I hear you. I just downloaded PSP a couple of days ago. Ive read all the basics and played around with it, but to be honest with you i am not that impressed. I always hear how user friendly it is and easy to use. But some simple things seem counter intuitive.

For example: I wanted to create a front cover for a manual of another program. I wanted to take the logo and insert some text next to it. SO i bring in the image, next i created a new Vector layer, then i click the insert text logo on the left. SO far pretty straight forward. The "Text Entry" window appears with all the text options. I choose a Times New Roman, Size, Bold, then i hit OK. Then you can stretch your text by pulling the corners around. Great everyting is set now. BUT NOTHING APPEARS!! What am i missing. The title that i type never appears. So i go through the drill: Visable Layer, Merge Layer, Transparency. Nothing seems to work. I look at the manual, help file, google, forums.

I spent over 2 hrs on this and still havent figured out what im missing. I dont know what else to read. All i want to do is take one graphics layer and merge it with one text layer. Why is that so hard?

Any Help on this would be appreciated.

Don't know about PSP, but in Photoshop each layer is exactly that... seperate, like onion skin one of top the other. If you want to merge the whole ball of wax you need to combine the layers. Several ways in Photoshop, like Merge Visible or flatten image.

One of the BEST graphic tools is FREE, GIMP, originally written for the LINUX platform, but they ported a nice version to Windows.

http://www.gimp.org/


BTW, a common mistake when you type in graphic programs is to have the text color the same as the background. Its there, but you won't see it, until you change either the text color or the background color. <wink>

Editor3333 - Yeah, spent sometime in PC World yesterday and went "green" with jealously when I saw the vast range of books and stuff for Photoshop. Nothing on PsP . . .hmmm....

Star - Yup, exactly my point. I'm sure the stuff is in this programme but finding it, in an intuitive way, is a bit like a needle in a haystack. Agreed! I've even got signed-up to a PsP forum! Star do you want to set-up our own "Email" conversation to at least help and assist each other? We could then also pass graphics and "Screen-Grabs" between ourselves to get further along on our PsP knowledge - yeah?

BB - Hiyah - thanks for the link to the freebie. Yes I do understand the "onion skin" comparison - in a way it, is the same as Parent and Child tracks in V4.

I do have Microsoft Photodraw, which I use as my "back-up" graphics package, when I create masks and such. It won't save to PSD files, does do PNGs. PsP has a "smoother" way it treats hand/mouse movements for drawing things - so I would like to master PsP. Also it comes with "Animation Shop" which promises some valuable functionality to video work.

Any others ideas here?

Grazie

Grazie,
Hang in there. PSP does have a lot of help files explaining everything. I've never found them easy to use, but when I've taken the time I've found that they contain the info I need. It's just that I was rather looking for a quick answer.
Have you tried The Jasc homepage? They have some tutorials, but I haven't looked at them.
Tor

Tors! You are the MAN!

Am I stupid or what!!! I never thought of cruising the Jasc site. . . don't know why . . . probably the same reason that water doesn't flow up hill . . .

Tors this is what you gave me On A Plate . .

http://www.jasc.com/artresource.asp?

http://www.jasc.com/tutorials/nieuwenstein/mask1.asp?

I can't say this will assist me directly BUT using these JASC website tutes in conjunction with the PsP manuals has to be - if not a no-brainer - at least a benefit - yeah?

Thanks again TorS . . . d'yer wanna share Graphics stuff, by email, so I can get on with this PsP learning curve?

Grazie

<< water doesn't flow up hill . . . >>
Oh yes it does. At least the River Thames does, when the tide comes in. I was on a boat coming back from Kew Gardens when I noticed another boat that was hanging up river from its whatsitsname it was fastned to. I had photographed that boat earlier, when it was hanging with what I thought was the flow of the river. That was why I noticed it had changed direction. Pretty weird experience, until I thought about the tide.

.. share graphics stuff ..
I don't do much in PSP. After I discovered the text generator in Vegas I do even less. I keep it around for cropping and recompressing scans for web use and make the occasional button or logo. I have little or no enthusiasm for it. Not like Vegas, or some of my musical stuff, where I might even create problems in order to invent their solutions.

"I don't do much in PSP" - point taken.

TorS, I'm starting to get my head around the Preview Copy>Paste into a graphics package. Wouldn't it be nice to have this option in reverse - ie, to be able to Copy>Paste back into V4 - somehow - without the need to create a separate file - PNG or whatever? - See, I'm trying to make V4 more intuitive to my graphics manipulation.

Best regards,

Grazie

With Vegas being a non-destructive editor, that wouldn't leave it anything to non-destruct.
Tor

Grazie,

Another great PSP resourse is a usenet group:

comp.graphics.apps.paint-shop-pro

Apart from some wild and talented PSP users, it is also frequented by Jasc people.

I've used PSP since version 5 - I find it so much easier than Photoshop, but I guess different brains need different ways ...

Peter

p.s. I was floating along the Thames last October, but back in Oz now ...

Is it terribly bad form to OT an OT?
If not, do you know any excellent attractions/outings for girls between 9 and 14 in South England?:
One of my daugters sing in our cathedral's girls' choir. I am involved in planning a one week tour to UK next summer (starting June 18). Whatever we go and see should be within an easy coach or train trip from Winchester (they'll be singing at the cathedral!).
I know about Legoland, I know about Stonehenge. Have you any other suggestions?
If you do, please mail it or send a link to:
tor >at< hesbynett.no

I beg forgiveness for the OT. Please don't make it worse by responding here. Mail me.
Tor

Wow! " . . any excellent attractions/outings for girls between 9 and 14 in South England?" South England includes London and everything else! TorS this is massive! - Are you thinking of getting up to London? Are you going to be part og the Winchester Festival '03? Maybe?

If so, I'll give your request a once over. How many individuals? Have you got any people links already? ONly one week? - Too too little time . . . maybe a you might have an hour to sink a few beers with me - yeah?

Grazie

Dratme - thanks for the link. I'll give it a go. I've used TorS link to the Jasc site and I've been doing some of the simple TExt to Vector tutes today. Got hung up a bit on the conversion thing "Convert Text to Curves>As Character Shapes". Maybe you could give me a "heads-up" on this . . . I seem to have ground to a halt . . we could do this by email .

Grazie

starixiom:

Its not that hard, i have done this many times without any problem. To mee it seems that you forgotten to change the text color. The default text color as i can remember is black, so if you background is also black you cant see anything, thats for sure.

Try to use another text color. Still problem, let me know.

Frankie
Singapore

Grazie,
I was trying to whisper my email address and you rather shouted it out. I hope I never meet you in a doctor's waiting room.

Anyway. Yes, I had a feeling London would be therabouts ;-)
No, really. We might go for a blitz visit (Like London Eye, St Pauls and out again before you know it). Don't fancy moving about the big city with the responsibility of a lot of kids I'm not allowed to yell at. Wouldn't mind a couple of quiet pints and a stool, though.

We'll be about 30 singers (girls from 9 - 14) and between 6 and 10 adults.
Winchester Cathedral will probably keep us busy a couple of days (singing, sight-seeing and fraternizing with their girls' choir. We will be trying to get another Cathedral to welcome us, too.
But the girls will want to shop, play, see things and, well you know.
I see they have shot some of Harry Potter in Lacoch - that could be something. Stonehenge, Legoland - things like that.

And Grazie - this will be 2004, and it may not coincide with the Winchester Festival. (You know about that? St Swithun is the patron saint of Stavanger. I bet you didn't know that.
Tor

Tors - BIG BIG Apology on the errr . . thing . . yer know errrr the "Doctor's Surgery" thingy - ME bad! - Anyway, if an idiot like me can fathom your "code" chances are others will too!

"St Swithun is the patron saint of Stavanger. I bet you didn't know that." Got that right!

Anyway 2004 - long way off yeah? - Can't wait that long for a beer.

Grazie

Looks like I'll be in London before that - without choir. About when November becomes December this year. Then I'll be staying not far from South Kensington tube station. We'll communicate about it later.
Tor

I have been using PSP for years and in the early days found the tutorials extremely useful. IMHO it is far easier to use than Photoshop (ducks for cover).

Of course you could always try Photoshop Elements if you need to stay in the Adobe stable.

My experience is that PhotoShop demands lots of resources to run, something wasnt true about PsP. Thats why i was ending up with it for my webdesign few years back...

Its only few options im missing in PsP, thats more support for Wacom tables and pens.

Frankie
Singapore

Frank - WACOM little support? Are you sure - doah! I really fancied one - saw one at PC WOrld. Nutz! - Haven't bought it yet, your last post is very timely - thank you.

You reeeealllyy sure about the WACOM tablet??? :-(

Grazie

About Wacom tables and pens....

They're GREAT if you plan on doing a lot of very detailed touch up work which is more difficult with just a mouse or trackball. While it takes a little practice, you have much finer control, and being a pen it is more natural... once you get the hang of it. A big plus is being a pen it is touch senstive, meaning the more pressure you apply the more effect you get. Again, takes practice, and if you already have some artistic talent, that's a big plus.

Grazie... if you really want one... look around, I've seen the larger tables bundled with graphic software, forgot what, I already got Photoshop, and once you have that you become somewhat of a snob. <wink>

Also, especially for graphic work a trackball is (in my opinion) much better than a mouse. Again takes some time to get use to, but since just the ball moves, not the base, once you get used to it you'll probably never go back to a clumsy mouse. BTW, you can use a pen in combination with a mouse or trackball you don't have to give one up to use the other.

Don't bother with Stonehenge. It's a bunch of big rocks in the middle of nowhere. The history and what it represents is far more interesting than actually being there. Seriously, there is nothing to do. A bunch of girls would be bored silly. You could drive past it though on the way to somewhere like Bath, which is a cool historic place (be aware that it can take hours to get there in Summer though due to road backups).

There's not so much 'to do' in the Winchester area. I was at university in Southampton which is just down the road. It's very pleasant part of the country - good for walking and so on. Lots of 'pretty' villages.

Mark

Mark, thanks for your frank advise about Stonehenge. It's noted.
Is there anything for girls to look at in Southampton/Portsmouth (other than sailors, I mean)?
Tor