Lab 4
Page 3

Creating your own images

Using Paint Shop Pro

Now it's time to experiment with Paint Shop Pro, a popular graphics program.

Find and click on the Paint Shop Pro icon in the folder called "Cluster Applications" on the Desktop. If you cannot find it, ask a TA for assistance.

You should see a large window with a few toolbars across the top and an empty dark gray area in the center. This center area is where your images will appear when you edit or create them.

To the left, you should see the Zoom Level control. You will be able to use this to zoom in and out of your image. On the right, there is a color selector. By clicking on the color you wish to use in the palette, you can cause it to be the foreground color. This is the color that will be used when you draw with the paintbrush. By right-clicking, you can adjust the background color which is the color used for fills and some other changes.

You may also notice a "Histogram" window. You will not need this right now, so feel free to close it by clicking on its "X".

1. Select "New" from the file Menu to create a new Image
2. In the window that appears, make the width and height larger (at least 600 x 400)
3. Choose a background color
4. Change the Image type to "16.7 Million Colors"
5. Press "OK"

A large window should appear, filled with the background color you chose. If your Paintshop Window was not large enough for it, it may have automatically zoomed out. Be sure the Zoom Level is set to "1:1". This large area is your canvas. Using the different tools available, you can paint on it with the mouse.

If you are unsure what a particular tool does, hold the mouse over its button and look at the description given in the bottom left corner of the window. If you make mistakes, just choose "Undo" from the Edit menu to undo your last stroke or action.

Click on the PaintBrush, choose a color, and spend a few minutes creating a picture. Try several of the tools available (use the Help menu if you need to).

Here are brief descriptions of a few of the tools available:

	Lets you zoom in and out of pictures
	Lets you drag around selected areas of your image
	Lets you select rectangular areas of your image
	Lets you select non-rectangular areas of your image
	Lets you take a color from your image and put it on the palette as either the foreground color (if you left-click) or the background color (if you right-click)
	Lets you paint (check out the different sizes and options available)
	Lets you smudge, blur, brighten etc.. as though you were painting
	Lets you get a spray paint effect
	Fills in an area with the foreground color
	Lets you type text into your picture
	Lets you draw lines
	Lets you draw shapes (not just rectangles)

Shrinking, Enlarging, Cropping

Now lets play with the size of your picture. Be sure that your image is selected (its titlebar should be dark).

One way to make an image smaller or larger is to shrink or enlarge it

1. Choose "Resize" from the Image menu.
2. Select Custom size and type in a width and height.
3. Press OK

This should change your picture to a new size. If you clicked on the checkbox next to "Maintain aspect ratio", then the picture should look larger or smaller but the same otherwise. If you didn't then it is likely that your picture got stretched or squeezed in one dimension.

Unlike resizing, cropping an image will make it smaller by cutting off the edges.

1. Click on the "Selection" tool (the dotted-line box between the hand and the lasso).
2. Click on a part of the image and drag to create a box.
3. Select "Crop" from the Image menu

Notice that anything outside that box has been cut off from your picture.

Finally, you can change the picture back to its original size without enlarging the part you have drawn.

1. Choose "Enlarge Canvas" from the Image Menu.
2. Choose a new size.
3. Press OK.

This should have increased your drawing area. The new space is filled with the current background color.

Saving images

1. Choose "Save As" from the File menu.
2. Select a Folder in which to save your file.
3. Type in a file name
4. Choose either "GIF" or "JPG" as the file format next to "Save as Type".
5. Press "Save".

If you are saving your file as a JPG, it is very important that you check the current compression rate in the following way:

1. Choose "Preferences | File Format Preferences" from the File menu.
2. Click on the tab entitled "JIF/JPG"
3. Be sure that the compression level listed is reasonable. It is a percentage between 1 and 100 and should normally be around 10. Anything over 50 will probably result in a very noticeable distortion.
4. Press OK.