Paint Shop Pro Free Training Course and Tutorial

Creating New Files

To begin an image from scratch, start by creating a new Paint Shop Pro file:

1. From the File menu, select New, or click the New button on the Paint Shop Pro Standard toolbar.

The New Image dialog opens.

1. Enter the width, height, and resolution of the image you want to create, or select a preset from the drop-down menu at the top of the dialog. The Presets menu is a handy way to select image sizes that are common for photographs or computer screens, among other purposes.
2. Under Image Characteristics, select a background type. A raster background is common for photographs, while a vector background is used for creating vector objects. The Art Media background enables the Art Media tools, which are used for digital painting.
3. The remainder of the options available depend on the type of background you selected. For example, for a raster background, you can select a transparent background or a color. Vector backgrounds are automatically transparent. For both, you can select a color depth. If you selected an Art Media background, you can now select a canvas texture and color.

Note that as you make your selections, Paint Shop Pro displays the amount of memory required at the bottom of the dialog.

1. Click OK.

Opening Paint Shop Pro Files

To open an existing Paint Shop Pro file:

1. From the File menu, select Open.

The Open dialog opens.

1. Navigate to the location of the file.

Note: Paint Shop Pro files use the extension .pspimage.

1. Select the file and click Open.

Opening Graphic Files

Paint Shop Pro supports a wide variety of graphics formats, which means you can open almost any type of graphic for editing. To open a graphic file:

1. From the File menu, select Open.

The Open dialog opens.

1. Navigate to the location of the graphic.
2. By default, all graphic files are displayed. To view only graphics of a particular file type, select the type from the Files of type menu.
3. Select the image and click Open.

Paint Shop Pro also includes an image browser that lets you browse thumbnails of images on your computer:

1. From the File menu, select Browse.

The Image Browser opens.

1. In the navigation pane on the left side of the window, make sure the Find tab is selected and locate the folder containing the image you want to open. When you click a folder containing images, the images are displayed as thumbnails in the main portion of the window.
2. Double-click a thumbnail to open the image.

Importing Graphics

You can import images directly into Paint Shop Pro from your scanner or digital camera, as long as the device has been properly installed on your computer. Before importing an image, make sure the scanner or camera is connected to your computer.

If you’re running Windows XP or ME, and you’re using a WIA camera or scanner connected with a USB cable, then, in Paint Shop Pro open the File menu, select Import, and then select From Scanner or Camera.

If you’re using a TWAIN-compliant camera or scanner:

1. From the File menu, select Import, TWAIN, and then Select Source.
2. In the Select Source dialog, select your device and click Select. You only have to do this once.
3. From the File menu, select Import, TWAIN, and then Acquire.

If your camera or scanner acts as a mounted device on your computer (that is, as a separate drive, where you can browse images), you’ll follow different steps to import images:

1. From the File menu, select Browse.
2. In the Image Browser, double-click the drive letter for your device.
3. Double-click the image you want to open.

Paint Shop Pro also includes a feature that lets you capture screenshots straight from a web site or another open document or image on your computer. You can configure the screen capture feature to capture objects, windows, or specific areas you define on the screen:

1. From the File menu, select Import, Screen Capture, and then Setup.

The Capture Setup dialog opens.

1. Under Capture, select the type of capture you want to take—for example, select Object to capture an object on the screen such as a toolbar.
2. Under Activate capture using, select the means by which you want to activate the capture.
3. Under Options, you can select the appropriate checkboxes to include the mouse cursor in the scre
   enshot and to capture multiple screenshots. If you select Multiple captures, a screen capture is taken each time you press the hot key.
4. Click OK, or click Capture Now to take a screenshot immediately.

To capture a screenshot:

1. With Paint Shop Pro open and active, press Shift + C, or from the File menu, select Import, Screen Capture, and then Start.

Paint Shop Pro is immediately minimized.

1. Display the image you want to capture. For example, to capture a screenshot from another software program, make the program active.
2. Right-click on the window, dialog box, or image you want to capture (or press the hot key you selected in the setup process) to begin capturing the image.

The area that’s captured depends on the way you’ve configured screen captures in Paint Shop Pro. If you’ve configured an area capture, the mouse cursor appears as a cross, which you use to click and drag to define an area of the screen for capture. If you’ve configured an object capture, a black border appears around each object you move your mouse over. Other types of capture, like the window and the full screen capture, are accomplished as soon as you right-click on the screen or dialog box.