PSP Help

[Amy Eileen]

HI! Who here uses PSP? Stacey does. Fran, you do right? Anyone else? I would hate to annoy the same person over and over and over and over and over again with my silly questions. (Thanks Stacey!) I have installed PSP X2 on my laptop and am dedicated to learning how to use it. I have created 6 pages in it so far and everyone has had me pulling out my hair. I have a few quick questions of anyone is able to answer them for me.

The TYPE TOOL! Seriously, I can only make it type in a straight line and nothing else. How do I make paragraphs? Sounds easy but I cant figure it out. It will probably something stupid I am missing.

STROKE, how do you do it? All I want is a simple stroke on my photos. I actually opened my file in PS, put a stroke on it, saved it and went back to PSP.

ClIPPING MASKS, surely you can do this in PSP. I am ADDICTED to my clipping mask in PS. I need this. I just simply need it.

SO annoyed with the fact that I cant drag and drop. Whats up with that????

In PS I can CTRL Click on a layer in the palette to Select it, is there a way I can do this in PSP? To get the marching ants so I can delete/erase, etc.?

I think thats enough for now.. LOL Any help would be GREATLY appreciated. I just feel horrible that I have the program and never learned how to use it. THANKS!

Oh - you are using your version now? Guess I had better delete mine then

As far as paragraphs - the only thing I can intelligently talk about without playing with PSP for a while since I don't use it much anymore - you have to add your line breaks manually where you want them by clicking in the text where you want it, then hitting ENTER. Some people will actually type their text in Typepad or Word then cutting and pasting.

What I like about the PSP text functions over PS is the ability to tightly control leading and kerning to work your text around shapes or for full justification. It takes some work and is all done manually, but you have more control than with PS.

Stroke - you can select your object, then expand the selection and fill with color - only thing wrong with this is the corners are rounded due to the expansion.

Clipping masks - unavailable in PSP - one great thing I discovered in PS. You have to select the object and "cut out" the shape in the layer desired.

Drag and drop is not used in PSP - but you can use Ctrl-C, Ctrl-L (not Ctrl-V), then move it into place... not quite as smooth as PS, but doable and pretty soon it's second nature. In fact, when I'm in PS I tend to open Levels menu by mistake a lot after using PSP

PSP has some great features that aren't available in PS, especially with quick photo fixes and text manipulation, but it does have shortfalls - what do you expect for less than $100 And I think it actually is easier to use than PSE, which is about the same price.

Oh - and shadows in PSP, it's easy to put it on it's own layer to manipulate - great when you are doing drop shadows on acrylic or lace.

[Frani_54]

LOL Amy, I have the reverse frustration about CS....I too go back and forth....extractions love the initial part in CS, but like doing the cleanup in PSP

If you want to do text on a curve, use your preshape tool to make the shape, then use your text tool to journal on it.

Slipping Masks - to create masks in PSP, use your create mask function....

Drag and drop - I use copy and then paste to new layer.

[Pam]

I've used PSP since v.2 (back in early to mid 1990's) - it has "grown up" since its early days as a simple graphic editor. One of the things I suggest is creating your own workspace and saving it. You can open "customize" (under "View") and drag tools that you use often onto toolbars down the side, across the top or bottom - you can create new toolbars and then add the tools you most often use (so you aren't always having to go up to the menu to find and click.

I use selections a LOT - like a clipping mask in that you can create a selection (a shape or from an element or text), then save that selection to the alpha channel. As long as the document is open, that selection can be loaded into any document. (Say I saved a star shape - I can load selection from alpha in another document - a photo or a background - then copy it and paste it into the layout I'm creating.) Clear as mud until you do it a few times - there's a lot of good tutorials on using selections, I'll look some up and send links. There's also a LOT of help within PSP's help menu!! And at Corel - there are tutorials.

I took LVS courses for PSP and Corel Painter - I'll review my files.

[Whisper Pink]

I have PSP X2 and have used it since PSP 7. I also have the same problem with CS2, I alsways convert back to my PSP, I love the touch that I have in PSP for blending, and can't seem to get in in CS2, I have to admit I do love some stuff that CS2 has and I really wish that PSP had them too!!! but overall I always use my PSP. Not that that helps you all that much with your questions

[Whisper Pink]

I have PSP X2 and have used it since PSP 7. I also have the same problem with CS2, I alsways convert back to my PSP, I love the touch that I have in PSP for blending, and can't seem to get in in CS2, I have to admit I do love some stuff that CS2 has and I really wish that PSP had them too!!! but overall I always use my PSP. Not that that helps you all that much with your questions I am horrible on how to write how I do something, but you can catch me on Yahoo, I could probably help you

[Debb Cozzi]

I have PSPX as well as PSCS2 and I STILL switch back and forth between the two. There are a couple of things that I just love about PSP....for instance-not having to hit "enter" every time your resize something AND being able to use your move tool by just pointing it at the element you want to move without having to find the dumb thing on the layers palette !!

Stacey has told me that Pam was the one who really helped her learn her way around the program....aren't we lucky to have her?!!!!

[Whisper Pink]

Originally Posted by Debb Cozzi

AND being able to use your move tool by just pointing it at the element you want to move without having to find the dumb thing on the layers palette !!

Stacey has told me that Pam was the one who really helped her learn her way around the program....aren't we lucky to have her?!!!!

I think there is a setting in CS2 that you can set that your mouse will pic up the layer you want...but I honestly can't tell you where it is, cause I think mine is set up that way...now I have to open the program to see if it is...hang on....yep my CS2 is set up that I can change layers with my mouse, hmmmm, wonder how I did that, let me try to figure it out and then I will share That was a biggy for me LOL!!! I wish I could drag into my PSP like in CS2. I use to be able to a different way when I was using PSPX but I only used it on alphas cause it took up too much room on my screen to do it the way you have to do it, and it doesn't work in PSP X2 that I have found.

[Debb Cozzi]

Oh, that would be wonderful!! There is a way that you can drag elements onto your layout with PSP but you have to access the files by using the program browser palette. Click on the "File Cabinet" in your menu file and then use the drop-down menu bar to navigate to the file that contains the element that you want to add. Once that file is open in the palette you can click on the element and drag it into your layout. The previews in this palette are small and navigating through the files tends to be slow but that could just be my computer. I use the browser mostly when I'm working with an alpha; it is MUCH quicker than opening each file and copying and pasting.