Discovering Effects

[ LiB ]

Effects work on the individual layers of an image, so you can apply a different effect for each layer. Effects work only on raster images and only if the image is full- color (16 million) or in certain grey scale settings. Paint Shop Pro includes more than 100 different effects in 11 different categories:

• 3D effects

• Art media effects

• Artistic effects

• Distortion effects

• Edge effects

• Geometric effects

• Illumination effects

• Image effects

• Reflection effects

• Texture effects

• User-defined effects

See Appendix C, "Sample Effects," for a representation of some Paint Shop Pro 8 effects.

Using the Effect Browser

The easiest way to see what an effect applies to your image is with the Effect browser. The Effect browser displays a thumbnail of your open image layer with a sample of each effect with its default settings.

NOTE

On most filters, selecting an area prior to choosing an effect applies the effect to the selected area only.

Samples will appear in the preview pane showing the selected layer with each effect at its default settings. As you can see, many effects are dramatic whereas others provide softer and less noticeable change.

NOTE

Some effects require a selection before you can apply an effect.

Selecting from the Effects Menu

If you know the effect you want to apply to an image, you can quickly select it from the Effects menu.

NOTE

Effects with an ellipsis display a dialog box with options. Effects without an ellipsis apply immediately upon selection.

Working with Effect Dialog Boxes

Most effects require additional input before the effect can be applied. The options will vary with individual effects.

Standard elements on Effect dialog boxes include the following:

The remaining options vary depending on which effect you're working with. In this figure, you see the options for the Balls and Bubbles effect where you can adjust the size, quantity, and spacing of the balls and bubbles .

NOTE

Experiment with the effects and their options. The possibilities are endless!

Discovering the Randomize Button

New to Paint Shop Pro 8 is a Randomize button, which appears in most of the Effects dialog boxes. Because most Effects dialog boxes contain a number of different settings and controls, clicking on the Randomize button selects different combinations of those settings and controls.

NOTE

Each click of the Randomize button selects a completely different combination of effect settings.

[ LiB ]