to be. After you have exported your tube go to Edit-->Undo (Ctrl+Z) and you will be back to all of your layers.
- Have you created something with a lot of layers and you might possibly want to change something at a later date? Before adding a background and merging make a copy of your creation (Ctrl+D) and save it as a PSP file. All of your layers will remain intact and you can go back and make any additions, subtractions, or changes that you want.
- Someone asked me the other day how do I make my signatures go vertical or diagonal instead of being horizontal. First of all when I make my watermark signatures I tube them all. When I get ready to add my watermark I add a new layer, go to my tubes and insert the tube and then go to Images-->Rotate. If I want if diagonal I rotate right or left, free, 45. If I want it vertical I rotate it right or left 90. THEN I go to Effects-->Sharpen-->Sharpen to make sure it’s nice and clear.
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Arithmetic ~~ I couldn’t believe how fun and easy arithmetic can be. If you have two images that you want to merge together I would suggest that you use arithmetic. Bring both images into your PSP. Go to Image-->Arithmetic. Make sure your window has the following settings. I have 2 images that I used here and what it looked like after applying Arithmetic.
- Tools that you frequently use. If you are like me there are several tools that you use all the time, and some that you don’t use very often. If I am not mistaken, PSP has several on your tool bar some of those you use a lot and some you don’t even know what they are for. I customized my toolbar(s) by doing the following.
- Go to View-->Toolbars and hi-light one of them. Your customize bar will now appear. You can then add or delete what you want on your toolbar. For example, I do a lot of sharpening so I added that to my tool bar ~~ same with making tubes. I don’t want to have to go into Files – Export – Picture Tube all the time. I have it on my tool bar and just have to click the icon. See example below and also what my toolbar looks like.
8. Save your work OFTEN. You never know when your computer or a program is going to lock up or if you might have a power surge. Save after every step or two. I cannot stress this often enough. The easiest way to save is to hit Ctrl+S or F12.
9. Layers ~~ When you are first starting out you will not understand the importance of layers but trust us veterans ~~ layers are almost as important as saving. Any time you want or need to add something to your image add a layer. The main reason for this is it makes it a lot easier to change just that part of your image. You can add the cutout, drop shadow and/or inner bevel to just that part of the layer and then hide the rest and merge just the two or three that are pertinent. Example: You have an eye, an iris and some shading that needs a gaussian blur. Eventually those three layers will be merged together but in the meantime having them on a separate layer you can inner bevel the iris, gaussian blur the shading, drop shadow and or all of them and then merge them. If you have any questions on this technique please don't hesitate to email me.
10. Saving settings in the Sinedot Plug-in Filter. Have you been experimenting with the different settings and find a design that you especially like that you want to use over again? It's easy to save your settings. When you get the effect you want hilight defaults -->rename it whatever you like (i.e. MD-frame; or MD-001) and press save. Then press OK and you will have that setting for as long as you have the filter. This tip is for the original Sinedots Filter. Please go to my tutorial page for the saving presets in Sinedots II.
