Creative Discovery in PaintShop Pro
Lesson 39


You will need this zip file of 5 Images Lesson 39 Zip File

First - Wait for the Video player to load
Then - You need to watch the video before doing lesson below - it has a lot more important information and explanations for you
You may do the lesson as you watch the video though
Also - Click the full screen button on the player to watch it full screen or you may not see all of the settings properly



Open all of the images in the zip file and duplicate them - Close the Originals.
Minimize all of them except the wooden Chest.

Go to File > Preferences > General Program Preferences
Click on Display and Caching
Tick the box beside Use precise cursors

1. POINT TO POINT

Point to Point is useful when you need to select straight edges
Zoom right in on the wooden chest if necessary - PSP will adjust the image for you if you drag the line off the edge of the image.
Activate the Freehand Selection Tool with the following Settings
  • Selection Type = Point to Point
  • Mode = Add
  • Feather = 0
  • Smoothing = 5
  • Anti-alias = TICKED
Place the centre dot of the cursor where you want to start and LEFT click
Drag out the mouse to the next point - a corner - and you will see a line. Keep this line exactly on the straight edge of the image. Then LEFT click.
Repeat this until you get back to the beginning and then either double click or RIGHT click to join it up.
The selection will change to running ants.

If you make a mistake or miss clicking exactly in the correct spot, then hit the DELETE key on your keyboard and it will undo the last click you did.
This is like your undo button.

INVERT the selection
If you wish to save it as an image with a transparent background, you need to Right click on the Background layer and Promote Background layer to a Raster layer.
Then Delete the background, DESELECT and save as a .pspimage or .png file.


(We are not doing that for this lesson though - just some information for you)

For this lesson you are going to colourize the background to a BLUE


DESELECT

Save as:- YourName-Lesson39a


2. EDGE SEEKER

Click on the edges of irregularly shaped areas, then PSP finds the edges between 2 areas with subtle colour or light changes between them.
This is similar to Point to Point, but more suitable to images with curved edges.
The DELETE key will still undo the last click you made.

Activate the Freehand Selection Tool with the following Settings
  • Selection Type = Edge Seeker
  • Mode = Add
  • Feather = 0
  • Range = 15
  • Smoothing = 5
  • Anti-alias = TICKED
Bring up the Yellow floral image.
Right click on the Background layer and Promote Background Layer - Now Raster 1

Now start in one spot and click around the edges selecting the yellow flower
Double click or RIGHT click to join up at the end.
PSP automatically finds the edge of the flower even if you are a little bit out, but not always.
See the image below where I have circled


Now check around the edges for parts you may need to fix
Either add some more sections in OR hold he CTRL key down to remove some sections
When you are finished INVERT the Selection

Click on Guassian Blur and Set the Radius to 5 - Click OK


Go to Effects > Texture Effects > Straw Wall
    Use the following settings
  • Blur = 50
  • Density = 75
  • Length = 15
  • Width = 1
  • Transparency = 10
  • Colour = Black
  • Angle = 287
Click OK & Invert the Selection

    Apply Drop Shadow
  • Vertical = 15
  • Horizontal = 15
  • Opacity = 100
  • Blur = 25
  • Colour = Black
  • Shadow on New Layer = Unticked
Click OK

    Repeat the Drop Shadow with:-
  • Vertical = -5
  • Horizontal = -5
  • Opacity = 50
  • Blur = 25
  • Colour = Black
  • Shadow on New Layer = Unticked
Click OK


Save as:- YourName-Lesson39b


3. SMART EDGE

When using this tool you will see a box surrounding the edge.
This is again suitable for irregular shapes and it good for contrasting colours and light.
Activate the Freehand Selection Tool with the following Settings
  • Selection Type = Smart Edge
  • Mode = Add
  • Feather = 0
  • Smoothing = 5
  • Anti-alias = TICKED
Bring up the Birdbath image
Right click on the Background layer and Promote Background layer to a Raster layer.

Start at the top and draw the mouse out, click again and your selection is made - PSP then places a line along the edge.
Another box is ready to be drawn out to select the next part



Continue around the edge until you get back to where you started. Double click or RIGHT click to join up.

Again you will have some parts to fix, so go back to the Edge seeker to do this - hold the CTRL key down to remove parts you don't want selected.
Now while the birdbath is still selected add a Background to it. Also decorate the birdbath with whatever you wish. You will need to deselect at some point
Merge your layers


Save as:- YourName-Lesson39c


4. SMART SELECTION BRUSH

With the Smart Selection Brush PSP selects the edges of an area automatically when you brush over an area of the image.
The selection expands to the edges based on the settings you place in.

Bring up the Giraffe image - Right click on the Background layer and Promote Background layer
Activate the Smart Selection Brush Tool with the following Settings
  • Mode = Add
  • Size = 20
  • Feather = 0
  • Tolerance = 32
  • Anti-alias = TICKED
  • Outside = Selected
Just brush over the giraffe and quite a lot of the giraffe will be selected because of the Tolerance level we placed in the settings.
This would be altered depending on the image you are using and the colours and light in the image.

Keep the circle of the brush INSIDE the giraffe - if you go outside the giraffe, it will select what is outside also.
So zoom in and go slow if you need to.

You can patch up with the edge seeker tool later if you need to.
Don't forget the horns and the mane.
To delete any parts, hold the CTRL key down. You may need to adjust the brush size to a smaller size for some areas.


INVERT the Selection
Click on Gaussian Blur - Place 10 in the Radius and click OK

Go Effects > Texture Effects > Tiles
Use any tile settings you wish

Invert the Selection
Apply the same 2 Drop Shadows to the Giraffe that you used on the flower -
the last one you used should still be in the settings (unless you changed it and added a drop shadow to the birdbath)


Save as:- YourName-Lesson39d

5. AUTO SELECTION

The auto selection tool lets you create a smart selection by enclosing an area of an image in a rectangle that automatically snaps to the edges it detects

Bring up the Stone Swan image - Right click on the Background layer and Promote Background layer
Activate the Auto Selection Tool with the following Settings
  • Feather = 1
  • Anti-alias = Ticked
  • Inside = Selected
Draw a selection box around the outside of the swan starting in the top left corner


Release the mouse and PSP will select most of the swan.
It will not select some of the darker areas - under the neck & chin, the chest and along the bottom


Activate the Edge seeker and add those parts in - you may need to adjust the range setting and lower it if it is selecting too much
Delete any areas you don't want in by holding down the CTRL key.

INVERT the selection
Go Effects > Texture Effects > Weave
Use any weave settings you wish - you may use mine from the video

Invert the Selection
Apply drop shadows Behind the swan on either side of him - NOT underneath him
You may use the same ones we used earlier on the giraffe and flower, but keep the Vertical offsets to negative numbers and just change the horizontal.

Crop the image so a lot of the edge parts are gone.


Save as:- YourName-Lesson39e


LESSON REQUIREMENTS

  1. Wooden Chest with Blue Background
    - YourName-Lesson39a

  2. Yellow Flower with Straw background and Drop Shadows
    - YourName-Lesson39b

  3. Birdbath with Background of your choice plus Decorate it
    - YourName-Lesson39c

  4. Giraffe with Tile Background of your Choice plus Drop Shadows
    - YourName-Lesson39d

  5. Stone Swan with Weave Background (mine or your choice) plus Drop Shadows
    - YourName-Lesson39e

You can go straight to the forum to post your lessons Click HERE



Your PDF file is HERE



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